Posted by HEARTOFTHEAPBT on December 5, 2001, 6:26 am If you are traveling to your opponent, try to get a weight or bet advantage to cover the disadvantage of traveling. Also set up a meeting spot no more than 15 minutes drive from the match site. This eliminates long bumpy drives to the site, which disrupt the match dog. Match high ability hard biting dogs in cold weather this type of match dog exempts large amounts of energy and is more likely to "run hot" or become exhausted. A long-winded defensive can go in warmer temperatures like 70F. A dog can be matched at an air-conditioned site in hot weather. It is best to set up private (ten per side) matches early in the morning. The early hour keeps many of the loud mouth troublemakers away from the match. These bums are the ones that start fights make bets they can't pay off and so on. Also few dog men are willing to get up early and work their dog, so you have an advantage if you worked your dog at this time of the day. PIT WEIGHT A dog's correct pit weight is that weight where he is at the lowest possible weight with no loss of strength or bite. It is one of the hardest things to learn in the game. Feed and weigh your dog once per day. That means he goes 24 hours between meals. This way, your dog will be weighed with no feces in his bowels and will show his true weight. Your dog should have access to fresh watch at all times. Use a calibrated test weight to best your scales once or twice per week, so you know your scales are accurate. It will take 20-30 days to determine your dog's correct pit weight. Decrease your dog's feed until his ribs are visible and his stomach is tucked up. The dog will be within 5 lbs. of his pit weight. Start the exercises and daily documentation of weight at this time. Write down your dog's daily weight on a calendar as well us any work done that day. Walk your dog on a leash for 30 to 60 minutes per day. Gradually reduce this daily feed. Pay close attention to how your dog acts and how hard he pulls on these walks. This strength or the lack of it will determine when to stop reducing the dog's feed. When any loss of strength is noticed, quit reducing the feed. See if the dog's power return while maintaining the same volume of feed. If the strength returns, reduce the feed again and note the results on your calendar. Add food if your dog does not regain his power. After 20-30 days your dog will fall on his correct weight. Experiment to see if the do can go a pound lower or higher and note the effect on your dog's strength. If there is any doubt about the correct weight, always go to the heavier half or pound. BRINGING A DOG IN THE PIT RIGHT ON WEIGHT Few fanciers except the most disciplined can bring a dog to the pit exactly on the agreed weight. However this can be done with dedication to the program outlined here. You have been weighing your dog each day after walking him until he has defecated and urinated. This is before you work him. This daily weight is written on your calendar along with the daily exercises. As you approach match time, you need to know what your dog weighs at various times during the day. During the last week, weigh your dog three times per day. You will know what your dog weighs after eating, twelve hours after eating and twenty hours after eating. This way you will know if your dog is under, over, or right on the contracted weight no matter what time of the day he is weighed. For example, your 45lb match dog would weigh 46 1/2 lbs. after eating, - 46 lbs. twelve hours later, -and 45 3/4 twenty hours after eating. He takes a dump and urinates and comes in at 45 lbs. If this dog weighed 45 1/2 lbs. twelve hours after eating, he'd probably weigh in at 44 1/2 lbs. or 1/2 lbs. under the contract weight. The idea is to know if you need to feed your dog twelve hours prior to the match. You can only determine this if you know what your dog should weigh during the day. If you are traveling by car to the match site, try to simulate this trip during the keep and note how far the travel effects your dog's weight. Some dogs gain weight because they are so relaxed, while others loose weight because they are nervous during the car ride. So put the dog in the car several times each week (in a sky kennel). Dogs are like humans- they do well when their schedule is predictable. Be sure to have accurate scales and a 50 lb. certified test weight to prove that your scales are accurate. Check your scales with this test weight periodically. Sudden changes in temperature will change the accuracy of your scales as well as your dog's weight. Always be sure to walk your dog so he has defecated and
Agree on a date with your opponent that gives you eight weeks to condition your dog.
Set a specific time of the day for the match. This should be the same time of day that you will be able to work your dog. If you rise early and will work your dog at six a.m. Then set the match time for 6.a.m. Dogs are creatures of habit and do well on a predictable schedule.
Agree on the amount of the wager. Half of this should be sent to the referee as the forfeit. Always get a cash or money order forfeit from your opponent unless you know them very well. Agree on the rules, referee, number of people per side and the meeting place immediately prior to the match. I like Cajun rules with a 10-30-30. This means there is a 10-second scratch count, 30 seconds in the corner between scratches and a 30-second out of hold count (bottom dog to scratch). Get a referee that knows the rules and is impartial because his decision is final. Go over the rules with the other handler and referee prior to the match. This eliminates arguments during the match.
Set up negotiations directly with the person you are matching into. Do not negotiate through 3rd parties, which causes misunderstandings.
In a situation like this you could feed a slice of wheat bread twelve hours after feeding and your dog would be exactly 45 lbs. at the weigh in.
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