Answered in order of importance not in order of post.
dlynne1123 sorry I am going to cut up your quote but I wanted to be sure to answer each issue of importance.
dlynne1123 wrote:In Maine we don't have UKC WP events at all! At least that have been advertised to All Breed.
Given that Weight Pull is primarily focused on the Pit Bull I do not find that too add. I appreciate your perspective coming from a multi-breed club and see the unique individualities and hurdles multi-breed clubs have and how there are definite differences with single-breed clubs. It is definitely interesting that some of these are the same for both types yet other aspects are different by 180 degrees.
To help refresh others in this discussion I will point out a few examples.
Same hurdles –
Maintaining attention and desire for participation of members.
Finance.
Member reach, recruitment and participation.
180 degree difference –
Mmore breed vs. less breed exclusive or focused.
Time management.
dlynne1123 wrote:I have been to non sanctioned events but none UKC in Maine. Every Weight Pull I've attended has been in CT or Very Southern Mass. And all were All Breed. Anywhere from 3 to 6 hours drive for my clients.
This also underscore some of my points in my initial post. It is also these hurdles that generate opportunity for other organizational structures to exist. For example I would highly encourage you to look into the IWPA as an all breed club that is not registry affiliated for WP info. Being in the NE I would think they are there or with your assistance could see the viability. It would make sense, since they deal in WP and have two different winter divisions Snow and Snow and Wheeled pulls here is a link to their rules:
http://www.iwpa.net/Rules.html Many Pit Bull clubs are reassessing their relationship with registries and are wondering if it is this relationship that contributes to their lack of growth or member participation. Examples of this is how many are now having what they call “fun shows” where registry affiliation is not important. Organizations like IWPA are filling in what they perceive as a doughnut hole in the pet industry. Other organizations are stepping up for all kinds of more specialized events like Agility, Flyball, Obedience, Shutzhund, Disc Dog and many other activities. These organizations are seizing the positive aspects of focused singular events that fully embrace greater participation and more dynamic involvement.
dlynne1123 wrote:As for ADBA, I've heard was mostly bullies. I can't find them in Mass or Maine anymore.
If you are asking it depends on who you ask. Many people are die-hard registry brand oriented. ADBA enthusiasts will deny that statement flat out. Their pride is in the “idea” of a well-conditioned game Pit Bull. Many will also want to deny the change happening in the ADBA since it has changed to an All-Breed club now focusing on over 300 breeds. The brand loyalty that many have given the ADBA is based on 100 years of focused attention on the Pit Bull breed. Now that it is multi-breed and their focus will have to involve more show inclusion it will be interesting to see how they address the new unique hurdles they face while at the same time maintaining their brand loyalty.
To be fair however on their behalf of all types of Pit Bull specific shows they sanction theirs do seem to be more representative of the APBT in its original game standard. Many Conformation participants do not meet the old standard but still more do than other registries.
For more bully oriented shows if this is what people are interested in then ABKC (American Bully Kennel Club) events are definitely where a person should go. In fact one of their bragging points is their goal is to eliminate aspects of “game” and this is represented in the many examples of Pit Bulls they represent. Her is a direct quote from their home page. “but traits ….. gameness were bred out of the breed because the breed had no future and purpose for those traits.”
http://theabkcdogs.org/ American Super Dog does not agree that there is no purpose. Given the diversity of the Pit Bull community there is room for individuals who wish an active game Pit Bull and those who just want a champion couch warmer. The travesty is/will be when those do wish to be more active do not have the opportunity. This begs the very first original question of the post. “What has the breed become?” and is very relevant to the points within the post of where accountability lies.
dlynne1123 wrote:As a trainer and a competitor, I want to offer this to clients and get the same eagerness to try. But pushing a club that has never been to one, or even interested is tough. For two years we have had only several fun pulls in Maine b/c not one club offers it. Every event has been held by motivated but not supported 'training' clubs. Theres been a couple held by the BullDoggers in Central Maine. Thats it.
dlynne1123 wrote:You tell a local club 'Hey, me and my friends do this sport called WP. You heard of it? Yeah, that sport. We want to have competitions here locally so people learning, don't have to travel to Conn. and hopefully we can get the sport more readily available up here. Yeah its a UKC sport, really! Well, we would all join your club if we could offer this to you. We offer UKC Protection/Police competitors, Rally, and Agility too! We can bring lots to your club." We've been trying for a while now. I am beginning to think its not going to happen! And we have 3,000 lbs in weight, a UKC certified cart and only have classes for fun. But, our dogs don't 'look' pretty so we aren't taken seriously.
