Dog Carting?

[Jenny]

Does anyone do dog carting with their dogs? I'm thinking of doing this with my dog, he's small but athletic. I'm not talking about making him pull me of course, he's only 30 lbs, but just pulling a little cart I can put light items in. He already knows how to pull a sled and knows all the commands (whoa, walk, trot) and how to ground drive (because I had way too much time on my hands). I'm thinking of making my own cart out of PVC, and I found a really nice harness I can have custom made. If you have any pictures of your dogs pulling carts or of homemade carts that would be really appreciated

Here's Sawyer at his fluffiest (just 'cause I like to share pictures

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[shorthorsemom]

carting is a great way to give a dog a job to do and that is a great thing for both owner and dog. keeps the mind active and the body healthy. let us know how it goes. Tracking is fun too.

 

[Jenny]

Thanks shorthorsemom! Yes, Sawyer loves having jobs. I think it will keep me busy until I figure out whether I want to find someone to help me teach Breaker to pull a cart. I think Sawyer would enjoy tracking too, we might have to try that sometime.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I forget the author, but the book title was "tracking dog". Has great information. I actually taught a miniature pinscher to track with a home made sewn harness I made. She loved tracking and using her nose. I also highly recommend getting into :"scent work", dogs love using their noses and love the work you can do with scenting.

You can start carting with just getting the dog used to a small pack carrying and putting a little weight in the packs once he is used to the empty sack. That will get your dog used to something moving along his sides. Then with PVC you can do very similar things like breaking a mini to cart but on a way smaller scale.

Remember one thing and you will be fine. Find his motivator. If he is food motivated, reward with food. Use a super treat like chicken or cheese or something awesome for anything you train and you will have attention and motivation. Lose the motivator and lose the behavior.

I think the biggest thing folks tend to forget is the motivation for the dog. They think the dog will get spoiled by making them work for food. You can wean off the food to a lesser level down the line, but never lose the motivator all together.

Best wishes to you for thinking of your dog and his mind and his need for something to do! Love folks that think outside the box.

 

[Jenny]

Thanks for all the information!

I will definitely try tracking. I don't know if he will be very good at it as he doesn't have a very good nose, but maybe it would help.

He is used to pulling some weight as sometimes I put firewood in the sled he knows how to pull. I will try the PVC thing to get him used to having things on his side.

Oh, I know his motivator... HIS BALL! It's his favourite thing in the world, and he will do anything to get it.

I have been so focused on Breaker and keeping him busy and sorting out problems, that I feel it's Sawyer's time for some fun!

 

[Carriage]

I think Sawyer would do well with carting. The type of dog-carting you are seeking is called draft carting where the "driver" walks along side.

These types of carts are very easily home build and can consist of well centered wheels attached to a milk crate and conduit shafts.

My experience with dog carting centers around driving where the driver is seated in the cart. My carting "career" started with dogs some 24 years ago. A few years later we branched into miniature horses. Carting with customers was always my favorite past time and being out early in the morning before the day started was always a special time with my dog and set the day up right.

I DO believe in multi-vocation animals and especially dogs. Tracking can start with fun games like find Mom or Dad or kids. One of the finest Shutzhund three dogs that I ever saw was ball motivated. I think that play motivation is the best of all and so tapping into this can bring pretty phenomenal success in a wide range of endevours. 'Mom brings a very GOOD point to the table re food motivation. We never used it except in high stress training situations and then to a very limited extent. Play reinforces the bond partnership and is always superior in my mind.

When I had to switch from Police tracking to Shutzhund, I found that I had to add a new type and layer to Kam's skills. I used German to let him know the style of tracking that I wanted. When I was evaluating him on road tracking for the first time (after an FH length track already and starting with a water hazard ellement) I did use some hot dog to help encourage him with something he had never seen before. I only did it the one time and it served the purpose well. Tracking is a very aerobic exercise for the dog, so try to use the cool part of the day to make it easier for them at least at the beginning.. I never did understand why folk would seek the hottest time of the year to trial their dogs. That black German Shepherd mentioned above did THE best blind search I had ever seen and when he came to the last blind with the "bad guy" he did a beautiful bark and hold as he should except that no sound came out of him. When he got marked down for lack of sound, I was quite apoplectic at the judge for doing so,. So much so, that my friends had to grab me to sit me down and be quiet. Wasn't the dogs fault. The extreme heat of the day was to blame. Track when it's cool if possible.

Sawyer looks eager, so the sky is the limit. How exciting.

Bb

 

[Jenny]

Thanks so much Carriage!

I'm currently gathering supplies for the cart now, and I'll start building it today. Through research online, I've found that the "Siwash Harness" is the preferred type for draft carting. Does anyone have a specific harness you would recommend to order?

 

[romewhip]

I used to do my garden work with our bouvier des flandres, he learned to pull the cart and was a great draft dog. I had a draft harness for him, and used a converted Rubbermaid garden cart which I'd cut the front handles off of and attached PVC shafts to.

In the winters I kept my running dogs in shape by putting them in a pulling harness (sled dog style) and having them pull stuff around the house. We started with the rolled up sleeping bag, and moved up to other things as they get stronger. It's fun and once they get the hang of pulling weight they enjoy the challenge and especially the reward (ball or toy).

 

[susanne]

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I think our Norah (Great Pyrenees x Maremma) would be great at carting. After all, good garden help is so hard to find!

 

[Jenny]

Here's the finished cart! I hitched him up with a makeshift harness for now, and it didn't work so well (notice in the last picture he wasn't too fond of it at first). So I'll just wait until I get a proper harness so it's more comfortable for him. We went through the same "terrified phase" with the sled and he got over it quickly, so I'm pretty confident he will get used to it eventually.

 

[Debby - LB]

Oh that is cute! this is a good idea. When I'd get home from getting groceries I used to tell my "Chewy" to move out of the way unless you can help LOL she was big enough to tote them all in herself.

Now I look at Dolly who is way bigger and way more in the way and think the same thing! I hate having to carry groceries in so looking at your little cart that is the first thing I thought of!!

 

[Jenny]

Well the harness finally came! It fits him perfectly. He took to the cart like a natural, he doesn't pay any attention to it, he just wants to keep going! I just hitched him up and he didn't panic at all. I haven't put much in the cart yet, as I want him to be fully used to pulling it empty first. He loves having a job now and I really recommend it to anyone, it's so fun to see how much he enjoys it.

Here are a couple pictures of him and his cart:

 

[shorthorsemom]

Adorable..dogs are like sponges. They sure love learning new things. Sky is the limit. They are smarter than many folks give them credit for. Kudos to you.

 

[Jenny]

Thanks shorthorsemom! Yes, they are very smart and love to learn. I feel a little guilty because I've been having so much fun with Sawyer that Breaker hasn't been getting as much attention. It's hard to find balance, but I try my best.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Nose work can be done in the house if you want something else fun to do with your dogs when the weather is too yucky to play outside. Nothing like a game of "find the cookie"... lol. Love your cart. Can you post a closer photo of it? I have mostly geriatric dogs now but would love to try some carting again someday. I had a dobie when I was a teenager who loved pulling a sled . We called him "Max of the north".. lol. He was great at "killing snowmen" much to the delight of the neighbor kids who built them just for Max to tackle.... he loved to eat the carrot nose. He lived 16 years. I swear he lived longer because of all the games we played. Haha

 

[JAX]

I would love to know how to make a little cart like this!! Its adorable!