Muscular Dogs: 20 Real Bully Max Dogs and How They Built Muscle

A muscular dog is built from three things: genetics that give it the frame, a high-protein, calorie-dense diet that feeds the muscle, and regular hard exercise followed by rest. Below are 20 real dogs that eat Bully Max, mostly American Bullies and pit bulls, followed by how their owners feed and train them and how to build muscle on your own dog safely.

Bully Max is a family-owned U.S. company founded in 2009. Our high-performance, meat-based food and supplements have served millions of dogs, and the owners below were kind enough to share their photos.

What Makes a Dog Muscular?

No food or supplement turns a Chihuahua into a bully. Muscle depends first on the dog you have, then on what you feed it and how you work it.

• Genetics and breed. Bully breeds and guardian breeds are bred for a compact, heavy frame. Some dogs, like "bully" whippets, carry a myostatin gene mutation that produces extreme muscle, but that is a genetic trait, not something you can train.
• Protein and calories. Muscle is built from amino acids, and it takes extra calories to build and hold it. A working dog on a low-calorie diet will stay lean no matter how hard it trains.
• Exercise. Sprints, the flirt pole, the spring pole, hill work, and (for adult dogs) weight pulling give muscles a reason to grow.
• Rest and age. Muscle grows during recovery. Most dogs fill out between about 18 months and 3 years, and big breeds keep maturing even longer.

Muscular dog breeds

The breeds people usually picture when they search for a muscular or "buff" dog include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Bully, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Boxer, Rottweiler, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Presa Canario, Boerboel, Doberman, and Belgian Malinois. See which dogs are considered bully breeds for the full family tree.

Before we go further, a quick note on fuel: if your dog needs more strength and energy from the bowl, a meat-based, high-protein food is the simplest place to start.

FUEL YOUR DOG WITH BULLY MAX 30/20 HIGH-PROTEIN FOOD

Fuel strength and energy with meat-based nutrition, 30% protein, 20% fat, and 535 calories per cup.

$55.97 · 15 lb

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20 Muscular Dogs That Eat Bully Max

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

How These Dogs Are Fed

Most of the dogs above eat a high-protein, high-fat kibble as the base of their diet, and some add a muscle or weight gain supplement on top. The food does most of the work. A supplement only helps if the daily diet already covers the protein and calories your dog needs.

Bully Max 30/20 High Protein has 30% protein, 20% fat, and 535 calories per cup from meat-based nutrition. It is made in the USA, and every batch is triple tested for safety.

TRY BULLY MAX 30/20 HIGH-PROTEIN DOG FOOD

Fuel strength and energy with meat-based nutrition, 30% protein, 20% fat, and 535 calories per cup.

$55.97 · 15 lb

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Tips on choosing a quality dog food

Compare cost per day, not cost per bag. A cheaper food with fewer calories per cup means you feed more cups a day, so the bag runs out sooner. Check the calories per cup on the label, then use our dog food calculator to see how long a bag will last for your dog.

Look for a named protein first. The first protein source on the ingredient list should name the animal it comes from, such as chicken, beef, lamb, chicken meal, or beef meal. "Meat" or "animal" without a species is a red flag.

Ingredients to think twice about: unnamed meat or by-product sources, the preservatives BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin, artificial colors such as Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 2, and propylene glycol.

Check the manufacturer's site. Prices on the brand's own website are often lower than on third-party marketplaces, and you can usually subscribe to save. Bully Max autoship saves 10%.

For more on the diet side, read how to build muscle on a dog with food.

How These Dogs Train: Spring Pole and Flirt Pole

Several of the dogs above pair Bully Max muscle builder tablets with Bully Max dog food and daily exercise. Exercise is not required, but it is what turns good nutrition into visible muscle.

These are the muscle builder tablets several of the dogs above use. Pair them with a complete diet and regular exercise.

TRY BULLY MAX MUSCLE BUILDER TABLETS

Daily tablets that support muscle growth, strength, and recovery in dogs of all breeds and ages.

$32.97 · 60 tabs

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Two simple tools do most of the work: the spring pole and the flirt pole. Both tap into your dog's natural prey drive, so most bully breeds love them.

You can mount a spring pole just about anywhere you could hang a heavy bag for boxing: a heavy bag mount, a sturdy tree limb, a deck or garage support beam, or a swing set. Our step-by-step guide shows how to build a spring pole.

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

Flirt poles bring out your dog's prey drive. The sprinting, turning, and jumping build muscle and cardio at the same time. You can make one for around $10 or less, or follow our guide to build a flirt pole:

You can even make a free version from household items such as a broom stick, a rope, and a dog toy. The idea is the same as the poles in the videos above.

Here are some tips on using the flirt pole from our friends at Dogumentary TV:

Train safely

• Keep puppies off hanging, pulling, and high-jump work until their growth plates close. Ask your vet when that is for your dog; large breeds often take 12 to 18 months or longer.
• Warm up first, keep sessions short (5 to 10 minutes of hard work is plenty), and stop while your dog still wants more.
• Skip hard sessions in heat, and be extra careful with short-nosed breeds that overheat quickly.
• Give at least a day of rest between hard sessions so the muscle can recover.
• If your dog is limping, sore, or struggling to breathe, stop and talk to your vet.

Want a full plan? Our 30 day dog muscle building guide lays out workouts week by week.

Ready to put this into practice? Start your dog on a meat-based, high-protein food made in the USA by a family-owned company, with every batch triple tested for safety.

READY TO SWITCH? TRY BULLY MAX 30/20 HIGH-PROTEIN FOOD

Fuel strength and energy with meat-based nutrition, 30% protein, 20% fat, and 535 calories per cup.

$55.97 · 15 lb

ADD TO CART

FAQ

What is the most muscular dog breed?

There is no official ranking. The American Bully, American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Presa Canario, Cane Corso, and Boerboel are among the most heavily muscled breeds. The most extreme muscle you will see belongs to "bully" whippets, which carry a myostatin mutation.

How can I make my dog more muscular?

Feed a complete diet with enough protein and calories for your dog's size and activity, add regular exercise such as sprints, flirt pole, and spring pole work, and give your dog time to rest and mature. Results take months, not weeks. See how to put muscle on your dog for a step-by-step plan.

Are these Bully Max before and after photos?

No. These are photos owners and kennels shared of their dogs while feeding Bully Max. Every dog is different, and genetics, age, exercise, and the rest of the diet all shape the result.

Can I build muscle on a puppy?

Focus on steady growth instead. Feed a quality puppy food, keep your puppy lean, and stick to free play and short walks until your vet says the growth plates have closed.

Start With the Food

Every dog in this gallery started with the same foundation: a high-protein, calorie-dense diet. If you want a stronger, more muscular dog, start with Bully Max 30/20 High Protein dog food, add the muscle builder tablets if you want extra support, and put in the work on the flirt pole and spring pole.