Carting
Leila...@gmail.com
I have 2 dogs, both LTPM (long term pariah morphotyphes) and
they are big boys- about 80 lbs. I'd say, although I haven't weighed
them in a while. They are almost 3 now and definitely fully grown.
They have a lot of energy, as you can well imagine, and getting them
out where they can run it off, without leashes, is not the easiest
thing to do every day. They really need a good 2 hrs of excercise at
least, and we live in a place where having your dog off leash anywhere
public is a no-no. There is a large peice of land we walk them on,
but it's a bit of a drive.
We think they are big and mature enough to try carting, and this way
it will both give them some way to burn off their energy and allow us
to take them right out the door. Nobody can complain they aren't
under complete control if they're harnessed. (One had some behavior
issues when he was younger and bit the mailman-trouble ensued-
yahdayahda. A lot of training has gone on since, but the reputation
will never go away.)
Anyhow, I'm looking for other people who have done this. Any tips and
tricks would be appreciated. I'm going to try a dorsal hitch and a
chariot-type seat on mtn. bike wheels. A friend with better
engineering skills than I is going to help me build the thing;-) I'm
not sure yet whether the harness should be nylon or leather- one dog
has rather sensitive skin due to a demodectic mange problem. The hair
is back, but it's not a pelt yet-maybe I could pad it with sheepskin?
Thoughts?
Leila...@gmail.com
Er, did I make some kind of etiquette error or does nobody know about
carting?
>GL
Melinda Shore
<Leila...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Er, did I make some kind of etiquette error or does nobody know about
>carting?
I mush but don't know anything about carting, and to my
knowledge none of the regulars here carts.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - sh...@panix.com
If you can't say it clearly, you don't understand it yourself -- John Searle
Shelly
> I mush but don't know anything about carting, and to my
> knowledge none of the regulars here carts.
Searching the archives for Jana and Bonnie might give the OP a place
to start. She isn't around here anymore, but she carted with her dog.
--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)
Becky
Leila...@gmail.com wrote:
> Anyhow, I'm looking for other people who have done this. Any tips and
> tricks would be appreciated. I'm going to try a dorsal hitch and a
> chariot-type seat on mtn. bike wheels. A friend with better
> engineering skills than I is going to help me build the thing;-) I'm
> not sure yet whether the harness should be nylon or leather- one dog
> has rather sensitive skin due to a demodectic mange problem. The hair
> is back, but it's not a pelt yet-maybe I could pad it with sheepskin?
> Thoughts?
To get started, you may want to join the Carting-L email list on Yahoo
Groups. I would suggest finding someone experienced in your area to
help get you and your dogs started in person. You can also look for
workshops offered by the "traditional" carting breed clubs such as
Newfs, Berners, Saints, etc. The Newf Club of Northern California has
an article titled "Things to Consider before Starting Draft Work" at:
http://www.ncnc.org/Working.html
As far as equipment goes it really depends what your intentions are.
We use primarily two-wheeled carts and four-wheeled wagons with siwash
style harnesses. The majority of the carting we do with our dogs (an
Akita and Newfs) is either competition, parades/public events, or trips
to the nursery. The wagons are used at public events or when the load
is difficult to balance. We've only used nylon harnesses and have been
pleased. We've purchased harnesses from both Dog Works and Nordkyn,
each has had the super plush padding and been easy to wash.
Some links which may be helpful:
http://www.nordkyn.com/
http://dogworks.com/
http://www.cartingwithyourdog.com/
Best regards,
Becky
--
"If people tell you their dogs have never produced a defect, their dogs
have probably produced only one litter, they don't follow up on their
puppies or what is more likely the case, they are being less than truthful."
George A. Padgett, DVM
Leila...@gmail.com
> In article <1173184805.047295.314...@t69g2000cwt.googlegroups.com>,
>
> Leilabee...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Anyhow, I'm looking for other people who have done this. Any tips and
> > tricks would be appreciated. I'm going to try a dorsal hitch and a
> > chariot-type seat on mtn. bike wheels. A friend with better
> > engineering skills than I is going to help me build the thing;-) I'm
> > not sure yet whether the harness should be nylon or leather- one dog
> > has rather sensitive skin due to a demodectic mange problem. The hair
> > is back, but it's not a pelt yet-maybe I could pad it with sheepskin?
> > Thoughts?
>
> To get started, you may want to join the Carting-L email list on Yahoo
> Groups. I would suggest finding someone experienced in your area to
> help get you and your dogs started in person. You can also look for
> workshops offered by the "traditional" carting breed clubs such as
> Newfs, Berners, Saints, etc. The Newf Club of Northern California has
> an article titled "Things to Consider before Starting Draft Work" at:http://www.ncnc.org/Working.html
>
> As far as equipment goes it really depends what your intentions are.
> We use primarily two-wheeled carts and four-wheeled wagons with siwash
> style harnesses. The majority of the carting we do with our dogs (an
> Akita and Newfs) is either competition, parades/public events, or trips
> to the nursery. The wagons are used at public events or when the load
> is difficult to balance. We've only used nylon harnesses and have been
> pleased. We've purchased harnesses from both Dog Works and Nordkyn,
> each has had the super plush padding and been easy to wash.
Well, I want something that can go over rough terrain--there's a
pretty good design being done with a company out of Australia but I
want to make the thing myself- really, I'm more interested in how to
train the dogs to do this kind of thing so mushing info would be
useful, too. I have one really shy dog and one very strong willed one
but they're both about the same size and work well as a team, side by
side.
>GL
>
> Some links which may be helpful:http://www.nordkyn.com/http://dogworks.com/http://www.cartingwithyourdog.com/
Melinda Shore
<Leila...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Well, I want something that can go over rough terrain--there's a
>pretty good design being done with a company out of Australia but I
>want to make the thing myself- really, I'm more interested in how to
>train the dogs to do this kind of thing so mushing info would be
>useful, too.
Tons of resources at http://www.sleddogcentral.com,
including links to equipment suppliers and outfitters as
well as educational material. Your best bet is to hook up
with a local mushing club. Now that "dryland" activities
(scootering, canicross, bikejoring, rig racing) are becoming
more popular clubs are cropping up in some very surprising
places. Also, check out dogscooter.com - they tend to
attract more urban types and have lists of regional
contacts, so you might be able to find someone through them.