# Weight pull photos :)



## Tiffseagles (May 12, 2010)

We had some fun at this month's pull. Otis didn't compete but we did some training. He pulled 750# but lost form after 705#. 

Getting set up:



























Someone got a little overzealous and tried to start up before I let him go!










Bad form that we are working on:
Spins









Jumps



















Much better form!














































Finishing his pulls:




























The car ride home:


----------



## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

wow impressive... how in the world did you get a dog to enjoy pulling weight... is this a title they can earn?

ps, i love the gsd moustache


----------



## Tiffseagles (May 12, 2010)

juliejujubean said:


> wow impressive... how in the world did you get a dog to enjoy pulling weight... is this a title they can earn?
> *It's pretty simple. First you desensitize them to having something noisy dragging behind them. Then you start off with light weight and pair starting up with a command. You use lots of praise, treats, tug whatever you want to reward the dog so the training becomes fun (I ask Otis if he wants to work and he runs between me and the front door screaming because he knows what we are doing!). You need to actually teach a command because baiting is against the rules. You gradually increase the weight/distance you pull during training. My understanding is that most people alternate heavy weight days and light weight days along with recovery days.
> 
> We will compete in the IWPA. There are 3 titles that they can earn. They are:
> ...


Thanks


----------



## Tiffseagles (May 12, 2010)

Youtube video (not sure what happened to the sound): GSD pulls 300 Pounds - YouTube


----------



## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

Awesome! I plan on doing this with my dogs - Kastle when he's older and Ms. E as soon as I get a harness made for her


----------



## Tiffseagles (May 12, 2010)

Good luck! It's tons of fun and the people here have been very nice


----------



## Tiffseagles (May 12, 2010)

I also just found out that he took 2nd place in the novice class! He won a ribbon! Unfortunately I left before they handed them out so I had no idea


----------



## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

Love these photos! I've never seen a GSD weight pull but it doesn't surprise me. My daughter used to hook bear up to a Radio Flyer and he loved pulled her around. They just love a challenge.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

there's a big difference between pulling your daughter
around and pulling 750lbs.



KentuckyGSDLover said:


> Love these photos! I've never seen a GSD weight pull but it doesn't surprise me. My daughter used to hook bear up to a Radio Flyer and he loved pulled her around. They just love a challenge.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

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



KentuckyGSDLover said:


> Love these photos! I've never seen a GSD weight pull
> 
> >>>>but it doesn't surprise me. <<<<


----------



## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

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 (Jan 16, 2010)

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 (Oct 31, 2008)

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 (Sep 25, 2008)

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


----------



## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

doggiedad said:


> 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 (Jan 16, 2010)

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 (Dec 2, 2007)

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



Konotashi said:


> 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 (May 12, 2010)

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 (May 19, 2011)

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": http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/miscellaneous-dog-sports/158097-pulling-weight.html

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 (May 19, 2011)

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": http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/miscellaneous-dog-sports/158097-pulling-weight.html

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?


----------



## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

There are all kinds of dogs, large and tiny, competing in UKC Weight Pull events. A dog has to only pull 7 times it's weight to achieve a leg towards it's title. 


