Dog Food and Feeding

Q: What is the best muscle building supplement for a Rottweiler dog? I have a rottweiler dog about 19 months old and he has a lot of skin to grow into. How to bulk my Rottweiler up? If anyone has any suggestions on exercises and/or supplements so we can reach our goal. Photo Credit: El Coleccionista de Instantes/Flickr CC Answers and Views: Answer by Love is a GSD Walk him. Run him. Exercise him properly. Feed a premium diet, and he will naturally build up the muscle he is meant to. Large breed dogs aren't done filling in until 2 or 3 years old. A 19-month-old Rott is still a puppy, and shouldn't be full-grown yet. DO NOT supplement. It's all chemical crap. Junk or steroids, both of which are BAD Answer by Phil Unlike other suggestions I do believe in adding a little protein to the diet during growth periods.. especially with fiber Organic Hemp Protein is nice as long as he is exercised. Start on a cup a day spread across his feeds so 1/3/ a cup per feed. Just watch his weight … but I have given protein to most of my dogs until they mature 3-4 years and they have lived mostly extremely long lives well above average. I would suggest half a banana & an apple a day, 1/3 teaspoon of garlic and little onion some organic shredded veggies, olive oil, linseed oil (only a little) & NO non-organic canned wet or dry food. Most, even the sciencey diet dry foods are filled with yuk, commercial feeds are really what prevent dogs from reaching their optimal age. Stick to "no steak" raw red meat (twice a week), raw oily fish (as much as you can remove the bones), white meats like turkey and chicken (boil your chicken till white, the only meat I would not give raw), an egg a day …. mixed with the suggestions I gave above and your Rottie well fill out nicely & better than most dogs. Remember also to give him beef/lamb bones, nice large ones, let him eat the whole thing. (remember also to take it off him a few times to socialize & assert your dominance) Answer by Karen L A good quality dog food and lots of exercises will do it but don't overdo the exercise because you can definitely overdo it with a young dog which can give joint problems later. Check with your vet and see if the dog is mature enough to take hard exercise You don't bodybuild dogs. They are what they are, and it's silly to purposely try to bulk him up. He'll get the muscle he gets by using his muscles. Some dogs have what looks like extra skin their whole lives. They don't need to "grow into it". And it isn't "our" goal. It's yours. The dog is fine with his body image. Answer by clara k A rottie can build muscle but it does take some work and patience. The most important thing is to feed your dog properly and exercise him daily. If you take care of these two aspects you will see him gain muscle in no time at all! Answer by Acacia Rottz Exercise. To build his rear muscles, try doing sprints up a hill. Put him in a sit/stay at the bottom of an incline. You walk to the top and call him. Of course, only do this if his recall is good, if not, you sprint up the hill with him. Stairs are a good thing too for building muscles. Have him go up and down some stairs, slowly, one at a time. You doing it with him, holding him back and making him go slow. Get him to sit, then get him to slowly stand up on his hind legs, only, kind of doing a crunch if you will. Mostly, walk him more. He is also now over 18 months old, so you could start road working him without worrying about his hips and elbows. By road work, I mean jogging with you, or get an attachment for your bike, and run him that way while you ride. He is still a pup and has not matured yet. As someone else mentioned, it does take until they are a minimum of 2 years, possibly as long as 3 years old for them to completely fill out and reach their full potential. I am finding that out with my 2-year-old, but then, I do not exercise her as much as I need to. She has more of the couch potato attitude than my 3-year-old does. Each dog is different though too. My 3-year-old had it all at 9 months old. Whereas my other girl is slowly maturing, and will probably not reach her full potential until she is closer to 3. You may also like: How to Make my Pitbull Gain Weight and Muscle? How to build muscle tone on a Pit Bull puppy? How Can I Make My Male Bulldog Chunky? Another idea for your dog…. put up a kennel run in your yard. Instead of crating him, or even letting him have run of the house when you are at work, put him outside in the kennel run. He will have lots of stimulation that he would not have inside. And, you may find that it helps build muscles because he is actually doing some running in that kennel run. If you do that, however, do not forget to put a roof on it, and also put some kind of flooring down that he can not get up or dig up. Patio blocks work well but are quite heavy to move. My run is almost complete then my girls will be going outside when I am at work. And, I know I will see great improvement in her body and her attitude. She will become more alert, more active, have more stamina, and drive. Crating to me, only tends to hinder the dog's growth, their personality, make them lazy. Anyway, good luck with your boy. Hope I helped. I would not suggest any supplements. I would suggest exercise as the best way to improve your dog's health and overall appearance. Answer by Picky It can be hard to find a good muscle-building supplement for a rottweiler. There are so many supplements available in the market, and not all of them work well for rottweilers. Look for supplements that contain high-quality ingredients like creatine and whey protein isolate, since these ingredients are scientifically proven to build muscles. Answer by Kris You should ask your vet about a vitamin supplement along with good protein and exercise. Answer by shaltiemom The best overall exercise for a dog is a nice long walk/romp in the woods. The dog exercises all muscle groups as he walks, runs, jumps over fallen logs, goes uphill and down, etc. A 19-month old Rotty is still an adolescent. He won't fill out until around 2 1/2 to 3 years. You can use some vitamin supplements, but "bulking up" with artificial substances (think baseball players and bodybuilders) is a really bad idea. Know better? Give your own answer to this question!