Weight Pull
This is not a traditional OES activity. I had heard of the sport from other dog friends. It always sounded like they had a lot of fun. I do have a farming background, so I have been to weight pulls with horses, and tractor pulls. My kids did pedal pulls when they were young.
Written by Dawn Finch
Getting Started
With some encouragement, I agreed to enter my OES Chewie in a weekend weight pull about an hour from my home. Prior to the event, we did a bit of work. Like any sport, proper preparation and conditioning is very important. Chewie was 18 months old at the time of his 1st pull and in good physical shape. We already had done considerable walking, backpacking (him carrying the pack) and dryland carting. Plus we do the usual activities of obedience, rally and show training.
He was accustomed to a racing (x-back) harness already. He did some pulling with another dog 3 wheel carting when he was almost a year old. I had assistance from friends on getting a correct fitting harness. This is very important, especially as the weight that is pulled increases. The neck of the harness should rest in the notch between the neck and shoulder blades when there is traction on the harness. This is easily checked with two people – one feels the fit while the other is behind the dog pulling on the harness loop. Also, the V under the dog’s neck should rest on the sternum. If it is too small, it will be up on the dog’s neck and choke the dog when they pull. The rest of the harness should lie smoothly around the dog’s body and not apply pressure along the ribs, back or hips. The weight pull harness adds a wooden spreader bar at the rear of the harness. This prevents the weight of the load from squeezing against the dog’s body and rear end.
Initially I had Chewie wear the harness around the house and yard. He hardly noticed it at all. Then I added a rope and a lightweight object to pull. I used a child’s light weight plastic sled, and we walked on lead around the yard. This is a very important step. The dog needs to get used to something dragging along behind him. I have seen young dogs at competitions where the owners skipped this step. The dogs were frightened of that scary object chasing them every time they moved.
When Chewie was OK with the sled (just a few pulls and sniffs and he was OK) I added a little weight. We again walked around on lead and he was fine. It became his job to pull the 4 slices of hay on the sled down to the pony pen each day. He loved it.
The week before the competition, we trained some more. A spare tire makes a great training tool. Take a car tire, and remove the rim. Drill a hole through the tread and attach an eyebolt. Attach a rope to the eyebolt and snap the other end of the rope to the harness. Using your pull command, have your dog walk forward and pull the tire. Only go short distances – 10-20 feet – and praise. I use “pull” as my pull command, and “all done” to end the pull. (Some other pull commands I hear from others are “work”, “hike”, “here”, but any word will do.)
After the completed pull, give lots of praise, big hugs and energy. Treats are not allowed in pulls, and the experts strongly discourage their use in training. They can be used after a pull is done, just not as bait to get your dog to pull. Dogs that pull do it because they want to pull and want to please their human.
After your dog is used to the tire, add weight. Fit a platform into the tire. We had a round scrap metal piece that fit, otherwise a piece of wood like plywood wedged into the tire to make a base works well. The 1st time Chewie tire pulled, we used chunks of firewood as weight. At home with our tire, I set a 5 gallon pail in and add large rocks as weight. Be creative!
Prior to the 1st event, we only practiced once with the tire. Chewie is very easygoing and will do most anything for me. Others may (wisely) train a bit more before entering a competition.
The Pull Competition
At the event, you enter/check in. Most groups let you enter the day of the event. Some require registration with their organization as well. Next is weigh-in – all dogs are weighed prior to the competition. Titles and points are based upon percentages of each dog’s weight. This makes the 20# terrier able to compete with the 150# Great Dane.
Many groups offer fun pulls, or novice pulls as part of their event. These are a great way to practice in a real pull situation. The judges and other pullers give you lots of training tips, feedback and encouragement. Novice/fun pulls are on lead and a great intro to pulling. Many people enter 1-2 fun pulls before they enter a pull for competition. People usually have harnesses to loan, so bring your dog and be prepared to have fun!
After weigh-in, the dogs are divided into weight categories. Typical class divisions are peewee 5-24#, 25-45#, 46-65#, 66-85#, 86-105#, 106-125#, 126-150#, 151# and up. At Chewie’s 1st pull, he weighed in at 66#, so he was in the 66-85# class – or called the “85# class”. This competition was a wheeled cart pull. It consists of a large flat cart base with 4 wheels. There are also rail pulls (like a train car on a track), and snow pulls . Snow pulls use a cart base like the others, but has runners instead of wheels.
The dogs pull for a distance of 15 feet, and must do it in 60 seconds or less for a qualifying pull. With the lighter weight rounds, they can complete the pull in 4 seconds or less! The dogs are all listed in their pulling order, from smallest to largest.
