Rules
IWPA
INTERNATIONAL WEIGHT PULL
ASSOCIATION
RULE BOOKLET
Revised 7/2009
SECTION
1 – PHYSICAL AREA
A.
SNOW
The
weight pulling chute shall be in an area not less than ten (10) feet no more
than twenty (20) feet wide, and not less than thirty-five (35) feet long. The
chute will open on the end toward which the pull is made. The chute shall be as
level as hard packed snow permits. If there is any perceptible slope to the
chute, the direction of the pull shall be toward the higher end. There shall be
at least one (1) physical barrier separating the crowd from the chute. Dogs
shall achieve traction on the same surface as that on which the sled rides.
B.
WHEELED
The
dimensions and the description of the weight pull chute shall be the same for
wheeled pulls as for snow pulls.
The chute shall be as level and firm as conditions permit. . If there is any
perceptible slope to the chute, the direction of the pull shall be toward the
higher end. Acceptable surfaces shall be
grass, hard packed dirt, gravel or carpet. Dogs shall achieve traction on the
same surface as that on which the cart rides.
C.
HOLDING AREA
A
safe and adequate holding area shall be provided for both snow or wheeled
pulls. All competing dogs shall remain
in a marked or designated holding area. The holding area shall adequately and
safely hold the number of
dogs in competition.
SECTION
2 - EQUIPMENT
A.
SNOW
The
sled must be capable of safely carrying a load of 4000 lbs. The two
runners must be a flat two (2) to four (4) inches wide and at least seven (7)
feet long on the contact surface and curved at the front end in a reasonable
manner for a sled. The runners shall consist of a p-tex material or a steel
runner. The sled must be a minimum of thirty (30) inches in width and no more
than forty-eight (48) inches in width. The sled shall be provided with an
adequate bridle and tug line of total length so that the point of attachment to the dog's harness be a minimum of 5' and
maximum of 6' from the start line. The bridle shall be made of rope or nylon.
Chains or cable will not be allowed. The sled bridle shall be tied together at
a point 2' - 3' in front of the sled. The bridle will look like a Y. For the
twenty (20) and forty (40) pound class, a smaller and lighter sled may be substituted
as approved by the Chief Judge.
B.
WHEELED
If
the pull is held on a surface other than snow, a wheeled cart shall be used. It
must be capable of safely carrying a load that can exceed 4000 lbs. The
cart must have four (4) pneumatic tires which must all have the same air
pressure prior to the event. The tires shall not be less than eight (8) inches
in height and no more than eighteen (18) inches in height. A spare tire for the
cart or adequate repair kit should be available at the pull site. The bridle
shall be made of rope or nylon and be a minimum of 5' and maximum of 6' from
the start line to point of attachment to the dogs harness. Chains or cable will
not be allowed. The cart bridle shall not be tied. The snap should be able to slide
freely from side to side. This bridle will look like a long V. For the twenty
(20) and forty (40) pound class, a smaller and lighter cart may be substituted
as approved by the Chief Judge provided it has pneumatic tires. If using a lightweight
cart/sled, when the weight is equal to that of the larger cart/sled, the
competition may continue with the larger cart/sled.
C.
WEIGHT
An
adequate supply of pre-weighed, inert material suitable for safe, stable
stacking shall be provided. This is applicable
for both snow and wheeled pulls.
D.
BARRIERS
The
chute barrier shall be a minimum of three (3) feet high and long enough so that
dogs being driven from the rear
will complete their pull within the barrier. The chute barrier shall be located
at the very edge of the pulling pad, within the chute area. The best possible
barriers shall be encouraged, but any one material shall not be mandatory.
The
following would be considered appropriate chute barriers: plywood, wood planks,
hog panels and other materials
that possess a bouncing-off or glancing ability when struck by the sled. (If
the sled or cart becomes stuck or lodged on a barrier, it would then be
considered a tangle (see Tangle Rule Sec. 5 C12). A crowd barrier is required to
separate the spectators a minimum distance of three (3) feet from the pulling
chute. A rope barrier is considered adequate for this purpose.
SECTION
3 - OFFICIALS
A.
