# Post your Before & After "Conditioning" Photos of your APBT



## broke94hatch

I'm brand spankin new to this site, so tell me if I've done something wrong.

My wife and I have owned Pits for a few years now, but really haven't looked into any conditioning, we've just walked and played with them regularly.

So if you happen to have any pictures of your pits *before and after* you started any conditioning, or weight pulling, we would love to see them. And I'm sure everyone else would be interested in them too.

Share the love, post away!


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## Chinadog

right at 7-8mths just starting to train at wp









backpacking.









conditioned


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## broke94hatch

Pretty awesome. Do you know what she weighed before and after her conditioning?


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## t1dirty

Chinadog your dog looks in to be in good shape


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## performanceknls

Before









After


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## broke94hatch

performanceknls said:


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Wow, is all I can say.

That is one ripped pit. That is true muscle.
That's what a apbt truly looks like...


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## BLUE PIT BULL MAN

before








After some conditioning


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## performanceknls

Before









After


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## BLUE PIT BULL MAN

performanceknls said:


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that dog looks really conditioned both ways.


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## performanceknls

Before








After (need more)









Before she is still a pup but working on the muscle tone








After


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## BLUE PIT BULL MAN

I wish i could keep mine conditioned but i have people feeding after i do and not caring that i say not to so ima have to work on that.


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## Chinadog

broke94hatch said:


> Pretty awesome. Do you know what she weighed before and after her conditioning?


T1 Thank you, he did most of the work lol I was the one being dragged :hammer:

He weighed at about 68lbs
and conditioned he weighd 56-60lbs


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## Elvisfink

Here's a few of Lux.


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## JFlowersLA

DANG!! Lux was nothing to look at, but now he's stacked!!


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## Bully_Boy_Joe

For the people that don't do weight pull or anything what are good ways to start conditioning?


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## Elvisfink

Here's a few of Ivy. Just Kidding!!!! We're not doing any condioning on Ivy. She gets good feed a daily hand walk and lots of wrestling with Lux. 

8 Weeks









8 Months


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## meganc66

yummm i love everyone's doggehs!!!!!

*steals ivy* YAY!


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## OldFortKennels

I would love to post some pics on this thread, but currently all my dogs are in the BEFORE stage! HAAH thats what happens with 2 years of semi retirement!!!


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## Elvisfink

Bully_Boy_Joe said:


> For the people that don't do weight pull or anything what are good ways to start conditioning?


You state with plenty of walks and good feed. Here's part of an old well known keep. You can see how important just walking your dog is.

PRE-KEEP - SO SIMPLE, 6 TIMES A WEEK
1ST WEEK

* 1 HOUR HANDWALKING, ON A LONG LEASH, IN A GOOD HARNESS,
WALK ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOIL, GRASS, DIRT ROADS, HILLS.
AFTER EVERY WORKOUT,
* A 20 MINUTES RUBDOWN, 
* FEED AND WATERING AFTER THE RUBDOWN AND 
* REST THE DOG, YES THAT'S ALL.

* GIVE HIM ONE DAY OF NO WORK AT ALL, AND DON'T RUB HIM AS WELL,
ON SUCH A REST DAY, YOU'LL ADD SOME LESS FOOD TO HIS FEED PAN.

2ND WEEK

SAME O SAM O, ONLY 1 1/2 HOURS OF WALKING NOW, THAT'S ALL.

NOW THE DOG IS USED ON SOME WORK, WATCH HIM CLOSELY DURING THE WHOLE PROGRESS, IF HE'S LOOKING SORE, TIRED, ETC., DON'T HESISTATE TO REST HIM AN EXTRA DAY.

WE GONNA START NOW WITH 2 WEEKS OF BUILDING UP THE DOG,
TO MAKE HIM READY TO STAND THE PRESSURE AND STRESS,
WHEN WORKED THE 5TH AND HEAVIEST WEEK OF TRAINING.

3RD WEEK

* MONDAY - 5 MINUTES OF TREADMILL, AFTER A HOUR OF HANDWALKING,
AFTER THE MILLWORK, 15 MINUTES OF HANDWALKING 
* TUESDAY - 2 HOURS HANDWALK 
* WEDNESDAY - 10 MINUTES MILLWORK 
* THURSDAY - 2 HOURS OF HANDWALK 
* FRIDAY - 15 MINUTES MILLWORK 
* SATURDAY - REST DAY 
* SUNDAY - WE'LL START AGAIN.

ADD IN THE 3RD WEEK, 25 GRAMS OF BOILED RICE AND 25 GRAMS OF BOILED MEAT
TO HIS DAILY DRY FEED AND 2 MULTI-VITAMIN TABS.

