Canine Draft Work

Lesson: Setting yourself up for the Tight Narrows

2011-04-04T14:59:00.001-07:00

Lesson: Setting yourself up for the Tight Narrows

Really tight narrows can be challenging. With a dog that can perform the side-step, and this video shows an easy way to navigate your dog through very narrows.

Lesson: The Back Up In Cart

2011-04-04T14:58:00.001-07:00

Lesson: The Back Up In Cart

Many draft tests will require your dog to back out of cart and to back in cart. The length of the back can vary from 1 foot to 5 feet, but just to be safe, teach your dog to back 20 feet. Teaching your dog to back is an unnatural behavior, and there are countless ways to teach a dog to back. I only explained a couple in this video, and I may be updating it with other methods over time.

Lesson: Turns, Side Stepping, 360s, and 90 degree turns

2011-04-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Lessons: Turns, Spirals, Side Step, 360s, and Navigating a 90 degree turn

Teaching a dog to turn in cart is a long process, and I urge you take your time with this. Pushing a dog further than it is comfortable may cause the dog to lose confidence or spook in cart. I start teaching turns by making large spirals in the cart. Sometimes the radius of such spirals begin at 50 yards. Once the dog is comfortable doing smaller circles (~20 ft in radius), I will start to teach a dog to turn and to perform side steps. Once a dog can side step, I teach the dog how to do 360 turns. Here's two videos demonstrating how to teach a turn and how to navigate a 90 degree turn.

Teaching a dog to turn and perform 360s

Navigating a 90 degree turn

Lesson: Harnesses, Harnessing, and Hitching

2011-04-04T14:54:00.001-07:00

Lesson: Harnesses, Harnessing, and Hitching
Here's a video on harnesses and harnessing. I may make other videos with more details, but here's the basics to get you started.

Here's a video on hitching your dog from a sit position. It works the same way from a stand position. Mouse just happened to be sitting.

Balancing this Front Heavy Cart

2011-04-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

This cart showed up at a training session, and the owners had a problem. The judge at the previous test deemed this cart unbalanced. How could an empty cart be unbalanced? Upon further inspection, it was noted that the shafts on this cart were particularly heavy, and thus, it put a substantial amount of weight in the front of the cart (in front of the axle). To balance this cart, we added a counter weight. That might seem odd, but we added the counter weight BEHIND the axle, thus, balancing the cart on both sides of the axle.

The best way to do it would have been to measure the weight of the shafts, and then to add that exact weight to the back section of the cart. This was a quick way to solve the issue for now.

What's Wrong with these Rigs?

2011-04-03T02:47:00.000-07:00

Over the years, as a participant, judge, or steward, I've seen a variety of mistakes that have caused people to fail out of a draft test. The following are photos of what might be overlooked during harnessing. Now, I haven't made all these mistakes, but I've made some. The others were stories from other judges. Sometimes when people get nervous, flustered, or frustrated, they tend to forget to check over the entire done before indicating to the judge that harnessing is complete. Always double check!

Social Media has gone to the dogs!

2010-06-04T06:55:00.001-07:00

Social Media has gone to the dogs. After training, showing, handling, and judging dogs for eight years, social media and dogs have their similarities in concepts and behaviors. *Note: This post is mostly intended to be humorous. Don't be too offended. Also, Happy 8th Birthday to @Mousethedog!

1. Classical conditioning is an old dog training principle. Classical conditioning is simply the pairing and associating of two things. In Pavlov's case, his dog associated a bell with dog food which lead to drooling. Eventually, the dog would begin to drool with sound of the bell even in the absence of food. In dog training, the trainer should always be in a cheerful mood regardless of what the dog is doing (much easier said than done). The dog will associate the trainer with cheerfulness and other good things. If the trainer is always angry and upset, the dog will begin to associate the trainer with angry and upset feelings. It isn't hard to figure out why some dogs avoid their owners in this case.

