NAWBA Draftwork

Welcome to the World's Oldest Club dedicated Exclusively to the Working Bouvier!

Getting Started in Dog Carting...

By Sue Matthews

In August of 1996, I was asked to present a carting class at the canine Camp of the Redwoods in Santa Cruz, California. Since we were not going to have time every day to train and practice carting, I wanted to send something home with the campers so that they could continue carting long after camp ended. I put the article together on short notice- it was written in less than two days and sent to the printer-not what I really wanted, but the time constraints were too tight to allow for anything more. When I first decided to train my dogs for carting, I realized that there was an extreme shortage of books or any other sort of information available to help new carters. I was on my own. But fortunately I could fall back on driving and training from my horse and pony days. To fill that need, the training manual that I wrote for the campers in Santa Cruz has grown into a training book which will be, hopefully, published in due time. I have agreed to have it excerpted here in the SCBdFC Bulletin in the interim, following its previous publication in the PGWBC Report.

Introduction

Dogs have been used as draft animals since the very beginning of their relationship as man's best friend Certainly, their companionship was worthwhile to man, but most dogs also worked for their living. We've all seen pictures of Native American Indians using dogs to pull travois on their migrations across the prairie, and in Europe dogs were used to pull carts around the farm, and in the cities to deliver milk, bread and meat to market. In WW I, dogs pulled artillery and hospital stretchers. These days, carting is an activity that more and more dog owners are embracing as a means of exercising and conditioning their dogs... a fun pastime that both humans and dogs can enjoy together. My dogs seem to enjoy having some real work to do and pulling the cart gives them a sense of purpose. They go bananas when the harnesses come out and jockey to be the first in line. Little kids love to go for rides, of course, and I've seen more than a few adults light up as well when they settled into the driver's seat and held the lines in their hands.

Some breeds offer utility carting competitions to test the dog and handler's ability to cart in a safe and dependable manner, deal with obstacles, obey directional commands, change pace when told stand and wait for the handler, back up while hitched to the cart, recall to the handler from a distance after a stand/stay or down/stay. Generally these trials are conducted with the handler afoot and the dog responding to verbal commands. The North American Working Bouvier Association includes crossing a small bridge maneuvering through serpentines and figure eights; and there is a temperament test under gunfire as well, at the elementary level, with the handler walking along with the dog. For the advanced level, the handler rides and drives, except when crossing the bridge.

Other folks get interested in weight pulling contests where the dog must move a loaded wagon a certain distance within the allotted time to qualify, and additional weight is added until one dog defeats the others.

What Kinds of Dogs Can Cart?

ALLLLLL Kinds! Most often you'll find large draft breeds like Newfoundlands, Collies, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Swiss Mountain Dogs, Mastiffs, or Bouviers harnessed to carts or wagons, but even small dogs and their owners can participate. Some small therapy dogs pull a little wagon with goodies or surprises as they make their hospital rounds, and I've met a woman who hitches Pembroke Welsh Corgis to a small covered wagon (remember the 20 mule team Borax commercials years ago?) I've often joked that I'm going to use my miniature Dachshund as a lead dog...soon!

Temperament is important, of course. A calm and trusting dog who is dependable and responsive to his owner is going to be easier to train, and safer to cart with than a rowdy, uncontrollable idiot. You'll want to avoid using a dog with obvious triggers... dog aggression is out; car, bike or cat chasing could put you and your dog into a dangerous situation as well.

A cart dog should be healthy, although carting can also be used as a means of conditioning a dog, or of rehabilitating a dog (with hip problems, for instance). Care and common sense need to be liberally applied in these instances. Distance, weight and speed should be carefully considered and only increased as stamina increases, or condition allows. You should consult with your veterinarian of course if you have any concerns about your dog's health; his ability to cart without injuring himself; if he exhibits any joint or other musculoskeletal symptoms; or any cardiac or respiratory difficulties.

Basic Training Before You Cart

The dog you consider training to cart needs to have some basic skills before you get involved with draft work or driving. At the minimum, you need to have completed a basic obedience class where you and the dog have developed a trusting, working relationship. The dog should readily sit, down, recall and stay (at a sit, stand or down). If you and your dog do not have these skills yet, it would be a good idea to do a little more training before becoming involved with carting.

Drafting or Driving?

You can choose to do one, or both. The ground training is going to be fairly similar and I've found that the dogs adapt readily to either situation once they understand the drills. Draft carting can be very useful when you have 400pounds of kibble to haul, firewood to move, or leaves to haul from the backyard out to the street. Driving is a lot of fun, and a great way to exercise dogs and maintain good conditioning. Different rigs are more suitable for each style of carting, although the new Graham Canine Carriage I bought this summer easily converts from a driving carriage to a great draft carting vehicle, too.

Initial Training

A cart dog needs to learn to respond to verbal commands from the handler. He needs to move out. speed up and slow down, turn left and right (from sliding over a little to turning in a complete circle), stop reliably, ignore distractions, and lie down when he comes to a stop. This training is done without the dog being hitched to a cart. I train the dog during walks around the neighborhood, using the commands as we turn corners, speed up and slow down, and stop. Bouviers are bright dogs and figure out what's being asked of them pretty quickly. I usually have the dog wear a carting harness just to get used to it, and to help him figure out that this is different than just going for a walk. As we walk, I make it a point to drop back behind the dog so that he is out in front and moving along on his own, but not so far out that I can't help him respond to commands as needed. Once the dog is responding well to verbal commands, I start thinking about actually hitching him to a cart.

Note that I don't actually DO it, I just start thinking about it. The first step is to have the dog comfortable with some resistance on the harness. Initially I tie some line to a few empty plastic milk jugs, add a snap bolt on the end, and clip the lines to the D rings on the harness. I leave enough line so that the jugs drag on the ground. Once the dog is accustomed to the jugs bouncing and the lines against his sides, then I can begin adding water to the jugs to increase resistance. Another option is to use an old tire (without the wheel), run a line through the middle of it, and attach one end to each side of the harness and have the dog drag that. Once the dog is accustomed to the weight and the contact with the lines, then go back to building responses to the verbal commands.

If you have an opportunity to get together with other folks who cart, by all means do so. This may bring about opportunities to try some different kinds of rigs, or at least to see the different types of carts that are available. People who are handy with tools may think about building a cart for themselves. Do spend some time doing research to understand the critical elements of building a safe cart for your dog, though, before forging ahead. One of the most critical elements is safety for both the dog, and for the handler/passenger. Balance in a two wheeled cart is absolutely critical in order to avoid injury to the dog. A four wheeled wagon is going to be more stable in terms of balance, but then some maneuverability is sacrificed. In a driving rig, I consider a braking system to be essential. Winter is a great time of year to begin ground training your dog so that by the time spring arrives, you'll be ready to try him in a rig. In the next issue, we'll explore some of the important considerations in hitching a dog for the first time, as well as in selecting an appropriate carting vehicle.