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Author: Bully Max

20 Dogs that Use Bully Max – Results You Have to See to Believe!

Posted on by Bully Max

Bully Max is ideal for improving your dog’s growth, muscle mass, and over all health. Since 2008 over 393,932 dog owners have used Bully Max for just that.

In no particular order, here’s 20 dogs that use Bully Max.

Worlds most muscular dog
1.) Hachi from Mutant Made Bullies in Texas uses a combination of Bully Max muscle builder and high performance dog food. He’s undoubtably one of the most muscled up American Bullies worldwide.
muscled up pit bull
2.) Barbie from Physique Bullies in New York — fueled by a combination of Bully Max high performance dog food & Bully Max tablets.
dog supplement results
3.) Another amazing shot of Barbie from Physique Bullies in new york.
pit bull on bully max
4.) A muscled up American Pit Bull Terrier on Bully Max — keeping his owner’s car safe.
american bully dog
5.) Barbie — this amazing athlete is owned by Physique Bullies.
blue nose pit bull
6.) A blue nose American Pit Bull Terrier. This amazing athlete use a combination of Bully Max muscle builder and flirt pole exercises. While exercise isn’t require, it will improve the results Bully Max delivers. Two of the most effective muscle building tools are the flirt pole and spring pole.
red nose bully pit bull
7.) Goldie — this female American Bully was raised on Bully Max since she was a puppy (7 weeks old).
bully max sponsored dog hachi
8.) Hachi from Mutant Made Bullies in Texas — fueled by Bully Max dog food and supplements.
best dog food for pit bulls results
9.) A red nose APBT that was on Bully Max for the past 7 months.
bully plug kennels dog
10.) Apollo from Bully Plug — another example of what Bully Max can do for your dog.
bully max high performance dog food results
11.) Pit dude’s pack of Bulls — fueled by bullymax.com
rose from manmade kennels
12.) Rose from Manmade kennels is a perfect example of the results Bully Max can deliver. She was raised on Bully Max since she was a puppy.
dog owner with his APBT
13.) Pit dude feeding his dog Bully Max performance chews (ideal for packing on muscle and boosting your dog’s health).
spring pole dog workout
14.) Another shot of Barbie working on the spring pole.
biggest dog in the world
15.) Another shot of Pit Dude feeding his dog Bully Max chews.
biggest pit bull worldwide
16.) This muscled up dog uses a combination of Bully Max and Gorilla Max powder to achieve these amazing results.
most expensive dog in the world
17.) An APBT on Gorilla Max and Bully Max
gorilla max results
18.) An American Bully on Bully Max tablets.
pack of pitbulls
19.) Another shot of Pit Dude’s pack during feeding time.
tough looking dog
20.) One of the many dogs from Pit Dude’s pack

Tips on choosing a quality dog food

Pricing tips: When comparing prices on dog food, it’s important you compare the price per day, not the price per pound.

Lower quality foods are always less expensive per pound. But it doesn’t mean the cost per day is lower. In most cases, you’ll have to feed your dog twice, sometimes three times as much food compared to higher quality brands. This is due to the fillers used in low quality foods. Ingredients like soy, corn, & wheat provide very little nutritional value.

A 15 pound of high quality dog food without fillers (such as Bully Max high performance) will last you 30+ days.

A 15 pounds of low quality dog food with fillers will lasts 17 days or less.

Ingredients to avoid: Corn, soy, and wheat gluten. Meat (non-specific source of protein), grain, and by-products. BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene), Ethoxyquin, Food dyes (some of the food dyes found in low quality dog foods include Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, 4-MIE), PG (Propylene Glycol), Rendered fat. Any dog food that contains one or more than one of these ingredients should be avoided.

How to spot a high quality protein: Make sure the #1 source of protein specifies the animal it comes from. Examples of high quality / animal specific sources of protein — chicken, beef, venison, duck, chicken-meal, venison-meal, beef-meal, & duck-meal, ext.

How to find the best prices for dog food: Always check on the manufacturer’s website prior to purchases from third-party retailers (such as Amazon). In many cases, you’ll find the food to be priced significantly lower on the manufacturer’s website. This is due to the high fees that Amazon charges retailers to sell on Amazon (usually 30% or more).

Tips on using Bully Max muscle building tabs for dogs

For maximum results, we recommend pairing Bully Max tablets with Bully Max dog food.

To maximize the results of Bully Max products, moderate exercise is recommended (not required).

To improve your dog’s cardiovascular health and speed up the muscle-building process you can use two tools. One is the spring pole and the other is the flirt pole.

You can mount your spring pole in just about any area that a heavy bag (for boxing) can be mounted. This includes but is not limited to heavy bag mounts, tree limbs, underneath decks, garages (support beams), or even a swing set.

Here’s a video on how to make a spring pole:

Flirt poles are used to bring out your dog’s natural prey drive. The jumping and sprinting motions speed up the muscle-building process and improve your dog’s cardio at the same time.

Here’s how you can make your own flirt pole for around $10 or less:

You can even make a FREE spring pole using house hold items such as a broom stick, dog toy, and a rope. The concept is the same as the spring pole shown in the video above. Both are just as effective at bringing out your dog’s prey drive.

Here’s some tips on how to use the flirt pole presented and created by our friends over at Dogumentary TV:

The 30 Day Guide: Dog Muscle Building Workouts

Posted on by Bully Max

Anybody who wants to improve their health—I’m talking humans here—knows that it’s not as simple as simply doing one form of exercise a few times a week. It’s not enough to just do push-ups or only ride a bike. Instead, for all-around health, you need to do a variety of things: strength training, cardiovascular exercise, stretching, and so on.

And a healthy dog needs the same thing!

If the only exercise your dog ever gets is going for the occasional run (cardiovascular exercise), that’s definitely better than nothing—but what about strength training to build muscle tone? Or balance training to build core strength?

To keep your dog as healthy as possible, they need a wide variety of exercise. That’s why we put together this 30 day guide to building muscle:

Dog Muscle Building Guide (infographic)

Cardiovascular/Aerobic Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise includes anything that gets your dog’s heart pumping. It’s vitally important for every dog because it burns calories, strengthens their heart and lungs, and improves your dog’s energy and endurance.

Examples of aerobic exercise include:

  • Flirt poles
  • Treadmills
  • Jenny mill / cat mill
  • Sprints (with or without a weight vest)
  • Jogging and running

One thing to keep in mind is the type of surface you’re on. Running on a harder surface may be OK once in a while, but over time it can be hard on the joints. So try to find softer surfaces whenever possible for your dog’s cardiovascular exercise.

Resistance/Strength Exercise

Resistance training is like going to the gym and lifting weights. By training your dog’s muscles against some opposing force, you’ll help them to grow bigger and stronger while strengthening bones.

Examples of strength training include:

  • spring poles
  • weighted vests
  • elastic bands (bungee leash)
  • sled pulls (either on the field or track)

It’s important that strength training should be done in a progressive manner. You should never try to start your dog off with an extremely difficult exercise or a weight your dog can’t handle. Instead, start light and gradually increase the resistance over time. This will give your dog’s body time to grow stronger and adapt to the newer, heavier resistance.