If your Twitter voice and Facebook posts are always unhappy and angry, people will stop following you. You are a debbie downer, a stick in the mud, an angry cloud on a sunshiny day. On the other hand, if your Twitter voice and Facebook posts are always cheerful and happy, people might start to associate you with positive emotions, engage with you more, and tend to follow you. Classically condition people to like you, not to run away from you.

2. Everyone wants to chew on the new toys until it is broken. Dogs love to play with new toys until they are un-stuffed and shredded. Just give a group of dogs a fuzzy stuffed toy and check back in a few weeks to see if you can find the parts of the stuffed toy. This is the same thing with social media tools. Today, Twitter is big. It is so popular that it fail whales frequently. Everyone wants to play with Twitter, and now we've broken it. Tweets have gone missing. Twitter search is a joke. While the Twitter toy has lasted a couple of years so far, how much longer under social media gets a new toy? Other examples of broken toys include the iphone. AT&T's network (especially in San Francisco and Austin) just can't support iphone users anymore. Looks like the HTC Evo 4G is the new toy.

3. In dog training, like social media, there's not only one single right way to do things (many wrongs as well). There's countless numbers of dog training methods, and there are also countless numbers of social media strategies and tactics. Different methods for different dogs. My big dog doesn't respond well to repetition methods. He gets bored. However, my little dog loves doing the same exercise over and over again, especially when she is very confident about her performance. Different social media strategies for different audiences. In social media, hard selling or spamming on Twitter usually get you a kick in the pants. You'll probably also get blocked. However, hard selling or spamming in the adult website industry probably works considering how many wind up in my spam box.

4. In dogs, they all want to sniff the newbie's butt. Who's that new dog at the park? What's his story? Should I pee on him? In social media, we all tend to google and search for dirt on new users. Who's that new blogger? Has anyone ever met that newbie with only 3 followers? Before you get started in social media, be sure that you clean up your Facebook and Myspace (may it rest in peace) accounts. No one needs to find that photo of you doing a keg stand in your sister's bikini and high heels when sniffing your online butt.

5. Dogs breeds were developed with certain innate characteristics over hundreds of years. Border collies love to chase moving objects. Daschunds love to dig. Huskies love to pull. You can try to train them to not engage in those behaviors, but the dogs like to do what they like to do. Your audience has innate characteristics. They like what they like, and you can try to change it, but good luck. If psychologists knew how to consistently and reliably invoke attitude and behavior change, we would have put an end to drug abuse, unsafe sex practices, and unhealthy eating habits. We're still working on those.

6. Motivation. Dogs wake up in the morning wanting to pee on things, eat cat poop, slobber on the couch, and hump stuffed animals (maybe not in that order). They are dogs after all, and that's what they are motivated to do. Users wake up in the morning and look for interesting news, follow new users, and play Farmville. Face it. They don't wake up saying, "I would LOVE to spend my time writing a blog post about your product!" Dogs have different motivations than their handlers. Consumers have different motivations than businesses. While your business might have fans who like your products, they aren't as motivated as you are to stay afloat.

7. Be genuine. Dogs can smell a fake from a mile away. They can read your body language much better than humans can. Users can also smell a fake on social media as well. You can't put up a fake front for long. We'll call you out!

8. Dog training and social media never ends. I get asked frequently how long it took to train my dogs. My reply is, "It never ends." The notion that one can take a dog through few obedience courses and get a well-behaved dog is pretty far from the truth. Training a dog happens is a never ending process, especially if they are trained for performance activities. Training lasts a lifetime. Successful social media also never ends. I've been asked "How long do we have to use Twitter? When do we are we finished with social media?" The answer is: Unless your business or your internet presence ceases to exists, social media should not end. Social media tools may come and go, but hopefully the social part never ends.

What's the difference between drafting, carting, and weight pull?

