Weight pulling explained

Weight pulling
Sport:dog sports

Weight pulling is a dog sport involving a dog pulling a cart or sled loaded with weight a short distance across dirt/gravel, grass, carpet, or snow.[1] It is a modern adaptation of freighting, in which dogs were used as freight animals to move cargo.[2] [3]

History

Canine weight pull has a long history dating to at least the Klondike Gold Rush, where it was used as means of entertainment while trialing sled dogs used for freighting gear and passengers through Arctic and sub-Arctic terrain in North America.[4] Mail delivery was also conducted by dog sled in these remote settlements until the 1930s with the last postal dog sled team being retired in 1963.[5] [6] For both freighting and mail delivery, dogs were expected to meet minimum standards of strength and speed, ranging from per dog on the faster mail team to 200lb per dog on the slow freighting team.[7] [8] Jack London's 1903 book The Call of the Wild makes one of the first literary references to the sport where the fictional dog Buck pulls a heavily loaded sled while spectators place bets on his ability.[9] London spent almost a year in the Yukon, and his observations form much of the material for the book.[10]

Objectives

Weight pull matches start with either an empty cart or sled or at low weights. Carts may be placed on dirt, carpet or even rails. Dogs are sorted into classes by weight and then fitted with a specially constructed freighting harness designed to distribute the weight and minimize the chance of injury.[11] At the start of a round, dogs are asked to pull the car or 16 feet within a set time frame. Dogs who successfully complete the round are eligible to go on to the next round. At the completion of each round, additional weight is added to the vehicle. The winner of each class is the dog who pulls the most weight.

While historically associated with freighting and carting dog breeds, today's weight pull competitions are open to any dog regardless of breed, size or gender.

Sanctioning Organizations

Canine weight pulling competitions are sanctioned by various organizations, each with their own rules.

Controversy

Proponents of weight pull cite the improved fitness and wellbeing of the dogs, especially working breeds. Handlers often cite improved bond with their dog and that no force or baiting with food is used to convince the dogs to pull.[24] The activity has been criticized for cruel or harmful by animal rights activists who cite that dogs are at risk of physical injury including muscle strains and tears,[25] allegations of doping the dogs or abusing them during training and that the sport may be used by some to prepare dogs for dog fighting.[26]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bovsun . Mara . 2015-08-21 . This Secret from the World's Strongest Dogs Can Improve Your Dog's Fitness . 7 February 2019 . American Kennel Club.
  2. Web site: Kehler . Missy . A Basic Introduction to Weight Pulling . 2022-12-24 . alaskanmalamutes.us.
  3. Web site: Bennett . Noah . 2021-06-01 . Weight Pulling for Dogs: Rules, Champions and Records. How to Begin . 2022-12-24 . Pets Life Guide . en-US.
  4. Web site: Long . Terry . 2010-07-13 . Competitive Canine Weight Pull . 2022-12-24 . Whole Dog Journal . en-US.
  5. Web site: Muse . Ben . 2009-04-01 . Sled dogs to snowmobiles . 2022-12-26 . Arctic Economics.
  6. Web site: 2012-01-12 . Alaskan Dog Sled Mail Carrier . 2022-12-26 . Smithsonian Institution . en.
  7. Anderson . David . 1992-01-01 . The Use of Dog Teams and the Use of Subsistence-caught Fish For Feeding Sled Dogs in the Yukon RIver Drainage, Alaska . Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
  8. Web site: Hegener . Helen . 2019-03-09 . Sled Dog Mail . 2022-12-26 . Northern Light Media . en.
  9. Book: London, Jack . The Call of the Wild . Macmillan . 1903 . en . 28228581.
  10. Courbier-Tavenier . Jacqueline . 1999 . The Call of the Wild and The Jungle: Jack London and Upton Sinclair's Animal and Human Jungles . Cambridge Companion to American Realism and Naturalism: Howells to London . Cambridge University Press . 240-241.
  11. Web site: IWPA - International Weight Pull Association - Equipment Resources . 7 February 2019 . Iwpa.net.
  12. Web site: 1995-09-01 . ISDRA Weight Pulling Rules . 2022-12-24 . International Sled Dog Racing Association, Inc.
  13. Web site: Podolak . John . 2011-03-01 . Weight Pull . 2022-12-24 . Alaskan Malamute Club of America.
  14. Web site: IWPA - International Weight Pull Association - About Us . 7 February 2019 . Iwpa.net.
  15. Web site: APA Home . 7 February 2019 . Weightpull.com.
  16. Web site: World Wide Weight Pull Organization . 2022-12-26 . worldwideweightpull.net.
  17. Web site: Home - United Kennel Club (UKC) . 7 February 2019 . Ukcdogs.com.
  18. Web site: The Alaskan Malamute Club of the UK . 7 February 2019 . Alaskanmalamute.org.uk.
  19. Web site: Alaskan Malamute Club, Victoria Inc. . 7 February 2019 . Amcv.org.au.
  20. Web site: Alaskan Malamute Club of America – The American Kennel Club (AKC) National Breed Club for the Alaskan Malamute . 7 February 2019.
  21. Web site: American Dog Breeders Association American Pit Bull Terrier Registry . 7 February 2019 . American Dog Breeders Association.
  22. Web site: NWDA . 7 February 2019 . Nwdak9.com.
  23. Web site: Sveiki atvykę! . 7 February 2019 . Weightpulling.lt.
  24. Web site: ELAINE A. ELLIS . WEIGHT-PULLING COMPETITION FOR DOGS INTRODUCED IN FLORIDA . 7 February 2019 . Sun-Sentinel.com.
  25. Web site: Nicholson . Zara . 2011-10-06 . Weight pulling: cool or cruel? . 7 February 2019 . Iol News.
  26. Web site: Higgins . Lee . 2014-04-16 . Pounds and controversy stack up at dog weight-pulling competitions . 7 February 2019 . Aljazeera America.

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