Recommended training video:

Additional ways to improve your dog’s mental health & physique

Balance Training

Balance training isn’t as well-known as strength training or cardio exercise, but it can be very important in helping to improve your dog’s core body strength and coordination. And the more balanced and coordinated your dog is, the lower their chances are of getting injured.

So how do you put your dog through balance training? The most common method involves using a balance disc, which is a oval-shaped inflatable tool. Your dog stands with 2 feet on the ground and 2 feet on the disc, and has to fight against the natural “wobble” to keep their balance.

Just make sure to target all 4 legs, including both the front and hind limbs, during your balance training sessions.

Stretching

Get in the good habit of helping your dog to warm up and stretch for a few minutes before every exercise session. This will help get your dog in the mood for exercise while warming up their muscles, helping to improve performance and reduce injuries.

The type of stretch you do should depend on the type of exercise that will be following after. And remember that you should let your dog warm up a little before stretching (it’s not a good idea to over-stretch cold muscles).

Finally, keep in mind you can also stretch at the end of an exercise session, too. At that point your dog’s muscles will be nice and warm, so they’ll be able to get into a deeper stretch.

Skills, Drills, & Games

The last step in giving your dog a great all-around workout is to help train the final part of their body…the brain!

By training your dog’s ability to focus attention and solve problems, you can give your dog a mental workout that will help keep them sharp and obedient while reinforcing a good relationship with your furry, four-legged buddy.

There are many different drills and games you can run through with your dog, from cone drills to line drills to games that force your dog to figure out how to get a treat out of a bottle or other container. On top of being good for your dog, they can also be loads of fun!

Tailor These Exercises to Fit Your Dog

The last thing to keep in mind is that every dog is different, and has different exercise needs. So feel free to vary these exercises based on your unique dog. If your dog has trouble with stamina and gets tired easily, they may need more cardio. If your dog is underweight and needs to bulk up a little, focus more on strength training.

It may sound like a lot of work, but it will be well worth it when you see how energetic, happy, and full of life your dog becomes. And who knows—you might even get a little exercise yourself in the bargain!

The Ultimate Muscle Building Diet for Dogs

Without the proper diet, your dog will not be able to build muscle, or recover from intense training. To achieve maximum muscle building results and speed up recovery time, we recommend the following diet:

Plenty of cool and clean drinking water should be available at all times.

The Truth About The Protein Content on Dog Food Labels

Posted on by Bully Max

Want your dog to stay happy and healthy and live a long, full life?

Of course you do!

A big part of making that happen, you know, means feeding your dog a healthy diet.

And when it comes to canine nutrition, one of the most important things to do is make sure your dog is getting enough protein.

Protein is an essential nutrient for your dog to stay healthy. But how do you know if your dog is getting enough protein? Doesn’t every dog food have loads of it?

Sadly, no.

Many dog foods contain cheap or inferior protein sources that are not good enough to keep your dog in optimal health. And unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell which dog foods are packed with high-quality protein and which are not.

Most people simply look at the “Guaranteed Analysis” label on their dog food and they trust that to give them an honest, accurate representation of how much protein is in their dog food.

Unfortunately, the “Guaranteed Analysis” label is often misleading.

And here’ why:

Why You Have To Look Beyond The Numbers

Looking at the “Guaranteed Analysis” section on your dog food label will give you some helpful information…but that information will be incomplete.

To find out why, let’s look at an interesting fact from an article on Dog Food Advisor:

If you grind up a pair of leather boots, some used motor oil, and a scoop of sawdust, mix it all together, and send it to a food testing laboratory, the results will come back like this:

 

  • 32% Protein
  • 18%  Fat
  • 3% Fiber

 

It sounds ridiculous, I know, but it’s true! The leather has some protein, the oil contains fat, and the sawdust has fiber in it.

But obviously, this is NOT something you would ever feed your dog. That’s because none of those nutrients are easily digestible or absorbable—so you wouldn’t actually get much real nutrition from eating these items.

Protein Misconception #1: Moisture

If you’ve ever tried to compare the protein content of a dry dog food vs a canned dog food, you probably noticed a big discrepancy between the two.

And the reason why? Moisture.

You see, canned dog food can contain up to 70% water. But dry kibble is dehydrated and contains very little moisture. As a result, when you look at the Guaranteed Analysis, it will look like the dry food has much more protein than the canned food.

But does it really?

Maybe…maybe not.

What you have to keep in mind is that the serving size of a canned food is larger than the canned food. So while each bite of dry food might have more protein, your dog will take more total bites of the canned foo.

It could be that the dry food does, in fact, have more protein.

Or maybe the canned food has more protein.

Or maybe they’re almost the same!

The point is that you can’t simply glance at the label and instantly learn the truth. Getting an accurate picture requires a deeper analysis.

Protein Misconception #2: Protein Quality (Biological Value)

Another problem that arises has to do with protein quality.

To put it simply, some proteins are better than others.

Proteins are made up of a variety of different amino acids. Your dog requires 22 amino acids, 10 of which are considered “essential” amino acids because your dog’s body cannot produce them on its own. (In other words, essential amino acids MUST come from your dog’s diet.)

Some protein sources contain very few of these essential amino acids, making them inferior proteins. And others contain a rich and varied combination of amino acids, making them very good protein sources.

And we can measure the quality of protein using something called “biological value.” The higher a protein’s biological value, the better.

Protein Misconception #2: Protein Digestibility

The final thing to keep in mind when judging protein is:

How well can your dog actually digest it?

After all, the best protein in the world won’t do any good if it passes through your dog’s digestive system without being absorbed.

That’s why it’s important that your dog’s protein should be a variety that your dog is able to digest and absorb easily, so that they are able to reap the benefits of all that protein.

How To Choose Dog Food With High-Quality Protein

So now that we’ve covered the 3 big protein misconceptions…

  • Moisture
  • Protein Quality (Biological Value)
  • Protein Digestibility

You might be wondering: How do I choose a good protein source for my dog?

As you might have guessed, you can NOT simply look at the Guaranteed Analysis—because it doesn’t account for any of the 3 misconceptions listed above.

Instead, you have to also look at the Ingredients Label to find out where the protein is actually coming from.

If the protein comes from rice, oatmeal, wheat, or other vegetarian sources, then be wary—that is not a good source of protein for your dog.

Instead, the best protein sources—those with a high biological value that are easily digested—include animal sources and whey protein isolate.

(The same protein sources we use in all our Bully Max products!)

To learn more, check out our blog post titled The Best Protein Sources For Dogs.

How to Store Dog Food: 7 Tips for Keeping Your Dog Food Fresh

Posted on by Bully Max

If you’re like most pet owners who use Bully Max, you’re already well aware of how important it is to nourish your dog with high-quality dog food.

But here’s something many pet owners tend to forget:

Just like any other food, dog food gets stale and can even go bad over time.

