Join us February 28th and March 1st, 2026 for three W3PO sanctioned weight pull matches.
- Location: George Gipp Recreation Area & Ice Arena, 200 Isle Royale St, Laurium, MI 49913
- This will be an outdoor SNOW pull utilizing a chute created in conjunction with the snow road during the CopperDog Race. Dress appropriately and anticipate unexpected conditions. There are two pulls on Saturday and one pull on Sunday.
- Please confirm times prior to matches as start times may be adjusted based on race start times and weather.
- Saturday AM Pull: Weigh in and same day registration from 9 AM to 9:45 AM. Handlers meeting at 9:45 AM. Pull starts at 10 AM.
- Saturday Night Pull: Weigh in and registration from 5:30 PM to 5:45 PM, Handlers meeting at 5:45 PM. Pull starts at 6 PM.
- Sunday AM Pull: Weigh in and registration from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM. Handlers meeting at 9:00 AM. Match starts at 9:15 AM.
- Only dogs participating in the CopperPull or related CopperDog events are permitted to attend. Otherwise, dogs or pets of any kind are not allowed at the CopperPull or CopperDog race locations, trailside or otherwise.
Entry
Fees: $25/dog/match or $60 for all three matches, $10/dog/match for novice pulls, $10/dog/match for junior handlers
Entries will be accepted DAY OF until the start of each Handlers Meeting. Entry fees can be paid via cash or credit card via Square, see link below.
Officers and Officials:
Trial Secretary: Sue Logan
Chief Judge: Stephanie See
Backup/Apprentice Judge(s): Chris Kivi, Morgan Cain
Eligibility
- All breeds and mixes are eligible.
- Dogs must be between 10 months and 12 years old. Dogs under 1 year of age may only pull until they reach the Weight Pull Aptitude qualifier.
- Dogs over 12 years old may compete with the WRITTEN approval of a vet. No pregnant, nursing, or bitches in season.
- Dogs must be free of disease and injury and cannot be on any performance enhancing drugs.
- Novice – Any dog 10 months older on the day of the event. Recommended for new teams.
- Open – Any dog 1 year or older on the day of the event. Recommended for experienced teams who wish to medal.
- Twin Cities Dog Powered Sports encourages all interested in learning about this awesome sport to come out and try it! We love our Novice Teams and want everyone to be successful.
Weigh In
All dogs must be weighed in by a judge in order to compete. A dog competing in all events only needs to be weighed once. Dogs must be weighed in their natural form, wearing only a flat or martingale collar (up to 3in in width). Leashes can be attached.
Handler’s Meeting
All handlers must attend the handler’s meeting prior to their dog competing. The handler’s meetings will start promptly 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of each competition. At this time, the Chief Judge will review procedures and give new handlers a time for questions. Weight increments will be discussed and experienced handlers will determine at what weight they would like their dogs to start (often called “dialling in”).
A written version of our handler’s meeting is available here.
Venue/Weather
This will an outdoor pull, utilizing a chute created in conjunction with the CopperDog snow road. Participants should anticipate exposure to the elements. Dress appropriately and anticipate unexpected conditions. Portable toilets will be available on site. Participants are encouraged to bring crates for their dogs. We ask that participants be particularly mindful that we are behaving in a manner that reflects well on dog sports.
Larium is known for its heavy lake effect snow storms and blizzard like conditions. Delays will be implemented as needed for storms or severe weather at the Chief Judge’s discretion. Any updates will be communicated via the TCDPS Facebook page and W3PO Facebook groups.
Additional Notes
- Judges may require a dog to take a 5 minute break AT ANY TIME if needed. Handlers may request up to 5 minutes between rounds. If you think your dog needs a 5 minute break, please let the judge know at the start of the round.
- Rewards can be given to dogs in between rounds at the crating area – NO REWARDS IN THE CHUTE.
- Electric collars are not allowed at any time. Non-electric training tools (prong collar, slip chain, head halter) may not be used to assist in walking dogs from the crating area to the chute. Only flat collars and martingale collars are allowed while a dog is pulling. Please remove any tags that dangle from the collar.
- Excessive corrections are grounds for disqualification at the judges discretion. If a handler is reported for any abusive/harsh treatment, that handler and all of their dogs will be DQ’d from the event. TCDPS will report any such issues to W3PO.
- All competitors are expected to follow W3PO rules. Failure to follow the rules will result in a dismissal from the event.
- Reactive Dog Policy: TCDPS strives to be accommodating to all teams who want to try this sport, which includes our ~spicy~ friends. If your dog is reactive, please discuss accommodations with the Chief Judge during weigh in. Please be respectful of every dog’s space!
- TCDPS does not condone forcing a dog down the chute that does not want to pull. Dogs cannot be dragged or bullied down the chute in any capacity at a competition or during training.
Harnesses
Weight Pull harnesses are designed to safely distribute the weight being pulled safely across the dog’s body while avoiding pinching and pressure points. A proper weight pull harness with a spreader bar is essential to safe pulling. All TCDPS judges and many of our members would be happy to check to ensure a harness is properly fitted prior to a dog pulling.
TCDPS has a variety of harnesses available for competitors to borrow. Harnesses are expensive and many of our manufacturers are no longer available, please supervise dogs when wearing a loaner harness. TCDPS harnesses must be returned following each match. If multiple dogs are sharing harnesses, the judge may ask some handlers to jump the line so handlers have a chance to exchange harnesses.
Awards
| Most Weight Pulled (MWP) | Award to the dog that pulls the most weight at that event. |
| Most Weight Pulled per Body Pound (MWPP) | Awarded to the dog that pulls the highest body pound percentage at that event. |
| Class Placements First – Second – Third – Fourth – Fifth | Awarded to the top five highest pulling dogs in each weight class. |
| Turtle Award | Awarded to the dog with the slowest successful pull. |
From TCDPS
We hope you will come try this awesome sport with us! Our members and officers will be there to support you and your dog throughout this event. What matters most to us is you and your dog having fun in a safe way.
One of the reasons this sport is great for the handler-dog bond is because the human acts as a hype-man for their dogs. Handlers cannot touch or bait their dogs in competition, but they can cheer/call/encourage as much as they want! New dogs to the sport often think they can’t pull much, but their human’s job is to convince them they can! Dogs tend to make it
abundantly clear when they are done pulling for the day. And because weight pull is a sport primarily focused on building confidence, it is common practice to always end on a ‘successful’ pull and praise – even if the dog is getting help by someone pushing the cart!
Contact Person: Chris Kivi, info@tcdps.org
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