Keeping your dog healthy requires regular Exercise, good nutrition and proper caring. But, all of this is meaningless if your dog is not gaining muscles. Providing good nutrition and regular exercise can keep your dog healthy for a long-time, it’s not necessary that it’ll also build his strength.

Dogs have been an important part of human’s life from a long time. From working as a military dog to taking care of our houses, they have been the most loyal pets yet. But, if your four-legged friend is a skinny pup and scared of other big dogs, then it’s time you take steps to help your dog buff up.

There are many dog owners who want to help their Dog Gain Muscles for security purpose or just for increasing their dog’s aesthetics but don’t know how exactly they can get started. Obviously, you cannot take your pup to the gym for lifting weight and gaining muscles. However, there are some techniques that can help your dog gain muscles. Before proceeding to that, let’s have a quick look at the things that are required to help your dog gain muscles.

Things Required To Help Your Dog Gain Muscles

Muscle gaining is not an easy task for dogs. When you join a gym, you need a special nutritious diet, plenty of rest and regular exercise. Similarly, dogs also need a special diet, rest and exercise, and therefore you have to consider all these essentials and provide them to obtain the desired results.

• Provide A Nutritious Diet To Your Dog:

A high-protein diet is the key to your dog’s physique, so feed your pup with a highly nutritious diet. It will ensure that the dog gets the necessary nutrition to develop bigger and stronger muscles.

There are many dog foods that are specially prepared for gaining muscles, but not every dog food is filled with the needed nutrition. So choose a food item that is loaded with protein, healthy ingredients such as meat. A dog usually needs 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day, so if your dog weighs 50 pounds, then he/she needs 50 grams of protein per day.

• Regular Exercise:

When you start feeding protein enriched diet to your dog, it’s necessary to take him/her out for regular exercise. Regular exercise strains the muscles and cause small rips and tears in the muscle fibres. These rips and tears are then healed with protein that makes the muscle bigger and stronger with time.

• Plenty Of Rest:

As a human needs rest after 1 or 2 hours of workout, a dog also needs to get plenty of rest after stressing their muscles to allow the body to repair the muscles. If the dog doesn’t get enough rest, then there are chances that they will not gain strong muscles.

Guide To Help Your Dog Build Muscles

A thin dog can transform into a strong dog with chiselled body if proper training and diet is given to them. Imagine how aesthetical a dog will look with strong muscles and fit physique. Mentioned below are the tips that can help you transform your four-legged friend into a beautiful beast.

1. Start The Training Slowly

A normal human never starts bodybuilding with a 400-pound bench press; they start their muscle building with lighter weights and then moves to lifting heavier weights. This process increases their weight slowly and allows their body to maintain the muscles with the increasing weight. The same process applies to dogs and it is the best way you can help your dog gain muscles.

Progressing gradually with your dog is not only effective; it also prevents muscle damage and other injuries that can occur due to intense exercise.

2. Never Try To Exceed The Natural Form Of Your Dog

If you think that you can turn your dog into an anatomical freak with large muscles that are too big in accordance with his body, then you are making a mistake. A dog’s body can only be extended to a limit depending on its breed. So, it is necessary to consider the dog’s breed while training them for gaining mass.

There are some breeds that can tolerate supplementary mass with their body, such as American Staffordshire Terriers, Pit Bulls and other physically strong breeds. But, bulking up a Greyhound, Whippet or Afghan breed for extra mass is not a good idea. Providing extra mass to these breeds can cause problems in their body and metabolism.

3. Warm Up Your Dog Properly

You must be aware of the fact that a normal human body needs stretching before lifting any weight. Similarly, it is important for a dog to warm up their body before going for any kind of exercise. Warming up your dog’s body before any exercise will help them perform better and it can also avoid strained muscles and other injuries.

People often think that they can command their dog to stretch their body, but this trick doesn’t always work. However, you can command your dog to stand on the hind legs against a wall or you can help in stretching his/her body. If this doesn’t work for your dog, then give them a light massage on their muscles before starting the exercise.

Also, don’t forget to cool-down your dog after the exercise. Dogs often get excited when they are taken on such exercise, but it’s necessary to get plenty of rest after such exercise. To cool down your dog, you can take them for a slow and casual stroll just after the workout. But, keep the walk short so that the dog can cool down their body.

Exercises For Your Dog To Bulk-Up Mass

At first, it can be challenging to find the right types of exercise to bulk-up your dog. You cannot make them to lift weight in the gym, so you should tap into their natural instincts to work and play. Some of the best exercises are listed below for your dog.

1. Weight Vest Activities

If you want to increase the resistance of your dog when he/she is walking around then weighted vests activities are one of the great options for you. These activities allow you to adjust the weight of your dog. But, you should add only 5 to 10 percent of dog’s body weight in the starting days.

2. Weight Pulling

It is considered as one of the great activities for dogs muscle building. In this activity, the dog is tied with a heavyweight and then commanded to move ahead to pull the weight behind him.

3. Swimming

Even human do swimming for weight loss, then why not dogs. Swimming is one of the exercises that work for all kind of breeds, and dogs even love to take a dip in the lake or pool.

But, be sure about the safety of your dog if you’re taking them for swimming. Don’t take your dog in areas where the current of water is strong. For safety purposes, you can invest in a dog life jacket.

4. Spring Pole

This activity involves a knitted rope attached with a spring-loaded keystone which is provided by a strong resistance when the dog pushes the rope. Usually, the spring poles are accumulated so that the dog can reach the top to grab the rope, but there are chances of other orientations as well.

5. Treadmill Time

Well, it’s a technical exercise and only those dogs that are not afraid of motorised devices can walk on a doggy treadmill. A dog treadmill is just like a normal treadmill that allows a dog to walk for miles without leaving the house.

The great thing about a treadmill is that you can also raise the resistance level or degree of incline in it for developing muscle more effectively. But, don’t forget about the safety of your dog which is your first priority.

From their grooming to their nutritious diet, we do a lot for our canine friend, then why don’t take this process further by helping them in building strong muscles. Follow the above steps to help your dog gain strong muscles and you will a have a dog that not looks strong but also is strong from inside.