SNOW & WHEELED
The
event will be governed by the Chief Judge. To insure that the I.W.P.A.
has qualified officials at its events, all Chief Judges shall be selected from
a list approved by the I.W.P.A. Board of Directors. (A list of approved
judges comes in the sanctioning kits, or is also available from the Judge
chairperson.)
1.
The Chief Judge shall supervise the overall event. He/She shall make all final
decisions in any protest or dispute,
before, during and after the event. The Chief Judge has the right to disqualify
any dog or handler for any
violation of the rules or unsportsmanlike conduct before, during and after the
event.
2.
The organizer of the event shall be responsible for the completion of all
forms, handler reports and information required by the IWPA and a
statement verifying that all IWPA rules were adhered to. Failure to
comply with IWPA rules, especially rules that deal with the safety and the
welfare of the dog, or put the IWPA in a liable situation, shall be
grounds for loss of sanctioning, including insurance coverage.
3.
The Sled Course Marshal shall be responsible for the safe and proper stacking
of weight on the sled/ cart, proper positioning of the sled/cart, hooking up of
the dogs to the sled/cart, breaking the sled when pulling on snow, and maintenance
of the pulling course. The sled/cart officials may not block the dog. The track
is only to be groomed between classes.
4. A
qualified timer equipped with a stop watch capable of timing to a 100th of a
second shall time each pull and report that time directly to the official
recorder. The recorder shall post the weight pulled and the time required to
the official score sheet. (The timer and recorder shall be supervised by the
Chief Judge.)
SECTION
4 - Contestants
A.
ELIGIBILITY
1.
All contestants must be either a regular member of the I.W.P.A. or a
provisional member to enter a dog in competition
in any I.W.P.A. sanctioned weight pull. Dogs pulled by provisional
members count for points but receive no points. Dogs participating in I.W.P.A.
sanctioned events for points need to be owned and pulled by members (not necessarily
the same member). The dog assumes the address of its current owner.
2.
All dogs must be at least one (1) year of age and not more than 12 years of age
to compete in any I.WP.A. event.
The physical condition of the dog should always be taken into consideration and
the Chief Judge may disqualify
any dog they feel will be in danger of injury.
3.
For the safety and welfare the animal, all dogs must be currently immunized
against any contagious canine diseases
(hepatitis, distemper, leptospirosis, parvovirus, kennel cough, rabies etc.).
These vaccinations must be recognized
by the state/ province in which the dog is pulling. The use of performance
altering drugs including but
not limited to controlled substances (i.e. illegal), stimulants, depressants,
anabolic steroids or their precursors
and suppressants shall be strictly prohibited. If an organization intends to
test for illegal drug medications, it shall be declared so on the entry form.
It is the handler’s responsibility to submit documentation to declare use of any
medication.
4.
All contestants shall fill out an official I.W.P.A. entry form.
5. No
bitch in season shall be allowed to compete or allowed to be on the premises.
6. No
pregnant or nursing bitch shall be allowed to compete in an I.W.P.A.
event.
7.
For the safety and protection of the dog, all dogs shall be fitted properly
with a freight or weight pull type harness
which extends no more than 2 feet from the base of the dogs tail.
8.
Any person found to be participating in a dog fighting competition shall be
suspended to the maximum amount, pending possible expulsion, due to abusive or
inhumane treatment of dogs.
B.
HANDLER CONDUCT & CONTROL OF DOGS
All
entrants shall be responsible for the conduct of their dogs, family and
handlers before, during and after the event.
Vicious or unmanageable dogs shall be barred from competition. Disruptive, rude
or unsportsmanlike conduct toward animals, officials, handlers or spectators
will be cause for disciplinary action and/or disqualification. All dogs shall
be under physical control, while in the pull area, except when hooked to the
sled or cart. All handlers shall be responsible for cleaning up after their own
dogs. Abusive or inhumane treatment of a dog shall be strictly prohibited and
shall be cause for disqualification.
C.
WEIGHT CLASSES
20
pounds - dogs weighing 20 lbs. or less
40
pounds - dogs weighing 21-40 lbs.
60
pounds - dogs weighing 41-60 lbs.
80
pounds - dogs weighing 61-80 lbs.
