Steroids Used when Showing Dogs? - Page 2

Anabolic Androgenic Steroids only benefit a subject who is working hard.  As everyone knows when a canine is training and working hard, they are tearing down. The building occurs when the muscles are fed and rested. The use of AAS greatly speeds up recovery and healing time and allows the subject to train even harder and longer.

AAS use is of benefit to both, dogs who do anaerobic work like Weight Pull dogs and sprint dogs, as well as dogs who do aerobic as well as anaerobic work like a sled dog. But in order to be of benefit the subject has to really be worked. I just don't know if the majority of Bench Show dogs or even Schutzhund dogs tear down enough to benefit of the rebuilding properties of AAS.

A subject can stack the best roids under the sun, but if they dont work hard enough to tear down, it will be a total waste and will be of no more benefit than a sugar tab.

Sunsilver posted a pic of a very impressive GSD on a thread titled "Feed the Darn Dogs". This dog looks like he is the type of dog that perhaps works hard enough to benefit from AAS use.

Now I am in NO WAY saying this dog is on AAS. I would bet all I have that he isn't. I'm just saying this dog has the look of a properly worked and fed Canine.

In my opinion, I do not believe any show dogs are given steroids.  The use of AAS would have no effect on a dog's genetics what so ever. Below is a long read, but if one is interested in such info, its worth a read

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/128/12/2686S

Hey, Abhay, what dosage do you use? I saw those biceps, when you clipped the umbilical, and the first thing I thought was, have you had your steroids today? The second thing I thought was, can you touch your toes? Flexibility and  a thick neck doesn't usually go hand in hand, so to speak.

I can bend if you can, LOL!

beetree,

  You ask, so I will answer. I was a college wrestler. Back in those days the favorite roid was the old blue 5mg CIBA D-Bol(Dianabol) tabs.  I can still remember what Doctors would read to me out of their medical journal"Warning: Anabolic Steroids Do Not Enhance Physical Potential". I bet the Medical Journals don't contain that any longer.

You may not like my answer, but the honest to God's truth is I havent had a roid in my system for well over 30yrs. You may also not like to hear that I can palm the floor anytime, and that I really don't even lift that much. I come from very muscular ancestors. AAS use is the last thing I would need. At the end of my career in the ring, I hadnt touched a weight in years. One time a trainer of a Champion approached me and said, that I should spend lots of time on the speed bag and try to lay off the weights so much in order to get my arms smaller and gain more speed lol.

Through the years I have never stopped learning about the latest in supplements both clean and unclean. I'm always searching for whats next concerning Canine Performance and I have coached many youth programs and was a coach with "Athletes in Action" I had my son in the Jr. USA wrestling program since he was 6yrs old. He was one of the highest ranked HS wrestlers in the nation @215. He went on to wrestle at 3 different colleges all the way to NCAA Div 1.

I know you mean to insult me, but you give me great compliments to think I am on the Juice. You are talking about a guy who loves to dunk tons of cookies in his coffee and can't resist Pasta and rice. I can take weeks off cardio and gut and still have abs. I'm an easy guy to hate huh? 

beetree,

  Now I'm in love with my own body? lol Its odd that your ex couldn't touch his toes. Most swimmers seem to be very limber.  Its difficult to judge any person's ability by their appearance. I have seen people who look extremely overweight, yet can run 10K's and place higher than some slim people.  When it comes to being limber, appearance can really be deceiving there.

You seem to be projecting your feelings towards your ex onto me.  If it eases your mind and it makes you feel better, I'm glad to be of assistance.

Never doubted that for an instant!

I think one would have to be very naive to believe that steroids are not being used on show and working dogs. We have people that will put implants in the ears, put in fake testicles and cut tendons in dog's tail, yet we are to believe that they wouldn’t give a dog an injection every few weeks or a pill a couple of times a day?

Abhay is very knowledgeable about steroids, shared some good knowledge, and I commend him for being so frank. I disagree with him when him when he states most dogs are not working hard enough to see the effects of steroids. Steroids have been proved to increase muscle mass in sedentary persons, even those in comas. Anabolics are also being used in AIDS patients and they are seeing not only a loss in muscle wasting, but also an increase in muscle mass.

But along with muscle building anabolics can do other things. They can give the user a sense of well being. Maybe a way to cover-up a temperament problem? Some anabolics can also decrease joint pain and muscle inflamation (Esp. Deca Durabolin). Looking for that far reaching gait that the dog loss as he got older? Another anabolic that is used quite frequently in Greyhound racing is Laurabolin (sort of Deca Durabolin light). It is used to control heat cycles and is the only anabolic allowed in some racing associations.

I personally don’t have a problem with the ethical use of anabolics. They can help many medical conditions better than the drugs we commonly use. The only reason they are not used more frequently in dogs is because of the social stigma attached.