[hunnbunny360]

Me and my boyfriend have been talking about what we are going to do with our dog once we get him, It came across to me, maybe we should get him into a light kind of pulling, maybe a few tires here and there. Just to make sure hes fit and toned, and if hes any good at it, maybe get Him into comps or something.

Firstly, I know I will need special harnesses and everything for him, which, will be the NUMBER one thing for him to get first, safety is number one.

Secondly, I don't really have any experience in pulling with animals except for when I was a little one and my dog used to pull us kids around in the red line wagon

Other then that nothing.

What I was hoping to do was find someone in the Vancouver/portland area who does pulling and other such things with Pits, ask them a few pointers, and maybe even see if its right for me and the dog.

I dunno what to do???

Does anyone have any ideas for me?

If its a bad Idea, please let me know.

Oh and PS, sorry everyone for all the questions I ask on here


---------- Post added at 01:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:17 AM ----------

And another thing, what are some things I should really know before thinking about doing pulling type exercises with him. I know he will need somewhat more Protein then an average house dog and some extra activity, but again, i'm brain dead on the subject.

[pitpupmom]

The dog should be at least a yr old. And go to shows in your area and talk to the people at the shows. A good harness is very important as well. ADBA shows let you bait the dog with a toy.Some do not.

[Alma]

I moved your post to the Sports Section. You should get more responses here.

[hunnbunny360]

I have talked to a few people and I have decided to wait for a couple months, start taking him to events where they are pulling and such, wait til hes bigger and then I will start him with a milk jug and so on, If he doesnt like it, then Im not going to push it.

I actually am kind of excited about this.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by hunnbunny360 I have talked to a few people and I have decided to wait for a couple months, start taking him to events where they are pulling and such, wait til hes bigger and then I will start him with a milk jug and so on, If he doesnt like it, then Im not going to push it. I actually am kind of excited about this.

You took a good decision, I back that!

[xdogs]

There are UKC weightpulls in Longview, WA fairly regularly. Come out and watch some time.
The next weightpull will be on the thanksgiving weekend in conjunction with conformation. You can look it up on www.ukcdogs.com under events.

[Hypercane]

You can also just start him with th puppy harness-no weight -to get him use to wearing one.

Definitely go to the events.. talk to everyone.

[hunnbunny360]

Thank you all I am looking at prices for harnesses now, and am planning on getting him used to the harness before anything

[Pitlove]

I am just getting into weight pulling a bit myself and I am really excited about it.

[pitbullmomma28]

All the advice that has been given here so far is very good. When they say wait till a year, they mean before actually putting any weight on the dog, but you can begin getting them use to these things much earlier. First of all, take him to lots of shows (conformation, obedience, but most importantly weight pull) so he gets use to the noise and racket, it is also very helpful with socialization. Now, I start training my dogs as soon as they come home, so from day one. Before training for weight pull make sure to have obedience covered. I teach all my dogs at the minimum a sit stay, down stay, on leash heel, off leash heel, stand stay off or on leash and a basic come. These commands must be known before any of the other training begins. Along with obedience, I train dogs for conformation, freestyle, weight pull, flyball and a few other sports. In my opinion the more you train a dog, the better. Now, once you have done basic training, you begin weight pull training. I start out by when I take my dogs for a walk by attaching to leashes to the dog’s collar. Allow him to drag one of the leashes, while you hold the other. This will get him use to the feel of having something dragging behind him. Most people make the mistake of putting weight on the dog when they first teach them to pull, and it can keep the dog from ever wanting to pull again, lest he fear some big weight coming after him! Once he is doing the leash with ease, attach to him a bottle with coins in it, when you take him for a walk, so he gets use to the noise as well as the feeling of something behind him. If he spooks, go back to the leash and try again later. You don’t want him to get scared of things behind him, or he will never want to pull again. Once he has gotten use to the bottle with coins, if you have a big enough back yard walk him in the back yard with the bottle with coins, and a CD playing with clapping and loud noises, this will help him get accustomed to the noise at a weight pulling show if you are planning on competing with him. The earlier on they get use to it, the better it is for the dog and for you! Once he is breezing through this, it is time to teach the “Pull” command. To teach the “Pull” command do the following: Attack the bottle with coins to the dog, put him in a sit stay, down stay or stand stay, whichever you prefer and walk away. Then ask him to come to you, as soon as he starts pulling the bottle say “Pull!” and reward. He will soon get the message and start responding to the pull command. Once he has the pull command down, do it with the CD with the clapping and loud noises, so he gets use to concentrating on you! Do this also with other dogs and people, reward him when he concentrates on you, and start over when he gets distracted. Don’t scold if he doesn’t pay attention to you, just end on a good note and finish for the day. This breed can easily shut down if you scold it to much, so I try not to. If you feel your patience wearing thin, end on a good note and give it a break before you explode! Thankfully this breed is easily trained and loves to respond, so I have never had problems training with them! Once he is over a year old you can begin adding light weights, gradually increasing the weight. Only increase the weight when he is pulling the first weight with ease. I start at five pounds and gradually go up in five pound increments. Most importantly make sure that you and your dog have fun! Happy weight pulling!

