Weight pull

[APBTs2005]

I have started Ivan on some weight pull. He is now (only) pulling 20lbs or under, on the second day(Aug 13). Well I was gonna pull him 10 times with 2 large bricks and 2 small ones. Then a walk while draging a small brick(with breaks in between). We have yet to get the "ture" pull harness and a 16$ one is looking good.
Now i have some questions, is there anyone else who has a weight puller?
Does anyone have some tips on training?
How much should he being pulling(with my method-above) by 2 weeks?
Can a simple walking harness work as a training pull harness?
And
Can you have a dominate dog at those weighting pulling comps?
PS: any important rules i should know?

[elegy]

did you read the link i gave you? you need to slow down. if you're serious about weight pulling you need to teach the dog what you want. it's not about just tie some heavy stuff behind the dog and make them pull it. you need to teach them that it's fun, you need to teach them what you want, and you need to teach them that there's a reward in it for a job well done. if you don't start teaching the dog this NOW you're going to have a dog who doesn't really want to pull, doesn't really care, and is going to quit on you. not to mention the health concerns of going to far too fast with a dog.

in two weeks your dog should still only be pulling maybe 5-10 pounds. you are in the TEACHING phase.

cd pits makes wonderful harnesses for a very reasonable price and they have a reasonable intro to weight pull page.

[APBTs2005]

did i put 20lbs, my bad ment 2lbs or under (i am spemding at least 2 weeks on the pull comand)

[Pippinislove]

You need an actual pull harness, not a dinky "walking" harness. A weightpull harness distributes the weight appropriately, and has nothing around the armpits. A lot of walking harnesses go under the armpits, and while working/exercising/pulling, the fabric can cause rashes and burns and irritation under the armpits.

[APBTs2005]

i put stuff around the armpits and etc, for padding

[oc_spirit]

Hey there! I'm into dogsledding which does involve pulling and I'm currantly toying with the idea of getting my lead dog into weight pulling competitions IF I can find any around here.

First thing's first, STOP USING A WEALKING HARNESS!!!! You're going to ruin your dog. Not only are they uncomfortable but they put strain on all the wrong places and you could actually lame your dog so much he can't pull much for the rest of his life for two reasons, 1 he's physically incapable of doing it because it hurts and 2, he remembers the pain and won't want to do it.

But you can't get just any old pulling harness either, it should be one specifically designed for weight pulling and preferably with a spreader bar (it's almost like adding a second dog!). The harness should be padded thoroughly with sheeps wool for comfort and no hard strain on bones.

Second is to make sure the harness fits properly. Too big and pressure will be on all the wrong places, too small and the dog will be uncomfortable, feeling cramped and unable to move freely which results in bad pulling. For a short while my wheel dog's harness was too small and he was losing interest in dogsledding and I couldn't figure out why. He wasn't in any obvious pain, he was healthy, the snow conditions were good, no weight had changed, etc finally just for fun i decided to get a new harness which was slightly bigger than the old one and suddenly all his spunk he had before for the sport all came back in his new harness and he loved pulling again! How much difference was there in the 2 harnesses? about 1inch THAT'S how sensitive it is!

How old is your dog? You shouldnt be having him pull more than 2Lbs until he's at least 1year old and no heavy weights until he's 2. Don't want to start too early and end up stressing joints and again ruining the dog for life.

ALWAYS make training fun! Never correct him if he doesn't pull. Just encourage him as much you can with his favourite treats and toys and stop to reward and play after every pull. If you come to a weight that's too much and the dog just can;t do it don't just unharness him and forget it!!! You want to always end on a positive note so either get someone in behind to push te cart along or take off enough weight that he can pull it and reward him like he pulled the entire weight all on his own.

Dominant dogs CAN go to competitions but their owners must always be watchful over them and be ready to advise someone who's getting their dog too close. Basically just be a responsible owner. Don't leave your dog for someone else to watch over because they won't know how careful it is essential to be.