And because we aren’t the ones eating it, sometimes it can be hard for us to realize when our dog’s food is no longer fresh…but your dog knows!

And of course, the most important thing is to make sure that you are never feeding your dog food that is expired or rancid.

So to help make sure that never happens, we’ve put together this list of our top 7 best storage practices to keep your dog food fresh:

Tip #1: Store the Food in Its Original Container

You’ve probably noticed that dog food tends to come in thick bags with a resealable top.

And you should always keep the food in that original container!

Why?

First of all, because those bags are made specifically to store dog food for a long period of time.

Most pet owners don’t realize it, but if you move your dog food into the wrong container, the fats in your dog food can soak through the bag—exposing them to the outside air and causing them to turn rancid much more quickly.

The second reason to keep your dog food in its original container is because you won’t lose the original instructions and expiration date—information that you should always keep an eye on.

It’s also a good idea to know the lot number or batch code of your dog food just in case there’s a recall by the manufacturer. If the recall involves specific lot numbers, you’ll know for sure whether your food is included in the recall or not.

Every time you close your dog food up again, make sure to roll it tightly shut. And if the bag does not have a resealable top, use a clamp or clip to keep it closed.

Tip #2: Put the Bag in a Can

We’ve just established that you should leave your dog food in its original bag—you should NOT be transporting it into a different bag.

But you can put that original bag inside a secondary container made of (preferably) glass or stainless steel.

This way you get the benefit of the original bag, and you get the benefit of a second airtight container. This will help ensure that your food stays fresher, longer.

Tip #3: Store the Food in a Cool, Dry, Dark Place

When storing dog food, always remember that bacteria is your enemy.

And where do you find bacteria? In places that are humid.

That’s why it’s important to store your food in a cool, dry place—and avoid places where the food could get wet (like under a sink) or too hot (like in a garage without A/C).

Storage at temperatures of 120°F for more than 48 hours can accelerate the normal degradation of the vitamins.

You should also avoid sunlight as much as possible, since light will increase the speed at which the food degrades.

Given these tips, a kitchen closet or pantry makes a great storage place for dog food. Just run the A/C in the summer to keep the food from spoiling due to the heat.

Tip #4: Use within 45 days after opening

Just like human food, dog food has an expiration date on it. 

Bully Max Dog food has a 1 year shelf-life from the time of purchase. This is the standard shelf-life for a dog food that is preserved naturally with Vitamin E.

Once you open the bag of food, the expiration date marked on the bag is no longer valid.

Opened bags of dog food have a shelf-life of 45 days—this rule is true for all dry dog food brands.

Tip #5: Wash Your Pet Food Container

In tip #2, we mentioned that you should ideally put your bag of pet food inside a hard container made of glass or stainless steel.

Just make sure to wash and disinfect the inside of that container from time to time. It’s a good idea to do this whenever you replace the food with a new bag.

Otherwise, fat reside from the food could seep out of the bag and into the container, making it a breeding ground for bacteria.

Tip #6: Do Not Give Your Dog Food That Is Discolored Or Smelly

You wouldn’t drink milk that smells funky, would you? Of course not!

And you shouldn’t feed bad-smelling or discolored-looking food to your dog, either.

That’s why it’s never a bad idea to give your dog food a quick whiff before giving it to your dog, especially if it’s has been opened for longer than 60 days.

If you can train yourself to get in this habit, then you’ll know what the food is supposed to smell like…and you’ll be able to tell if that odor starts to change.

Tip #7: Never Mix Old & New Food

Let’s say you’re down to your last few bowls of old dog food, so you buy a new bag. Is it OK to pour that old dog food into the new bag?

No!

That old food is more likely to contain some bacteria or germs, and if you add it to the new bag, then you’ll be tainting the new food with additional bacteria.

It’s best to use up the old food first before you even open the new bag. This way the new food will be completely sealed as long as possible before being opened, keeping it fresher, longer.

Feed Your Dog 5-Star Food

Now that you know how to store your dog food, the next question on your mind might be:

What is the best type of food to feed your dog?

There are a handful of great dog foods out there, along with many, many bad ones.

If you really love your dog and want to feed them nothing but the best, then we can’t recommend our 30/20 High Performance Dog Food highly enough.

It’s packed with healthy ingredients, making it the only performance dog food with a 5/5 star rating from Dog Food Advisor, and is an all-life-stages formula perfect for puppies & adults alike.

Click here to learn more about our Bully Max 30/20 High Performance Dog Food.

How to Choose Dog Food

Posted on by Bully Max

You love your dog, and you want them to be healthy. And a big part of that, you know, means giving them the highest-quality dog food you can.

Unfortunately, that’s not quite as simple as it should be!

See, some unscrupulous food manufacturers will do whatever they can to make you think their food is healthier than it really is—allowing them to save money by including cheap filler ingredients that are no good for your dog.

That’s why we wrote this post to help arm you with the knowledge you need to make the best choice of dog food for your pet. But before we get to the list, there’s one important point you must keep in mind when looking at the ingredients list on your dog food…

Ingredients Are Listed By Weight

When reading the ingredients on the label of your dog food, it’s important to realize that they’re listed in order by weight. That means that the ingredients at the top of the list make up a higher percentage of the dog food’s weight than the ingredients at the bottom.

So if a dog food lists “chicken” as the 12th ingredient on the label, that means that the food doesn’t contain much actual chicken. In many cases, the manufacturer only included it because they want to be able to say “Contains chicken!” on the label.

Here’s a quick trick: look for “salt” or “potassium chloride” on the label. If a dog food includes these ingredients, they will typically constitute 1% or less of the formula. Once you find this ingredient, you’ll know that everything that comes after it in the ingredients list is present in very small quantities (less than 1%). That’s to be expected for very small ingredients (like vitamins & minerals), but you don’t want to see any “whole food”-type ingredients that far down on the label.

Keep in mind, however, that some ingredients have more water weight than others, which can bump them up the ingredients list. For example, “whole chicken” is made of 70% water. Compare that to “chicken meal,” on the other hand, which is only 10% water.

Because chicken meal is a more concentrated source of protein, that means that “chicken meal” as the 3rd or 4th ingredient might actually contain more protein than “whole chicken” as the 1st ingredient. (Chicken meal is actually the #1 ingredient in our Bully Max High Performance Dog Food, so you know it’s an ultra-high source of quality protein for your dog.)

Now, let’s go over some of the specific ingredients you should look for—and some you should avoid—when evaluating dog foods.

What Ingredients To Look For in dog food (Good Ingredients)

Here are some healthy ingredients that your dog food should contain:

A Named Animal Protein As The First Ingredient

The first ingredient in any high-quality dog food should be a protein source that names a specific animal. Ingredients like “animal meat” or “meat meal” are a no-no. Instead, make sure your protein source specifies the animal it comes from—chicken, beef, venison, duck, etc.

And remember, dogs are carnivores—which means that eating meat is important. For that reason, the animal protein should always be the #1 ingredient in any dog food.

