Building broad masculine pit

[tdm32]

I know my pups real young still (8 weeks) but, I'm real interested in learning techniques to use to help build his phsyique, so that he look real wide and masculine. I know this might have to do with his bloodlines, but I know he's got good bloodlines already. I'm just looking into any tips people may have used. Thanks in advance for all replies.

[JessaNGizmo]

Yes it is in your dogs bloodline, You cant make a dog wider then it is built to be. Also some lines just cant produce every type of bully, some are short and fat some are short and thin some are tall and fat some are tall and medium build. Just let your pup grow up to his standard in his lines and then you could work him out a little and see how it goes....

http://www.geocities.com/loves-pits/condition.html

Here is a good place to read up....Just dont rush the pup then you will have problems and no one wants those!
Jessa

[Chris]

Right now the thing that will make the biggest positive difference and is in your control is diet. That is the biggie. I'm no expert on what is best so I'd suggest that you start looking into it right now.
I do know most commercial dog foods are not very good so there is a lot to look into and think about. And make sure you feed the right amount.

Good luck and do not over do exercise on a young pup. You can mess them up for life by overworking a dog before it is grown.

[damienApbt]

"working him out" too hard at such a young age could defeat your purpose. you could screw with his growth or even defect his growth. best keep it to normal puppy work outs. there are people in this forum that know where to draw the line as to puppy work out and how far you can stretch it.

as you know pit bulls develop thickness naturally. your best bet if your so concerned is his diet. feed him the right food and do normal puppy stuff and he'll benefit from that. like you said it deepends on his blood lines. you cant make him "bigger" than he is supposed to be. just like we cant get any taller or shorter than we're gonna be. just keep him active and healthy with an above average quality diet.

also speak with the breeder and see what they did. take a look at his parents to see their overall structure. it should give you a good perspective.

[tdm32]

Thanks all for your responses thus far.

I'm really not planning on overwoking him at all. This is my first pit and I was just looking for some suggestions people might use, that may be helpful to me in the future.

As far as diet, right now I'm using IAMS for puppies that will be over 50 lbs at maturity. Any comments or suggestions on recomended diet?

And as far as building muscle, I understand some of it is in his bloodlines, but like people your muscles nee to be trained in order for them to grow. Any average peson just doesnt have muscles cause he has good genes... (But of course the bettter the genes the easier it makes it) People have to workout and develope those muscles. So I was looking into methods people may have used with their dog that they feel made a difference in their overall build. Like for instance I've seen pits with a fat heavy chain as their collar. I'm sure that has to develope thicker neck muscles. as well as a thick heavy chain used as a leash, I'm sure that works their shoulder muscles.

But I was just looking for suggestions....

[damienApbt]

as to the iams diet. i used the large breed puppy stuff too. and now hes on large breed adult. but im switching over to wellness fish and sweet potato for his skin, coat and allergies. iams is a big time marketed food with a lot of biproducts and chemicals. i've found out in here that virtually no one here uses iams and speaks extremely high of wellness, canidae and innova to name a few. they all have natural ingredients and protiens. which apparently produce major results in comparison with iams.

your best bet since your concerned about his diet is to get him off iams and on to something like wellness puppy food like their super 5 mix with human grade chicken. its 1st 3 ingredients are meat sources chicken, salmon meal and menhaden fish meal..what ever that is. with fruit and vegies and some crazy good stuff.

check this website out for some info on wellness brand food.
http://www.omhpet.com
its sold pretty much every where. if you cant find it around you try canidae or innova

[JaquelineC]

Like for instance I've seen pits with a fat heavy chain as their collar. I'm sure that has to develope thicker neck muscles. as well as a thick heavy chain used as a leash, I'm sure that works their shoulder muscles.

If you see someone with a pit bull with a huge chain around their neck and a heavy chain as a leash, you are witnessing an ignorance and idiocy at work.

That person is damaging their dogs vertebrae, possibly permanently, especially if it's a growing puppy. This is a myth just like 'locking jaws' and 'turning on their owners'... Putting a large chain around your dog's neck will ONLY do damage by wearing down and putting strain on the muscles and skeleton supporting the animal.

People who do this are foolish and misinformed... Please stick to a healthy diet and regular puppy games of fetch, chase-me, and tug 'o' war to ensure that your pup grows up to the as happy and healthy as can be.

(And IAMS is poop - Try one of the other foods mentioned w/o byproducts, chemicals, wheat and corn)

[kendall]

Just regular playing is best for your puppy. Don't start intensive work outs until he's done growing. But fetch and tug-o-war (as long as it doesn't get TOO serious), and his regular walks are great ways to exercise such a young dog, and usually with puppys... when they're done they'll let you know by plopping down beside you anyways. At least in my experience.

As to IAMS... I haven't heard good things about it at all. I'm not very experienced with it, so I'll just direct you to what other members have said. That subject has been covered really well in this forum... check out these threads:
http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=43 -General info and some really good tips and pointers from Ariel
http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=914 -Info on the BARF (Bones And Raw Feed) diet. Very healthy, can get expensive if you don't work it right... but there are some good money saving tips on this thread too.
http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=502 -Again, general info.
Hope those help, good luck with your new pup!

