Dog Puller
Dog Puller is a dog sport, based on exercises with a dog fitness tool, which originated in Chernihiv, Ukraine in August 2012.[1]
While Dog Puller shares various characteristics with dog sports like Agility and Disc Dog, its main principle is accessibility. Dog Puller's exercises are deliberately created to allow any dog-human pair to start training, irrespective of disability, level of fitness, or dog breed. Today, Dog Puller is an international sport. It is relatively new in comparison to other dog sports, but its popularity is growing.[2] The Second Dog Puller World Championship was held in 2019, gathering 91 participants from 11 different countries.[3]
History
Dog Puller started as a set of exercises developed for the dog fitness tool PULLER in August 2012. It was created by the owner of COLLAR Company, which manufactures PULLER tools, Yuriy Sinitsa; dog trainer and PULLER inventor, Serhiy Shkot, and sportswoman and cynologist, Varvara Petrenko. The PULLER product consists of rings of different sizes that the dog and the human can grip.[4] The main idea of the meeting was to create a sport accessible to all dogs and people. Varvara created the rules for such a sport from scratch— from the disciplines to score calculation — based on the exercises developed by Serhiy.[1]
After several tests and initial corrections of the rules, the first Dog Puller Championship took place in September, 2012.[5] The first participants didn't have special training beforehand, and many of them learned the rules on the spot. That was the main point of the test championship: to see if people who had never heard of Dog Puller were able to quickly understand the rules and participate in the game with their dogs.[5] In 2017 a quantity of clubs all over the world were allowed to hold the World Dog Puller Championship, not only local ones. Until the beginning of 2018, the local Dog Puller Federations were created, the rules were standardized for all of them, and, in October 2018, the First World Dog Puller Championship finally took place.
Basic exercises and hobby use
Dog Puller exercises can be practiced both for everyday training and for the competitions. According to the manufacturer's research, 20 minutes of training equal to 5 miles of running.[6] The basic exercises that are offered for hobby use are Running, Jumping, Pulling and Swimming. The local championships can include all four disciplines, but according to the rules of 2020 the dogs will compete in two of them - Running and Jumping - in the Dog Puller World Championship.[7]
Rules and disciplines
There are three competitive disciplines: Running, Jumping and Springpole. Springpole is obsolete but can still be used in local championships. In Running, the handler throws PULLER rings and the dog has to successfully catch them and bring them back. In Jumping, the handler raises the PULLER rings and the dog must jump and catch them. In Springpole, the dog pulls the PULLER while the rope is attached to the ring.[8]
The techniques can be adjusted according to the needs of the competing dog-human pair. For example, the rules allow people to kneel or sit in the Jumping discipline. This accommodates both small dog breeds and people in wheelchairs. The rules also note that each person can have their own technique, based on their (and their dog's) abilities and the referees should respect this.[9]
Dogs are placed into competitive categories based on size, age, and breed.[9]
Competitions
First Dog Puller World Championship (2018)
The First Dog Puller World Championship took place in Prague, the Czech Republic on the 7th of October, 2018. 70 sportspeople from Ukraine, Portugal, South Korea, Russia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic participated in it. The dogs were divided into four categories: Mini, Maxi, Drive and Bull (see Categories).
The participants from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Hungary and South Korea became multi-champions. Ukrainian team became the ultimate champions[10][11]
World records
Margarita German and her Border Collie, Ivy, set the world record in Puller Jumping (Drive category). Jan Straka and his Border Collie, Axios, set the record in Puller Running (Drive category).[12]
Second Dog Puller World Championship (2019)
The Second Dog Puller World Championship took place on the 7th-8 September in the city of Sopron (Hungary). More than 90 participants from 11 countries registered. The teams of Ukraine, Portugal, South Korea, Russia, Hungary, Belarus, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Canada, Austria and Poland came to participate[3] This Championship was named an inclusive event, featuring disabled dogs and handlers.[13]
The Second Dog Puller World Championship became a public event: there were master classes for the spectators, canistherapy and physiotherapy zones, child and teen Dog Puller competitions and starter Dog Puller lessons.
The Russian team became the ultimate champions. Pairs from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Hungary became multichampions[14][15]
Third Dog Puller World Championship (2020)
The Third Dog Puller World Championship will take place in Poland[16][9]
Other competitions and use
Dog Puller is an official dog sport in many countries of the world[17] and Dog Puller training sessions and competitions are held as a part of animal training[18] and canistherapy.[19][unreliable source?] The elements of Dog Puller (without competition) are also used for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers in Ukrainian hospitals[20]
References
- ^ a b "Варвара Петренко (Федерация Дог Пуллер): "Дог Пуллер - мировой спорт доступный каждому!". Союз предприятий зообизнеса". www.spzoo.ru. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "DOG PULLER Championship History, 2018 Highlights and 2019 Details. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.[1]
- ^ a b "The second Dog Puller World Championship was held at 7-8 of September in the city of Sopron (Hungary)". DogPuller. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ "Trends & Products: Toys". March 2021.
- ^ a b УКРАИНА, ZOO-Бизнес. "Дог пуллер - спорт будущего". zoobusiness.kiev.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Workout with PULLER". PULLER. Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- ^ "Puller dla psa - oficjalny dystrybutor na Polskę". PULLER - dog fitness tool (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- ^ УКРАИНА, ZOO-Бизнес. "Дог пуллер - спорт будущего". zoobusiness.kiev.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- ^ a b c "Mistrzostwa Polski Puller". PULLER - dog fitness tool (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ "The Dog Puller World Championship". COLLAR pet products. 2018-10-16. Archived from the original on 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "World's First Dog Puller Championship Held in Prague". Dogs and Pups Magazine. 22 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-12-11. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Records". DogPuller. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- ^ "Second Dog Puller World Championship". Pet Age. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- ^ "Сборная России победила на втором чемпионате мира по Дог Пуллер". Зооинформ (in Russian). 10 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Украинцы завоевали пять медалей на Чемпионате Мира по Dog Puller - svitnov.com". svitnov.com (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2020-02-04. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Dog Puller Championship 2020 to take place in Wroclaw". www.petworldwide.net. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Dog Puller Canada, 105-114 Titanium Way, Whitehorse, YT (2020)". www.voofla.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ Animals.com, Dog Puller Both a game and a training for all kinds of dogs | Friends. "Dog Puller. Both a game and a training for all kinds of dogs | Friends Animals.com". friendsanimals.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Центр спортивной дрессировки и канис-терапии "СОБАКА-БЛАГО": правила проведения чемпионата по дог-пуллеру". Центр спортивной дрессировки и канис-терапии "СОБАКА-БЛАГО". Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Heros Companion". heroscompanion.org. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2020-02-04.