Determining The True Weight Of Your Dog, by Don Carter

You’ ve waited all these years. Your puppy has grown into adulthood and he’s been tried and you think he’s a good Prospect. Or maybe you ‘ ve purchased a schooled dog and you’ re trying to hook him up. What next?
Stop! Before you go any further, it’s time to evaluate the Pit weight of your dog. For some people this part of the Game is a breeze. For others it’s pure drudgery. I ‘ve talked to many a good dog man about their way of doing it and nobody seems to explain their answer the same. Some Judge by putting their dog through a two week Keep and finding out that way. Still others will just guess and hope and they do it right. Then there are those “smart allecks” who just seem to know.
So what is the best way? I’m not so pompous as to tell you that my way is the best. What I am goint to do is offer you some guidelines that may help you. It really doesn’t take a superman, a rocket scientist, or a witch doctor to put a dog in tip top shape. With some hard work you can be as good as Conditioner as anyone.
Now that you have taken Fido to your vet to make sure he has a clean bill of health, your’e ready to begin his work program. You’ re going top do 5 basic things:

1. Build strength for your dog.
2. Build wind for your dog.
3. Build endurance for your dog.
4. Know the Pit weight of your dog.
5. Learn how to put one in tip top shape.

If this is your first time to attempt at guessing the Pit weight of your dog, you may want to ask for some help. It’s best to Keep accurate records of your dogs which includes bi- weekly or monthly weighing. Chart the weight and you will see what the actual Chain Weight of your dog is.
I consider a good Chain Weight as one where your dog is neither slim (ribs and bones showing) nor too fat. I call it “slick”. If you are aware of the Chain Weight of your dog, then the guidelines below will offer you some help. I WANT TO SAY HERE AND NOW THAT THE BELOW WEIGHTS ARE NOT CHISELED IN STONE. They are guidelines only. So read on and hopefully you’ll get some valuable information.

CHAIN WT. 30 CON. WT. 26-38 CHAIN WT. 42 CON. WT. 36-39
CHAIN WT. 31 CON. WT. 27-29 CHAIN WT. 43 CON. WT. 37-40
CHAIN WT. 32 CON. WT. 28-30 CHAIN WT. 44 CON. WT. 38-41
CHAIN WT. 33 CON. WT. 29-31 CHAIN WT. 45 CON. WT. 39-41
CHAIN WT. 34 CON. WT. 30-32 CHAIN WT. 46 CON. WT. 40-42
CHAIN WT. 35 CON. WT. 31-33 CHAIN WT. 47 CON. WT. 41-43
CHAIN WT. 36 CON. WT. 32-34 CHAIN WT. 48 CON. WT. 42-44
CHAIN WT. 37 CON. WT. 33-35 CHAIN WT. 49 CON. WT. 43-45
CHAIN WT. 38 CON. WT. 34-36 CHAIN WT. 50 CON. WT. 44-46
CHAIN WT. 39 CON. WT. 35-37 CHAIN WT. 51 CON.WT. 45-47
CHAIN WT. 40 CON. WT. 36-38 CHAIN WT. 52 CON. WT. 45-48
CHAIN WT. 41 CON. WT. 36-39 CHAIN WT. 53 CON. WT. 46-49

CHAIN WT. 54 CON. WT. 47-50 CHAIN WT. 58 CON. WT. 51-54
CHAIN WT. 55 CON. WT. 48-51 CHAIN WT. 59 CON. WT. 52-54
CHAIN WT. 56 CON. WT. 49-52 CHAIN WT. 60 CON. WT. 53-55
CHAIN WT. 57 CON. WT. 50-53

I realize that is not set in stone and there are varying factors which will help you determine Pit weight. Lots depend on the build of your dog, his Height, and bone structure.
Notice if you have a Chain Weight dog of 50 pounds, his Pit weight should be somewhere between 44-46 pounds. If it’s your first time out, I would opt for the higher weight. If it’s extremely hot, you may opt for the lower weight. I always fought my dogs a little heavy so they’d have something left over after the fight. And remember, as your dog grows older, most likely his weight will increase. I’ve seen dogs that fought at 36 pounds at two years old, fight at 38-44 pounds when 6. If you fight your dog at 46 pounds and he’s most likely a natural 45 pounder , you may be at a slight disadvantage early in the Match. But after the fight has gone on anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour, your dog will be at his NATURAL weight. Then you’ll be right on the money.
There are other factors which include humidity, altitude, sunlight or shade, that determine the best weight of your dog. If guessing, I have always said that it’s best to guess on the upper end than the lower end. My mentor Don Divine always put his down a little heavy and his percentage of wins is remarkable. Consider the fact that he trained race horses and ran them a little heavy, too. How many times have you heard a man say, “he bit so much harder in his rolls?” Sure he did! He was hydrated and strong. So please look at the above chart and hopefully you’ll get some idea as to what weight your dog will go.