Carting With Your Dog - Positive Draft Training for Fun and Competition

Don't put the dog before the cart until he is trained!
Many people love the idea of being able to hitch their dogs to a cart and have them pull the kids around the yard or in a parade. Or they have a breed of dog that has been bred to work as a draft dog and are interested in participating in competitions held by clubs around the country that test both dog and handler's skill pulling a cart. While this may seem simple, training a dog to willingly and safely do the work to pull a cart actually involves a lot of learning and effort on the part of both the dog and the handler. In this new book, author Laura Waldbaum will teach you what you and your dog need to know to help develop a happy draft dog.

You will learn
The skills your dog needs to learn before he is introduced to the cart including attention, how to stop/go/go faster and how to back up.
All about the equipment you will need including a variety of harnesses and carts and how to acclimate your dog to the equipment.
The training required based on what your interest in carting from pulling a wagon around the backyard to participating in parades to formal competitions.
What you need to know about draft dog competitions including what to expect, the skills you need to master and how to troubleshoot problem areas.

What dog trainers are saying about Carting with Your Dog
Carting with Your Dog is an excellent beginning tool to use in the carting arena. Laura has done a very good job of spelling out the basics and offering helpful and informative ideas on how to make drafting a success for you and your dog from the beginning all the way through to entering a draft test. The book shows you what basic skills are needed and how to expand those skills to enjoy a successful carting experience.
Valerie Horney, Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America President and Draft Judge

A wonderful, clear, and useful resource! I love the focus on increasing the dog's desire and enthusiasm for this work through carefully planned steps based on positive reinforcement. This book is full of great training ideas and advice!
Deborah Jones, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology, author of Clicker Fun book and DVD series and co-author In Focus books and DVD series

Laura Waldbaum has been competing with dogs all her life, first as a Jr. Handler in the conformation ring with her English Setters, and later in obedience. Laura currently competes with Bernese Mountain Dogs who have AKC titles in Rally, Agility, Conformation, and Tracking. She and her dog Sadie were the 7th team to earn the highest title in BMDCA Draft work, Master Draft Dog.

Click here to view an excerpt.



What reviewers are saying...

Midwest Book Review
There are always plenty of new tricks one can teach their favorite furry friend. "Carting With Your Dog: Positive Draft Training for Fun and Competition" is a guide for teaching your dog to do their best ox impersonation and hitching a cart to the dog for fun not only for the owner, but the dog as well. With simple training, dogs can pull light loads without much stress on the canine. From gear to training tips to competition, "Carting with Your Dog" is a fine read with plenty to consider for dog lovers, highly recommended. James A. Cox

The Alpenhorn
...Carting with Your Dogis a well-written and valuable instructional guide. With her book Laura has done for the sport of drafting what Morgan Spector did for the sport of obedience with his Clicker Training for Obedience. She shows how one can become proficient at drafting by almost exclusively using positive shaping reinforcement methods. While Laura prefers the use of a dicker, early in the book she affirms that a Positive Voice Marker ( Yes or Good ) can also work for those of us who can't or won't utilize the Clicker. She also encourages using a No Reward Marker" like Oops or "Try Again at times. The soft-bound 146-page book (available as a paperback hardcopy at $14.95 or e-book for $9.49 from www.dogwise.com) is presented along the lines of a well- organized extended draft seminar... Steve Likevich, BMDCA & GSMDCA Draft Judge, former editor of GSMDCA's Breed Magazine, SENNtinel

THE APDT CHRONICLE OF THE DOG
I was excited to review this book knowing absolutely nothing about carting or draft sport, and an pleased to report that now I would feel confident teaching and preparing not only my dogs how to pull a cart successfully but also my clients and their dogs. After reading this book you'll be able to identify if you are, or aren't, ready to take your dog and his rig out onto the competition field. What I loved the most about Carting with Your Dog is that the author is a very accomplished competitor. Her passion and command for the sport is very evident in how well she explains to readers how they can accomplish excellence at all points while their dog is hitched to the rig. She allows us glimpses of her own personal history with her dogs throughout the book, which gives the book a very personal feel. There are so many details to know about any sport, and from what I observed Waldbaum didn't leave a single thing out. This is truly a manual for those new to the sport or those who have competed before but aren't achieving the excellence they know their dog is capable of. Throughout the book there are many photographs of dogs, dogs with carts and dogs doing specific tasks, which help readers visualize the training concepts as they are explained. Professionally done illustrations instead of black and white photos would enhance the feel of the book as the black and white photography makes the book feel outdated. Regardless, the inclusion of photos was absolutely necessary to understand positioning of the dog and cart. The book also includes several charts to help readers track their progress as they train their dog in preparation for competition, as well as an appendix of how to accomplish training techniques described throughout the book. As a seasoned training professional some content of the book felt very repetitive and redundant. Yet, looking at the book through the lens of a novice handler or a non-positive trainer, I commend the author on her dedication to over-emphasizing the importance of going slowly, staying positive for your dog and working at the dog's pace to build confidence for handling the cart. It quickly becomes clear in reading this book that Waldbaum has a commitment to not only her sport but the well-being, comfort and standard of care for dogs. Trainers who are already familiar with shaping and CC/DS will get the most value out of the last half of the book, which details the competition aspect of drafting. Before reading Carting with Your Dog I had no idea that one could purchase carting equipment for one's pet dog or modify a children's wagon to suit a dog's needs. Suddenly my mind is racing with all of the practical applications for teaching one's dog to pull a rig! I myself am now inspired to teach one of my dogs to pull a rig so that I no longer have to haul groceries into the house! This book makes you feel confident that you and your dog could definitely accomplish what is necessary to hitch up your very own rig or earn a drafting title. Dee Hoult, Owner of Applause Your Paws, Miami's largest privately owned positive dog training company.