age for carting??

[BreezyNewf]

Hello:wave: At what age is good to teach your newf how to cart? And what is too heavy, too light?:shrug: Thanks!

 

[Jeannie]

I let mine pull an empty cart at about 12-14 months on an easy smooth surface. I do not add weight until they are 18 months. All this depends on the maturity of your dog.

 

[mulenag]

Don't let age stop you from getting the dog used to wearing a harness and standing nicely while you get them "dressed". Definitely wait on adding a lot of weight, but an empty gallon milk jug or empty laundry detergent jug can be used to get them used to dragging something and hearing/feeling something trailing behind them.

 

[Newfs Forever]

Breezy,

I started pretty easily, cuz Dex had been used to a different harness while riding in the car. I have a full siwash harness and when I put it on him for the first time, there was no prob. He was fine with it.

I then had a 3 - 5 lb. log, maybe 1 foot wide with an O ring on it for the the rear bar hook up. I then graduated to a plastic jug (1 gal.) that had water in it, added a second jug. After that I had him pulling old tires, then after that hitched him up to the cart with no problems.

This took a little time, but I really think that because he was so used to having a harness on him while riding in the car, it was a lot easier.

This is just my experience.

HTH,

 

[Jeannie]

I need to add:

There is a lot of ground work to do before you even think of hitching your dog. He needs to learn back, left, right, stop and forward. He needs basic obedience and a solid down for the 3 minute out of sight down.

 

[mareserinitatis]

Are there any good references for getting started on this stuff?

 

[Bojie]

I've been told by many breeders and working Newf friends not to let our guys start pulling a cart until at least 2yrs old. The reason for this is that they're still growing and pulling a cart (even without weights) is dangerous to their joints and growth plates. Bojie didn't get hitched up to a cart until age 2, and neither will Rigsby. BUT! There are tons of things you can do in the meantime. Harnesses are great, but get a size that won't be too small for them once they've finished maturing. You can start getting them used to wearing one early, and as Newfs forever said, have them start pulling some big milk jugs behind them, and then a lightweight log. This gets them used to just the sound of something dragging behind them. You can also walk next to them while YOU pull a cart. The sound of that alone is enough to spook any dog, so early training is really great. If there's a newf club in your area, see if you can hook up with them for one of their draft workshop days. They'll have all the equipment and the know how to get you started and the right equipment for the right age/maturity level.

 

[Newfs Forever]

Agree Bojie! Dex did have basic obedience. And I didn't have him hitched until he was probably 4 yo. Because that's when I first got him involved with carting.

 

[mulenag]

Cherish, there is a book you can get from dogworks.com Newfoundland Draft Work
There are some videos on youtube, but I can't find them at the moment.
I learned the most from going to a seminar that Northstar put on. There will probably be one next spring...the last one was in March.

 

[BreezyNewf]

wow! such wonderful advice. Thanks so much! She does wear a pink harness often. So, I guess thats a good start I will get her into some basic training when she is 4 months old. She is such a smart little girl!

 

[Bojie]

wow! such wonderful advice. Thanks so much! She does wear a pink harness often. So, I guess thats a good start I will get her into some basic training when she is 4 months old. She is such a smart little girl!

If you want to do competitive draft (or competitive anything) or just want a very well behaved Newf, early classes are crucial, and even when you think youre done, keep enrolling. They're fun and a great bonding experience for both of you. Draft test are done all off leash so a well trained Newf is a must, even the best trained act up every once in a while on the course the most important thing is no matter what you do with her, just have fun and enjoy the ride!

 

[KatieB]

I started drafting with Murphy at 2 since Berners have more weight to pull than Newfs. Bella was a year and Mojo was a year when they started. There was no weight in the cart and neither had any issue. We added weight at 16 months and both participated in tests at 18 months. Neither struggled at all to pull the carts. I think we baby newfs far too much. Berners pull their body weight in the test and the dogs must be built up and in shape. They are truly working much like on a farm. Pulling twenty pounds for a newf is nothing and requires barely any conditioning or true working of the dog ImHO. Provided your dog is in good shape to begin with it should have no issue at all pulling 25 pounds for a mile at 18 months which is the age newfs can test for a draft title.

More important is that your dog have a solid obedience foundation. Workin off leash with distractions, knowing how to back, turn, slow, halt and stay/wait are critical. A good obedience foundation makes all working activities much easier on dog and owner. Most of all have fun!! Working with your dog builds such a great bond and creates so many fun and joyful moments as you and your newf learn together.

 

[janices]

I started drafting with Murphy at 2 since Berners have more weight to pull than Newfs. Bella was a year and Mojo was a year when they started. There was no weight in the cart and neither had any issue. We added weight at 16 months and both participated in tests at 18 months. Neither struggled at all to pull the carts. I think we baby newfs far too much. Berners pull their body weight in the test and the dogs must be built up and in shape. They are truly working much like on a farm. Pulling twenty pounds for a newf is nothing and requires barely any conditioning or true working of the dog ImHO. Provided your dog is in good shape to begin with it should have no issue at all pulling 25 pounds for a mile at 18 months which is the age newfs can test for a draft title.