4TH WEEK

SAME O SAMO, ONLY YOU'LL ADD MORE WORK TIME LIKE THIS, TREADMILL 20-25-30 MINUTES, AT THE HANDWALKING ONLY DAYS, 2 1/2 HOURS OF HANDWALKING, ADD NOW 50 GRAMS RICE AND 50 GRAMS MEAT TO HIS FEED PAN & THE 2 VITAMIN TABS.

5TH WEEK

THE MOST HEAVIEST WEEK, 3 HOURS HANDWALKING, EXCEPT AT HIS MILLWORK DAYS, TREADMILL 35-40-45, SATURDAY - REST TILL SUNDAY, FEED STAYS THE SAME, IF LOSING TOO MUCH WEIGHT, ADD SOME EXTRA DRY FEED, (Regulate his weight through the feed pan as well).


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## OldFortKennels

Hey you dont have the Fife keep do you. I cant find mine anymore!!!


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## meganc66

holy moly, elvisfink if you do that i bet you're in great shape too!
so much walking!


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## Elvisfink

OldFortKennels said:


> Hey you dont have the Fife keep do you. I cant find mine anymore!!!


Yes I do. Do you want me to post the entire document? It's pretty long and has lots of historical [] statements. Here's just the keep.

You can buy calves liver in a supermarket or from a butcher. Cut the liver into 2-4 ounce slices and wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze. Put one slice of liver out to thaw per day, so it will be ready at feeding time.

Do not let your match dog chew animal bones because it blunts their teeth and bone pieces become lodged in the dog's throat or intestines. Work them on the hide or give them large "rawhide bones" sold in stores.

This diet and the nutrient sources do not change during the keep. Any variation in diet can cause diarrhea,
so avoid changing your feed at all cost.

EXERCISE IN THE KEEP

My keep places a priority on strength training which is different from many keeps
which work strictly on endurance. This program will improve both strength and endurance.
It will attempt to avoid "staleness" by utilizing a variety of exercises and plenty of rest days.
The variety of exercise will keep the dog from getting bored and keep him trying to do his best work.

I divide the exercises into either strength or endurance training and alternate these routines,
here are some examples:

STRENGTH TRAINING

*Walking the dog from a leash - leash walking

*Dog pulls a chain while you walk beside him - chain pulling

*Dog runs while pulling chains next to you, your car or bicycle.

ENDURANCE TRAINING

*Treadmill - cat mill - jenny - turn table 
*Running from a leash next to your car or bicycle
*Dog sprints after frisbee or softball 
*Swimming

Fighting the hide (I don't classify hide working)

Strength training will give your dog the power to drive into his opponent and obtain the hold he wants.
It also helps him dominate his opponent by shaking and overpowering him.

Always do strength training every other workout to allow muscles to recover and rebuild.
After a strength workout, give the next day off or do endurance training. Think of strength training
like weight lifting for humans, which will cause muscle damage if used on consecutive days.
Different types of strength training develop different muscles even though the exercise seems similar.

An example would be a dog pulling chains and a dog dragging you while on a leash. The resistance the dog is pulling against is coming from different angles, resulting in the development of different muscles. So much the types of strength and endurance training are important not only to develop various muscles
but also to keep the dog from getting bored.

Endurance training will keep your dog from getting tired during the match. A dog will quit due to exhaustion before they will quit due to punishment received from a hard biter. So obviously, endurance training is the base of a good keep. You will gradually increase your dog's endurance until the peak or maximum work portion, which is seven days before the match.

I recommend that you walk your dog from a leash during the first two weeks of the keep. Start at ten to fifteen minutes per walk and work up to one hour per walk. This toughens up the dog's pads and tones his muscles.
So you leash walk for a two week pre-keep and condition for a six-week total, for a total of eight weeks.

I recommend writing down all conditioning information on a daily calendar.
Information included would be daily weight, type of work and length of time.
Do this work, any medication given (wormers/steroids/etc.) and any abnormalities noted.

I make up my own calendars on Xerox 14 x 17 copy paper. This documentation will be a valuable reference
to note your dog's progress or to look back upon to see what keeps worked the best for which dog.

I have had success having my dogs pull chains using the following set up. The dogs wear a 2-inch wide collar. Attached to the collar is a 5-6 foot thick cotton or nylon rope. On one end is a heavy snap,
which is clipped on the dog's collar. On the opposite end is a metal ring about 3 inches in diameter.
Chains of recorded weight can be attached or removed from this ring.

* 10 lb. chain / 12 lb. chain / 5 lb. chain.

I purchased these materials at hardware stores.

I try to condition my dog to his style of fighting. For example I do interval training (short periods of intense work followed by rest on less intense work) on dogs that fight at a very fast pace. These barnstorming dogs need to get accustomed to this type of training (like 10-30 second wind sprints) otherwise;
they will run hot during the match. A good number of Zebo and Bullyson bred dogs that I conditioned,
were able to barnstorm their opponents and then slow down and barnstorm again.
The interval training prepared them for this type of fighting.

