Not to exercise too much ???

MikeSBT

Need some advice....
My breeder keep telling me not to exercise my boy too much, otherwise he will lose his "Substance".

My boy is 11 months now, 25 kg, 20 inches. I walk him uphill and downhill off-leash 30 mins in the evening and he get to run around in our yard during day time.
Recently i ordered a weight pulling harness and thinking to let him pull weight (tire) for fun twice a week.

However, my breeder advice me not to over exercise him.

Is it too much for him? 

tazmaniandevil

My breeder also said this to me, she said he looked a bit to lean at the shows and to cut down on the exersise. He is 12 minths and around 27kgs. He hasnt out any weight on for about 6-8 weeks now tho. I walk him a lot, and off lead and he also pulls me on a kickbike and kick sled in the snow. I would gladly sacrifice a little bit of bulk at the moment in return for a tired dog. He is in great shape anf fit as a fiddle. As long as he has some rolls of fat on the back of his neck and his ribd arnt showing i think he is fine. People expect the big bulky look at the shows but at his age i dont want the extra weight on his joints seems he runs and leaps around like a mad man.

tazmaniandevil

I was told to leave the weight pulling untill he was 12 months old so i got a kickbike instead which means i share some of the load. He loves it. When i strap him in he just turns into a husky dog and pulls like mad. Best thing i ever bought. A 30 minute ride is the same as a 3 hour walk. He is totally drained afterwards. At his age tho i only do this maximum 3 times a week. But im sure ge would go for hours givin the chance

philsergeant

I could be completely off base, but these are BREEDERS? giving this advise? Not Vets?  None of the above seems to be much of a workout at all.... If I exercised our kids that little they would be driving us insane at home.  They go for a 20 minute full out gallop, if not every day, at least 5 times a week, until they are panting like mad.. and the next day they can hardly wait to get free again.  As long as nobody is pushing/ forcing them to exercise, or encouraging them to pull heavy weights with treats they can't resist... They will set their own level of exercise.

BulliesofNC

If a breeder is telling you not to exercise your Bull Terrier too much in order to retain more substance that would only make sense if they knew their bloodline produced lean builds that lacked proper mass and the only way to present them as a "bigger" Bull Terrier would be to prevent them from burning calories in order to gain excess weight. This kind of mentality prevents the Bull Terrier from developing proper muscles and getting into great condition both physically and mentally. I'll agree that the bigger Bull Terriers are getting a lot of looks at the shows but the judges are also well aware of the difference between a muscular ripped Bull Terrier with proper mass and substance verse a thick tubular Bull Terrier that lacks energy, drive, and proper muscle tone.

A well balanced nutritional diet can be adjusted for the most active Bull Terriers to ensure they are maintained at optimal weight. To me it just wouldn't make sense to prevent a Bull Terrier from getting adequate exercise that they desperately need for a healthy life.

Nitro would go insane if he didn't get his daily workout and he can go 100mph 24/7. Never have I had anyone say he lacked substance. Heck even Rocky (82 pounds) goes for broke everyday running freely around our property with other dogs. I have a couple Bullies that don't have near the energy as the others and they look great but their physique, muscle tone, and overall look does not compare to those that chose to run more, play harder, and exert energy every chance they get.

tazmaniandevil

I agree, vinny has beaten a few bigger thicker bullys at shows because his proportions were better and he looked overall more athletic and moved with more energy. 82lbs is huge!! There isnt many that weight here in norway. Vinny's bloodline is quite small, his father is 3 now and hasnt gone past 60lbs. I was wondering if the growth rate is random in bullys? For instance vinny seems to be stuck on about 50lbs at 12 months. I weigh him every week but he hasnt put any weight on for about 6 weeks!!! I am struggling big time to get enough food into him tho. Ive tried everything but most things he just takes a few bites then walks off. I had some success with raw chicken thighs but he went off them quite quickly to. I was wondering if they pack much more weight on between 1-2 years and if he will like his food better when his hormones settle. The local bitch was in heat all over xmas and it drove him insane so im thinking that might be a reason for his loss of appetite.

BulliesofNC

Try not to to offer food multiple times during the day. Allow him time to work up an appetite. Some people have a lot better success adding weight to their dog by feeding once a day vice twice. The idea is to track the daily nutrition and ensure to keep the dogs' appetite up vice getting them accustomed to eating often where they have the opportunity to refuse food knowing there will be more a couple hours later.

A couple years ago I spoke to a very reputable German Shepard breeder who explained that he fasted his dogs for 24 hours every 2 weeks and he fed his dogs once a day but when it was feeding time they ate plentiful and with pleasure. My bullies are the same way, when it's time to eat a full bowl is devoured within seconds.

The trick is not spoiling them with food and over feeding them. Once they develop an appetite and realize the next meal may not be coming for a long while they tend to appreciate their meals, look forward to eating, and eagerly eat everything provided.

MikeSBT

Noted. Thanks for sharing. 

Will try take some pictures of my boy and maybe can get some advises for his overall condition.
It is not easy as he will not stand still + a lousy photo taking dad. 

MikeSBT

Here is my boy

:x

philsergeant

Mike, He looks fabulous. Only challenge seems to be with that one ear, seems he is still struggling there. If I didn't recommend it before then please try the method I found worked so well. Using the one strong ear to support the other and the back of the ear to adjoin the two... that way you won't crumple the ear. He is a nice size and in good condition, you don't want one ear to ruin it.
Let me see if I can find the photos to post... you must use a very sticky medical tape... The type they use for muscle strapping... you've seen athletes tape it all over themselves for support.

philsergeant

Here's the diagram