100
pounds - dogs weighing 81-100 lbs.
125
pounds - dogs weighing 101-125 lbs.
150
pounds - dogs weighing 126-150 lbs.
Unlimited
- dogs weighing more than 151 lbs.
All
weights shall be rounded down to the lowest whole pound. EXAMPLE: A dog
weighing 60 3/4 lbs would be recorded as 60 lbs.
D.
WEIGH-INS
All
dogs shall be weighed prior to each I.W.P.A.sanctioned weight pull
(multiple or consecutive day pulls by
the same organization require only one weigh-in). The weigh-in shall be no more
than 24 hours prior the start of the competition. All recorded dog weights
shall be rounded to the lowest whole pound. Dogs shall wear only a standard
collar during weigh in. All weigh-ins will be overseen by an I.W.P.A. certified
judge and all dogs will be weighed in on the same scales provided for the pull.
In the event that the dogs weight exceeds the scale's capacity, but it is
obvious the dog is in the Unlimited Class it will be eligible to compete for
points, but not Working Dog Certificates or best percentage.
SECTION
5 – THE CONTEST
A.
ORGANIZING CLUB OPTION
The
organizing club has the option to run the weight pull event class by class or
in conjunction with another class or to run the event concurrently (all classes
together).
B.
COMPETING IN HEAVIER WEIGHT CLASS
The
dog that wins its weight class shall not be allowed to compete in the next
weight class. However the winning dog shall be allowed to pull as many times as
it wants to establish a top percentage pull. These percentage pulls shall be at
the established load increment.
C.
PROCEDURE OF THE WEIGHT PULL EVENT
1.
Each dog shall be required to pull a loaded sled/ cart ameasured sixteen (16) feet within 60 seconds. If the sled/cart is in continuous forward motion the dog
shall be allowed to complete the pull and the actual time required to make the
pull shall be recorded.
2. Handlers shall position the dog and proceed directly across
the finish line if calling or behind the front of the cart if driving without stopping or hesitating;
there shall not be any communication or contact with the dog or equipment. Once the handler has crossed the 16-foot line, they
may not make contact with the dog, pulling surface or equipment between the
start and finish line. The handler cannot touch the dog until the pull is
complete.
3. Once the dog is in position in front of the sled/ cart no
physical handling of the dog will be allowed. The judge will direct the handler to physically reposition the dog
if there is a tangle or equipment failure. The dog is considered to be in position when the handler moves more than
arms length away from the dog.
4. Only one handler is allowed to communicate with the dog,
either with hand signals and/or voice commands from the course area.
5. The handler shall be allowed to position his/her dog anywhere
between the wheels/runners in front of the sled/cart at the end of the extended tug line. The dog
shall be positioned with enough slack in the tug line to prevent the dog from inadvertently moving the sled or
cart. There shall not be so much slack as to allow a sling shot start. A defined
stop in the forward motion of the dog must be achieved.
6. The handler may pass one or two turns but must pull on
the third turn. Once the dog is hooked up to the sled/cart the handler may not pass in that round except as
stated in Section 5 #13. (Dogs are no longer required to pull the starting
weight.)
7. Chief Judge shall recommend the starting
weight not to exceed the following:
Class Max, Wt. Class Max Wt.
20 lb. 200 lbs 100 lb 700 lbs.
40 lb. 400 lbs 125 lb. 800 lbs.
60 lb. 500 lbs. 150 lb 800 lbs.
80 lb. 600 lbs. UNL 800 lbs.
These weights are maximum starting weights. Each dog may
enter any round at or blow the max weight in that class. If poor pulling conditions exist, the Chief Judge
may adjust the starting weights lower to match the conditions.
8. Load increments shall be determined by the Chief Judge
and a simple majority of the handlers and shall be set prior to the beginning of the class. (A load increment usually
considered appropriate for the lower classes is 40 to 50 lbs. For the larger
classes it may be as much as 100 to 200 lbs. or more.) The Chief Judge shall
recommend the load increments to the handlers, considering the pulling conditions
and the welfare of the dogs. The selected increment for each class shall remain
consistent throughout the class.
