.com Forum · Real Show Dogs

any body around here have dogs that compete in weight pulling. i have been looking into it and have some questions.

My wife has done a bit of weight pulling with two dobermans... Her SD kennel name is emrose kennels. I'm sure she'll gladly answer any questions you may have.

Kellie does it with her basenji if liking into smaller breed.

Yes I compete regularly in weight pull with my Basenjis. I also work with Mini Schnauzer and many Shepherds.

Hi Kelli, Thx for checking in, hope th op asking looks here

Hi, not currently weight pulling but was in the sport about 10 years ago with two Doberman Pinschers. Currently looking to get back into the sport with a much smaller dog! any questions please feel free to ask

when you got their harnesses did you just measure them and get it off line or did you go somewhere and have them measure and make the harness all at once? i would rather go somewhere than do it on the internet just to make sure it is correct, but i don't have any local places that do this kind of thing.

You typically won't be able to find anywhere local to make one for you. They need to be made by experienced pullers that understand how the harness will affect the dog's movement and weight distribution. You need to order them online, each harness maker will have their own system for what and how they want you to measure. I love my harnesses from Missy Villines at BrownDog Designs.

thank you very much that is definitely the person i will be using.

i have read a lot of different things stresssing the importance and difference of caring for a weight pulling dogs nails but i still fail to understand what is done differently. can anyone shed some light on this ?

I personally don't do anything different other than allow them to grow a bit longer than I would for just showing. But I also do coursing/racing/agility etc. I see lots of dedicated pullers "sharpen" the nails right before a pull by dremeling the underside of the nail so it's thinner and sharper for gripping the carpet. I would assume it would then be a good idea to file off the tip and basically dull it again afterwards so that the dog doesn't break a nail during day to day activities. It probably would help to use a biotin/gellatin supplement to help strengthen the nail.

thanks

Here are my pullers...

what organization do you go through the most. i have been looking into IWPA i think its called because they didn't seem to have anything in their rules about unregistered dogs.

that top one has one of the color schemes i was contemplating

I pull with about 7 different organizations that are open to all breeds. I think the only one that has to be "registered" is UKC. I have pulled with IWPA for 4 years. Been pulling for about 8 years in various organizations including UKC, APA, NWDA, IRONDOG, W3PO, and UPF. I used to do mostly UKC but they are not as prevalent in this area anymore and do more NWDA and W3PO which is a newer org that my friend started. I have to travel several hours for IWPA but still try to hit at least a couple of those each winter. I don't like how short their season is. Have never pulled with ADBA but hear they have opened up to all breeds now.

wait so what your saying is i can pull in any of those even though my dog isn't registered ?

That is correct. As far as I know they accept all breeds and mixes. IWPA does require a $40 yearly membership fee though.

awesome I'm from missouri. it seems like a lot of them have stuff around me.

That's great!