Having a dog is like having a kid at times, since you are directly in charge of the dog’s diet, their wellbeing as well as attending to their needs. The needs can be derived to both psychological needs as well as their physical needs, and the latter is something that can be really relevant to us. Just take for example the case of a dog that is meant to be strong, but you have not seen it moving as athletically as before. This can be the case of the physical needs that are not being met by you. In this case, it will be important for us to explore on ways that we can help the dog to build up their muscle mass so that they do not lose their athleticism.
How to help your dog build muscle
There are several ways at which you can do this. From directly training the dogs to providing to them adequate food, let us explore the various methods that might be applicable to your dog.
General Exercising
This is the best way of helping your dog to build muscle and perhaps helping you and the dog to be fitter at the same time. When the dogs are exercising, it helps to burn some calories and convert the fats into muscles. Exercising with your dogs will also help to create a bond between you and them too. Some forms of exercises can range from the lower impact ones such as the regular walks. If you are into adventurous activities, you can bring your dog for a hilly climb or even hiking. Note that such activities are not meant for all dogs, so do monitor your dog and observe them at all times during the strenuous activities. Bring along adequate food and water supplies too. Of course, we will advise you to put your dog on a leash as you wouldn’t want your dog to be endangered during the hikes.
- Isolated muscle building exercises
If you are looking to building specific parts of your dogs’ muscle, then the next best thing you can do is so isolate the dogs muscle group by specific exercises. Here are some of the different types of exercises that you can conduct for your dog.
- Squats: We all know the benefits of squats as it is a compound exercise that works almost all muscles groups in the body. To get your dog to do this exercise, make sure that your dog is in a regular walking posture. Just when the dog is about to sit down, give him the command to stay so that it does not sit down at all. This will help to build the dog’s muscle.
- Sit and stand: Getting your dog to change their positions does help to work those muscles out. You can command the dog to sit and stand interchangeably with about 5 – 10 seconds between each command. This action helps the dog to build up their core as well as the muscles in their legs.
- Leg lifts: This exercise does require your initial guidance. Help to guide the dog to lift up one of their leg for about 5 seconds from the start. Change the leg after that 5 seconds and repeat this at least 5 times. You can gradually increase the duration to 10 seconds or more, depending on your dog’s endurance level. For this, you shouldn’t be too forceful on your dog. If your dog is showing signs of resistance, then this exercise might not be too suitable for it.
- Swimming: For overall muscle building, you can always opt to bring your dog for a swim. Even if you don’t live in areas near to water bodies, you can bring your dog to nearby dog training institutions as some of them do have swimming classes for dogs
- Sprints: This is one of the few exercises that might not be applicable to most dogs, since not all dogs are faster sprinters. If you have dogs like the greyhound, then it does make sense for you to conduct sprint training for them.
- Weighted Vest: For dogs like bulldogs or pugs, some owners love to get weighted vest for them as it helps to reduce the dog’s bulkiness and at the same time helping to build up their muscle mass. But always note that not all dogs are suited for weighted vest. Also, note that you will need to start from a lower weight to get the dog accustomed to the idea of weighted best exercises before you increase the weight of the vest.
Healthy Diet
Of course, exercises alone cannot help your dog to build muscle if you have been feeding them with junk food. For optimal muscle building, you should feed your dog with food that is rich in protein since protein helps to repair and build muscle fibers, hence helping to increase its overall mass.
Another alternative to that is to buy specific food types that are meant to boost your dog’s muscle mass. Some examples of these food are:
- Bully Max High Performance Dog Food
- Regal Dog Superfood
- Supplements
For humans, some of us rely on supplements to help us build muscle mass in the short run. This can be the same for dogs, but we will still recommend you to take the supplements and still conduct strength training or endurance training sessions for your dogs. Here are some of the recommend supplements that your athletic dog can take:
- Zesty Paws All Ages Multi-Collagen Bites
- Gorilla Max Canine Performance Muscle Supplement
- PetExcellent Bully Muscle Builder Protein Powder
- Muscle Bully – Muscle Builder
- MVP K9 – Formula Mass
Always remember to seek the consultation of your vet before you embark on any change of diet or the additional of supplements.