Weight
pulling for Dogs
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This page is dedicated to a sport that has grabbed me hook line and sinker!
It is
open for all dogs. Mixed breeds, spayed, neutered, purebred, registered
or not.
ALL dogs can compete in weight pulling.
There are a couple of organizations that we trial at, one being the UKC shows. You can read their rules and regulations by going here.
The other organization I trail at is with the IWPA. You can learn more about them by going here.
Here is a picture of my male pulling at his very first IWPA pull. Cain earned his first pulling leg at this event and placed in his weight class. This was only the beginning.
Bringing your dog up for the sport.
To start with you will need a Freight harness. There are links at
the top of this page to help you to get your first harnesses.
Once you have your freight harness you can
begin. I started my dogs by simply having them pull something small behind them
to get them used to the feel of pulling something. Many dogs will stop when
they feel something tight behind them. Especially if you
normally tie your dog out on a chain. (I am very much against putting
dogs out on a chain.) For a small dog you can use a two liter pop bottle filled
with pebbles. You need to coax the dog into pulling it's
load. You may need a leash in the beginning.
I like to use an old truck tire, a log chain, or a child's sturdy plastic winter sled for my large breed dogs.
The truck tire provides allot of drag for the dog. They will learn to put their head down and dig in to get it started. This is true of the log chain also. I train in two different ways for weight pulling. First, we use our child's sled or truck tire for our short pulls. I can add weight in any weight increment that I wish to SLOWLY built my dogs strength and endurance.
You are looking to build your dogs confidence. That is the most important sentence on
this page. DO NOT OVER WORK YOUR DOG. You will only succeed in making them hate
the work and refuse to pull when you need them to the most. (At the pulls)
Here are some different ideas on training to help you get started.
My normal practice is to work my dogs almost daily. Day one: We do many short pulls (15- 20 feet)
with a weight that they can pull with out too much trouble, yet it takes a committed
effort to get the load moving and to keep it moving. Say 60- 70% of their
maximum pulling weight. Day two: Is a
hard pull day. Set one being maybe 5 pulls at 70% of their maximum weight. Set
two 5 pulls at 80% of Max. Set three also 5 pulls at 90% of max. Then you MUST
cool your dog down. I walk my dogs around the yard for five minutes or more to
help them cool down. I then give them some water. I also take time to rub my dogs muscles.
Do NOT work in the heat of the day. If you are training in Summer months. Please be considerate of your dogs and train
early in the mornings or in the evening hours. I also do not train my dogs on a
full stomach.
The next thing I do in my training is to have my dogs pull a log
chain. My dogs weigh anywhere from 80lbs to 120lbs. I have a forty foot log
chain that I ask them to drag while we take a walk down the road here. I am
lucky in that I live in the country on a dirt road. Pulling the log chain
builds endurance in the pull. It is not a short muscle building pull, but a
long pull that builds a strong heart and lungs. It makes for a lean dog. Their
muscles will get tight and give that ripped bodybuilder appearance. In the
beginning we go about ½ mile. Then work it up to a
full mile.
You can also have them drag that log chain up hill. I only use a small portion of log chain for this as it truly is one heck of a work out for the dog.
Another thing you can do for your dogs conditioning is to simply
add to his own body weight. Not in a physical sense. But, by
adding a five pound weight to his collar. Or by fitting him with a
standard walking harness and add some small weight to that. It doesn’t
take much. To give an example; Go get a gallon of water in a
milk jug and carry it around with you for as long as you can. (You do
this, not the dog). And see how tired your arms would get and how soon. This is
what will happen by adding weight directly to your dog also. Be considerate.
Don’t leave weight on them for extended periods of time.
MAKE SURE YOUR DOG IS IN GOOD PHYSICAL HEALTH.
I vary the short pulls and long pulls throughout the week. They also must have days off to rest and recover from their workouts.
The thing I like the most about this sport is that not ONE dog has ever been injured in competition. A dog will only pull if it wants to. This sport is a great way for owners to bond with their dogs.
What to feed your dog
I feed my dogs 100% raw food. I truly feel that raw meat is one of the best things you can ever give your dog. It helps in muscle development. Helps the dogs deal with stresses better, they release lactic acid better, and their coats shine like the morning sun. I also give my dogs a multi vitamin, flax seed oil, one can of sardines a week for their omega three and omega six fatty acids. They also get veggies that are put through a food processor for easy digestion.
There are books out there on how to feed raw to your dog. Do a web
search on it for more information or feel free to email me.
claussenk9@mich.com
What kind of pulls are there?
There are three basic types of weight pull events. The first two photos are of my own dog.
Snow pulls
these pulls are done with a sled like you see here.
Wheeled pulls
done with a wheeled cart like this one.
And Rail pulls
Done with a train track set up like this one.
Photo submitted by Tony Angeles with his dog Diesel
This rail system is with the dog on the matting.
This is a second rail system picture. This rail is a little
different from the first one. The difference is the center area is raised up to
the same level as the rail itself.
Photo submitted by Craig Huitson with his dog Maverick
Each type of pull is done with weight classes. Weight classes vary
depending on which organization you use. Every dog is weighed in at the
beginning of the pull day. That weight determines which class you will be
entered in. There are many awards to be won in weight pulling. Some of them
being the actual weight pull titles. Others are most weight pulled that day and
highest percentage pulled by body weight. An example of highest percentage by
body weight would be like this. Say dog one weighs 45 pounds and pulls 1,170
lbs. Dog two weights 90 pounds and pulls 2,070 lbs. The 45 pound dog would win
best percentages as he actually pulled more weight pound per pound. But dog two
would win the most weight pulled award as he was able to pull the highest
weight that day.
Let me explain how you get your percentages. If they say your dog pulled
17% that day, it means that your dog pulled 17 TIMES his/her body weight. Lets say your dog weighs 76 pounds and was able to pull
1,654 lbs. that day, their percentage for that day would be 22%. Or 22 times their body weight.
I hope this page has helped you to understand more about weight
pulling. This page is still under construction and will have more and more
information added to it as it becomes available.
Check back often to see the changes. I hope to make this page a great place to get all your pulling questions answered.
If you have any suggestions, things you would like to see and so on. Please write me.
Thank you for your visit. Have fun pulling your dog!!
To visit my Home page.