# Dog Carting (with a Dobermann)



## Tony Hahn (May 28, 2011)

Here is a short video showing some carting-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGpeP_obFBA

A couple pictures of the real world application-


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

I knew they were good for something


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## Matt Vandart (Nov 28, 2012)

Aw Remmy was cool, like it!


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## Catherine Gervin (Mar 12, 2012)

such precision in his carting, and such focus...what an excellent boy! i bet you got a lot of bulging-eye looks when he was out and about in the cage muzzle (probably not the proper name for the device, wire muzzle?, but it's what we called them in All Breed). i'm sorry he's not with you still.


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## Lisa Radcliffe (Jun 9, 2011)

Thank you for sharing! very nice! The love of a Dobermann is like no other and something most will never know only wish they could live longer!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Excellent work!
Did you ever enter any carting trials when you had him? I've seen a couple and he would have smoked most of them.


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## kristin tresidder (Oct 23, 2008)

carting is harder than it looks - great pics!


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

awesome thanks for sharing..

pulls his own crate around too 

He could back up a trailer and park it better than most people I know


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## Tiago Fontes (Apr 17, 2011)

That was really cool to watch. Great job.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

very cool vid !

have some questions for the OP or anyone with cart pulling experience:
1. how do you size the lengths of the poles to properly fit the dog ? (how do you determine what lengths would be too long and what are too short, etc)
2. how do you train rear end "cart awareness" so the dog won't scrape stuff and crash when it is turning ?

i'd definitely like to try this but i don't live in wide open spaces and need for the dog to be "cart aware", if you know what i mean //lol//


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## Tony Hahn (May 28, 2011)

Matt Vandart said:


> Aw Remmy was cool, like it!


 Thanks Matt. I sure miss him. 



Catherine Gervin said:


> such precision in his carting, and such focus...what an excellent boy! i bet you got a lot of bulging-eye looks when he was out and about in the cage muzzle (probably not the proper name for the device, wire muzzle?, but it's what we called them in All Breed). i'm sorry he's not with you still.


 Haha, actually the bulging-eye looks would happen after someone tried reaching over him, staring him down or annoying him in some other way. Then the reason for the muzzle would become self evident. He could go from a seemingly calm, relaxed doggie to a muzzle punching, barking, snarling monster in a flash. It wasn’t until shortly before he died that I started to make progress on his manners with the public. 



Lisa Radcliffe said:


> Thank you for sharing! very nice! The love of a Dobermann is like no other and something most will never know only wish they could live longer!


 Yes indeed. Awesome personality but apparently they can be so fragile. 



Bob Scott said:


> Excellent work!
> Did you ever enter any carting trials when you had him? I've seen a couple and he would have smoked most of them.


 Carting was just something I taught him to make my life easier. Strictly a utilitarian function. I’ve been told the same thing by other people- that he would do well at a carting trial. 



kristin tresidder said:


> carting is harder than it looks - great pics!


 Thanks. Believe it or not the hardest part was convincing him that the thing “chasing” him was not a threat. Once we got past that it was just regular ‘ol dog training.



Joby Becker said:


> awesome thanks for sharing..
> 
> pulls his own crate around too
> 
> ...


 The idea of making him pull his own crate is what got us started. I have to travel for IPO trials (no club near me). The first time we traveled I used an extra leash to make a shoulder strap for his crate. After walking on and off the Ferry and though airports carrying a large crate and a backpack while leading a dog on a leash, I got to asking myself “Why am I carrying a crate when I have a working dog?” So I taught him to cart and eventually put wheels on his crate so he could pull it himself. 



Tiago Fontes said:


> That was really cool to watch. Great job.


 Thanks!



rick smith said:


> very cool vid !
> 
> have some questions for the OP or anyone with cart pulling experience:
> 1. how do you size the lengths of the poles to properly fit the dog ? (how do you determine what lengths would be too long and what are too short, etc)
> ...


