Build Muscle

Build Muscle

• 1
  Place your dog on a high quality kibble. Pit bulls can be voracious eaters and a dog food with a minimal amount of fillers will produce a much healthier pet. Look for kibble with meat as the primary ingredients. It should have as little meat meal, bone meal or ash as possible.
• 2
  Add lean protein slowly into your dog’s diet. Lean meats and proteins such as bits of chicken, lean beef and eggs will help your dog to develop more smooth muscle tissue. Take care not to feed your dog too much meat too quickly, as this will cause digestive upset.
• 3
  Develop a roadwork plan for your dog. Roadwork and jogging helps the muscles to stretch and contract as the dog moves that will encourage growth along the individual muscle fibers. Use a harness when road working your dog instead of a regular collar. The harness will better distribute the weight of an active puller than a thin collar. Start your roadwork slowly, adding 30 minutes of jogging into your dog’s daily routine, eventually working up to an hour a day once your dog’s stamina has increased.
• 4
  Select a solid, sturdy surface for a tug station. Pit bulls are well-known for their large neck muscling and powerful jaws. A tug station allows your dog to work his muscles without injuring you while playing with him.
• 5
  Select a large tree and mark a spot approximately eye level with your dog in the trunk. Create a tug handle by making a loop with one end of your rope and knotting it, creating a large, solid loop. Use your eye screws to attach one side of the inner tube to the tree. Pass the inner tube through the loop in the rope and secure it to the trunk with the remaining eye screw. Your dog will now be able to tug to his heart’s content, as the rubber has enough give and take to keep him interested.
• 6
  Offer your dog access to fresh water at all times. Muscle development is hard on the body and hydration is essential to prevent damage to the growing muscles.

Tips & Warnings

• Use caution to avoid working your dog in high temperatures. Dogs are very limited in their ability to cool off, so heat exhaustion can be a common problem if training occurs in the middle of the day. Work your dog early in the morning of at dusk to minimize problems.
• Never allow your dog to run free during your roadwork. Vehicles, roaming animals and debris can injure or kill your pit bull if he is not properly supervised.