Quote Originally Posted by MOSES View Post
Gotap_d I respectfully disagree with you, but to each his own, no harm no foul on my end. However, riddle me this. If a conditioner takes the time to put a hound on a scale twice a day, weighing his feed, and regulating his water, for 8-10 weeks, why would you change anything at the last minute? That makes zero since to me.

I have two full grown Akitas (90 and 110 lbs) and I could guess what 5 oz of hair looks like, and I don’t see that coming off of 40 lb bulldog.

REALLY! If you think that 5 oz of hair is going to be difference maker in a hound’s performance, more power to you. If I bring ANYTHING and 5 oz stands between me and a win, I would seriously have to reconsider my position on a whole lot of things.

I have won more than once with what I thought was an inferior hound, not because I shaved him down to his nuts chasing 5 oz. I don’t care what “lane” you are in it boils down to conditioning. Bringing the bigger dog is as much science as it is an art when it comes to conditioning, and then their still is not guarantee that you are fielding the bigger hound.

Assume for a minute that you have two equally matched opponents in all areas; the athlete in superior condition will win the majority of the time.
It's all good Moses. If a conditioner has been weighing his dog twice a day, weighing feed and regulating water for 8-10 weeks then shaving his dog towards the end of the keep will have no affect on him because he has been dealing with weight fluctuations for the last 8-10 weeks and adjusting accordingly. If the work picks up in your keep and the sogs suddenly drops weight at a time you dont want him to you will increase feed/fluid accordingly. Same with the weight loss that will occur after the shave. The answer to the riddle though is to seek an advantage.

Because of akitas having a double coat and being a larger breed of dog than the ones i have shaved i'm just guessing here also but i'll say you can get at least 1/2lb of hair off one that weighs 90lbs. The 5oz is being thrown around a lot but i just used it as an example. I know that you wont get the same weight with every dog. You can shave your 90lb akita and someone elses 90lb akita and not get the same weight loss of hair. The very last dog i shaved was a 40m the difference with him with fur and shaved was 3oz. The dog i shaved before him was a 52m and the weight difference with him was exactly 3oz. I have shave 35f and taken 5oz off. So again every dog will be different.

If you are bringing your dog to face another mans dog NO sir i dont believe that 5oz is a difference maker or deal breaker. It is an advantage though.

I believe that conditioning plays a HUGE role in winning or losing and have never ever considered a win to be because of shaving a dog. Its a sport where too many variables can have an effect on the outcome. Did i win this time because i fed supplement x and not z? Did my dog run hot because his blood count was this and not that? Did my dog begin to fade at the end because he was just a little too dry? I believe its just too many variable to pinpoint 1 thing as the cause for winning and losing.

You mentioned bringing the bigger hound is that because you consider bringing a bigger framed dog at the same weight as the smaller framed dog to be an advantage? If you do think that it along the line of what i think on shaving. If you cut you dogs feed back to 1-1/2 cups the last week to make 37lbs but after i shave i can keep feeding 2cups i believe my dog should have more fuel to burn. My dog has less of a chance of oing into a catabolic state than yours.

I totally agree with your senario. If you have 2 evenly matched opponents then the one with superior conditioning will win the majority of the time.