Weight pull is a sport for those who want to do something with their dog that doesn’t involve tiny leashes, points for color, or special “paper’s” and who love to work with their dog to acheive a goal. If that’s you, then weight pull may be your thing.
While Pit Bull’s are excellent at weight pull it’s not for everyone or for every dog. Training a dog in weight pull takes time, dedication, money, and if you’re like me and live in an area with very few, if any pulling events you’ll have to travel out of town to events. Which again costs money and time.
I don’t want to turn you off to the idea of getting involved though. I just thought it fair that you know before hand some of the sacrafices that will be made.
Weight pull is a fun and exciting way to meet other Pitbull owner’s as well. Your dog is also meeting new doggy friends and getting some great socialization to boot. Weight pull can also be a rewarding experience as it takes dedication to really excel at the sport.
What exactly is a weight pull?
Pulls are held on three different types of terrain. Snow, dirt and rail.
For dirt, a cart with four wheels, and a rail system is set up on rails with the cart on them.
Rails is where you see monster weights over 6,000 pounds being pulled. Record weights can reach 8,000 lbs.
Whether the dog is on snow, dirt, or rail the distance is usually 16 feet (the ADBA is 15 feet).
Dogs are required to pull the weight the distance in 60 seconds or without fail.
Once 60 seconds is up and the dog hasn’t completed the distance the pull is over and the dog is allowed to complete the pull with help.
Different organizations have different rules as well. For example, the IWPA and the UKC do not allow “baiting” while the the ADBA does.
Baiting is using something to lure the dog to you, like their favorite toy or treats. All three orgranizations state you can not touch your dog in any manner while pulling and physical corrections are also penalized.
So is weight pull right for you?
Only one way to find out, contact the International Weight Pull Association and see if you can find a pull in your area.
Go to the pull, experience it, and afteward you’ll have a pretty good idea if it’s for you and your dog or not. If your dog is registered with the UKC and/or the ADBA you can also contact them.
Most people that I know with Pit Bulls in weight pull prefer the IWPA because they are an exclusive pulling club and have high quality events.
Mihail Asaenov
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/is-weight-pull-training-right-for-your-pitbull-86599.html
Is Weight Pull Training Right for Your PitBull?
Weight pull is a sport for those who want to do something with their pitbulls that doesn’t involve tiny leashes, points for color, or special "paper’s" and who love to work with their dog to acheive a goal. If that’s you, then weight pull may be your thing.
While Pit Bull’s are excellent at weight pull it’s not for everyone or for every dog. Training a dog in weight pull takes time, dedication, money, and if you’re like me and live in an area with very few, if any pulling events you’ll have to travel out of town to events. Which again costs money and time.
I don’t want to turn you off to the idea of getting involved though. I just thought it fair that you know before hand some of the sacrafices that will be made.
Weight pull is a fun and exciting way to meet other Pitbull
owner’s as well. Your dog is also meeting new doggy friends and getting some great socialization to boot.
http://www.pitbull-apbt.com
You are correct and we have even thought about getting something started to have local events but they are illegal in so many areas we can’t get anything set up here.
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It is also basically animal abuse. In many states it is illegal, because this is basically preparing them to fight.
How would you like it if someone put weights on you and made you strain under the load? And at competitions where they could get injured from the strain their owners put on them? No wonder these dogs are mean.
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Actually April, dogs have a natural urge to pull, and dogs really seem to enjoy weight pull. So going by your logic, are huskies on dogsled teams being prepared to fight? i don’t think so. Pit bulls are not mean, aside from a few bad apples. Unfortunately some people don’t understand that you can’t believe everything you see on tv.
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I agree I believe that the wieght training is a good Idea if its done in the right atmosphere. I seen Pit with wieghts on their neck all day so to me its really not training its just a way to make there dog bigger. If you were to work your dog out and the do the training as if he were a human than it wouldn’t be abuse.
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Weight pulling is an excellent exercise for any dog, never mind a pit. I have all of my dogs involved in it, not competing, just for exercise. It builds muscle, just like it does in humans and my dogs love the challenge. If you do it for fun and exercise it is not a difficult thing to get into. A good harness and a tire or other appropriate device to pull is all that is needed. My competition dog routinely pulls me on my skates and bicycle, and loves it. His stamina is outstanding and so is his muscle tone, but most of all his attitude. It beats sitting around the house all day doing nothing.
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Weight pulling is a great way to build muscle and wonderful exercise for many breeds of dogs.
Some of our hunters have pulled weight as they were reaching maturity durring the off sesaon to help keep them in condition.
We have ours run with our horses when we ride and they pull and the do field work with scent all year long.
Pitts excell at weight pulling and seem to love to have a job to do.
I am always glad to see people out doing things and training with their dogs.
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I am a dog trainer