Wow that really underscores this point in my original post:
“Is it the fault of local clubs who have failed to market themselves well enough to pull in more members? Who have failed to offer more opportunities of sporting events despite registries lack of sanctioning these? Who have failed to educate their members in the activities available? Who perpetuate a fear of failure by not embracing more participation through training?”
If you have the support and weight equipment you may want to see about starting a local WP and other activity related club. It is not necessary to have registry affiliation. Such comes with perks but also has drawbacks. You may also want to assess value in working with other clubs that are non-registry affiliated such as the IWPA or decide if you wish to be a totally independent club doing your own thing. If you can manage the hurdles of independence you may have a very eager and captive audience and significant potential membership in your area. Independence has the most to offer in terms of opportunity and control whereas affiliation has the benefit of established membership and referrals. It is a classic risk vs. reward scenario for you to consider exploration. If you would like to advertise your training or would like to advertise for yourself as an independent club we will be happy to provide you a free banner on
http://www.AmericanSuperDog.com we will be happy to help spread the word for your services as a resource. The only thing we require is that you upload one video as proof for consideration in the series and since the series will be breed specific that the video be of a Pit Bull/Am Staff. The banner itself does not have to be breed specific.
It is posts like yours that are GOLD.
I look forward to your continued input.
mnp13 wrote:And again, posting on forums is not "research". The general forum population is already apt to be doing more with their dog, or at least more engaged
with outside input than the "average" owner. This forum is more "pet orientated" than some but I still think the members are well above the norm.
I have been going to dog events for the last eight years, most have been multi-breed I have never attended one that had sport events after conformation. There are not enough hours in a day to run any sport after conformation even at the small shows I have been to/competed in.
Internet forums are an excellent way to research a topic. In fact research and learning is why people for the most part are involved in forums. They make the perfect vehicle for such individuals due to their ability to ask questions and receive answers and present ideas and receive both positive and critical feedback. In your own words: "apt to be doing more" "more engaged with outside input (than the "average" owner)" and "members are well above the norm."
In regards to dog events if you will recall my original post has been about single breed events not multi-breed. Since the original post I have opened up discussion on the mutli-breed aspect as well as I see many correlating factors. I agree that there probably is not enough time after Conformation at a multi-breed event to hold sporting events either before of after. I even remarked on this in a previous post in this thread with dlynne1123. This is a hurdle that is more registry specific as non-registry clubs have more focus on events as opposed to Conformation. You see in your posts your input has been valuable in understanding some of the differences between single vs. mutli-breed issues and registry vs. club vs. member issues. I am sure it is a challenge for multi-breed registry affiliated clubs to manage things given that they must spread out their attention. I think this is one of the areas where single-breed shows may have the operating and financial advantage. This is also why I put forth the idea in my last post of running the sporting events concurrent with Conformation for registry specific clubs so as to help keep up the excitement and participation level. I think waiting the hours on end to take part in the one Conformation event you may be in leads to boredom and thus is a disincentive for ongoing participation. If you will read the conversations with dlynne1123 this seems to support the theory.
Hugapitbull - Please review your post as it is full of contradiction and double standard. If you have specific points to make that you would like to be addressed that are related to the original topic or expanded topic of single vs. multi-breed I would be happy to have a meaningful and engaging dialogue with you.
Pit♥Bull wrote:I'll just continue the "one line attacks"

as I dislike trolls as well as spammers.
Please feel free to keep my post on top. I do not mind as it brings in others who do have value added input like dlynne1123 and mnp13. If you want gold you have to be willing to dig through the dirt. As for the personal issues of self-dislike you should seek a therapist.