2010-05-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Most people I know use drafting and carting interchangeably. Drafting or
carting is usually pulling a cart, wagon, or travois. These apparatuses have
shafts and brakes so that the rig can be maneuvered through turns. IMO,
drafting or carting (whichever term one prefers to use) is not about sheer
weight, but rather about how well the dog and handler can maneuver a cart to do
everyday farm activities.

Weight pull is the activity that involves heavy duty pulling. During weight
pull competitions there are no shafts, and the goals is to test how much weight
a dog can pull. The weight can be either on a cart(wheels or rails) or on a
sled on snow. Weight pull carts and sleds do not have shafts as the goal is not
about maneuverability, but about weight pull only. For people who do use their
dogs on the farm to do work, I usually hear the terms hauling or pulling. I
only hear the specific term weight pull when speaking about the sport.

Just to make things confusing, it is common to cross train dogs in both sports
to improve both sports. My dogs are active in both drafting/carting and weight
pull. I might have my dog pull a 100 lb load in his draft cart to train for
weight pull for a miles to build endurance. Or I might have might dog
participate in weight pull to build up strength and confidence.

To make things even more confusing, if you look through breed club rules and
titles, most all carting/drafting titles are called Draft titles or Draft tests,
even though people refer to it as carting. ND stands for novice draft. DD
stands for draft dog (the open title in GSMD). There's also team draft which is
sometimes referred to as brace.

Tackling hills

2010-05-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Tackling hills in drafting is serious business. While it seems like a simple task, taking a dog up or down a hill in a cart can pose many risks.

	Wet ground and loose gravel can cause the dog to loose footing and slip. Going up incorrectly, a loaded cart can drag a dog down a hill. Going down incorrectly can have a cart run up on the dog and cause the brakes to fail resulting in serious injury.
	A hill that is too steep can put undue pressure on a dog in either direction.
	Asking a dog to hold a loaded cart on a hill in either direction pointed in the incorrect direction can cause undue stress on the dog either pulling or pushing a dog down a hill.
	I've been on hills so steep that even empty carts were rolling down a hill into a pond. Unfortunately, the organizer of the event insisted that we position the carts parallel to the slope instead of perpendicular to the slope.

To protect against these problems, hills should always be tacked. This concept is not new nor is used only in dog drafting. The concept of tacking, sometimes called switchbacks, is used in sailing, windsurfing, biking, skating, and driving. In sailing and windsurfing, the operator sails or surfs at an angle towards the wind, not directly towards it. In biking, skating, or driving, it is easiest to go up a hill at 45 degree angles instead of dead up the hill. That method reduces the steepness of the hill and makes it easier to go up or town. If you want to test this theory, just grab a pair of skates and try to go straight up or down a steep hill. Make sure you wear a helmet and protective gear first. You'll quickly learn that you can bleed off speed by tacking down the hill or ease the steepness by tacking up the hill. In driving, cars with short clearances that need to make it up or down a steep incline should approach at an angle either way. Here's some photos to illustrate the concept.

If you're familiar with Lombard Street, here's a photo of cars tacking down this 27% grade hill. Read more details here.

Tacking a hill (up or down) is pretty self-explanatory and straight forward. You traverse a hill by going up diagonally at a comfortable angle. You will be traveling more distance to go up the hill, and it will be at a less steep slope. More importantly, it will be safer! I also go up curbs and small hills with my own dogs at angles. When leaving your harnessed and hitched dog or cart (without the dog) on a hill, make sure that they are positioned perpendicular to the hill. You don't want the cart or dog to be overcome by the weight of the cart when on a steep hill to cause a runaway.

Here's a photos of some cars parked perpendicular to the slope (correct). If you don't do this in San Francisco on some extremely steep hills, you'll have some runaway cars.

Upcoming Weight Pull Jan 23-24th!

2010-01-08T06:52:00.001-08:00

The IWPA Weight pull will be on Jan 23-24th at SouthPaws Playschool, 2324 South Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX.

