Weight Pull RulesPrint Rules

Fees/Membership

1. No membership fees
2. All breeds and mixed breeds welcome
3. The show host will send $10.00 per dog that competes in a given event to the UPF

Eligibility

1. All dogs competing for qualifying legs and points must be 36 weeks of age
2. All dogs must have their own freight harness
3. All dogs must be kept in a safe/secure crate
4. All dogs must use a flat collar. No pinch collars or choke chains allowed
5. No females in heat will be allowed to compete or be present at show site
6. Novice dogs are allowed to use a leash if needed
7. No human/dog aggressive dogs will be allowed to pull or at the show site
8. Animal abuse will not be tolerated. This includes physical or verbal abuse. The chief judge reserves the right to disqualify (DQ) a handler for abuse
9. The chief judge will determine if a dog is injured or too thin to pull at time of weigh-in
10. All dogs must be weighed in no more than 24 hours before show and cannot be weighed more than twice per day

Weight Classes & Divisions

Light Weight Division

0-19 lbs
20-29 lbs
30-39 lbs

Middle Weight Division
40-49 lbs
50-59 lbs
60-69 lbs

Light Heavy Weight Division
70-79 lbs
80-89 lbs
90-99 lbs

Heavy Weight Division
100-109 lbs
110-119 lbs
120 lbs and over (unlimited)

Pull Procedures

1. Handler can choose weight to come in on and have unlimited passes
2. All pulls will have variable weight increments. It is the chief judge’s decision on weight increments between rounds. Body pound calls are also at the chief judge’s discretion
3. One foul allowed. If you touch your dog or the cart during pull you will be DQ'd
4. No "slingshot" starts
5. You may not drive your dog from directly behind dog. You may drive the dog from the side of the dog
6. All pulls must be completed within 60 seconds. If the cart is rolling when the time hits 60 seconds the dog will be allowed to complete the pull and move on to the next round
7. Time starts when you call or motion your dog to pull or the dog shows forward progress
8. Once your dog is released you cannot step across the trace line
9. Dogs weighing the same in each class that go out on the same weight, the winner will be determined by the previous round; whichever dog pulled the round in the fastest time will be the winner
10. Dogs will be ready to pull when the chief judge calls the dog. The chief judge reserves the right to pass the dog if handler is not ready in a timely manner
11. Handlers will be allowed 5 minutes between rounds if asked for by handler
12. A tangle will be called by the chief judge only: a)a tangle will be called only if dog is in danger of injury. b)only 1 tangle per round. If you dog tangles 2 times on one round you will be DQ’d. c)in the event of a tangle the cart will be repositioned on the start line and you will have 60 seconds to complete pull
13. No baiting during pull. You may give treats and water in handler’s area
14. Dog’s feet may have water put on them between rounds
15. Absolutely no performance enhancing drugs. The UPF will have a drug test conducted at nationals by a licensed vet

Drug Testing Statement

When the UPF came about one of the things that the pullers really wanted was drug testing for performance enhancing substances. After much research, we found one of the best drug testing facilities in the United States for animal sports. Texas A&M does a wide variety of testing for Thoroughbred racing and Greyhound racing, and now the UPF. 

Performance enhancing substances we are looking for are Anabolic steroids, any stimulants, depressants, tranquilizers, local anesthetics, drugs or metabolites which could affect the health or performance of a pull dog.  The test will also look for any drug or substance that may interfere with the detection of the above substances.

The reason for testing is to insure a fair playing field for all competitors, and for the health and safety of all the dogs competing. With that being said what happens if a dog doesn’t travel well and is given something to help during travel? If that is the case the dog very well may test positive for a depressant or tranquilizer. If you dog is tested please provide a document from your vet stating the dates, and the med the dog is on during the time of testing.

Testing will be done at UPF nationals. Urine will be collected from the dogs shortly after the division is finished. The urine samples are collected and placed in a tamper proof cup, each handler and an UPF rep witnesses the collection of the sample, and that the lid is locked on the cup. The sample is then stored in a locked tamper proof cooler until Monday morning when it is overnighted to Texas A&M.

Handlers

1. No double handling
2. You may clap or cheer for a dog pulling if you are 10' from pulling surface
3. Only dogs where double handling is allowed are novice dogs

Point System

1^stPlace: 10 points
2^ndPlace: 7 points
3^rd Place:         5 points

1 additional point for every dog that makes at least once successful pull in your class

10 points for divisional Most Weight Pulled (MWP)

10 points for divisional Most Weight Pulled per Pound (MWPP)

Classes determined by MWPP

(Both MWP and MWPP points can ONLY be earned by the same dog at UPF Championships)

Nationals

1. To be eligible to compete, a dog must compete in 5 pulls to qualify for nationals
2. All titles earned during season will be handed out at nationals

Surface type

1. Rail system on carpet
2. Wheels on dirt or carpet

Rail Systems

1. All rail systems must be at least 32' in length and 30" in width between rails
2. All completed pulls will be 16' between start and finish line
3. Rail types can be round, flat, or v-groove
4. All pulls will be conducted on a flat or inclined surface. No downhill gradespermitted
5. The cart will have a minimum 3' trace and a maximum of 5'. The trace will be securely attached to the front/middle of the cartWeight cannot exceed the outside edges of the cart
6. Casters can be any size. They must be rated to hold the amount of weight being loaded on the cart

Wheel pulls

1. Metal or wood carts are acceptable
2. Cart must have 2 axles and 4 tires
3. Weight must be equal in all 4 tires and checked by chief judge prior to pull
4. Maximum height on tires may not exceed 18"
5. Lead rope must be minimum of 4 feet and maximum of 5 feet
6. Lead must attached to cart in “V” form with sliding clasp
7. Wheel tracks must be a minimum of 10' wide and 32' long
8. Must have safe fencing on both sides of track 
9. Start/Finish line must be clearly marked and be 16' from start to finish

Sanctioning

1. Show season is 11/1 thru 9/30. Shows may be sanctioned outside of these dates but do not count towards qualifying for nationals.
2. All pulls must be sanctioned 30 days before event
3. Dual sanctioned events are authorized; however, all UPF rules must applied for both regular and novice classes
4. Pulls can be scheduled any day of the week (Monday – Sunday). No limit on the number of pulls scheduled per event
5. NO Alcohol or Drug use permitted at any UPF event
6. Entry forms, result, score and summary sheets must be sent to the webmistressapbtme2@gmail.com; per dog fees must be sent to the treasurer through PayPal (using ‘send to a friend’ feature) within 10 days of conclusion of event. Email for PayPal is karenpearce.upf@gmail.com
7. Paperwork and per dog fees for events sanctioned in September MUST be received within 24 hours of event weekend
8. Paperwork and per dog fees received late incur a $50 late charge

Points Titles

Title Name                  Points Earned

PRO 1                         100

PRO 2                         200

PRO 3                         300

PRO 4                         400

PRO 5                         500

PRO 6                         600

PRO 7                         700

PRO 8                         800

PRO 9                         900

PRO 10                       1,000*

*Titles will continue on indefinitely going 100 points at a time

UPF Titles

Title Name                  % Pulled          # of Times

UPF 1                         10%                5

UPF 2                         20%                5

UPF 3                         30%                5

UPF 4                         40%                5

UPF 5                         50%                5

UPF 6                         60%                5

UPF 7                         70%                5

UPF 8                         80%                5

UPF 9                         90%                5

UPF 10                       100%               5

 Revised May 25, 2024