More important is that your dog have a solid obedience foundation. Workin off leash with distractions, knowing how to back, turn, slow, halt and stay/wait are critical. A good obedience foundation makes all working activities much easier on dog and owner. Most of all have fun!! Working with your dog builds such a great bond and creates so many fun and joyful moments as you and your newf learn together.

The minimum age to compete in NCA draft test is 18 months old. Now that did used to be lower but it was changed. All it takes is an improperly balanced cart on a young dog to be dangerous. So, when you look at this main priority is safety of the dog which ended up raising the age in the end. Me and a draft test judge have balanced carts that put too much weight on newf because it was an unbalanced cart. So, see carts that are actually unsafe depending if are homemade or who made them and novices are unaware what's happening unless have knowledgeable person helping them.

So, let's relook at this. Those of us who have been around a long time and have been trained by knowledgeable people do start younger because we use trainers and understand how to balance a cart properly. Otherwise, if you don't it's better to wait until up around 2 yrs old and work on the basics first as in obedience.

 

[Cascadians]

I watched the draft test here recently, 1st one I've ever seen, asked lots of questions and stared at lots of equipment. Many entrants failed the harness and fitting test. Many of the carts were homemade. It is cool ppl are creative and can make these things but I decided after watching all the failures that I would go with advice in a lot of archived Newf Net threads and get the best. Searched all carting / drafting threads and read them all.

Purposely waited until Orka was 18 months old before ordering because I knew it would be too tempting to use this gear early.

Am getting everything from Bill at Wilczek Woodworks
http://www.wilczekwoodworks.com/index.php#

Bill Wilczek has been wonderful, very helpful and knowledgeable. He has Berners and does a lot of carting / drafting.

My order is in and shipping:

DVD Set: "Training Your Draft Dog" and "Showing Your Draft Dog" (Berners)
Manual: "Newfound Draft Work - A Guide For Training" Second Edition by Consie Powell
Manual: "Skijoring with Your Dog" by Carol Kaynor & Mari Hoe-Raitto

Wilczek Nylon Siwash Carting Harness
Breeching Strap
Deluxe Skijoring Belt with Leg Loops
Skijoring Towrope with bungee and quick release
Sled / Skijoring Adapter
Sacrificial Training Tree
Large WIN Cart
25# Weight Insert, single post
Large WIN Wagon
Aluminum Shafts Upgrade
Parking Brakes
Shaft Collars
Plastic Sleigh Runners

Will watch the DVDs, read the Manuals and train daily, babystepping carefully.

With the cost of equipment and time invested in training the payoff will be huge! Real life application of rollerjoring, skijoring, canicross (the nordic walking type), parades, wagoning small children, towing our kayak (Orka balancing the front with me steering / pushing from back while kayak is on a strapped down kayak cart), bringing home groceries, etc.

We'll do the draft testing and get the titles but that's not the main reason for this -- it's to have fun, to do what Newfs were bred to do, to get all the benefits of the sports and time in Nature, to continually look for new ways to get the most out of this joyous big boy's enthusiasm and boundless energy.

 

[KatieB]

Janice obviously a properly fit harness and well balanced cart go without saying. I still see no reason a year old dog can't pull an empty unweighted balanced cart. We were fortunate to have very experienced Berner draft people help us get started. But if a dog can test at 18 months it needs to be able to train earlier than that which was why I recommended starting at a year. Berners start at two years and need months of work to build up to pulling their weight. I think if newfs pulled a heavier load you'd see more people focus on proper harnessing and cart balancing.

 

[newflizzie]

We are new at carting as well, so it's interesting to see the responses. Lizzie is 19 months now....but I put her in a Siwash harness at a year old to get her used to it and she had no problem (I guess because she was used to a leather tracking harness) then I attached the traces and got her used to them, then we let her drag some gallon jugs behind her, then we walked her next to the cart, then we hitched her up. We are just at the hitching point now - we haven't really pulled the cart even weightless because I need a more experienced person to help me check if the harness is on correctly and cart hitched up/balanced correctly before I let her pull. At this point it's so hot, it'll be Fall before we get back to it and get some help. Liz seems to enjoy it all though.

My xmas gift was a siwash harness and a wilzcek small win cart. I'm sure there are creative people out there that can make their own and balance them, but I don't think I'm one of them.

 

[Cascadians]

We want to be sure fit and balance is correct and we're doing everything correctly so we are going to have an NCA certified draft mentor judge here go over everything on Orka in person when Orka is ready to have the cart hitched. We'll pay her for her time and expertise. Safety is paramount and an experienced eye making sure everything is good is very important to us.

I read about various Newfie Clubs having training seminars and group practice and I so wish we had that!

 

[Capri]

Manual: "Newfound Draft Work - A Guide For Training" Second Edition by Consie Powell

This is definitely THE book you should get, as it'll answer ALL your questions. Fantastic illustrated guide, I haven't see any better anywhere else (nor do I think it could get any better!).

 

[Pipelineozzy]

I have a wagon...not a cart. That way balance is NOT an issue...as the weight never shifts onto the harness. The front wheels steer when the dog turns...
It's much harder to transport..but virtually effortless for the dog to pull. I can literally hook the ring on the shaft and pull it along beside me with one finger.

 

[BreezyNewf]

Whats a siwash harness??