Meat Meal

As you’ll learn below, meat “by-products” are an ingredient you want to avoid. However meat “meals” are actually a lot healthier than you think and are a great source of protein for dogs. In fact, when choosing a dry food, meat meal is actually a better choice than fresh or frozen meat!

That’s because fresh or frozen meats contain 65-75% water and only 15-25% protein, which means they don’t have enough protein to be the only protein source in a dry food. But meat meal is a better choice, with 300% more protein than fresh meat.

If you want to learn more about meat meal, click here to read our article, “The Truth About ‘Meat Meal’ In Your Dog Food.”

Natural Preservatives

Cheap dog foods often contain unhealthy synthetic preservatives. What should you look for instead? The best options are natural antioxidant preservatives like vitamins C and E. These can appear on the ingredient list under several names:

  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Mixed Tocopherols
  • Ascorbic Acid

Made in the USA

Manufacturing standards vary by country. To ensure your dog food meets the highest standards of excellence & quality, look for dog foods that are made in the U.S.A.

Added Vitamins & Minerals

Just like humans, dogs require a wide variety of vitamins & minerals to maintain ideal health. Here are some of the most important nutrients to look for in a dog food:

Vitamins:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols)
  • Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
  • Vitamin D3

B Vitamins

  • Niacin
  • D-Calcium Pantothenate
  • Riboflavin
  • Biotin
  • Vitamin B12
  • Thiamine Mononitrate
  • Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
  • Folic Acid

Minerals:

  • Iron
  • Zinc
  • Copper
  • Manganese
  • Sodium Selenite (Selenium)
  • Calcium

Healthy Fats

Just like humans, dogs need fat for hormone production and optimal functioning. But you’ll want to make sure those fats are coming from healthy sources that include some essential omega 3 fatty acids.

Some healthy fats to look for on the label include:

  • Named animal fats (like chicken fat, beef fat, etc.)
  • Flaxseed (a good source of omega 3s)
  • Fish oil (a good source of omega 3s)

Whole Vegetables & Grains

Ideally, your dog food will contain whole, unprocessed vegetables & grains. It’s OK if your food has a couple food “fractions” (part of an ingredient, like “rice bran”), but near the top of the label it should contain whole food ingredients like:

  • Rice or Brown Rice
  • Beet Pulp
  • Sorghum
  • Barley

Note: Mushrooms, garlic, and onions are highly toxic to dogs. Make sure they are NOT on the ingredient list, and never feed these foods to your dog from the table!

Human-Grade Ingredients

Finding a dog food with human-grade ingredients can be hard to do, since it’s rare to find a manufacturer who goes to this expense to create exceptionally high-quality dog food. But it’s definitely a huge plus if and when you can find it.

“All Life Stages” Formula

Finally, your dog food will contain what’s called an adequacy statement. The most nutritionally complete foods will say something like: “This food is complete and balanced for all life stages.”

Ingredients you don’t want in dog food (Ingredients to avoid)

Now here are some unhealthy ingredients you should avoid at all costs:

Meat Products From Unnamed Animals

Many dog foods contain protein from generic, unnamed animals such as “animal protein” or “meat by-products.” If a dog food doesn’t tell you what kind of animal its meat comes from, that’s a BAD sign. That’s why you should make sure your dog food includes a named protein source.

Meat By-Products

Meat by-products are something of a mystery ingredient. They’re the leftovers after an animal is slaughtered and all the best parts are removed for consumption by humans.

Dog Food Advisor has an article on meat by-products that all pet owners should read. By-products can contain all sorts of waste materials including feet, brains, intestines, and so on.

In short, meat by-products are an unhealthy choice. So why do so many dog food manufacturers use them? Simply because they’re cheap.

Corn, Wheat, & Soy

You will often see one of these in the top 5 ingredients of many commercial dog foods. Unfortunately they’re cheap and unhealthy food choices that are not easily digested by dogs.

A Generic Fat Source

Just as your protein source should specify which animal it comes from, so should your fat sources. If you see an ingredient such as “animal fat,” which does not tell you what kind of animal it comes from, put that food back on the shelf. “Animal fat” could come from anything—including used restaurant grease and fats that come from roadkill. “Poultry fat” is better, but ideally you should look for something even more specific like “chicken fat” or “duck fat.”

Artificial Colors, Flavors, or Preservatives

These are never good ingredients for anyone—human, dog, or anything else. Some examples of artificial ingredients to avoid include:

  • BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole)
  • BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
  • Ethoxyquin
  • Food Dyes (Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, 4-MIE)

Food dyes are as especially head-scratching choice. After all, how many dogs ever cared about the color of their food? Look for food that with natural preservatives and ingredients instead.

And keep in mind that natural preservatives do not preserve foods as long as unnatural preservatives do, so when choosing a food with natural preservatives it’s a good idea to pay attention to the “Best By” date.

Try Bully Max 30/20 High-Performance Dog Food

Now that you know what to look for in dog food ingredients, you have 2 choices:

You can take what you’ve learned in this blog post and start inspecting every dog food label you see. You’ll need to pay close attention to every new food you come across, and be on the constant lookout against shady manufacturers who try to sneak cheap, unhealthy ingredients into their dog foods.

Or, you can choose the easy option—the smart option—and go with the one dog food you KNOW is full of ONLY super-high-quality ingredients: Bully Max 30/20 High Performance Dog Food. We use only the highest quality human-grade ingredients, with none of the unhealthy stuff you find in lower-quality dog foods.

ANNOUNCING Our Newest Formula Update: Bully Max Just Got Better!

Posted on by Bully Max

dog muscle building supplement by bully max

If you’re a dog owner who loves your pet, and wants to help your dog build natural, healthy muscle…then you’re going to love this:

The world’s most effective muscle-building supplement for dogs just got even better!

What’s this all about?

We’ve updated and expanded our formula to include even more all-natural muscle-building ingredients.

Keep reading to learn more about our all-new formula and how it can help turn your dog into a bigger, faster, stronger, and healthier version of themselves!

How We Improved Bully Max

Bully Max now contains 19 powerful muscle-building ingredients. Here’s an updated list of the all-natural ingredients in our new & improved formula:

ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium Aspartate, & Vitamin B6)

ZMA is one of the most effective muscle-building supplements that has been used by world-class bodybuilders and professional athletes all over the world. Made up of Zinc, Magnesium Aspartate, and Vitamin B6, ZMA works by replenishing lost minerals that your dog’s body needs to produce the muscle-building hormone testosterone. Clinical trials have shown that supplementing athletes with ZMA can increase strength and muscle while improving healing rate and deep sleep.

Leucine

Of all the amino acids, leucine is the one most directly related to protein synthesis and muscle building. Simply put: it’s an essential nutrient for any dog to grow bigger, stronger, and healthier, and that’s why it’s a big part of our new Bully Max formula.

Isoleucine

Isoleucine is one of the essential branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which makes it one of the body’s vital building-blocks for protein. It helps to prevent muscle breakdown and increase lean muscle mass by speeding muscle recovery after exercise.

