Canine Weight Pulling Dog Sport

To participate the dog must wear a specially designed weight pulling harness and then be hooked up to to a sled or cart of some kind.

Another thing to be aware of, almost any dog could do this (within reason - I don't think you'll see any Japanese Chins or Pugs competing in a weight pull). Dogs under one year of age, not up to date on vaccines, in heat, pregnant, or vicious are not allowed to participate at most competitions either.

Once the dog is hooked to the cart additional weight is then put on the sled and the dogs are expected to pull the cart 16 feet in 45 seconds or less.

The owner can not touch the dog while it is pulling the cart however they can encourage the dog to pull - and you should just see the way some people do this. Some people can really act crazy trying to get their dogs to pull the cart. It can be quite entertaining.

To participate in any type of canine weight pulling competition you will need to suit your dog up in a special weight pulling harness designed to equally disperse all the tension of pulling large weight loads.

This kind of criss-cross styling on the harness has more than the usual amount of padding, and comes down low, across the dog's back and body, to keep the weight bearing area down low which greatly reduces any possibility of the dog becoming injured. Lastly, the padded v-neck collar area helps by pulling the harness down and away from the dog's throat which allows him to breath freely while pulling the load.

To train, you will need some sort of weights in measured quantities, so you'll know exactly how much you are asking your dog to pull (in addition to the weight of the cart), and how much you will be increasing the weight each time you add a new item to the cart. Additionally you will need some type of sled or cart to put the weight in, a good leash and a weight pulling harness. Make sure you know all of the rules of the weight pulling contest before you enter.

Every canine weight pull contest is different but the main rules are the same in that the dog has to be willing to pull a very heavy weight a certain length in a certain amount of time. The owner should not touch the dog during the actual competition while the dog is pulling the weight however he can encourage the dog to pull.

So, if you decide this is a dog sport you'd like to try make sure your dog is healthy, start training slowly and have fun with it. Who knows, your dog may be the next top canine weight pulling champ?

Return from Canine Weight Pulling to AKC Working Dog Breed Groups