muscle building - Page 1

i have a 15 month old male gsd. i exercise him atleast 4 x in a wk. exercise consist of jogging, swimming and pulling but i noticed the chest hasnt filled out yet. at what age does it usually fill out structurally?

Without seeing your dog or knowing anything about his history or bloodline, all I can say is I have found that GSD's more than any other breed I have experience with, don't fully mature untill 3yrs old or maybe even later.

I have a bitch that I really didn't feel came up to the standards of her parents. One day I went out and looked at her and literally said Damn! thats a good looking bitch! She was 3 yrs old and had actually made a noticeable transformation.  I sure realize how one worries about how a pup or yearling will mature, but Patience is the key. Give him the best of love, praise, feed and exercise and I bet in time you will be a very proud master.

i totally agree with abhay. Very well said Abhay!!

Thank You very much aristianM.  I see you have a Beautiful young girl yourself.

thanks abhay. my dog is listed here in database. "tasso greenwater".  ive been told that his lineage are the slow maturing ones im jst hoping he'll turn out as advertised. tnx

deng, I have a couple of males bred very similiar to your beautiful big boy. One always must be very careful to not give too much work to a big yearling such as yours.  Having said that, To build up a dog's back end I have always done hill work. I let the dog pull against some type of resistance at a steep grade. I know some horsemen will graze their stock
on a steep grade to achieve this effect.

 To build up a dog's front end, I have my charge pull against resistance on a descending grade.  I worked with a racing Greyhound named "Pilger" whose racing weight was 85lbs.  His owner felt his front end was lacking power and wanted to see if I could improve upon his physique.

I found that Pilger was more than willing to pull a 14in tire. I took him to a steep grassy hill and had him pull the tire down the hill. I would then carry the tire back up, and we would begin all over again. I had a good pulling harness with Pilger and used a light cable from the harness to the tire. 

 Many dogs refuse to pull a tire and you will have to come up with some other method. As long as the dog is pulling against resistance on a descending grade the correct muscles will be worked. 

Remember a working dog will need additional protein and calories.

This may sound silly, but I have a female GSD with off the charts ball drive. I set an old bowling ball down and she goes berserk. She will try to bite it and works it with her front paws. It gives her a tremendous chest and shoulder work out. I eventually have to take it away from her, or she would literally work herself to death.

Just be creative and try to design the workout around your dog's likes. Remember to give constant praise. 

thank you very much abhay