pet connection

Sierra, a chocolate Labrador Retriever, wasn’t at all sure she liked this new activity when she began carting training. The harness was OK, but pulling something behind her? Nah, that wasn’t in her list of favorite activities. Last night, though, everything clicked and Sierra had a blast. Her tail was wagging, her body language was happy, and she had a great big Lab smile on all throughout class. It was great to see.

I’ve been teaching my dogs to pull a four wheel wagon or two wheel cart for many years. I began with our German Shepherds and continue with our Aussies. Even one of our Papillons, Chocho, learned how to pull a teeny tiny little red wagon.

I began teaching them just to give our dogs something else to do; I’m a huge advocate of giving dogs bred to work a job to do even if it isn’t their historical job. Through the years my  dogs have carted, tracked, air scented, been certified search and rescue dogs, herded, participated in numerous dog sports, learned to pick up the damp towels off the bathroom floor and put them in the laundry, and much more. I like to keep both mind and body busy.

Kindred Spirits Dog Training teaches carting as a fun activity for dogs of all sizes. In the class right now, there is a tiny Rat Terrier, Dinky; a Cockapoo, Katie; another Cockapoo, Walter; a Miniature Schnauzer, Weston; A Standard Poodle, Molly;  a black Lab, Joey; as well as Sierra and a few other dogs.

We begin by introducing the dogs to a pulling harness, showing the owners how to put the harness on and how it should fit. The dogs are then fitted with some long traces with a fire wood log at the end of them. The dog walks forward and gets used to the idea of something dragging behind. Some dogs are very worried about something chasing them while others look back once or twice and continue on with no worries.

Katie, a small Cockapoo, tends to be a little serious. She thinks a lot and tries to be a good dog; sometimes she tries too hard. But little Katie loves carting; she pulls like a little demon and her tail never stops wagging. She drags a soda bottle behind her with water in it and proportionately she’s pulling more weight in ratio to her body weight than the bigger dogs. Does she care? Nope, she loves it!

As the dogs pull the log, they’re introduced to the commands: pull, pull harder, left, right, slow, stop and stand.

When the dogs are settling into the harness, pulling nicely, and are no longer worried about something dragging behind, then we introduce them to a cart. Sometimes we have a dog walk next to Bashir as he pulls his cart so the dog gets used to the sight and sound of the cart, as well as the confidence Bashir has. Or we have a dog walk behind Bashir; many dogs will mimic a confident dog.

In last night’s class, several dogs paraded around the training yard pulling wagons. The first time Walter was hooked to his wagon he was a little nervous. He worked hard but his tail betrayed his anxiety. However, last night Walter was awesome! His tail was wagging wildly, he settled into the harness and pulled hard.

Many dog owners are hesitant to try carting training; perhaps it seems more like work rather than play. And certainly it can be misused as can any activity.

We aren’t into weight pulling with dogs pulling heavy weights– although can be a great sport for dogs who enjoy it and are physically trained for it. We keep carting fun. There’s lots of cheering, especially when a dog has been worried and finally discovers that this is fun. There are also good treats and lots of hands on help for the dogs.

It tickles me no end to watch an owner come to class, unpack her dog’s harness, and see her dog walk over and poke his head through the harness with no invitation. That tells me the dog enjoys what he’s doing.

Image: Bashir, showing how it’s done.

Share & Enjoy

Facebook	Twitter	Google Buzz	Digg
Technorati	StumbleUpon	Delicious	Email