Weight pull photos :)

[Konotashi]

DoggieDad, why does it surprise you?

I think it's cool. I'm sure they don't just hook up a dog and say, "Here, pull 700+ lbs." Surely there is lots of training and conditioning for it, just like anything else.

[ChristenHolden]

I have started my girl. Right now we jus pull around the yard (2.5 acres) she enjoys it but did not care for the sound of the chain on metal and took her a minet to settle down.

[MustLoveGSDs]

Nice!!

Here is my husky's attempt at a fun pull..yeeeah she was in full diva mode



what the??


no seriously guys, no


yeahh i'm gonna stay up here, looks like less work

[Syaoransbear]

Wow this is neat! Where do you guys get those cool harnesses?

[KentuckyGSDLover]

Originally Posted by doggiedad

i'm surprised that someone would let their
GSD pull 750lbs.

Seems to me that if the dog tires of it or can't pull it, the dog will stop. Think about dogs being on leashes and their resistance is whatever they're tied to. They stop when they can't go anymore. In this case, they can pull the resistance for awhile. As long as people are not forcing their dogs beyond their endurance and making sure whatever they're pulling can't keep rolling and hit the dog, I see nothing wrong with it. The dog decides its limit and that's when it stops. Honestly, I'd much rather see a working breed dog doing this than pining away in anxiety from doing nothing.

[ChristenHolden]

I got mine at Weight pulling harnesses including other dog products I went with the total package and got a matching colar and leash as well.

[doggiedad]

it sounds like a lot of weight for them to pull.

Originally Posted by Konotashi

DoggieDad, why does it surprise you?

I think it's cool. I'm sure they don't just hook up a dog and say, "Here, pull 700+ lbs." Surely there is lots of training and conditioning for it, just like anything else.

[Tiffseagles]

Thank you for looking everyone

Kentucky - I am waiting for snow this year so that he can pull my sister in it! But we've had hardly any

Christen - I wish I had a yard that large. When we train, I have to carry all the weight over to a field near my house. It's a workout for me too!

MustLoveGSDs - You're girl is very pretty! The first time Otis was hooked to a harness with weight, he spun around to see what it was (only 5 pounds at that time) and the leash came in handy to teach him what to do. He was silly and spent the first five minutes or so making sure he checked on the weight behind him. Now he doesn't even look at it.

Syaoransbear - I got my harness from the people that run this pull. I met them outside of weight pull (they adopted a dog from the shelter I work at) and that is how I got involved. index

I've also heard wonderful things about BDD Harnesses

Doggiedad - 750 pounds isn't much and he wasn't just thrown in there. The novice dogs with no experience can go up to about 525 at the judge's discretion. Otis has been training since October, gradually building up the endurance and strength he needs for competition, so we were allowed to borrow the cart for a little extra training since he was doing very well at 525. I stopped him at 750 because he was getting frustrated at the higher weight which led to spinning and jumping, but he could definitely have pulled more. Dogs that actually compete will pull a few thousand pounds. In fact, for Otis to earn a title, he would have to pull around 900 pounds in competition. We even had the pleasure of watching a Malinois win her class (over bully breeds and Huskies) where she pulled 2,000 pounds. That dog was 10 pounds lighter than my Otis and a full weight class below him.

There is also a time limit. You have 60 seconds for your dog to pull 16 feet and they must be at least 1 year old to compete. The only reason he is on a leash in any of the pictures is because it is required in novice so that your dog learns proper form which he is obviously still working on though this time he only spun during 2 of the 11 pulls, so he is improving. He is not forced to do anything. If I, or anyone else, are hurting a dog, the judge can call the pull. There is also no physical punishment allowed. This is all done by positive reinforcement and the dog's willingness to work for/with his handler. I have yet to see any injuries.

You can read more at http://www.iwpa.net/Getting_Started.html

[Kel]

For anyone who wants to know more (and see a few additional pics) about GSDs in weight pull, please visit the following thread here, entitled "Pulling Weight": Pulling weight

I've posted a few things there that relate to concerns and items also brought up in this thread.

Tiffseagles, congrats on your accomplishments at your first pull and best of luck in future events! I believe I saw these pics of you and your pup on Facebook not too long ago... in Sheryl Franklin's album. Is that correct?

[Kel]

For anyone who wants to know more (and see a few additional pics) about GSDs in weight pull, please visit the following thread here, entitled "Pulling Weight": Pulling weight

I've posted a few things there that relate to concerns and items also brought up in this thread. As Tiffseagles has already noted, if the track is decent, anything under 1000 lbs is not asking much of a good sized, well conditioned dog. Pound for pound, dogs can actually pull more than any other animal. In many of the large events with some of the top pullers, on good tracks, it isn't uncommon for wheels pulls to go well over 4000 lbs before a MWP winner is determined. Also for comparison, my top pulling GSD has pulled just under 12,000 on rails, 4,550 on snow, and close to 5,000 on wheels. While those numbers are high, they are not unreachable or unheard of among some of the top pullers out there.

Additionally, pulling weight is not something a dog is forced to do. Dogs should enjoy the sport and have fun participating in it. My boys practically do somersaults over eachother when I get the harnesses out, barking excitedly to the point that I start to worry that my neighbors will complain about the noise. Lol. I even have to hang the harnesses up high because Baako has several times dragged them down and run over to me with one, barking through his mouth-full-of-harness as if asking "lets go pull, mom!" ;-) As with any sport, it's all about how you train. If you don't make it fun for your dog, it's not worth doing.

Tiffseagles, congrats on your accomplishments at your first pull and best of luck in future events! I believe I saw these pics of you and your pup on Facebook not too long ago... in Sheryl Franklin's album. Is that correct?