ALL OTHERS 
01. FO UWPS CH UGWPC1 UACHX LLD LESS PAUL	GREAT DANE	Juaise Peabody or Bruce Peabody	Michigan 1065
02. UWPS URO2 UGWPCH UCD USUVCH USJ UAGI ARAGORN VOM MOORWEG	GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG	Kelly Scudder	Virginia 790
03. CA UWPS USJCH UGWPCH QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE	GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG	Kelly Scudder	Virginia 785
04. UWPS UWPCHX GRCH UNDERCOVER MEISTERHAUS VALENTI	BASENJI	Kelli Harmon	Michigan 650
05. UWPS UWPCHX FFF'S SHAMUS O'BEEFCAKE	CHINESE CRESTED	Lyle Foringer or Mary Mc Donald	Pennsylvania 620
06. UWPO UGWPC1 MAJOR MYLES	BOSTON TERRIER	Edward Grant Sotelo and Oretta Sotelo	California 610
07. UWPS UGWPC1 UAGI GRCH BAKCHOS VOM MOORWEG	GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG	Kelly Scudder	Virginia 585
07. CA UWPS UWPCHX GRCH SNOBIZ CATCH ME IF YOU CAN	SAMOYED	Robin Clark	Michigan 585
09. CA UWPS UWPCHX GRCH SNOBIZ IT'S ALL ABOUT ME	SAMOYED	Robin Clark	Michigan 550
10. CCB UWPS UWPCHX GRCH KIROJA HART N SOUL	BASENJI	Kelli Harmon	Michigan 530
11. CA UWPO UWPCHX P1 PD1 CHER CAR'S 38 SPECIAL V GEMINI	PARSON RUSSELL TERRIER	Sandy Williams	Michigan 520
12. UWPO UWPCHX CH DARTH BEARON	BASENJI	Wendy Lake or Anita J Lake	Michigan 485
13. UWPS UWPCHX GRCH MOONLYTE MAYHEM	BASENJI	Wendy Lake	Michigan 450
14. UWPO UWPCH BLACKSTARS WHO'S NEXT OF JEMMS	PATTERDALE TERRIER	Jamie Robinson or Elizabeth Robinson	Michigan 430
15. UWPS UWPCHX GRCH MEISTERHAUS KIROJA KISS N TELL	BASENJI	Kelli Harmon	Michigan 420
16. UWPO UWPCHX GRCH GINGERY'S TERRAPIN	CHINESE CRESTED	Dana Bowers or Arlene Butterklee	Minnesota 390
17. UUJ UCD UWPO UWPCHX URO1 PROJECT TREETOPS SMOKIN SECRET	CHESAPEAKE BAY RETRIEVER	Melissa Ness	California 380
18. UAGI UWPO UGWPC1 CH SLUG-A-BED NEW YORK YANKEE	STAFFORDSHIRE BULLTERRIER	Ildiko Laczai or Bela T Vargo	New York 355
19. URO1 UWPO UWPCHX NBOB USR UFR GRCH'PR'KING PEN'S LOST ECHO	RAT TERRIER	Ray Draper	California 350
20. CA UCD URO1 UAGII UWPS UGWPCH GRCH SURESHOTS LITTLE BIT OF LUCK	STAFFORDSHIRE BULLTERRIER	Karyn M Dawes	California 335
21. UWPO UWPCH GRCH NALA'S OLA KEKERE KWASI	BASENJI	Virginia July and Wendy Lake	Michigan 310
22. USR UFR UWPO UGWPC1 CH AUTUMN RUSSELS HIGH VOLTAGE	PATTERDALE TERRIER	Jason Crociani	California 290
23. UNJ UWPO UCD UAGII URO3 FO UWPCHX GRCH DYNAMO SURESHOT SMART AS A FOX	STAFFORDSHIRE BULLTERRIER	Christine Edwards or Jason Edwards	California 285
24. UWPO CA UWPCH UACH UNJ GRCH ANTHOS OF GENIUS	DOGO ARGENTINO	Julie A Brungard	Illinois 275
25. UAGII URO2 UCD FO UWPS UWPCHX GRCH SURESHOT'S ONE STEP BEYOND	STAFFORDSHIRE BULLTERRIER	Karyn M Dawes	California 270


----------



## Tiffseagles (May 12, 2010)

Kel said:


> 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": http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/miscellaneous-dog-sports/158097-pulling-weight.html
> 
> 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.
> 
> ...


Yes, that is us in Sheryl's album! I tried to make as many of the Port Clinton pulls as I could since they had the novice class


----------



## Kel (May 19, 2011)

BlackPuppy, the bit you posted is the All Stars listing for UKC from last year. Unfortunately, UKC's wpull program was changed a LOT this past year because a few "bad apples" couldn't play nicely with everyone else. Rather than punish those few select individuals, UKC decided to completely do away with all awards/placements in wpull, All Stars rankings, year-end championship pull, and dogs are no longer allowed to pull anything more than a 20 point pull (15 times their weight for snow, 35 times for wheels, 45 times for rails). Unfortunately, those percentages are easy to reach on a good track if you have an experienced puller. On a very hard track, it can be tough... but I have only pulled on two UKC tracks (and we've been just about everywhere for the sport) that were so difficult that making a 20 pt pull was a challenge. Many within the sport are working to bring the UKC pulling program back to its days of "former glory," but it is a slow process. As of now, the titles are not as much of a challenge, which is really a shame. Hopefully, that will change in the not so distant future. 

For anyone who wishes to get more heavily involved in wpull for now, I recommend checking out your local IWPA, APA, GSMDCA, etc. events. 

Tiffseagles, I thought I recognized your pup! That's great. Hopefully you both continue to enjoy the sport and excel within it.


----------

