EWPO Comes to Sweden – A New Weight Pull Rule System Arrives Alongside EWPL

The event marks an interesting development for weight pull in Sweden.

EWPL has been part of the Swedish sport since 2007 and has shaped the competition format that many Swedish handlers know today. EWPO, by comparison, is a much younger organisation, founded in 2024.

Now the two systems will exist side by side in Sweden.

And while both are built around the same basic idea – a dog pulling an increasingly heavy cart over a set distance – there are several important differences in how the competition is actually conducted.

The EWPO Weight Pull Show – SHAK Triple Pull will take place in the Stockholm area on August 15–16 and will feature three separate pulls over the two-day weekend.

A different way of competing

For Swedish competitors familiar with EWPL, one of the most noticeable differences may be the way handlers are allowed to work with their dogs during a pull.

Under the current EWPL rules, communication between handler and dog is tightly controlled after the start signal. Talking, whistling, hand signals and even eye contact are specifically listed as forms of communication that can result in a warning and restart.

The EWPO rules supplied for the Stockholm event do not contain the same restriction.

Physical contact between dog and handler during the pull is prohibited and results in a No Pull, but the rules do not state that the handler must first cross the finish line before verbally encouraging the dog.

EWPO also explicitly allows spectators in the public area to clap, encourage the dog and even call the dog's name.

That could create a noticeably different atmosphere around the track compared with an EWPL competition.

Different rules at the start

The organisations also approach the beginning of a pull differently.

EWPO allows walking starts, provided the dog takes its grip and begins pulling.

Its rules also address hard starts. If a dog is stopped by the harness but still begins the pull, the judge may issue a warning for a start considered too hard. Repeating the behaviour can result in a No Pull.

EWPL uses a more strictly defined start procedure.

The handler waits for the judge's start signal, and the signal is not given if the handler is in contact with the dog, if the dog repeatedly barks, howls or yells, or if the dog is moving at the starting position.

EWPL also specifically defines a slingshot as a dog clearly stepping backwards before launching forward into the harness, or intensely or repeatedly jerking forward into the harness. A slingshot results in a warning and restart.

For handlers used to one system, changing organisation therefore means more than simply entering a different competition.

The handling itself may need to change.

EWPO uses different weight classes

The dogs are also divided differently.

EWPO uses the following weight classes:

0–10 kg
10.1–15 kg
15.1–20 kg
20.1–25 kg
25.1–30 kg
30.1–35 kg
35.1–40 kg
40.1–45 kg
45.1–50 kg
50.1 kg and over

These are divided into Light, Middle and Heavy divisions.

EWPL currently uses the classes -5, -10, -15, -20, -25, -30, -37, -44, -51 and +51 kg in its championship system.

This means a dog can find itself grouped differently depending on which organisation it competes under.

Different routes to a championship

The qualification systems are also built differently.

Under the EWPO rules supplied for the event, a dog needs three qualifications to compete at the EWPO Championship.

The required performance depends on both the dog's size and the type of track being used.

On an inclined rail, the qualification level is listed as 40% for dogs under 35 kg and 30% for dogs over 35 kg. On a level rail it is 60% and 50%, while on wheels it is 30% and 20%.

EWPL uses a P4P-based qualification system.

For the EWPL International Championship in 2026, dogs in the -5 through -30 kg classes must achieve at least 40 P4P in three separate EWPL competitions, while dogs in -37, -44, -51 and +51 must reach at least 30 P4P in three separate competitions.

Sweden also has separate national EWPL qualification requirements. Swedish dogs need qualifying performances from at least three different competitions, with at least two of the qualifications achieved in Sweden.

Both organisations therefore require dogs to qualify for their major championships – but they calculate those qualifications in different ways.

EWPO offers a Novice Class

Another feature Swedish competitors will see is EWPO's Novice Class.

Under the supplied EWPO rules, dogs can enter Novice from ten months of age.

Novice handlers are allowed to use the leash or touch the dog during the pull, something that separates the class from normal competition. A Novice dog may make a maximum of seven pulls.

Novice competition will be available during both full competitions in Stockholm.

For newcomers to the sport, this offers a way to experience the competition environment before moving into the full EWPO rule system.

Three pulls in one weekend

The Stockholm event is being run as a Triple Pull.

On Saturday, August 15, Pull 1 will be a full competition including Novice Class.

Pull 2 will follow immediately afterwards and will be a qualification-only pull. Novice will not be available, and dogs will be limited to a maximum of three pulls.

On Sunday, August 16, Pull 3 will be another full competition including Novice Class.

The Head Judge for the weekend is Nina Metsätähti.

Weigh-in and veterinary checks will take place between 06:00 and 07:30 on Saturday, followed by the handler meeting at 07:40 and the first competition at 08:00.

Sunday begins with another handler meeting at 07:40 before Pull 3 starts at 08:00.

Another organisation enters Swedish Weight Pull

The arrival of EWPO does not mean that EWPL is disappearing from Sweden.

Instead, Swedish competitors are now being introduced to another European weight pull organisation with its own rules, classes, qualification system and competition philosophy.

That is what makes the August event particularly interesting.

EWPL has had a Swedish presence since 2007. EWPO only appeared in 2024 and is still a young organisation.

Just two years later, it is now coming to Sweden.

For competitors, this means more than another date on the calendar. It means an opportunity to experience a different way of running weight pull – from how the dog is started and encouraged, to how weight classes and championship qualifications are structured.

On August 15–16, Swedish Weight Pull gets a second European rule system on Swedish soil. And for handlers who have spent years competing under EWPL rules, the differences may be just as interesting as the competition itself.