9. The handler has the option of having the cart placed anywhere
on the starting line as long as the wheels are perpendicular to the start line. The handler has the option
to reposition the cart one time. No test rolling of the cart shall be allowed.
10. The time will start once the handler is in the proper position
and instructs the dog to pull or the dog attempts or starts to pull.
11. When on snow the sled shall be broken in the following
manner: There shall be a break line 2 feet BEHIND the designated start line. The front of the sled shall
be positioned at the break line. The Chief Judge shall then direct the
following sequence: (1) The sled to be positioned at the start line with the
sled runners perpendicular to the start line. (2) The pulling pad to be cleared
of all sled marshals (unless the handler requests assistance in hooking up the dog). (3) The handler to leave
the on deck circle, hook up the dog and the pull to commence.
12.Tangles are called at the Chief Judge's discretion. A tangle
shall be called by the judge only if the dog or any of the equipment in use
becomes entangled. Deliberate tangles will be an immediate disqualification.
A. In the event of a tangle, at the judges discretion the timer
will stop the clock and the handler must realign the dog and harness before the pull is resumed. Two tangles on
the same round will constitute the dogs removal from the competition.
B. If the sled/cart becomes stuck on a barrier of the pulling
pad it shall be considered a tangle. The clock would be stopped and the sled/cart would then be freed of the
barrier at the point of which it was stuck. The dog would be allowed to continue the pull with the remaining time
left on the clock. Two tangles on the barrier on the same round shall
constitute the dog's removal from the competition.
13. If any part of the harness or other equipment breaks, the
handler shall have 60 seconds to repeat the pull after repairs. He/She may
choose to accept this interrupted pull as a pass.
14. Whips, noisemakers, muzzles, pinch collars, or related
aids shall not be permitted at any time during an IWPA event. Throwing of items while the dog is in pulling shut is
considered baiting. No food, treats or bait/baiting
shall be used from the time the dogs class begins until the dog is
eliminated from competition and removed from the pull area. Handlers shall not
have food or bait on their person during the competition.
15. No dogs, including those not entered in competition shall
be allowed in the area ahead of the starting line, except the dog that is pulling.
16. There shall be a marked "on deck" area
behind, but near the starting end of the pull chute. This marked area shall house only the next dog to pull.
17. The dog pulling the most weight in its class is declared
the winner. Each successive dog pulling a lower weight is placed second, third, etc. If two or more dogs pull
the same weight the required distance and can pull no more weight the full
distance, the winner is determined by the fastest time in the previous pull.
18. The maximum number of dogs handled in a given weight
class by one handler shall be limited to no more than three (3) dogs per weight class.
SECTION 6 – POINTS THE BASIS ON WHICH POINTS WILL BE AWARDED
In order for a weight pull to be recognized and points recorded,
it shall be the responsibility of the weight pull organization to properly report the weight pull results to the
I.W.P.A. as outlined in the sanctioning package, by the sanctioning
director.
In order for the dog to be eligible and counted for points they
must be entered and eligible as described in SECTION 4 - Contestants, A. ELIGIBILITY. Each dog will
receive one (1) point for each dog defeated in his class that has made a
successful pull. The last place dog in each class will earn 1/2 point,
providing they have made a successful pull and place 4th or below.
In addition:
* 5 points will be awarded for first place
* 3 points will be awarded for second place
* 1 point will be awarded for third place
The dog's five best pulls will be counted in the final standing.
Two pulls from out of region (two for snow and two for wheels) can be counted. Wheeled events will be kept
separate from the snow events.
With an approved I.W.P.A. Chief Judge, dogs
competing in non-sanctioned events or fun pulls shall be eligible to earn legs
toward working dog titles.
SECTION 7 – REPORTING RESULTS
All forms must be completed with appropriate signatures and
statistics and postmarked no later than 5 days
following the event.
SECTION 8 - PROTEST
Any entrant protesting a violation of the rules shall do so
immediately following the round. The protest may be verbal but shall be followed by a written statement directed
to the Chief Judge within one (1) hour after the end of the contest. A hearing shall be scheduled and a decision
rendered. The decisions of the Chief Judge are final.
SECTION 9 – WEIGHT PULL SEASON
The weight pull season shall run from September 1 through
March 31.
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