It is a fine line on the last days and even a finer line the last hours going in. It is hard enough to call the right weight but it is also very hard to hit that weight in the right proportion.

If 50lbs is the right weight and the dog has been dialed in to 50 the right way, all is well. But it always important to remember that 50 is nothing more than a number. What is important is what makes up that 50lbs. and the proportion of muscle mass/bone/coat/hair/water etc.. Adjusting water the last few hours can be very tricky. If a dog is proportionately correct at 51 and is dried to 50 then at 50 he is no longer in proportion. If the water content is over proportioned at 51 and then dried to the correct and proportionate 50lbs. then all is well.

Lots of dogs run hot 10-15 minutes in and everything from B-12 to steroids is to blame. When in reality they were on 'weight' but on that fine line of proportion they are one way or the other, usually on the dehydration side.

Dex and predef are fine when they are used correctly. The issue is when they are used as a fixer in the final hours. Basically I put in 8 weeks of work and yet missed my mark, but these couple of shots will make it all better. It is really not that simple.

Corticasteroids are really no different than anabolic steroids in a sense that either of them used correctly will benefit the dog, and at the same time used incorrectly will have undesired effects.

I prefer the dog to be wet in the last hours leading in and let the natural fall hit the mark. I have never been a fan of working a dog a pound or so heavy and then drawing him to weight the last few days. I get him to pit weight sooner in the keep and leave water readily available to him throughout. I always add water to the food and after about 5-6 weeks of hard work and watered food they seldom go to the water bowl. The last three or four days I remove it and they are watered thru feeding.

This leaves the dog slightly wetter in proportion and allows him to fall to the proportionate weight at show time.

More than likely I am not a 'dex' guy because simply I was never taught it was needed. With that said, I know a bunch of guys who are very successful using dex beforehand. EWO