Weight Pulling Questions

Weight pull, Protection, Agility, Flyball... you name it!

Postby TheRedQueen » January 24th, 2010, 2:12 pm

furever_pit wrote:This is where I got mine from: http://www.weightpullharness.com/Home.html
I am really pleased with the way the harness fits my dog and with the customer service.


Has anyone had contact with Missy lately? I've got a couple of flyball teammates that have emailed her asking about custom flyball harnesses (she made one for Score as a sample)...and she hasn't responded in months... :|
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Postby dlynne1123 » January 24th, 2010, 7:59 pm

Anyone have some good reads on weight pull nutrition suggestions? Types of food, supplements, BARF, or even frequencies?

Thanks!
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Postby mnp13 » January 27th, 2010, 12:42 am

MoPulldogs wrote:Alot of folks will cut back food when working :| we always increase intake during this time as their bodies need the added fuel to maintain conditioning and strength.


That doesn't make any sense at all. When you increase workouts the dogs need more food to account for the increased work load, and even more to build muscle.
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Postby mnp13 » January 27th, 2010, 1:47 am

I can't tell you the # of times I have heard someone say at a Saturday morning weigh in "I haven't fed or watered 'em since Thurs. morning to cut weight" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? Then they wonder why the dog is physically & mentally weak!! How would you like to have not eaten since Thurs and have someone tell you on a Saturday "Hey your working outside all day shoveling gravel"....I'd like to see how long they would last


That's abusive. The dog works because it wants to please and it does as it's told... so they are made to suffer so "mom and dad" can have some pretty ribbons?

Don't get me wrong, I'm competitive, but 48 hours with no food and then an expectation of physical excellence??

unreal.
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Postby TinaMartin » January 27th, 2010, 9:47 am

MoPulldogs wrote:
I can't tell you the # of times I have heard someone say at a Saturday morning weigh in "I haven't fed or watered 'em since Thurs. morning to cut weight" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? Then they wonder why the dog is physically & mentally weak!! How would you like to have not eaten since Thurs and have someone tell you on a Saturday "Hey your working outside all day shoveling gravel"....I'd like to see how long they would last :cuss:

To do that to a dog is terrible. I can understand not giving a meal just before weigh in but to not feed for that long is just wrong.
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Postby dlynne1123 » January 29th, 2010, 12:48 pm

MoPulldogs wrote:
dlynne1123 wrote:Anyone have some good reads on weight pull nutrition suggestions? Types of food, supplements, BARF, or even frequencies?

Thanks!


We have been pulling in competition for 20+yrs now....man I'm gettin old :o We are not big fans of very many supplements. The only thing we usually add is human grade salmon oil (little added high quality animal fat), gelatin capsuals & biotin (for toenails). When we are working dogs heavy I will supplement their kibble with an animal protein like, yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna or chicken. They eat twice a day and during heavy workout season they will eat 3 times a day.

Alot of folks will cut back food when working :| we always increase intake during this time as their bodies need the added fuel to maintain conditioning and strength.

I do have quite a few links for working canine nutrition, there are quite a few different schools of thought. You just have to find what works best for your dog. We prefer the "KISS" method though...Keep It Simple Silly....LOL. Here you go....

http://www.avafrick.com/articles.html
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/conditn.html
http://www.gocco.co.za/feeding.htm
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/fe ... mance-dog/
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/ca ... dog-diets/
http://siriusdog.com/feed-canine-dog-athletes.htm


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Thats great thanks! I have a dog thats hard to keep weight on, off season, so any bit helps. And I'm teaching an intro course to weight pulling and wanted to give some good links for serious people.

Thanks!
Ryder - Rescue APBT
Panser on a Roll - APBT (American Bully?)
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Postby PetieMarie22 » April 22nd, 2010, 9:38 am

So yesterday Matt had mentioned trying weight pulling with my dog to really start getting her in shape. Someone had mentioned weight pulling to me and my boyfriend awhile ago and later he said to me "I don't know about weight pulling for her!" So last night I asked him what his thoughts on weight pulling were. His concern (and mine of course) are if this kind of activity could effect her in a negative way physically.

