blitz3 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 at our last open show i was talking to 1 of the judges afterward and she said my dog needs to build more muscle in the chest, whats the best way to do this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Maturity (you're boy's only young isn't he?) genetics good food and walking. If the dog has short upper arms and/or straight shoulders the last thing you want to do is add muscle to it so consider your own dog before you do anything and always remember a lot of judges really don't have any idea what a Stafford is meant to look like so don't believe everything you are told whether they're a judge or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 what breed are you talking about and what gender? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Also, some lines of the same breed mature much later than others so that's worth considering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz3 Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Blitz is only 10 months he is just now starting to fill out, i haven't exercised him to hard as i didn't want to hurt him. he fits the breed standard and the dogs he comes from aren't over muscled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz3 Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 what breed are you talking about and what gender? male staffordshire bull terrier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Need photo Fits the breed standard - exactly what does this mean to you? The number of Staffords in NZ with correct fronts is very small (and I am not speaking from photos ) No such thing as a dog of any breed which fits the breed standard in all ways (not even those rare blues ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoL Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Bench presses and push ups! Sorry, being serious ... Your boy is only young, his growth plates would have only just closed over so you wouldn't have wanted to exercise him too much anyway. As Sandra said, most judges wouldn't have a clue what a Stafford SHOULD look like, so don't pay too much attention to them. Learning how to analyse your own dog is key. Exercise and diet and genetic make-up are the key factors to producing a muscled dog. If the dogs preceding Blitz aren't known for being high in muscle mass then únfortunatley no amount of work will make Blitz look like Arnie Schwartz 20 years ago. If this is the case you should still aim for fit and cut as this will still define his lines and you will probably do better under breed specialist judges than all breeds, who tend towards the heavy set, bullish type. At 12 months old, a Stafford should look gangly still, with plenty of daylight underneath him. If he looks heavy and overdone at this stage he will only look more so at full maturity. This is nothing to do with building muscle, this is to do with lines and genetics. Our lines take at least 2 years to mature physically (mentally is another matter!) and even then we get some dogs that are slower to mature. A diet higher in protein (but not too high) and constant and consistent exercise will help build muscles. Have faith and aim for overall health and fitness instead of concentrating on muscle mass (sounds like he's doing alright in the show ring despite this though from what you've posted in teh past). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 When he's old enough, weight pull will do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 You want your Stafford to look like a middle weight boxer, not like heavy weight. Give the dog two days on for roadwork and one day off, with a free run and once a week a swim. That will give you the clean, ripped look. Muscle mass will be dictated by genetics, the dog will either be blessed, cursed or have nothing. Royal Canin, is great for helping build and hold muscle tone. Be very careful what you do if the dog is short in the upper arm, as there's nothing worse than an overloaded shoulder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz3 Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 not the best photo but i just realized i don't have any front on, ignore the people this is his sire http://rumblestaff.com/default.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui835 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 not the best photo but i just realized i don't have any front on, ignore the people this is his sire http://rumblestaff.com/default.aspx Wow sorry I know nothing about staffies but just wanted to tell you that I think you have a beautiful dog. I'm not usually a fan of the breed, but that might be different if they all looked like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Lovely photo, congrats on the fringy To analyse his front (which is a fools game from a photo ) you would need to get a good side on photo where he is standing at right angles to the camera, then draw on it where his shoulder blade and upper arm are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz3 Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Lovely photo, congrats on the fringy To analyse his front (which is a fools game from a photo ) you would need to get a good side on photo where he is standing at right angles to the camera, then draw on it where his shoulder blade and upper arm are. i wasn't even worried about his muscle til the judge said as hes my mate first show dog second, i'll just do the exercise Pav Lova suggested and wait for him to mature as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz3 Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 not the best photo but i just realized i don't have any front on, ignore the people this is his sire http://rumblestaff.com/default.aspx Wow sorry I know nothing about staffies but just wanted to tell you that I think you have a beautiful dog. I'm not usually a fan of the breed, but that might be different if they all looked like that... thank you, i think hes pretty special but i'm quite biased Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 My honest advice is to ignore any inclination to "muscle build" beyond regular exercise and let him mature. He's only very young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I also teach mine to walk out infront of me on a loose lead, so I can watch their movement from behind. You learn a lot about how the dog is moving and should be able to pick up if it needs a chiro trip. There is no point trying to exercise a dog and build muscle, of the dog is out somewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui835 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I thought he was so handsome I went through the whole site you linked - and to me he has a very similar build to "Hotshot" when he was young. Again, I know nothing about staffies, but in the case of my pooch (a doberman), he is only just starting to bulk up now (at like 18 months) having finally (I think) stopped growing upwards... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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