Lysine

Lysine plays an important role in helping your dog’s body to build muscle and produce the hormones, antibodies, and enzymes they need to stay strong and healthy. It’s also an important element in the absorption of another vital muscle-building ingredient, calcium.

Methionine

Methionine is an important sulfur-containing amino acid that works as an antioxidant, meaning it helps to inactivate harmful free radicals in your dog’s body. Interestingly, methionine is also the only amino acid that can be at the head of a growing protein strand—which makes it a critical nutrient for any growing dog.

Cysteine

Cysteine plays a crucial role in the production of taurine and glutamine, both of which are critical components for optimal health: taurine helps in fat burning and muscle building, while glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant that helps maintain healthy cellular functioning.

Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid and has beneficial effects in optimizing neurotransmitter levels—resulting in a happier, healthier dog.

Threonine

Threonine is an amino acid that is not produced by the body, which means it must be obtained from the idet. One of threonine’s main functions is helping the body to produce collagen and elastin, critical substances for healthy skin & bones. Threonine is also an easily absorbed amino acid, which means it has high bioavailability and is highly likely to be absorbed & used by your dog.

Tryptophan

Recent studies have shown that supplementation with tryptophan may help decrease fatigue while increasing growth hormone, making it an essential muscle-building ingredient for your dog.

Valine

Valine is used in muscle metabolism and tissue repair, making it an especially useful supplement right after a training session. Valine also helps to maintain a positive nitrogen balance in the body, keeping your dog in an anabolic (muscle-building) state.

Calcium

Calcium is an important mineral involved in muscle contractions. Without sufficient calcium, your dog’s muscles will have less potential energy stored to perform contractions, which means their ability to build muscle will be compromised. As you probably know, calcium is also an essential mineral for bone health. That’s why we include a generous 100 mg in every serving of Bully Max.

Potassium

Potassium is an electrolyte that helps improve muscle function. If your dog’s body is low in potassium, it can result in muscle soreness and cramping that can bring workouts to a standstill. Potassium can be lost through sweating and dehydration, which makes it an important mineral to supplement in dogs who undergo rigorous workouts.

Manganese

Manganese is a vital mineral involved in bone development, wound healing, and also contains antioxidant properties. It also plays a necessary role in metabolizing substances such as amino acids, which makes it an essential part of the muscle-building process.

Aspartic Acid

The all-natural amino acid aspartic acid is used by bodybuilders to promote improved athletic performance and muscle growth by promoting higher levels of the anabolic hormone testosterone.

Serine

Serine is essential for both physical and mental health. It also helps to build muscle mass, support healthy muscle functioning, and increase the body’s absorption of the muscle-building compound creatine.

Tyrosine

The amino acid tyrosine, which is found naturally in meats, acts a hormone precursor that has been shown to increase the intensity and focus of training sessions—in other words, it can help alleviate the effects of fatigue and keep your dog focused during extended workouts.

Histidine & Alanine

Alanine & histidine are amino acids that, when combined together, form the dipeptide known as carnosine. Carnosine is a powerful intracellular buffer that helps your dog’s muscles to remain strong while maintaining powerful contractions during exercise.

Glycine

Glycine is one of 20 amino acids used to make protein in the body, which makes it an essential ingredient in muscle-building.

Still Quick & Easy to Use

Despite all the exciting changes to our formula, there’s one thing about Bully Max that hasn’t changed:

It’s still super quick & easy to use.

No need to mix or measure. No spoon or measuring cups involved. No mess, no fuss, no problem.

Bully Max comes in a convenient chewable tablet, so all you have to do is feed it to your dog like a treat. Dogs love the tasty beef flavor!

Builds Muscle Faster Than Ever

If you scan through the ingredients of our all-new and improved formula, you’ll notice that the new Bully Max contains a much wider array of amino acids. So what are amino acids and why are they so important to your dog’s health and muscle growth?

Basically amino acids are the “building blocks” of protein, the substance that makes up skeletal muscle. And just like you can’t build a brick house without bricks, your dog can’t build muscle without enough high-quality amino acids in their body.

We’ve included a broad spectrum of essential and nonessential amino acids (such as leucine, methionine, lysine, threonine, valine, and many more) to help deliver the optimal proteins in the right ratios.

As a result, your dog will be supplied with the nutrients they need to recover from exercise and build more muscle, faster than ever before.

For All Breeds Ages 7 Weeks And Older

Bully Max is extremely popular with pit bull owners who want to help their dog become bigger, stronger, and healthier. But Bully Max isn’t just for pit bulls!

Rest assured that our new formula has been veterinarian-approved for ALL breeds ages 7 weeks and older—including dogs who are pregnant or nursing. So no matter what kind of dog you have you can feel safe giving them Bully Max, the world’s most trusted & effective muscle-building supplement for dogs.

100% Safe & Healthy

Bully Max contains no harmful artificial ingredients, steroids, or anything that could harm or cause side-effects to your dog. It’s formulated & approved by veterinarians and made with 100% safe & healthy ingredients.

Here at Bully Max, we know you don’t just want your dog to get bigger & stronger. You want them to be healthy, happy, and vibrant. And that’s what we want, too!

Recommended Workouts

If you give your dog Bully Max without engaging in any sort of exercise, your dog will gain a moderate amount of strength & muscle. But to really get the best results possible, you should put your dog through regular workouts to test their strength and stimulate new muscle growth.

To learn more about some of the most effective workouts for your dog, check out our blog post titled Top muscle-building exercises for dogs. Specifically, pay attention to exercises #1 & #2: the spring pole and the flirt pole.

These are the top 2 exercises we recommend for your dog.

The good news is that the equipment for these exercises is inexpensive and fairly easy to make by yourself at home. We’ve even put together a helpful guide to guide you through the creation of your very own spring pole & flirt pole:

Want The Best Possible Results For Your Dog?

In addition to regular exercise, there’s one more thing you can do to make sure your dog experiences that absolute best results possible:

Make sure your dog is eating high-quality performance dog food with adequate protein, fat, & calories.

Most commercial dog food available in stores is loaded with fillers, low-quality meat byproducts, and artificial ingredients that don’t belong in your dog’s body.

Our is hands-down the best on the market, and we’ve got the 5/5 star rating from Dog Food Advisor to prove it. It’s a performance-based dog food you can actually feel GOOD about giving your dog.

Learn more about Bully Max 30/20 High Performance Dog Food here.

Why Choose Bully Max?