 1. I don’t know how anyone else does it, but I simply made the poles long enough to keep the dogs hind legs clear of the cart with room to spare. With a two wheel cart you do need to watch the balance point so that there isn’t much weight on the dogs back.

2. Again, I don’t know how real carting trainers do this, but personally I took responsibility for where the cart was going to run and directed the dog to walk where he needed to be in order to keep the cart from scraping or bumping stuff.


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

very impressive!!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I would add to Tony's comments here that it's also very important not to over load a cart for a couple of reasons. Obviously to much work for the dog. Unless the cart has brakes and a correct harness/rigging for the work the dog could get run over easily.
Tjhe cart as seen in the video could "probably be rigged up with racing bike type breaks that could be controlled with a hand held cable or one mounted in an easily accessible spot on the cart.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

decided to get off my butt and do some youtube surfing about carting rather than be spoon fed 
- saw some cool goat rigs too 

from what i saw :
- need a correct harness
- properly rigged harness to cart
- lots of training would be required to do it in a congested city environment b4 the dog could really learn cart awareness and not be a dog in a china shop 

i saw some drafting vids of people who had been training and competing with BMD's for years and even tho they had mastered turns and could move in straight lines, it convinced me this is a fun thing to do in open rural spaces when the dog doesn't have to think about negotiating tight areas with lots of slope.


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## Tony Hahn (May 28, 2011)

Carting can be as simple or complicated as you make it. I'm sure Carting Trials have rules and specifications like other trials, but Carting for utility purposes (or for fun) doesn't have to be a formal endeavor. 

Remy dragged his crate through the Chicago O'Hare Airport. He's gone up and down Ferry ramps at low tide with 75+ lbs of luggage inside the crate. We've ridden in elevators that were so small we had to park diagonal for the door to close. He negotiated switchback handicap ramps that were so narrow the crate couldn't fit without scraping on corners. 

We did all that with just the basic training I did, using home made rigging and an Agitation Harness modified with a couple extra loops. He used the same harness for bite-work.

I'm sure there are purpose built harness, carts with brakes, formulas for how much weight a dog should be expected to pull and trainers who can teach the dog how to plan out his own turns; but neither Remy nor I concerned ourselves with that stuff. 

When we went up hill I helped him pull. Going down hill I held the cart to keep it from pushing him to much. On tight corners I told the dog when and how to turn. Negotiating through crowds required about the same effort (maybe even less hassle) than trying to walk in the mist of people while carrying a crate and having the dog on leash. 

If carting is something that interests you, don't over think it. Just rig something up and go have fun with your dog!


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

re : "I'm sure there are purpose built harness, carts with brakes, formulas for how much weight a dog should be expected to pull and trainers who can teach the dog how to plan out his own turns; but neither Remy nor I concerned ourselves with that stuff. "
....understood and agree 100%
i had not planned to do any of that either 

my main interest was whether it is possible to train a dog for "cart awareness" and if they can ever become aware of that extra "dimension" behind them. i doubt they can ever learn that, so i figure it is mostly up to the human "navigator" to prevent crashes

- fwiw, i've had dogs that were well conditioned to wearing wide backpacks get hung up and catch them while turning. and a backpack would seem easier than a cart


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

rick smith said:


> - fwiw, i've had dogs that were well conditioned to wearing wide backpacks get hung up and catch them while turning. and a backpack would seem easier than a cart


they werent as smart as dobermans


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Some dogs never seem to get the awareness of width wider then they are. I've had some seriously smart, easily trained dogs with high lever training but give them a long stick and they couldn't get through a gate to save their life.
Stay away from the 4 wheel carts unless your in wide open spaces. Their dern near impossible for a dog to back up with and to tight in a turn will get you dumped.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

screw that, these beefy bitches are gonna be pulling ME around here...


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Joby Becker said:


> screw that, these beefy bitches are gonna be pulling ME around here...



"Beefy" will definitely have to be a must in order to do that. :-o :wink: 
I do have to admit though in one of the videos you posted receintly you seem to have lost a bit.


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