You may also sign up online to reserve your spot here (Novice dogs only): http://austinweightpull.eventbrite.com/. You will pay the entry fee on the day of the event. Dogs competing for titles should not use the online sign up.

If you are interested in the IWPA sanctioned weight pull competition (Sunday), weigh in will be at 9:00am. Pulling starts at 10:00. Weigh in NOT required for novice rounds. You may enter any of the novice rounds up to the time it begins. Please see www.iwpa.net for specific rules in the competitive rounds. Novice teams should be treated like training rounds.

Weight pull general info:

Any dog can participate and earn a title through IWPA for weight pulling.

What's the fee? Free for spectators. $10 for novice rounds - enter when you get there. Consider novice rounds a training session and a chance to see if your dog enjoys it. I will have harnesses for you to use. Most dogs take to a harness quickly. $25 for competition rounds.

What can my dog get out of weight pulling? Physical activity, confidence building, socializing, and improving their relationship with you.

What do I need to train my dog to do before then for weight pull? The come or recall command. Your dog should have basic control.

What's the most weight a dog has ever pulled? The most I've seen is 50000 lbs. Most dogs in healthy condition can pull 10x their body weight without any additional physical training.

When do I enter? On the day of the event. Novice can enter any time before the round begins. Professional/competition rounds must be entered and weighed in before the start of the pull.

Who can participate? Anyone and any breed. No registry or club membership required.

What should I bring? Your dog on leash and yourself. Camping chair and crate if desired. I will have harnesses available for dogs 20 lbs to 160 lbs.

My dog is small. Is there anything for us to do? Yes! Even the "little" ones can weight pull. There have been Jack Russells and Italian Greyhounds that pull with success!

Is there a judge out there named Steve? Distance from rear legs to cart.

2010-01-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

I recently received a comment on the blog from Steve (also a draft judge) inquiring about distance from the rear legs of the dog to the cart. He wrote that the guidelines online are vague about the distance so I wrote back to Steve. Unfortunately, I wrote back to the wrong Steve. Steve, if you're out there, this blog post is for you.

My email to the incorrect Steve:

My trainer said that there should be enough space for the dog to extend their rear legs while in cart, but not hit the cart. As a quick guideline, it should be an 18 inch ARC (not the direct points when standing) from the foot to the back of the cart. I'd have to put Mouse in cart to measure the distance from point to point instead of the arc. The length might also be different for each dog, given the height of the dog and the dog's hocks.

There's nothing inherently unsafe about having the cart much further away from the rear of the dog as long as the traces are snug. The problems you get when the shafts are too long and the cart is too far away is that it is difficult to maneuver, and the turning radius is much wider. The shorter the shafts, the easier it is to turn. However, if the shafts are too short or the dog was placed too far back (move the brakes forward to fix), then the dog's foot or hock would hit the bottom side of the cart.

I would not fail a team for having really long shafts as it isn't unsafe. It is a mechanical disadvantage that the team will have to work with that may cause them to fail. That's the handler's responsibility and choice to have longer shafts. However, if the shafts are long and the traces are not tight, I may fail the team depending on how dangerous I perceived the rig. I judged one particular trial in which almost every single team had really loose traces, even after I warned them of how dangerous it was (it also changes the point of pull). Anyways, one dog was almost pulled down a big hill when the shafts slid out of the shaft loops. It nearly gave me a heart attack seeing that happen.

I would also fail a team the dog's rear was too close to the cart, but I don't think I've ever seen that in practice or at trials. Dogs are usually too far with loose traces.

Draft Training Oct. 24th Canceled

2009-10-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'll be judging at the Austin Farmer's Market Downtown Doggone to summer doggie costume contest so drafting is canceled this weekend. Keep checking in for our next class.

Oct. 17th Drafting clinic

2009-10-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

The first drafting clinic of this season start tomorrow, Oct. 17th, 9:00 am. Class size is limited so please contact me if you plan to show up. I will email the location when you respond. jennie@romanreign.com

Dogs need to be in control, and teams should have a healthy working relationship. Training collars and treats are permitted. No equipment needed on our first day.