Simply put, Bully Max is the best-selling, highest-rated, and most effective muscle-building supplement for dogs in the world. And there are 6 big reasons why we continue to lead the pack when it comes to helping dog owners like you to build bigger, stronger, healthier dogs:

  1. More Muscle-Building Ingredients: Bully Max contains 19 powerful muscle-building ingredients—more than any other brand!
  2. No Hidden Ingredients: Our products contain NO mystery ingredients. Every ingredient is clearly listed on the bag.
  3. Tested by a Third-Party Lab: All our formulas are tested by the University of Kentucky for purity, safety, and quality.
  4. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed: Bully Max is the only brand that guarantees results in writing. If you don’t love the results, it’s FREE.
  5. Trusted by Veterinarians: Bully Max is the only brand formulated and approved by real, working veterinarians.
  6. 100% Safe & All-Natural: We use only all-natural ingredients with NO artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

6 Tips on Buying a Pit Bull Puppy

Posted on by Bully Max

 

If there’s any breed whose integrity has been called into question regularly, it’s the American pit bull terrier. What most people don’t realize is that the American pit bull terrier is one of the most loyal and loving four-legged family members you can get. For those of you considering buying a pit bull puppy for your home, you’re making a wonderful choice! However, how you go about buying a pit bull puppy can make the difference between a challenging pup in the house and a wonderful forever-friend that you and your family can enjoy for years to come. puppy_food

Please read and follow our tips on buying a pit bull puppy before you make any decisions. You will need to learn how to properly take care of and feed them 👉 high-quality puppy chews.  

Tip 1: Puppies are Products of Breeders, as Much as Breed

The pit bull puppy you have read about online, viewed pictures of, and maybe even played with in person at a breeder’s facility is as much a product of its bloodline and breed as a whole as it is a product of that individual breeder. One of the biggest travesties to have befallen this breed in America in the last 30 years has been the impact of human action on the behaviors of the animals themselves.

There are too many breeders out there that are only interested in making a buck. The result is often puppies that are in poor health or have been so mistreated during their formative weeks that trust in humans is a hard thing to build. With each breeder you consider and facility you visit, get a read on the individual breeder. Their behavior and actions will impact the puppies they are selling to the public.

Tip 2: Visit the Facility When Buying a Pit Bull Puppy

If at all possible, you should take strides to visit the facility of the breeder. When you have the chance to visit a facility, you can see for yourself how the breeder behaves with the puppies. You’ll see what kind of love and care the pups are given, and most importantly the quality and condition of the facility itself.

Buying a Pit Bull Puppy
Visit the Facility When Buying a Pit Bull Puppy

When you are looking at a breeder whose facility is not located in your city and state, you should still take all possible measures to visit. If it is out of the question to visit yourself, see if you have a trusted friend or family member who can visit the facility for you. They can report back on what they see and experience while doing so.

Among the other reasons to consider visiting a breeder’s facility is the fact that you can get some firsthand experience with the puppy. It is important because you might be bringing him home. You’ll have the chance to measure their demeanor for yourself before making any decision.

Tip 3: Research Anyway, Anyhow

When it is not possible to visit a breeder’s facility, or even if you have, don’t stop your research at a simple visit. The web is a great source of information, and it should be used to your advantage. For each breeder, you might be considering, conduct your research online to determine the reputation of the breeder.

Of course, the breeder is going to provide you with a glowing image of their operation and the pit bull puppies they have produced. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be in business. However, there is bound to be information available to you online from previous customers. Any gaps in the information you’ve gathered yourself in person and learned from the breeder directly can often be filled in with reviews, complaints, and even praise for the breeder from other previous buyers.

Tip 4: Research the Breed and Challenge the Breeder

It is always a good idea to do your research on the pit bull breed as a whole before you bring home a new puppy. Not only does this prepare you to be a responsible and loving owner of a pit bull puppy, but it can also aid you in selecting the right breeder to work with. All breeders provide information on the breed, but it is still a good idea to have your base of knowledge.

This can come in particularly handy if the breeder does a lot of talking without providing you with printed materials on the background of the breed. With your base of knowledge regarding pit bulls, you can challenge the breeder when you have questions. If that breeder can’t answer your challenges, a puppy from that individual is probably not a wise choice.

Tip 5: Don’t forget to ask for References

Perhaps one of the most important tips to follow when buying a pit bull puppy: ask for references. A good, reliable breeder will happily share with you a list of individuals who have purchased from their business in the past. Happy clients are a sign of a strong business. Though not the ultimate sign of success for business, as some people value their privacy, positive references are a strong sign of a good breeder.

Positive references show that other people went through the same steps you did in looking for, researching, and buying a pit bull puppy. They did their homework on the breeder, made a visit, asked questions, and felt comfortable. More importantly, they brought home their new forever-friend and are enjoying the company of that pit bull puppy in their life.

If a breeder can’t, or won’t, give you a list of references to verify the conduct and quality of the operation, you should take more time to consider whether that breeding facility is the proper one to purchase a pit bull puppy from.

Tip 6: Document Your Entire Purchase

Buying a pit bull puppy comes with a lot of paperwork, or at least, it should. Make sure to get a detailed invoice of the payments you’ve made (such as a deposit on a pup from a litter), and verification of your payment in full when that time comes. It is also important to document guarantees from the owner, such as what medical care (vaccinations) the pup has received to date, information on the presence/lack thereof of a microchip for identification, and even a list of what is expected of you as an owner.

Some breeders might ask you to do some legwork on documentation, so don’t lose out on your new puppy because you didn’t do your documentation.

If you follow these simple tips you’ll be able to identify a quality breeder that raises emotionally and physically healthy pit bull puppies. Best of all, you’ll find yourself with the best four-legged friend possible for years to come.

Read also an article about 27 Things to Know About Owning a Pitbull, and Beginner’s Guide to Puppy Health.

How to Make a Concrete Dog Bowl

Posted on by Bully Max

 

Owning a pet comes with a lot of responsibilities, and also a lot of costs. Of course, you love your four-legged friends so you would never dream of complaining about the costs of keeping your dog well fed and hydrated at all times. With that said however, there’s nothing that says owning a pet can’t include a little bit of DIY activity.

Sure, you can always settle for the plastic water dishes or a spare Tupperware dish for use as a water or food bowl for your best friend, but those don’t exactly stand the test of time. What about using a concrete bowl for your dog’s outside water dish? It will stand up to the elements better, and your four-legged companion isn’t likely to destroy it either. Think it’s too difficult? Even if you’ve never worked with concrete before, you can make your own concrete dog bowl with minimal DIY experience.

Getting Started – The Materials

Bully Max offers an easy-to-make concrete dog bowl that comes with instructions that are simple enough to follow, that you’ll be able to make your own bowl whether you’ve used concrete before or not. Here’s what you’ll need for materials to get yourself started:

  • Mortar mix
  • 2 Stainless steel bowls, varying sizes
  • Cooking spray
  • 5-gallon bucket for mixing ingredients

Step 1 – Mixing the Mortar

Pour your concrete mortar mix into your five gallon bucket and follow directions on the bag for the correct amount of water to add. If there are no directions, slowly add water as you stir the mixture in the bucket. You’re looking to get the concrete mix to the consistency of a thick pudding, and be sure to continue mixing until you have removed all the air bubbles so there are no imperfections in the water bowl later on.

If you don’t add enough water at first, there’s no reason to worry. Continue to add water slowly to your mix until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Pour too much water in the mix? Carefully add more mortar to the bucket until you find the right balance, just make sure you don’t end up with too much extra concrete as a result. It’s best to take the step slow to ensure you don’t waste the mortar mix.

