Weight pulling

Canine weight pull has a long history dating to at least the Klondike Gold Rush, where it was used as means of entertainment while trialing sled dogs used for freighting gear and passengers through Arctic and sub-Arctic terrain in North America. Mail delivery was also conducted by dog sled in these remote settlements until the 1930s with the last postal dog sled team being retired in 1963. For both freighting and mail delivery, dogs were expected to meet minimum standards of strength and speed, ranging from per dog on the faster mail team to per dog on the slow freighting team. Jack London's 1903 book The Call of the Wild makes one of the first literary references to the sport where the fictional dog Buck pulls a heavily loaded sled while spectators place bets on his ability. London spent almost a year in the Yukon, and his observations form much of the material for the book. == Objectives ==

Weight pull matches start with either an empty cart or sled or at low weights. Carts may be placed on dirt, carpet or even rails. At the start of a round, dogs are asked to pull the car or 16 feet within a set time frame. Dogs who successfully complete the round are eligible to go on to the next round. At the completion of each round, additional weight is added to the vehicle. The winner of each class is the dog who pulls the most weight. While historically associated with freighting and carting dog breeds, today's weight pull competitions are open to any dog regardless of breed, size or gender. == Sanctioning organizations ==

Canine weight pulling competitions are sanctioned by various organizations, each with their own rules. Matches were held exclusively on snow in conjunction with their sled dog races. • The Alaskan Malamute Club of Wisconsin started offering weight pull matches on snow in November 1971. In 1984, the Alaskan Malamute Club of America expanded these rules to include carts and began offering sanctioned weight pull across the US. IWPA operates in North America. Since IWPA's organization in 1984, no dogs have been hurt in competition. • The United Kennel Club also includes Weight Pull as one of their dog sports. • Alaskan Malamute Clubs in the UK, and Australia offer sanctioned weight pull competitions based on the Alaskan Malamute Club of America's weight pull rules. • Other breed clubs also offer weight pull, such as American Dog Breeders Association. • In the 2010s other organizations started offering sanctioned competitions, such as National Working Dog Association. • In 2012, GPA (Global Pulling Alliance) was formed to focus on educating the general public about the sport of weight pulling as a positive outlet for active canines across the globe. GPA holds competitions in 6 countries; United Kingdom, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Ireland, and the United States, and continues to add to their list as the sport grows in popularity. • The European Weight Pull League sanctions matches throughout Europe. • Dogs Australia (formerly ANKC - Australian national kennel club) has sanctioned weightpull events since 2015. Weight pulling is included in the sled sports discipline and in 2025 there are currently 5 recognised titles dogs may achieve in competition. ==Controversy==

Proponents of weight pull cite the improved fitness and wellbeing of the dogs, especially working breeds. allegations of doping the dogs or abusing them during training and that the sport may be used by some to prepare dogs for dog fighting. ==See also==