See ya there!

Shaft height and length fine tuning

2009-10-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here's some photos showing correct shaft height and length. Shaft height and balance of the cart are very important. The height of the shaft should come the point of shoulder of the dog and should not extend more than a few inches past the shoulder. Length of the shafts, while not a safety issue, can affect maneuvering. The longer the shafts, the wider the turning radius. Shorter shafts have a shorter turning radius.

If you do shorten the shafts, make sure you also tighten those traces and move your brakes to the appropriate location. The shafts and cart should be parallel to the ground. Click on photos below for bigger version.

The Forward Cinch Debate - Under/Under or Over/Over & lengthy shaft loops

2009-10-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is a minor detail in harnessing, but an important one. Because the difference in either strapping the forward cinch over the primary traces or under the primary traces is subtle, this detail has been thrown to the wayside. I will be adding more photographs to this particular post to demonstrate the differences.

I have been taught that the forward cinch should be secured under both primary traces. A number of judges do consider this to be a major issue, and will consider this a failure to harness and hitch properly. The logic is that the primary traces should be the only straps that give the cart it's momentum. In other words, all pull power comes from the traces, and no other straps should hinder or rub on the traces. The points of pull are where the siwash is sewn together at the top and the bottom of the neck piece. See photo below for a visual explanation. Click photo for larger version.

The over/over method of securing the cinch is disadvantageous for several reasons. Click on photo below for larger picture.

The cinch loop pushes on the primary traces, thus hindering pulling power.
The cinch loop changes the point of pull (particularly at the upper) on the traces so that the harness is now inefficient.
The adjusting buckles on the upper primary traces can get caught on the cinch loop. This can rub painfully on the dog's back and/or reducing the dog's pull power.

I have never been given a logical explanation of why the forward cinch should be over/over the primary traces. The correct position should be under/under. Again, some judges won't check it, but others will.

The length of the shaft loops is also important. Shafts should be held close to the dog's body with little up or down give. A forward cinch that is too loose or too wiggle room between the cinch or shaft can cause bouncing of the shafts or side to side swaying when the dog is moving. Additionally, going over hills or bumps can cause the shafts to go up over the dog's back. Also make sure that the brakes cannot slip through the shaft loops. This is a serious safety issue, particularly if the cart is loaded. I'm a safety stickler. Make sure all pieces are safety put together before harnessing and hitching your dog. Click on photo for large image.

Harness and Hitch checklist

2009-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

As a judge, here's the list of items I check when performing the harness and hitch judging. Note: other judges may or may not check the same things I check.

* Check cart balance by lifting the shafts. In a loaded or unloaded cart, there should be only 1 lb of pressure (may be a little heavier depending on the weight of the shafts). Any weight that is heavier than the weight of the shafts indicates that the cart is unbalanced or improperly hitched.

* Check trace tightness. They should be tight and taut. If the traces are not fairly taut, it will cause multiple problems. This is very serious safety issue, and I would consider it to be an unsafe rig.

The shafts may sway from side to side or up and down.
The pull power is coming the shafts and not the traces. The dog will NOT be using the correct body parts to pull the cart.
The cart may lurch when the dog starts to move.
The cart may push forward on the dog until the brakes stop it when the dog stops.
The shafts might come out of the shaft loops and then the dog will not have a way to steer the cart. Example of one case I've seen: A standard poodle was pulling a loaded cart up the hill with loose traces. The cart rolled backwards due to the slack in the traces and the shafts came out of the shaft loops. Click on photo for larger version.

* Check fit of the neck piece on a siwash. I check out how snug it is, and I check that the prosternum is at the V. If you put your fingers right at the inside of the V, you should feel the prosternum bone. If you do not, the neck piece is either too big or too small. Too big or too small can pinch a dog's neck.