Step 2 – Spray Cooking Spray Onto Bowls

There’s no proper order for which bowl should be done first. Just make sure to spray the proper surface of each bowl. Your larger bowl is going to serve as the mold for the outer shape of your concrete water bowl, so spray down the inside of the bowl as you’ll be pouring the concrete mixture into this bowl. For your smaller bowl, spray down the outside surfaces because this will serve as the mold that you push into the smaller bowl to form the concave section of the new concrete water bowl that will hold your dog’s H2O.

Step 3 – Pouring the Mixture

Now that your concrete mortar is mixed and your bowls have been sprayed down, it’s time to pour the concrete for your new outdoor water bowl. Start by pouring the concrete mixture into your larger bowl. Use caution and do not fill it to the top. You should fill the bowl roughly halfway to the top, being sure to leave room for the expansion of the mortar when you press the smaller bowl into the concrete.

Next, you’ll take that smaller bowl and gently press it down into the concrete in the larger bowl. The concrete mixture will expand and try to push the smaller bowl back out, so in order for the bowl to stick and form your new outdoor concrete water dish, you’ll want to place a rock or other heavy object into the center of the small bowl while the concrete sets.

If you notice concrete overflowing the sides of the big bowl, it’s not a huge problem. Simply wipe up the excess and try to level off the concrete level between the larger bowl and the smaller bowl so you have a nice, flat edge around the top of your concrete water bowl when it sets.

Step 4 – Removing Your New Concrete Water Bowl

You’ll need to let the concrete set in between the two bowls for one day following the completion of step 3 above. Once that day has passed, you’re ready to remove your new concrete water bowl. You may want a small screw driver so you can use the handle to tap on the bowls to help loosen the water bowl from its molds. There’s no right or wrong order. If the small bowl loosens first, you can remove it first, and vice versa for the larger bowl.

When you’re done you can simply run the bowls through the dishwasher and set your new concrete dog bowl outside. So, why go through this effort?

Simple Reasons for a Concrete Dog Bowl

Similar concrete dog bowls sell for almost $40 in tandem with a food dish, and aren’t customizable to the size you might want for your dog. A bag of concrete is as cheap as $8, while cooking spray is just under $3. Most readers probably have at least two bowls around the house, and most home improvement stores hand out free 5-gallon buckets for DIY projects if you ask. Best of all, your dog won’t have to chase around its water dish as an aluminum or plastic bowl slides all over the place, and the concrete dish won’t warp, break, or otherwise suffer destruction without significant effort.

All it takes to make this concrete dog bowl is $11 in supplies, 30 minutes of your time, and one day to wait on the concrete to set. If it sounds simple, that’s because it is!

The Top 10 Mistakes New Dog Owners Make

Posted on by Bully Max

For pet owners, there’s no greater feeling than that first day your new dog comes home with you. Whether you’ve rescued a young pup from a kennel in your city or purchased a brand-new puppy from a licensed breeder, you’re full of joy and excitement as you take that new dog into your home for the very first time. In those first few days and weeks, you are going to see your dog do many silly things that you’ll forgive because they’re young.

What happens when that puppy becomes a full-grown dog though? One that has a mind of its own and an instilled behavior set. Believe it or not, all pet owners make some mistakes along the way, but there are ways to avoid them if you know what to look for in advance. Browse our list of 10 mistakes most new dog owners make.

1.) Forgetting that Puppy Will Grow Up

We know exactly how you feel when you bring your new best friend home. There’s no way another animal is as cute as your puppy right now. The problem is that while your puppy is cute now as a young animal, it will not be a puppy forever. This doesn’t, of course, mean that it will physically get uglier. What we mean is that those innocent things it does now and gets away with on cuteness won’t last for long.

For example, when a puppy has a small accident in the house, it is not a good idea to simply laugh it off and not use that opportunity to correct the puppy’s behavior. Sure, that pile of poo is laughable now and you’ll clean it up with ease, but if you don’t correct the behavior you’ll have bigger problems on your hands in the future. Left uncorrected, your dog will find it OK to relieve itself in the home, and the size of the poo is only going to grow with the dog. Still want to laugh off that pile?

2.) Calling Out the Puppy’s Name to Correct Bad Behavior

It’s not enough to simply correct your new puppy for bad behavior, it has to be done in the proper manner. Many new dog owners make the mistake of calling out their dog’s name when it is misbehaving, as an approach to correcting the bad behavior and getting the young pup’s attention. However, when this is done it only teaches the dog to begin associating the sound of its name with being corrected for bad behavior.

3.) Failing to Set Aside Proper Time for the Puppy

When you welcome a new puppy into your home, it’s not that different from bringing home a baby for the first time. You would bring a baby into the home and then fail to feed, clothe, and bathe it, so why do the same for a puppy? Young puppies need your love and attention just as much as a baby.

Your puppy needs your attention to help socialize it with people, first and foremost, but also to help it remain mentally and emotionally stable. Moreover, if you don’t make time to work with your dog on good habits and eliminating bad behavior, it will never learn to follow the rules of the household, such as potty training.

4.) Not Providing Enough Socialization for the Dog

Speaking of spending time with your new puppy, it’s vital that you help them socialize at a young age. Just a human baby would fail to learn its native tongue, discover social mores, and understand how to interact with others if left alone, your dog would fail to establish a healthy social standing without time around other dogs.

Canines are pack animals, and while you can’t be expected to have an entire pack of dogs in your home, it’s a good idea to get your dog out and about on a regular basis. It helps to expose them to different sounds, surfaces, and environments, and enables them to adjust to meeting new dogs and people.

5.) Not Establishing Yourself as the Authority Figure

As pack animals, dogs will naturally look to an alpha leader in their group. One of the unfortunate downsides in many homes is that people fail to establish the pecking order inside their own home with a new dog. Your puppy needs to know from day one that you are the boss, and that means showing them what’s right and what’s wrong.

There’s no need to use physical force either to establish yourself as the authority figure in the home. Simply enforcing do’s and don’ts will suffice. Remember that if you fail to establish yourself as the pack leader, your new puppy will believe (in the absence of one) that it is the alpha, and will act accordingly by ignoring your commands and setting its own rules.

6.) Not Teaching the Puppy the Meaning of “NO”

If there are only two words in the English language that your dog learns, it should be their name followed by the word “NO.” As you connect your dog’s bad behaviors with the word “NO,” the best approach is to avoid yelling and keeping your phrases short. Remember, your dog never truly understands human language in full. Use a stern voice, be firm, but not violent, and enforce the word “NO” when correcting bad behavior.

7.) Forgetting that The Puppy is Just that, a Puppy

Never forget that your puppy is nothing more than a baby animal. Human babies aren’t held to high standards for behavior, and neither should your dog. Your new puppy is going to chew on things from time to time, have accidents on occasion, and misbehave in other ways such as jumping at your guests.

Just like a newborn baby needs time to grow and learn, with proper love and guidance, so too does your new puppy. Have patience and be the true alpha leader your puppy needs. Help it learn what is OK and what is not, and take a deep breath when you feel pushed to the edge.

