Has anyone here ever done any dog carting? I recently got an EXTREMELY energetic lab and rottie mix but I had a physical disability that makes it difficult to do long walks so I thought this might be good. Also, it looks fun.
The dog is almost three years old, is that too old to train it to do that? He's also well and above large enough to pull me.
And before you say that obviously a person wit a physical disability shouldn't get a dog and certainly not a high energy dog, you are completely right. But circumstances brought the dog into my life and instead of passing the buck and hoping a shelter can find it a home I want to first try to make my life work for the dog.
How huge a maniac do you think the whole town will imagine me, haha?
>>1996698
My dogs cart and love it. I have a millennium mini sulky and it works pretty well but the harnesses are stupid expensive. If I were to buy a new one, I would go with a sacco cart, its 4 wheeled instead of 2, plus it has polk shafts so you have greater control of where you're going.
I love it. My dogs love it. Everybody wins
>>1996698
> How huge a maniac do you think the whole town will imagine me, haha?
I bet everyone will envy you. No being dragged around by your dog for you! Hooray for a nice, light ride.
>>1997270
Thanks anon that was some really great specific advice that I wasn't expecting to get here. I'm really happy to have some specific sulky to google.
>>1997277
The minis also come in a few different designs, mine is an original. Actually, its the first one that was brought into the US. The major shocks and disc breaks are nice, but again, I lean more toward a 4 wheeled cart. Another option are dry land training gigs that are used for training sled dogs before it snows. Its more of a platform type set up that you stand on. For just 1-2 dogs, the samd lynx is a good one, plus it folds down for easier transport.
Bike-joring is also fun, its just having your dog pull you on a bike. I do this A TON. However, do not do it with a pet store harness, get an actual pulling harness. Sleddogcentral.com has lots of guys who make harnesses. For a bike I recommend a half harness due to the higher angle the tug will be at, it creates less strain on their back and hips.
I ran sled dogs for 13 years, including race to the sky.
>>1997284
The weird 3 wheeled scooter things you can get at toys r us also work pretty well. Not the best brakes though. The dogs pulling here are a carolina dog and a rott x heeler
>>1997284
Bike joring is an excellent suggestion anon, it would be devastating to spend 2k on a good setup and find out the dog absolutely wouldn't take to it.
It's extremely fascinating that you ran sled dogs. That's more interesting than almost anything else on /an/ ever. I would love to hear more about it, it would actually make a great thread of your own.
Do you still have sled dogs that you're carting with or another breed you're carting with just because you enjoyed that experience? I was under the impression that people who sled have a lot of dogs which they don't really keep like pets but rather as working animals often in outdoor kennels. Was this the case for you then? Did you have any sled dogs you also considered pets or was it strictly business?
How did you get into dog sledding as a hobby?
And any breed of reasonable size can pull and its not hard to train them. Carts take a bit more than gigs/bikes etc, but they have to deal with shafts. 3 years is not too old, my first dog didnt start until she was 4.
Bikes, scooters and such might be your best starting option just due to initial costs. But its a ton of fun. I just run recreationally now with a motley crew of pits, mutts and a big shepherd, but I still love it
>>1997291
When I was racing I had a kennel of 42 working adults and a few puppies. I only bred a litter every 2 years or so. They were outside, on chains, but the dog lot was large and fenced so everyone got off chain to play as a pack regularly. They were super spoiled, to the point they had an 800 gallon pool to play in, everyone got ice-cream in the summer as well as trips to the river.
It killed me to sell my kennel, I actually gave 3 full teams (dogs, houses, harnesses and sled) away to kids I knew were trying to get into it. They had been handling for other kennels for several years and I knew they would be great homes for them. Unfortunately there was a massive family emergency that resulted in my getting out of it and moving rapidly. I had to give up my iditarod entry at the same time. I will admit that I was almost suicidally depressed over it, I had no idea what else to do. Running dogs was my life. I still have one dog out of my bloodline, she will be 14 in feb.
Now I have 9 dogs, my husband puts up with it pretty well. I still miss it, but I dont think I will ever go back to a racing team. I dont think I could handle losing it again, if it happened
>>1997299
>>1997299
Wow, I understand your loss. I used to breed hogs but had to liquidate them the same way over a family emergency. It happened about 6 months ago and I'm suicidally depressed about to at the moment. I gave away my best breeding hogs too. Do you have a picture of your 14 year old dog?
>>1997299
Here's one of my old race photos. I have a ton, but this was just the easiest to find at 1am lol
>>1997304
I don't know why this is upside-down
>>1997303
This is Toon. She is old and crazy. Her parents were 2 of my best lead dogs, who were both out of proven Iditarod dogs. She just likes to Woo about everything and eat toilet paper
>>1997304
That's really cool.
>>1997306
Is good endurance a very inheritable trait or is the condition of the dog the most important factor? I would assume just like with humans some are more naturally athletic but then come again just being in shape does a lot. Or is it more of a mental/personality that lends itself to sledding that makes a great sled dog a great sled dog?
>grow your own dog food
>dog pulls you around
>dog takes a dump
>collect dog crap
>use dog crap as fertilizer
>renewable fuel source transportation
>>1997309
It is an inherited trait, sled dogs have the greatest endurance of any animal. Distance dogs can run 100+ miles a day for several in a row when in proper condition. Sprint dogs are not required to run as far, but they have to fly. I ran sprint dogs for years and most were greyhound crosses. But a 4 dog sprint team runs 6 miles tops. But like people, everyone can run, with enough work and proper care the average person could run a marathon. That doesn't mean you wont come in dead last though.
Drive is what makes a good dog, Ive had dogs that were conformational disasters pull like freight trains and perfect dogs with amazing breeding do absolutely nothing. It all comes down to the heart to run. Ive seen everything on the trail, from racing teams of border collies, little old ladies running a team of redbone coon hounds (slowly) and a gal who had a beagle in her team because she couldnt keep him home when she trained. She threw him in with some pups one day and he loved it. He had a sled dog heart in a beagle body
>>1996698
If you're concerned about people thinking you look weird, you can always longboard with your dog. You can just hold the leash and they'll pull you. I've been doing it for a while with my husky.
>>1997324
I wouldnt do that. That is putting too much strain on the dogs windpipe and could eventually lead to a collapsed trachea. Harnesses are made for pulling, collars are not
>>1997327
m8 are you a scrub?
I'm pretty sure my dog is too small to drag a cart.
>>1997329
I saw a company that makes carts for toy dogs. They're just the size of a shoebox.