[Jamielvsaustin]

Pitbullmomma how do you get your dog to distinguish between being in a pulling harness and a regular harness? We have both but haven't even put the weight pulling harness on yet. We use the regular harness for long walks...or in areas we're unfamiliar with and on bike rides. When we bike ride, our dog pulls. I assume the association with the bike. But otherwise, in his regular harness he doesn't pull. I don't want to get him used to weight pulling...and then have him think he can pull all of the time.

I know it has to be possible, because so many have their dogs in weight pulling so I'm just curious as to how to make that happen.

Sorry for the hijack hunnbunny...but maybe it's a question you have too.

[Leslie H]

If you'd like some training advice from a national level competitor, read the Brown Dog Designs website. There is training advice for starting pups and older dogs. There are also great harnesses for sale.
Dogs learn to match gear with activities pretty easily.

www.weightpullharness.com

[pitbullmomma28]

Originally Posted by Jamielvsaustin Pitbullmomma how do you get your dog to distinguish between being in a pulling harness and a regular harness? We have both but haven't even put the weight pulling harness on yet. We use the regular harness for long walks...or in areas we're unfamiliar with and on bike rides. When we bike ride, our dog pulls. I assume the association with the bike. But otherwise, in his regular harness he doesn't pull. I don't want to get him used to weight pulling...and then have him think he can pull all of the time. I know it has to be possible, because so many have their dogs in weight pulling so I'm just curious as to how to make that happen. Sorry for the hijack hunnbunny...but maybe it's a question you have too.

I have never had a problem distinguishing because I only train weightpull with the weightpull harness. Also, I teach them to only pull when I tell them too, which is another thing people forget to do! Just make sure to NEVER train with the normal harness on. They can distinguish because weightpull harnesses are usually heavier. What is your regular walking harness made out of? I use nylon harnesses when walking, though I usually use a nylon flat collar. I only use harnesses for training, whether be obedience or something like that. I reserve the weight pull harness for weightpull training. Hope this helps!

[Jamielvsaustin]

The regular harness is leather with wool as padding. The pulling one, I'm not sure what that's made out of...but definitely a different material.

And thank you Leslie for the web site reference and link. We will absolutely look into that. I want to read and see as much as I can before I do it. I want to start on the right foot.

[pitbullmomma28]

Originally Posted by Jamielvsaustin The regular harness is leather with wool as padding. The pulling one, I'm not sure what that's made out of...but definitely a different material. And thank you Leslie for the web site reference and link. We will absolutely look into that. I want to read and see as much as I can before I do it. I want to start on the right foot.

As long as the material is different you should be fine! It is well worth the effort to train a dog!