Training Dogs to harness…

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  • January 18, 2009 at 12:59 pm #40099
    jen judkins
    Participant

    I have a year old lab/border collie mix that I’d like to put to work. He is very smart and sweet, but he has definately inherited the energy requirements of the border collie, not the lab:rolleyes:. I had thought we might get into agility or fly-ball, but now that I’m triing to be serious about farming…who has time for fly-ball!!!!

    I know Donn and Beck are using their dogs successfully, so I thought I could get some pointers about how to start. I’ve seen fancy harnesses out there for skijoring, but I believe I read somewhere that someone uses a horse halter (reversed) for a harness and wondered how that worked out?

    How much can they pull? Is it similar to horses…2.5 times their weight?

    Any tips on how to get started would be appreciated. Jennifer.

    January 18, 2009 at 2:55 pm #49263
    sanhestar
    Participant

    years ago I trained my two dalmatians to pull – they had a hell of a time. We mostly did show appearances on historic fairs with an old small waggon. I had to help them get the loaded waggon started but as soon as it was rolling they worked fine.

    I used a regular dog harness for the pulling (it was one made of leather with a wide and padded breast strap and already had two rings worked into it to attach lines for pulling).

    you can see a pictures of this type of harness here:

    http://www.sabro.de/out/oxbaseshop/html/0/dyn_images/1/justin128_p1.jpg

    They changed the harness in recent years and the pulling rings are no longer included.

    here’s another way to harness:

    http://www.zughunde.de/images/ausbildung/geschirr-richtig.jpg

    http://www.zughunde.de/images/ausruestung/pulkageschirr.jpg

    http://www.zughunde.de/images/ausruestung/sielengeschirr.jpg

    I checked with german draft dog friends and they recommend to start a dog at the earliest with 18 months and after having hips and ellbows checked for dysplasia.

    Weight: I found one reference that dogs can pull 3-4 times their weight, but I would stay on the safe side with less.

    I use reversed horse halters when I train young goats to pull until I’m sure they will work in a harness (so I don’t have to buy different sizes of training harnesses). But it’s not optimal. You have to pad hooks and/or buckles and i wouldn’t use it for any longer periods of working.

    January 18, 2009 at 10:44 pm #49256
    jen judkins
    Participant

    Appreciate the advice…but advice or no…I hooked my dog up to a bale of hay tonight….with very good success:D. I used an inverted halter that no lomger fits my belgian, hooked two leashes to the bale then snapped to the ‘harness’…then away we went. Was a piece of cake. I had to help on the uphill portion, but he pulled his weight on the flat. Couldn’t be more pleased. Now I need to refine the endeavor…so I do less work and he does more:rolleyes:.

    January 19, 2009 at 3:57 am #49260
    Robert MoonShadow
    Participant

    Jennifer: Photos please.

    January 19, 2009 at 11:27 am #49254
    Donn Hewes
    Keymaster

    Hi Jennifer, Well, you did exactly what I did! Since it was so fun, I have made a harness from an old back saddle from a harness and a couple straps, Then I made a light weight sled, and finally, a cart with shafts. never really gave him a lot of commands. He will stop (if he can) and I keep him at heal if I don’t want him to spill something. Otherwise I just let him run! Donn

    January 19, 2009 at 1:38 pm #49257
    jen judkins
    Participant

    @Robert MoonShadow 4964 wrote:

    Jennifer: Photos please.

    Of course….

    we hooked up this am again and he managed to pull the bale up the hill on his own…but he needed a rest at the top:rolleyes:

    I also hooked him to my Ursa cart, but I’m gonna have to modify it somewhat…the front axle has way too much play in it…it jack-knifes too easily. But he liked having wheels…easier to get started and pull.

    Donn I can see why the shalves are helpful…..keeping the dog from getting tangled in the lines. I went back and looked at your photos from a previous post and got some good ideas. Thanks.

    January 19, 2009 at 2:51 pm #49264
    sanhestar
    Participant

    maybe I’m different in that kind of things, but

    we (as in people who use animals as helpers) do everything to gradually teach horses, mules, oxen, etc. to pull and gradualy add weight to the load to let them build stamina.

    Why not the same amount of carefullness for a dog?

    January 19, 2009 at 3:03 pm #49255
    Ira
    Participant

    Jen, Do a search for Competitive Dog Pulling.(sorry, I’m not computer literate enough to post links) An actual pulling harness is made for dogs. You will also find some training advice, altho it looks like your doing ok :). Some large breed dogs are capable of pulling some very heavy loads.

    January 19, 2009 at 4:42 pm #49258
    jen judkins
    Participant

    @sanhestar 4975 wrote:

    Why not the same amount of carefullness for a dog?

    Point taken:D…we were having so much fun! Really our little haybale pull was less than 100 feet. But you are right, ‘slow and right’ is always better than ‘fast and wrong’.

    Ira, I’ve seen the fancy harnesses, I just wanted something to try out first, to be sure this was something he would enjoy, before buying something that we wouldn’t use:rolleyes:.

    January 20, 2009 at 7:34 am #49265
    sanhestar
    Participant

    Jen,

    THANKS!

    January 20, 2009 at 7:36 pm #49261
    Robert MoonShadow
    Participant

    Jen ~ What type of dog is he? Oh, and Nell thinks he’s quite the handsome guy. (She likes to flirt, even though she’s fixed – strictly a platonic relationship).

    January 21, 2009 at 12:51 am #49259
    jen judkins
    Participant

    @Robert MoonShadow 5033 wrote:

    Jen ~ What type of dog is he? Oh, and Nell thinks he’s quite the handsome guy. (She likes to flirt, even though she’s fixed – strictly a platonic relationship).

    Well, he’s fixed too:D. We’ll have no bi-coastal doggie romance here:eek:. He is a mutt…though I am fairly certain there is a big hunk of border collie in there. A very intense desire to work, move, move some more…

    January 21, 2009 at 5:48 am #49262
    Robert MoonShadow
    Participant

    Jen ~ Who you calling “coastal”, girlie? Idaho is like, um, 500 or more miles from the coast! (It used to be on the coast, but we moved it inland ‘cuz we got tired of all the “surfer dudes” & treehugger chicks). 😎
    {See, it’s called the Inland Empire or Inland Northwest… :rolleyes: }
    Nell doesn’t know it yet, but she’s got a new trail chore besides chasing bears & viscious marmots… packing her own food into the wilderness.

    March 16, 2010 at 10:08 am #49267
    Kirsten Kosinski
    Participant

    I have trained Germ. Shepherds to run in harness.
    Halls sleds in Michigan has great harnesses and they also have a very basic book on how to get a dog started pulling a sled or some weight.
    There is the Mid Union Sled Haulers, MUSH. I used to be a member, they had little training runs. However, this has been more than 15 years ago.
    My shepherds sure enjoyed to pull. Hope this helps a bit.

    May 4, 2011 at 6:20 pm #49268
    northern farmer
    Participant

    I picked up a husky/collie pup a couple of months ago. He’s got the winter hardiness and build of the husky, with the work ethic of the collie. We lucked out with him. He gets this summer off to play with some training, but once there is snow on the ground he’ll be hauling my firewood sled with me 😀
    [IMG]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xE4wNyghKr8/TTnkoPkv6SI/AAAAAAAABIc/jWj6yTxsDyY/s400/DSCN2048.JPG[/IMG]

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