Using dogs to pull carts dates back more than half a century. These dog carts were used primarily by people who could not afford a horse or ox or where limited space such as a city was a problem for the larger animals and carts.

Dogs have hauled people and supplies during the first crusade after the horses starved and continued to haul people and supplies through WWI. These dog carts have been used in Europe, the middle east, Canada, and the US. They have hauled many different types of goods from fish to dairy and produce, to people and family belongings.

This LINK has several historical images that are worth taking a look at.

In the early 1800’s England had a scare with rabies and to curtail the outbreak laws were passed to ban dog carts on the island. Dogs continued with their carting work on the continent until they were finally replaced by the automobile in the early 1900’s.

Carting today is a celebration of this working history and competitive draft testing is a reminder of the skill these working dogs used every day.

Carting as a sport is also known as dryland mushing and is practiced all around the world, often to keep winter sled dogs in competition form during the off-season.

If you would like to start carting your dog needs to be well behaved and in good shape and you will need a well fitting Siwash Cart Harness.

Carts can be purchased online for $200 or more. They can be made at home from a milk crate, or you can convert a kids wagon or stroller into a dog cart.

Once you have everything needed it is still going to take some time before you can actually attach the cart to your dog and have him pull you around. While pulling may be natural to a dog, the cart is not. The dog cannot see behind so that can be scary for the dog at first. When the dog tries to turn, its body will brush against the shafts that connect to the cart. It takes time to for the dog to get use to this feeling and the dog will have to learn how to turn with the cart attached.

Other commands that are needed are stop, slow, fast, turn left, turn right, come, stay, and wait just for starters. Many people carting will tend to use the terminology used for horses or sled dogs. I tend to keep things simpler so I can remember them. While it’s easy to rush through the learning stage I do not advise it. My previous Saint was 200lbs and he could easily take out a shub or a knee (mine) and not even notice it.

Resources

Most governing bodies tend to be breed specific such as:

Saint Bernard Club of America

Cascade Greater Swiss mountain dog club

Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America

Newfoundland Club of America

American Rottweiler Club

The Siwash cart harness can be found here:

Nordkyn Outfitters.

Dog works

Carts can range from $200 up to several thousands for an old replica cart. You can also make your own cart following several online resources.

Dog Works

Wilczek Woodworks

Helmbolds Woodworks

Why not Build a Dog Cart

How to Build Training Shafts and a Cart for your Dog

To teach your dog to pull a cart check out the links below. These provide a lot of great information.

Draft Dog Training videos

Carting With Your Dog 101

Finally, just like any sport for humans, if you want to get better and not get injured, you need to practice and workout to get in better shape. The same applies for dogs as well. Pulling a lighter weight longer distances, weight pulling, or packpacks as all great ways to improve your dog fitness and to burn off some of the excess energy.