Weightpull Information

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Category: Weightpull

Published on Monday, 12 December 2011 18:06

Written by Ryan Bates

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The challenge of moving large loads over short distances in snow bound countries of the world was common practise using dogs in earlier days before mechanical transport was developed to cope with the conditions. The sport of weightpull replicates this movement of goods with dog and handler teaming up to move a weighted cart over a short distance. The dogs works in a specially designed harness to help “pull” the load over a specified distance.

At the South Australian Sled Dog Club we use a wheeled cart and sandbags filled with stones for weights. Our surface is artificial with low pile carpet being favoured by handlers for competitions. The distance used by the South Australian Sled Dog Club is five ( 5 ) meters and the whole event is held on tennis courts to help ensure a level surface is achieved. During the “pull” the handler encourages the dog only using voice and hand commands. The object is to move the cart and load from the start line to the finish line in a time under one (1) minute. The handler can either stand behind a marked “call” line at the end of the chute or behind the cart. During the pull the handler must not touch the dog or the cart otherwise you will be disqualified from the event.

Novices are allowed to train using treats and toys in the chute to encourage the dogs. course experienced handlers are always on hand for advice and to loan harnesses so you can try before you invest in any equipment.
Dogs must be weighed no more than seven ( 7 ) days prior to competition to determine which class they will compete in. There are five ( 5 ) different classes for dogs of all sizes. There are winners of each weight class but the overall winner is the dog that has the best weight-to-weight ratio for the day. The dogs in classes one and two generally dominate this. However the larger dogs tend to win the award for the highest weight pulled for the day.
Weightpull Classes

Class One:       Dogs Under 25kg

Class Two:       Dogs between 25.1kg and 35k

Class Three:    Dogs between 35.1kg and 45kg

Class Four:       Dogs over 45.00kg
 
Who Can Compete

Any medium to large dog that is over 12 months of age can compete in a weightpull competition.  The dogs must be over 12 months of age to ensure that all of their bones and muscles are fully developed.