Wind sprints can be done on the treadmill, during roadwork or while pulling chains.
Sprints are very hard on a dog's paws so make sure they are in good shape prior to sprinting your dog.
Because dogs become tired of interval training I save it until later in the keep.
Your dog's paws probably can not take the stress of interval training until late in the keep anyway.

All exercise and the length of workouts can be adjusted to suit the dog. For example, a dog might be so powerful that the weights listed for pulling, might not be enough to ensure good workouts. In this case, you would increase the weight of the chains. Some dogs will not pull chains, so use another exercise. Try to use exercise that the dog enjoys and eliminate those that the dog dislikes. Dogs should enjoy their workouts.

Never work a dog until he is exhausted. When the dog is tired and gasping for breath, he's had enough work.
I like to stop the work out before this point.
Give the dog a chance to walk around to cool off and give as much fresh water as he wants to drink.

I often combine different exercises in one workout.
Try to go from one exercise to the next with a minimum of rest so the workout is continuous.
Your dog will not get a rest during the match, so he should go through the workout in similar fashion.

Changing the types of workout as well as the location will help your dog to enjoy the work. Dogs enjoy variety in their exercises, just like we do. So do road works and chain pulling in different locations if possible.

The amount of work gradually increases until the peak workout which is one week prior to the show.
Always give your dog a rest day after a hard workout so he can recover and get stronger.
After the peak workout, the work dramatically decreases during that last week.

I like to have my dogs pull chains because it increases my dog's power. As a result, my dogs have usually been stronger than their opponents have. Walking a dog from a leash also puts strength into a dog. However chain pulling is a more efficient use of this time. Dogs normally pull on the leash for the first 10-20 minutes and then walk beside the conditioner. A dog pulling chains pulls the weight during the entire walk. Offensive dogs use a lot of energy driving into an opponent and will tire quickly unless they are accustomed to this sort of stress. Chain pulling simulates this situation.

Do not run or chain pull a dog on asphalt roads. Use dirt roads or grass fields, which will keep your
dog's paws intact. Never do strength training on consecutive days. This is like weight lifting for humans
and will excessively tear down muscle. Alternate strength training with endurance training or rest days.

Lazy workers will work hard if worked along side another dog. I have used non bulldog pets
and young unstarted bulldogs, which run loose while my match dog pulls chains.
Several devastating dogs like McGee's "Panther", Mike's "Beast" and Super Gnat's "Smiley" put out
maximum effort during workouts when worked with another dog.

No matter how lazy the dog, there is always some form of exercise that the dog will like. Tarheel Matt's 2x winner "Gigit" did not like to pull chains on a walk. However she loved to run her kennel chain fussing at other dogs. So I put "Gigit" on a huge 20 foot chain and timed her on my watch as she drug the chain all around, fussing at the other dogs. "Gigit" was only a 31 1/2 - 32 lb. bitch.

Some dogs would not work the hide. So I'd take a dog they despised and let that dog work the hide while my match dog watched this 20 feet away in the cab of my truck. After lavishly praising the dog on the hide,
I'd let my match dog take a turn at hide working. Invariably they started to enjoy hide work.

I set the height of the hide by moving the nylon rope up or down. The knots in the rope get stuck in the snap. No metal is near the dog's mouth. The height is set so the dog's front legs are off the ground while he is holding and fighting the hide. This forces the dog to work, using his neck, back and hind legs (just like in a match).
A garage door spring gives the dog enough resistance, but stretches enough not to yank out a dog's teeth
when he pulls back hard on the hide. The garage door spring can be attached to a tree limb
or fastened to a ceiling beam in your basement.


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## OldFortKennels

Thanks, I have it in a book with several others if I can just find my book!


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## Elvisfink

By the way if anyone is interested.The book Fighting Dogs - The Amercian Pit Bull Terrier - AntholgyThe book Fighting Dogs - The Amercian Pit Bull Terrier - Antholgy has 5 or 6 well known Keeps including the complete versions of the two I just posted. You can buy it on Amazon it's only $30.


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## sydking

what age would you start a keep?


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## broke94hatch

I'm glad I started this thread. Pretty cool to see all this. Never really knew anything about this side of the pit bull.


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## Scrappy

before...


















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## BLUE PIT BULL MAN

LMao .


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## meganc66

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL


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## Chinadog

you know what..... she is shaped like a 2 liter OKAY, im going to kill him! LMAO

Blue I KNOW your enjoying that one.


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## BLUE PIT BULL MAN

Chinadog said:


> you know what..... she is shaped like a 2 liter OKAY, im going to kill him! LMAO
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> Blue I KNOW your enjoying that one.


I sure did!!!


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## performanceknls

Scrappy said:


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Ha the reverse conditioning, I love it!! I have a few of those at home! :rofl:


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