Weight-Pulling Events for Dogs

Long before dogs became family pets, they were bred to help humans with specific tasks. They were bred for tasks ranging from removing rodents from the house to rescue work to pulling carts full of goods and materials. Dogs that were bred to pull carts were referred to as pulling breeds. Some dog owners continue the tradition of their pulling breeds by entering the animals into weight-pulling competitions against other dogs.

  1. How the competitions work

    • Dogs enjoy using their natural pulling inclination to compete.

      Weight-pulling competitions give dogs the opportunity to do something they are naturally inclined to do and they enjoy the challenge. Competing dogs are placed in a harness that is attached to a cart. Depending on the competition, the cart can have wheels, runners like a sled for snow competition or it can run on a track system. Dogs pull an increasing amount of weight a predetermined distance.

      Dogs do not compete by breed classification, competitors of all breeds are placed in weight classes. The smallest weigh class is usually a weight range of 20 pounds or less and the weight classes usually increase at 20 or 25 pound intervals to a top weight class of 151 pounds or more. Dogs are judged on how much weight they can pull as a percentage of their body weight. Ties are broken by determining which dog pulled its cart across the finish line the fastest. The owner's job at the competition is to encourage his or her dog to pull the cart across the finish line.

    Rules for competition

    • Owners are responsible for the behavior of their dogs and their dogs' handlers, if they are not handling the dogs themselves, as well as family members and friends attending the competition. Disruptive or rude behavior results in disciplinary action or disqualification. Immediate disqualification occurs if an owner or handler treats a dog abusively or inhumanely. Dogs are usually weighed in no more than 24 hours before the competition. The goal of the pull attempt by the dog is to pull a cart a predetermined distance within a prescribed time limit without any stopping or hesitation in the pull. Handlers attach their dogs to the cart according to competition rules and encourage their dogs to pull from a prescribed area.

    Training and equipment

    • Handlers use three pieces of equipment to compete in dog-pulling events -- a collar, a leash and a freight harness that has a spreader bar behind the dog. Owners first train their competition dogs to be sociable with other dogs as fighting is reason for disqualification. Training a dog to pull involves teaching the dog to be comfortable in the harness. Dogs learn to pull weight by starting with light weight items. Many owners will use a tire or lightly weighted wagon to start and then progress to heavier weights. Most pulling associations are happy to help owners with appropriate training methods.

    Finding competitions

    • Dog-pulling competitions are held regularly in many towns, cities and suburbs. Some of the event sponsoring associations are the American Pulling Alliance (weightpull.com), the United Kennel Club (ukcdogs.com), the International Weight Pull Association (iwpa.net) and the Continental Kennel Club (continentalkennelclub.com).