8.) Failing to Correct Properly When the Puppy Makes Mistakes

If nothing else settles in, let this point make a mark. Correcting a puppy’s behavior is vital, but so too is the manner in which it is done. Anger and violence against a puppy are never acceptable, and don’t teach your new dog to behave in the future. Improper corrections break the confidence of your growing puppy, and instill a sense of stress, fear, and anxiety as they go through their day. More than that, it also breaks the owner-puppy bond.

9.) Missing Out on the Puppy Imprinting Stage of Life

When your new puppy is young, it is the most adaptable it is going to be at any point in its life. This is the time that its brain is best prepared to receive new information, learn specific commands, and master proper behaviors around the house. The best thing you can do to aid in this process is to not miss out on this imprinting stage of life for your puppy. Read up on the breed and understand the various stages of life it will go through as it matures.

10.) Giving the Puppy too Much too Soon

Last but not least, don’t expect too much from your puppy or give it too much to do right away. When you bring a new baby home, you don’t expect to start with potty training until the child is learning to walk and talk. So why expect miracles from a puppy with no motor skills or educational capability?

Your puppy is learning to simply exist in a new house, with a new family, and a completely different environment from the one it existed in when it came into the world. All of this can be overwhelming, so take all of your steps slow so your puppy has adequate time to adjust. Start by giving it a small space in the home to become accustomed to. As the puppy improves, you can give it more and more responsibility as it demonstrates the mental maturity to handle more space and more time alone.

Not every pet owner makes these exact mistakes, or makes all of these mistakes. These are simply some of the most common mistakes new dog owners make. Read through them carefully, and setup a game plan to help you avoid these pitfalls of owning a new dog.

The Ultimate Homemade Dog Shampoo Recipe

Posted on by Bully Max

Owning a pet is an expensive endeavor between food, toys, safety gear, and regular checkups for your dog. In fact, keeping a pet healthy and happy can sometimes feel like it costs you as much as a child would! However, just because you own a dog doesn’t mean you have to do all of your shopping at the local PetSmart or Petco. Take your dog’s hygiene for example. Why waste money on store-bought shampoos when you can make your own?

If you think making your own homemade dog shampoo sounds like a tough chore, it’s time to revisit that thought process. Not only does making your own homemade dog shampoo take just a few minutes of your time, it only requires a handful of everyday ingredients you undoubtedly have around the house already.

Our recipe for the ultimate homemade dog shampoo will save you time and money, but more importantly, it will actually keep your dog smelling clean and fresh. If you have dish detergent and vinegar in the house, you have everything you need to make a powerful homemade dog shampoo.

Dish Detergent and Soap

Liquid soaps are typically used around the home to clean dishes, but what you might not realize is that they are a great option for keeping your pooch clean as well. Dish detergents are specially designed to cut through grease, which means they’re ideal for using in a homemade dog shampoo because they have the ability to wash away accumulated oils on your dog’s skin and coat.

We’re just getting started with that though. Lavendar-scented dish detergents also provide the added benefit of repelling fleas. So, regularly bathing them with a combination of dish detergent and other ingredients (see below) can not only help repel fleas to begin, a bath with dish detergent once your puff ball is already infested is a great way of repelling the fleas that are already proving bothersome.

Even if your dog doesn’t have any fleas, the combination of benefits to their skin and the lavender scent leave your pooch happy, and smelling great at the same time.

White Vinegar

Next up is white vinegar. This common household product makes an excellent addition to your homemade dog shampoo recipe because it offers antibacterial and deodorant properties. When combined with a dish detergent in your homemade recipe, this helps keep your dog’s coat healthy and shiny, while also providing an antibacterial punch.

A quick word of caution though: white vinegar is mildly acidic by nature. Since you are including this in your homemade dog shampoo, exercise caution to keep it away from their eyes because it can result in a burning sensation for your pup.

The Ultimate Homemade Dog Shampoo Recipe

You’ve got your dish detergent and white vinegar, now all you need is a spray bottle. The mixture process is simple and requires just three steps:

  1. Add 2 cups of warm water to the bottle
  2. Add ½ cup of white vinegar
  3. Add ¼ cup of dish detergent

Once you have your three ingredients mixed together in the bottle, gently shake it up to combine the ingredients until a layer of bubbles forms inside the bottle. Allow those bubbles to recede before you use the shampoo.

When the time comes for Fido’s bath, simply wet your dog’s coat with warm water and spray your homemade dog shampoo mixture all over their body. Once applied, go ahead and give your pet a loving massage and use your fingers to create a nice thick lather on their coat. This isn’t so much to get their coat clean as it is to ensure that the mixture gets down to their skin and provides a thorough cleaning.

As you wrap up, simply rinse the shampoo completely from your dog’s coat and allow them to dry off. They’ll smell fresh and clean in a heartbeat!

Additional Homemade Dog Shampoo Recipes

Shampoo recipe for dogs with sensitive skin:

  • 1 quart of water (32 oz.)
  • 1 cup of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup of lavendear-scented nontoxic dish soap
  • 1/3 cup of glycerine
  • 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel

Shampoo recipe for smaller dog or puppies:

  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 1/4 cup of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of lavendear-scented nontoxic dish soap

FAQs

Q: Is my human shampoo safe for my pet?

A: No. You should never use shampoo that is made for humans on your pet. Human shampoos contain harsher detergents, are not pH balanced for pets, and could damage hair or sensitive skin.

Q: Is there any preparation required before bathing my pet?

A: Yes. It’s important to brush and de-mat your pet’s coat before a bath. The brushing helps to remove loose hair from their coat and loosen any caked on dirt. Removing a mat when it is dry is much easier than when it becomes wet, or worse after it gets wet and re-dries following a bath. If you wish, it’s also a good idea to put ophthalmic ointment in your pet’s eyes and cotton balls in their ears to help protect, and keep out water.

Q: What’s the best water temperature for a pet’s bath?

A: Lukewarm water is the best option when bathing a bet, and a general rule of thumb is to use warm water that is still cooler than you would prefer. This temperature ensures your pet’s comfort during the bath and effective use of the shampoo. Start with cool water and introduce your dog slowly, they’ll let you know what is too hot or cold by their reaction.

Q: How do I wash my pet’s face?

A: Use a towel saturated with water and the shampoo mixture to wipe their face, being careful not to get the shampoo in their eyes. Never dump water over your pet’s head.

Q: How often do they need a bath?

A: With this homemade dog shampoo, you can bathe your pet more than once a week without damaging their coat.

Q: When can I give my puppy its first bath?

A: You can bathe your puppy as soon as you bring him or her home from the breeder or shelter. Allow your puppy to settle into the bath first and become comfortable with the surroundings before getting them wet and using the shampoo mixture.

Q: What if my pet doesn’t like water, how do I bathe him?

A: If your pet has a fear of water, there are dry and waterless shampoos available. These products are applied to a dry coat and either brushed through or massaged into a lather and wiped off the coat and skin. While these shampoos are useful, they are not as effective as a wet bath.

homemade dog shampoo recipe