Before we go any further I want to share with you some things you do not want to do while conditioning your Pit Bull.
Do Not: Put a heavy chain around your dog's neck. Not only is this ineffective it can damage your dogs neck or worse, cripple them for life. Bottom line, it's not smart.
Do Not: Tie your dog out using a huge logging chain. The reason is the same as above. It will break your dog down long before helping them in anyway.
Do Not: Put any kind of weights on them. Weight vests, weighted collars, and weighted harnesses are not proper strength building tools.
The Most Important Thing You Should Not Do is...
Try to condition a dog that is younger than 18 months of age.
Out of all the questions I receive the one that burns my chaps the most is when someone asks how to add weight, bulk up or add size to their 2-3-5-6 month old puppy. Ugh! They are puppies and they need to grow first!
Would you ask a 2-3 year old child to lift 30-40 pounds? Of course not! It would cause the child harm.
The same goes for puppies. Asking them pull weight or wear a chain or put a huge vest on them is silly. Even if the weight is 2-10 lbs it is still harmful.
You have to wait for the dog's joints and muscles to develop before putting any strain on them. If you do this too early you will cripple your dog.
Use Your Pit Bulls Natural Strength During Conditioning
Pit Bulls are naturally strong, athletic, and agile. Working with their natural abilities will help you condition your dog safely.
Start by hand walking, playing, and taking short jogs on grass or dirt to will help build up their stamina for more intense work down the road. If you fail to prepare your dog for the work your dog will fail to do the work. I can't stress this enough because Pit Bulls, while tough as nails on a whole, do need develop before they can really get into hard work.
People think conditioning is putting a huge chain on their dog and having them carry it around to build strength. This is...