International Weight Pull Association Nationals

Ever wonder why you do not see certain breeds of dogs at agility, rally, or obedience events? So, just where are all those Saint Bernards, Malamutes, American Staffordshire Terriers, Huskies, Bulldogs, Samoyeds and mixed breeds hanging out?

Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret ... they are all over at the weight pulling competitions. Wait a second, you say ... weight what? Pulling?

That’s right. Weight Pulling!
The International Weight Pull Association (IWPA) Nationals were held on May 5-7, 2006 in Northford, CT. Having never attended a weight pulling event for canines, a friend and I decided this was the perfect opportunity for a road trip. So early Saturday morning, we packed up the car with coffee, donuts, and maps and of course our two Samoyed companions, Frosty and Sparky (along with their doggy snack packs, water and gear :-) and headed south!

For those of you who have never heard of weight pulling, it is a competition sport where dogs of all breeds, mixes, shapes and sizes can participate. Weight pulling promotes the working heritage of all dogs, through organized, sanctioned events. Harnessed dogs are attached up to either a wheeled cart or a sled. They compete to see who can pull the most weight, from a standing start, across a flat course to the finish line 16 feet away. And they have to cross the finish line in under 1 minute.

Dogs need to be healthy and in good physical condition. But most of all, the dog must have the desire to pull in order to participate. Safety is also of the utmost concern in this event.

For the wheeled carts division, the dogs must pull on a flat, earthen surface (grass, hard packed dirt, gravel, or flat carpet). For the sled division, they pull on snow. Dogs compete according to (8) different weight classes: under 20 pounds, 21-40 pounds, 41-60 pounds, 61-80 pounds, 81-100 pounds, 101-125 pounds, 126-150 pounds and 151 pounds and heavier.

During the competition, the handler is allowed to position the dog at the start line and then he moves across the finish to call his/her dog. If the handler is using a driving method to encourage the dog, he/she is behind the front of the cart. At this point, the handler has no physical contact with his/her dog, equipment or pulling surface. Only one handler is allowed to encourage the dog, verbally and/or with hand signals (no food is allowed), but it is up to the dog’s desire and enthusiasm to pull, that moves that cart.

The People ...

My friend and I were truly amazed by what we saw at the event. Not only were there a variety of dogs, but people as well. Men and women were there in almost equal numbers. Children, young people, middle-aged and seniors were represented too, along with a multitude of cultures. It was quite a diverse group and an enjoyable experience.

We watched about 3 hours of the wheeled cart division on Saturday. It was held outdoors in a parking lot. The surface was flat carpet on the blacktop and the weather was partly cloudy, with occasional sun. Temperature was in the mid 70s to low 80s, so it was a bit warm for the event.

Carts are loaded with a start weight (varies according to each class) and the carts are guided by several human supervisors. This insures that the cart does not go off course, or pick up to much speed and injure a dog or bystanders.

It was amazing to watch the different styles of pulling that the dogs demonstrated. Some of the dogs were the ‘strong, silent’ type and just steadily pulled their heavy loads to the finish line. Other dogs were from the ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ school of pulling and bounced and pulled their load to get the momentum rolling. Some dogs just could not make the pull. In those situations, in order to make the pull a success for the dog, the cart supervisors would push and assist the cart forward. So every dog got a positive ‘win’ during the event.

The Dogs ...

Dogs competing in this event represented many breeds and mixes including: Pit bulls and PB mixes, English Bulldogs, Australian Cattle Dogs, Samoyeds, Jack Russell Terriers, a Jack Russell/Chihuahua, American Bulldogs, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, Mastiffs and Mastiff mixes, Saint Bernards and several Dogue De Bordeaux.

The smallest dog competing in the wheeled cart event was a 14 pound Jack Russell Terrier named “Squiggy” who pulled an amazing 300 pounds in 8.68 seconds in the 20 Pound Class!

The largest dog was a 160 pound Saint Bernard named “Layla” who topped the Unlimited Class by pulling 3200 pounds in 9.96 seconds! And are you ready for this? She topped the other 3 dogs in this division, all of whom were male Saints or Saint/Mastiff mixes ... you go girl!

Try It, You Might Like It

We even got a chance to try our dogs in a weight pull harness. We have been considering trying our paws at weight pulling, so friends brought along some extra harnesses for us to try with Frosty and Sparky.

The harnesses were made of wide, heavy nylon and very well padded. Once we got the dogs in gear (pretty easy to do), they attached a couple of old window weights to the back of the harness (about 9 pounds) and we let the dogs just drag them around. That’s basically how you start training and conditioning the dogs to pull weights. Neither Frosty nor Sparky seemed to even notice the weights and being Samoyeds (and natural born pullers) they went on their merry way.

So, as the cooler weather approaches and the leaves begin their dazzling change of color, I realize pulling season will be starting again (it runs from the fall to spring and takes a hiatus in the summer months). Frosty gives me that look of “Come on, let’s go!” and I think its time for us to begin a new adventure.

For more information on Weight Pulling, please visit the following web sites:

IWPA (International Weight Pull Association)
United Kennel Club
Alaskan Malamute Club of America

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