Then the pull starts. Each dog pulls in the listed order. If they make their 15 feet under time, they advance to the next round. The 1st pull is the empty cart. Then weight is added after each round. For the little dog class, the weight added each round was 40#, for the rest 150# was added each round.
Each dog is announced – “Pete is up, Spot is on deck, Chewie is in the hole”. When you are up, you walk your dog to the front of the cart. The helper hooks the snap onto your dog’s harness. Time starts when the pull command is given or the dog starts to pull. You are off lead, and need to stay at least one foot away from your dog. “Pull” is called by the judge when the front tire of the cart touches the 15 foot finish line. Your dog is unhooked from the cart and the cart is pushed back in place for the next dog. Entrants are expected to help – hook dogs on/off, help load weight, act as brakes on the rear of the cart after each dog pulls, announcer to call dogs for the lineup and mark times on the board.
Also, every dog is supported by the other competitors. If a dog is stuck at a weight, or gives up, the cart is gently pushed so the dog can complete the pull. The same clapping and cheering is done as if the dog completed the pull on their own. I was very impressed with the respect given to every dog pulling. I have since gone to more pulls with different organizations and have found this true each time. Some people have voiced concern that this is a primitive or cruel sport, but I have found it to be completely the opposite. The dogs there love to pull and seem to thrive on it much like a human athlete does. There is more positive energy at pulls than most other dog events I participate in.
Our First Pull Experience
Our pull was an indoor pull on carpet. It was a level surface. If you are outdoors, or the indoor surface is not level (has a slope), then the pull must go uphill to be a sanctioned pull event.
For this organization, the first title level is Weight Pull 1 – or WP1. This is earned by pulling 20 times the dog’s weight. Seeing Chewie weighed in at 66#, his WP1 goal was 1320#. On the 1st day (Saturday), Chewie went out at 1050#. He was too inexperienced, and he couldn’t break loose, i.e. get the cart to budge, from its starting point. So, his last complete pull was 900#. I was pleased and so proud. I think the organizers and experienced pullers were a little amazed. Who would have thought that a rookie who looked like a fluffy showdog could actually pull?? The experienced pullers were so supportive, and made us promise to come back again the next day. I assured them we were coming back. They also said that new dogs always pull more on the 2nd day. I was a bit skeptical – after all, 900# on a 1st try was so much! I got out my calculator – 900# was 16 times his weight – or 16% in weight pull lingo.
Day2 –
We felt like pros, did weigh-in (still 66 #) and did the easy rounds. I dug out my calculator and figured out what my WP1 goal was. 20x’s Chewie’s weight was 1320#. That meant we had to complete the 900#, then the 1050, 1200 and 1350# pulls. We kept pulling, and Chewie was really getting into it! We kept advancing. We passed the 1050# round that had stopped him the day before – no problem at all. Then on to 1200#, and did it. I was so nervous for the 1350# round – this was it – and he made it! The 1500# round proved too much. He pulled it after they broke it loose, and everyone cheered! This was the 1st OES that anyone had ever seen compete. Later I found out that he was also the 1st OES to compete in their organization, let alone title.
We have since gone on to beat the 1500#, that is Chewie’s personal best for a wheeled pull. We are currently working on some of the finer aspects of the sport. It looks like a purely physical sport, but it is very much a mental sport. You can get only so far with a strong dog and no training. It involves strategy and good teamwork between the dog and handler. We love it.
Sanctioning Groups and References/Resources:
NADSR – North American Dog Sport and Registry: www.nadsr.com
This is the group our 1st pull and WP1 title are from. The local club for me in MN is: www.northcentralworkingdogclub.com
You can register the day of the event. You are required to register the dog with their organization – can also do day of the event. 15 foot pulls, 1 foot away from the dog in regular pull classes.
UKC – United Kennel Club www.ukcdogs.com
This group offers many dog events – Conformation, obedience, agility, weight pulls, tracking, hunt tests and more. It is very performance based.
Dogs must be UKC registered and can enter the day of the event. 16 feet pulls and can’t touch the dog during a pull.
We are working toward our UKC wt pull title – Chewie has 2 legs, just need one more.
IWPA – International Weight Pull Association www.iwpa.net
Sanctioned pulls September – March in North America. Open to all breeds, mixed or purebred. Their web site has a section on equipment (harness) sources. Members and non-members can enter – day of the event. 16 foot pulls and your dog must wait until you cross a line further away before they start to pull.
UPF – United Pulling Federation www.freewebs.com/upfsite
Season runs November 1 – September 30 and have events in the US and UK.
Other useful sites:
www.isdra.org – the International Sled Dog Racing Association
www.pulldoggies.com - training, equipment and related links