Do dogs that do weight pulling have issues with there joints/back/neck or any other parts of their bodies later in life??
How often are dogs injured in this sport?
Should I have my dog checked by a vet before trying this sport, to make sure there is no medical reasons that she should not do this?
Why do dogs (especially pit bulls) like to do this?

Supplements & diet while pulling was another question that was actually addressed already in this thread.
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Postby maberi » April 22nd, 2010, 9:50 am

Should I have my dog checked by a vet before trying this sport, to make sure there is no medical reasons that she should not do this?


Absolutely, but this should be done before doing any dog sport (agility, flyball, disc, etc...)


Do dogs that do weight pulling have issues with there joints/back/neck or any other parts of their bodies later in life??


If dogs are healthy and do not have any structural abnormalities then weight pull can be a fantastic sport. The weight pull harnesses are designed to allow the dog to pull safely and gradually working dogs up in the amount of weight they pull to allow their bodies to adapt and get stronger will help to keep things safe. I think there is a huge misconception with weight pull and the fact that it causes injuries. My Lab Earl blew out his CCL and meniscus at the age of 2 and I use weight pull with him now at the age of 7 to build up muscle mass in his rear. Load bearing exercises are suggested for people of all ages to help build and maintain muscle mass and bone density, and in my opinion, it is no different in dogs.

How often are dogs injured in this sport?


Someone else may need to chime in on their experiences, but I've never seen a dog get injured from pulling safely. I have seen lots of dogs get injured doing flyball, disc, agility, bite sports, etc... Again, like any other sport, pulling needs to be done in a controlled fashion and in a safe manner.

Why do dogs (especially pit bulls) like to do this?


Their size to strength ratio is very high compared to many other breeds and they were bred to give it their all and to never quit. That combination makes them naturals for the sport
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Postby PetieMarie22 » April 22nd, 2010, 10:36 am

Thanks Matt! I copied all that info. I'll PM you if(when!) George is willing to see a demo or give Petie a test drive.
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Postby dlynne1123 » April 22nd, 2010, 8:36 pm

PetieMarie22 wrote:So yesterday Matt had mentioned trying weight pulling with my dog to really start getting her in shape. Someone had mentioned weight pulling to me and my boyfriend awhile ago and later he said to me "I don't know about weight pulling for her!" So last night I asked him what his thoughts on weight pulling were. His concern (and mine of course) are if this kind of activity could effect her in a negative way physically.

Do dogs that do weight pulling have issues with there joints/back/neck or any other parts of their bodies later in life??
How often are dogs injured in this sport?
Should I have my dog checked by a vet before trying this sport, to make sure there is no medical reasons that she should not do this?
Why do dogs (especially pit bulls) like to do this?

Supplements & diet while pulling was another question that was actually addressed already in this thread.



When pulling appropriately and doing endurance training, its actually shown to improve muscle growth and help with hips. One website even encourages it for training with dysplastic dogs. I'm sure mild of course but it does help build muscle which in turn helps to keep joints tight and strong.
Ryder - Rescue APBT
Panser on a Roll - APBT (American Bully?)
Gretchen - the red headed cat that thinks shes a dog
Prudence - the new cat on the block to put the dogs in their place!
Punchlines Better Than Lojac - APBT (RIP)
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Postby Leslie H » April 22nd, 2010, 9:55 pm

I've been to quite a few pulls. Personally, I've never seen a dog get hurt, except for broken toenails. I've heard of one hurting itself, I think it was a tendon pull. Now, I have seen dogs with really horrible conformation, that pulled hard, and you could see their faults like weak pasterns worsen over time.
Neither of my dogs have had any problems, but they were x-rayed prior to ever pulling, and have good conformation.
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