Advice....pleassssse

Hey All,

I just found out the pull I am attending (in 2 days) is on dirt! HUH? I've been pulling for 2 years and not yet pulled on dirt. Carpet/cement, rails and snow, YES. But a wheeled pull on dirt.

I guess my question(s) are:

1. Does it usually pull better/worse than if it was on carpet/cement.
2. Any tips on what to do for the dog, considering it's out in an open field in the sun on dirt?

I guess I am shocked, i've never practice on dirt (I have on grass, while drag weighting, but not w/ a cart)

Any info/advice/words of wisdom would be appreciated.

AP

 

It is a lot harder on dirt. Havoc hates it (and so do I), and when he tries to dig in, he just digs and digs and it doesn't move.

His first time in dirt he wouldn't dig in, once it got hard and his foot slipped back he stopped. I started drag weighting him in dirt to get him used to it.

Good luck!

ETA: The worse part about dirt tracks IMO, is that they can't level it out once the pull starts. So all the dogs digging in creates lumps and if your dog stops, he'll never get it over it, so make sure to keep 'em going if you can.

 

I thought so Crystal.....If I would have known it was dirt, I would not be driving the 4.5 hours to the show.

Bell, my black dog (who has been dominating our UKC pulls % wise) will do fine. Change, who is my white dog, tends to stop and start. He is the one I am worried about.

Any more insight?

 

If your dog pulls on snow, I suspect dirt won't be any worse. I don't pull my dog on either, she doesn't have the frustration tolerance to pull on an inconsistent surface. One thing that can be a factor, as the track deteriorates, is that some places on the track may pull much better than others. So starting the cart in the center of the track might have it wind up in a dip, while pulling from the left or right side might be smoother. You are allowed to ask them to position the cart where you want it, along the start line. Watch for the cart rolling back from the start line, too. Finally, especially if it's not hard packed, the track can really change, sometimes fairly suddenly, as the cart weight increases. So you might be thinking your dog has at least 3-4 rounds left in him, and suddenly he can't budge it.

 

:rolleyes: dirt is hard, make sure the dogs stays straight,and try to stay away from the holes the other dogs will make (sometimes on purpose) AS for the sun and open field, I pratice in that type of enviroment, usually morning, during the much cooler time...I always have water though, or have them swim after training. Good Luck, hope your dogs did well anyways...

 

Well, the facility and judge were NOT up to par. I won't mention the judge's name, but it sucked, bigtime.

The track was not level, sloped from left to right, and once it rained it was a huge MUDHOLE. You think i'm kidding? I am saying, MUD HOLE! The tires were buried in 4" of mud.

My dogs did ok. When it rained (saturday) we got to pull before it rained. Bell got 20 points and Change got 15. Bell also won % and MWP (most weight pulled) for the day due to the other dogs (bigger) having to pull in total fu$King slop. So, bell got 10 additional points for those two awards. Even though I won, it was not fair she got MWP, other dogs would have beat her if conditions would have been better.

Sunday, the moved the location of the track. (not sure if this was legal, but, it guaranteed more dogs would get some points. Bell got 20 points on Sunday and Change got 20 as well. Change also won the % that day, giving him 5 more points.

I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO A CARNATION CITY KENNEL CLUB EVENT AGAIN.

Not to mention the place sucked, there were NO CLUB MEMBER TO HELP OUT. I drove 4.5 hours and I ran the front of the cart and the back of the cart by MYSELF. I also did paperwork. A fu*king stranger, doing paperwork. Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry poorly ran.

Thanks for your interest in this thread,
AP

 

At least your dogs did well! I know what you are saying about a show being ran into the ground. The local ADBA club here is doing the same thing.

 

Wow sounds like quite a pull. Well now I'm informed of what pull not to support.

 

PERFORMANCE: I hear ya. If I would have had to pull in that slop, on Saturday I would have shit a purple twinkie. I would have been more pissed off than ever. To drive that far and have to put up with that. LUCKILY, I got it done before the rain and day 2 the track was moved.

Anyone who is familiar w/ UKC rules, can you change the location of a pull? We moved it roughly 300 yards, to a different part of the 'farm' it was on.

The CCKC had not had a pull in like 2 years. They should not have another one for 200 years.

I reported them/judge (who is not affiliated w/ the CCKC, but is a UKC weightpull judge) to the UKC . I hated being a 'bitch' about it, but, if they don't hear the truth, nothing will be done. I am sure other stuff (shady stuff) like this is happening, is not being reported, and will continue to happen until someone contacts the organization and something is done. I took pictures of the mud that was pulled in and sent it to the ukc. I'll add those pictures on here, if I can find them.

AP

 

What's even more upsetting is a new comer visiting the show or competing for the first time, and being a witness to this did organization

 

Seems like that might have well just pulled in Sand!

 

a muddy track if it had rained isn't anything new. We have pulled in pouring rain, ruts so deep the cart almost disappeared, that is just part of weight pulling, dealing with the weather, too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry, always something.

Moving the track is allowed as long as it isn't done in the middle of a pull. Moving it the next day before the pull is started is fine. You just can't adjust or change anything one the pull has started.

 

jbh38: I got ya. I would not and will not go to an outside/dirt pull ever again. Especially if I am almost driving to freaking pennsylvania for a pull. If I go that far again, it's going to be inside and protected.

It's does have to be 'always something'....conditions don't need to be ideal. I can (so can the dogs) handle some heat or cold, but, pulling in the mud like that is 100% ridiculous.