Pulling For Fun

by Jennifer Crowe

From the time our puppies are three to four months old and fully immunized we put harnesses on them and let them pull a small block of wood or anything light to drag behind. We take them around our subdivision resulting in much socialization for the puppy and for ourselves. People are interested in the sight of a cute puppy happily dancing along in harness.

As the dog matures we graduate to a wheel barrow tire with an eyebolt and line. To keep life from becoming boring we alternate with obedience walks and little bike rides without harness. When possible and safe we try for some "off leash" walks so that freedom isn't such a novelty. I think the more activities you do with your Mal the less destructive behavior you have. The older dogs happily (except for Moonshine who really doesn't like to take part in any activity that requires effort and that is OK with us) pull tires and bike around a local campsite until the weather gets warm and then the campers take their turn.

Dave and myself along with some other Malamute people run fun weight pulls and practices at the local fairground where there is a permanent chute, a cart and some weights available. This pulling group is an "all kind of dog" affair and we often end up teaching some obedience and general dog control while our Mals get some good socialization and people experience. As in all activities we have dealt with the good the bad and the ugly but mostly we all have fun. There have been dogs and people come to learn about pulling who would never have kept their pets without the help of some more experienced dog people. We follow strict rules for the sake of safety and I must say that in our core group not one person pulls with their ego, but rather for the fun of doing something with their dogs. Our girls are certainly not the best pullers around, but they can hardly wait to get out of the truck and see their regular friends - canine and human - at the pulling chute.

We have a wonderful time travelling to the occasional sanctioned pull and meeting other Malamute people. Many of those people have become good friends. Once in a long while we even have the exhilarating experience of winning. However, mostly we just have fun.

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