How to put your dog before your cart

YOU'VE PROBABLY seen vintage photos of dogs pulling carts or wagons loaded with milk cans and other goods to market for farmers. Certain breeds specialized in this work, among them Bernese mountain dogs, bouviers des Flandres, great Pyrenees, greater Swiss mountain dogs, Leonbergers, Newfoundlands, Rottweilers and Saint Bernards. Dogs were less expensive to purchase and care for than horses and were sometimes referred to as "the poor farmer's horse."

Some modern dog owners, inspired by their breeds' heritage, are eager to teach their dogs to perform their traditional work. They've taken up drafting, also known as carting.

Laura Bullock of Charlotte, N.C., has had greater Swiss mountain dogs for nine years. "I really wanted to do all of the things that my breed is meant to do," she says. "It's something that is interesting and different and definitely challenging. It may look easy, but it's not."

Dogs who can pull a cart or wagon are popular for lots of reasons. They are crowd pleasers in parades, give rides to neighborhood kids, haul recycling bins out to the street, help bring home groceries and work as gardening assistants, pulling wagons loaded with potting soil, bark and trays of plants around the yard.

A framework of training and trust between dog and owner is necessary. Before a dog starts training for carting, he should know and respond readily to basic obedience commands, especially "stay" and "come."

Before a dog is ever put into a harness or attached to a cart, he becomes accustomed to having a cart brought behind him and learns how it feels to have the shafts of the cart touching his shoulders. Experiencing that sensation is important because as the cart turns, the shafts will touch the dog's body, so it's something he needs to be prepared for.

Advanced lessons involve learning to go in circles, back up, pull uphill, control the speed of a cart going downhill and walk across different surfaces. In a draft test, to earn a title, a dog may have to pull his cart over dirt, grass or gravel, as well as over a bridge or through a gate. He needs to learn how it feels and sounds to cross those surfaces and how to make his way through narrow spaces. As he learns, he is rewarded with toys, treats and praise.

Dogs can become used to wearing a harness and being hitched to a cart at any age - the earlier, the better - but depending on the breed, they must be 18 months to two years old before entering a draft test to earn a title. That's to ensure the dog's bones and joints are fully developed.

Drafting isn't limited to large breeds. Any dog of any size can learn to pull for fun, exercise or utility, although a smaller dog's loads are limited. Breeds and mixes that have learned to pull include papillons, cockapoos, Shetland sheepdogs and collies.

Before getting started, take your dog to the vet. He shouldn't have any problems that could be made worse by the activity.

To learn more, contact a local Bernese mountain dog breed club, which often has demonstrations and clinics so people can learn about the sport.

The benefits of carting go beyond earning titles or even doing work with it, says Kathe Vasquez, co-chair of the draft committee for the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Southern California.

"It forms a really special bond between you and your dog. When you have that partnership, that teamwork, it's really a beautiful thing."