[kendall]

By the way... if you DO decide to switch your puppy's food... do it gradually. Like start out with 3/4 IAMS, and 1/4 the new food. Keep that up for like a week, then go to 1/2 and 1/2... do that for a week or two, then so on and so forth. Switching them over right away can make them sick. Some puppies do fine... but I know Levi's tummy was insanely sensitive as a puppy, and even a little bit of food that was out of the ordinary would give him horrible runs. It was nasty. It is not fun to wake up at 2 in the morning to that smell... and then have to wash the crate out AND give the puppy a bath. Ah the joys of "motherhood".

[damienApbt]

(And IAMS is poop - Try one of the other foods mentioned w/o byproducts, chemicals, wheat and corn)

oh reeeal nice. easy tiger

as for the chain thing, i agree, its just an atempt to add to the "threatning"
aura of their dog. it is quite ignorant and irresponsible and definitely bad PR for the breed. there are absolutly better ways to condition your pitbull without the use of heavy chains as leashes and colars. dont do that. flirt pole, treadmill, walking/running your dog and the spring pole definitely if you're looking to thicken his neck.

my boy rod is my first pit too. hes over 2 now and i've learned so much. mostly how off i was in my expectations in owning a pit bull. if you havent read up on the breed then you're in for a surprise. they're big babies, and love almost any stranger that comes up to them unless the stranger proves themselves otherwise. definitely buy "The Working Pit Bull" by diane jessup, whos actually in this forum and check out http://www.workingpitbull.com . take a look at her recomended books on the breed. very good stuff! there are some good training and conditioning info on the site too.

im sure after a while in this forum and some time spent with your pup that you'll realize that this breed is so much more than an impressive respect demanding dog. and soon may be your priorities and view of this breed will change like mine did. just keep an open mind and thick skin in this forum and you learn a lot. hell i know i did and i still am.

[disSanFranchised]

Don't overexercise your pup - you could damage his joints. Let him just do what he will.

Good nutrition, time, and appropriate amounts of exercise will lead your dog to his optimal health. Avoid corn-based foods and don't get suckered into "high-protein" foods (it can blow his kidneys).

Neuter him at 6-8 months old.

Good foods: California Natural, Innova, Hundenflocken

IAMS sucks. Too much filler. Dog food rule of thumb: if you can buy it at the supermarket, it sucks.

[damienApbt]

Neuter him at 6-8 months old.

told you there were some great people in here. thats the best advice to give to first time puppy owners. dont give it a second thought. cut them bad boys off.

[JessaNGizmo]

I Also would look in to Canidae food personally, Ive had Gizmo on it for 3 months and its GREAT. Its not full of fillers or crap and it doesnt flow thru her like Iams, and Nutro did. A 40lb bag lasted her 3 months! I just got my second bag the other day, Canidae.com and then for supplements you can look at SolidGold.com also. Good luck and I would love to see some pics! Nueter him would also be a GOOD idea!

Jessa

[jmann4]

And as far as building muscle, I understand some of it is in his bloodlines, but like people your muscles nee to be trained in order for them to grow. Any average peson just doesnt have muscles cause he has good genes... (But of course the bettter the genes the easier it makes it) People have to workout and develope those muscles.

This is true. But you wouldn't have a 2 year old child lifting weights. It's hard on their fragile joints.

For dogs, the joints must be strong enough to endure the stress that will be placed on them. 1 year of age is a good time to start them on a mild weight program (like pulling low weight on a short walk) or endurance workouts on a treadmill or sprints while playing.

Anything under one year and you're putting your dogs structure at risk for future problems.

Like for instance I've seen pits with a fat heavy chain as their collar. I'm sure that has to develope thicker neck muscles. as well as a thick heavy chain used as a leash, I'm sure that works their shoulder muscles.

This DESTROYS a dogs neck, back, front legs, and back legs. This is a myth. And you'll end up with a broke down dog.

A small, light, very durable cable set up is far better than a huge chain tie out. This is for IMAGE more than their dogs health.

I would suggest you consult your vet, get your dog health checked, hips tested, the whole nine yards before doing anything that requires them to work out.

Waiting until the dog is old enough to take the stress is the first step in a successful training program.

Until then, feed the dog well, play with it daily, give it plenty of fresh water, and love it.

As the dog grows up you'll get an idea of how their structure will turn out, then consult your vet, get the tests done, then you can start a proper canine exercise routine.

Keep in mind, this whole response is to WEIGHT training a young dog.

[barbponys]

I find the statement that high protein "blows out" the kidneys interesting. My dogs eat a 95% protein diet and I have had no kidney issues. They have eaten it for many years too.

I would agree that crap foods that produce a "high protein" formula would do damage since they are 90% grain. God knows that dogs don't utilize grains well at all and I wouldn't feed Nutro's, Precise's or just about anybody elses "performance" foods. But then I'm not a fan of puppy food either and have not fed them to my puppies since my third Boxer.



Pat