Dog Puller

Dog Puller is a dog sport, based on exercises with a dog fitness tool, which originated in Chernihiv, Ukraine in August 2012. The Second Dog Puller World Championship was held in 2019, gathering 91 participants from 11 different countries. 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.
After several tests and initial corrections of the rules, the first Dog Puller Championship took place in September, 2012. 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. 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.
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 Springpole is obsolete but can still be used in local championships.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.
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.
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).
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 This Championship was named an inclusive event, featuring disabled dogs and handlers.
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
Third Dog Puller World Championship (2020)
The Third Dog Puller World Championship will take place in Poland
Other competitions and use
Dog Puller is an official dog sport in many countries of the world and Dog Puller training sessions and competitions are held as a part of animal training and canistherapy. The elements of Dog Puller (without competition) are also used for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers in Ukrainian hospitals

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