Carting
Encyclopedia
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
(usually a large breed
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
) pulls a Dogcart
Dogcart (dog-drawn)
A dogcart is a cart pulled by one or more dogs. The traditional varieties are rare:* Dog carts pulled by a single dog were sometimes used by peddlers....
filled with supplies, such as farm goods or firewood, but sometimes pulling people. Carting as a sport is also known as dryland mushing
Mushing
Mushing is a general term for a sport or transport method powered by dogs, and includes carting, pulka, scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled on snow or a rig on dry land...
and is practiced all around the world, often to keep winter sled dog
Sled dog
Sled dogs, known also as sleigh man dogs, sledge dogs, or sleddogs, are highly trained types of dogs that are used to pull a dog sled, a wheel-less vehicle on runners also called a sled or sleigh, over snow or ice, by means of harnesses and lines.Sled dogs have become a popular winter recreation...
s in competition form during the off-season. (Note that the term "dogcart
Dogcart
A dogcart is a light horse-drawn vehicle. There are several types:* A one-horse carriage, usually two-wheeled and high, with two transverse seats set back to back. It was known as a "bounder" in British slang...
" is primarily used to mean a particular type of light horse-drawn vehicle
Horse-drawn vehicle
A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load...
.)
Sulky driving
Sulky
A sulky is a lightweight cart having two wheels and a seat for the driver only but usually without a body, generally pulled by horses or dogs, and is used for harness races...
driving, where a dog or dogs pulls a two-wheeled cart (sulky) with a person riding in the sulky. This sport offers both exercise and discipline opportunities for energetic breeds. Many working breeds are happier when given a job or task, and carting / sulky driving can be a rewarding hobby for both dog and owner.
The sulky is designed to have little to no weight on on the dog's back, given their sensitive spine. A widely used model is the dorsal hitch, which involves only one shaft from the sulky that has negative weight on the dog's harness. The dorsal hitch is also more comfortable for the dog, as it allows for free range of movement as opposed to confining shafts on either side.
Dogs from 15 kg body weight and upwards are able to pull an adult and a sulky comfortably. The general rule is that the total load (sulky and driver) should not exceed three times the weight of the dog doing the pulling. If, for example, the sulky and driver totaled 150 kg, then the weight of the dog pulling would need to be at least 50 kg. Smaller dogs may be used as long as the cart is of a type which can handle multiple dog draft, and the combined weight of the dogs pulling is at least one third of the load being pulled.
Dryland mushing
