Cheetah and lynx ...or cheetah and bob cat. Both kill. What role does the tail play? Long tails may help with steering in speed...and perhaps this plays a role with the greyhound as well. I am not writing that off. For a gladiator though, I think the role of the tail is negligible. I have seen too many dogs with bobbed tails do many things that reveal starting, stopping,, and stationary spinning as is done in battle really just don't require a tail. The cost/gain IMO is negligible as well. For me, living with the dog plays more role...but it isn't worth disputing. As far as weight pulling, I haven't done it formally. Only for fun. They have the power, drive, and train ability that I am sure they would excel in such. Here is a video of some fun... [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV-9mzPHHjA]Lucile pulling a sled[/link]