*Check for tightness of the cinch (forward) and belly band. It should fit the dog perfectly. Not loose, nor too snug.

*Check that the shaft loops are tight and cannot go over the brakes.

Preparing for a Draft Test

2009-10-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

I got returned from a draft trial just last night, and with the weekend fresh in my mind, we're going to go over some draft trial tips and info before diving back into training posts. Here are some skills that I encourage my draft students to master before going to a draft trial.

Basic Control - both dog and handler will need to have a solid working relationship with several commands. For basic control, the dog that can qualify in rally obedience should have enough control for a draft test's basic control. The dog needs to:

sit on command
stay in position for 3 minutes
heel with the handler (not necessarily in heel position)
turn left
turn right
halt (no sit needed)
about turn
recall (come when called)

Basic control is NOT scored like competitive obedience and the requirements are not as strict. The dog does NOT need to be in heel position at all time, and you may talk to your dog during the entire test (except the stays).

Harness and Hitching: You should be able to harness a dog correctly, and hitch a dog correctly. In my opinion, harnessing and hitching should not be a jerry-rigged last minute chore. It is first and foremost, the most crucial part of safety in dog drafting. Dog drafting is a sport that can be very dangerous to you and your dog if do not do it properly. Thusly, I am a stickler for safe harnessing and hitching. While I have not failed someone for minor issues with harnessing, I cannot pass a dog that is in an unsafe rig. Future posts on that.

Maneuvering course: My rule of thumb is if a dog can master the following exercises with only voice or hand commands and no treats, then they can pass any draft test. Yes, they are much more difficult than what is required, but I always try to train for tougher than the test.

360 clockwise pivoting on the inside wheel, but not moving it
360 counter-clockwise pivoting on the inside wheel, but not moving it
Back up in cart 10 feet in a straight line
Back up unhitched 10 feet in a straight line
Pull through narrows that are two (yes, that's two) inches wider than the cart for 15 feet
Pull through high narrows that are two inches wider than the cart for 15 feet
Parallel Park with no leash guidance

Freight Haul:

Out of sight stay for 5 minutes
Properly load and balance a cart
Navigate a steep hill up and down
Halt a dog
Maintain control of a dog that likes to cart quickly

Happy Training!

Drafting Seasons Starts

2009-10-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Photo by Michael Taylor

A big congrats goes out to Janice Swenson and Brooke for earning their Water Rescue Dog (WRD) title last weekend at Lake Kiowa, TX. Water rescue is an extremely difficult sport, and it requires a fit, obedient, and willing dog. Don't forget to congratulate Janice and Brooke next time you see them. Now that the water rescue season is over, it's time to start thinking about drafting.

We haven't finalized the location yet (East Austin), but we're thinking about starting training on Oct. 17th, 9 am. Get your dogs working on obedience and get those carts out....it's drafting time!

Siwash Harnesses - freight weight and the carting

2009-09-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Freuently, people ask me about harnesses. Which one is better? I can't say that of the two siwash harnesses: freight/weight or carting, that one is better than the other. The both have advantages and disadvantages. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 harnesses now, and the only one I haven't tried for carting is the parade harness. I'm not a huge fan of the parade harness, and I've heard through the grapevine that many other judges aren't either. I'll go into detail about that on another post along with specialty harnesses including the Wilczek, weight pull harnesses, and leather harnesses.

Mouse has a freight/weight siwash with a cinch and cinch loop added because I want to do weight pulling and carting. However, the freight harnesses is too "wimpy" for real competitive weight pulling. Do not take this to a weight pull. You will need a true, heavy duty weight pull harness to do some serious work. The disadvantages of a frieght/weight siwash is that it is a one-piece so you must take the entire thing off to let
the dog potty or else hook the spreader bar up to the shoulders of the dog so they can walk around without tripping. On the other hand, being a one-piece is also an advantage as it is easier to
untangle and easier to put on.

The carting harnesses usually is more complicated than the freight weight harnesses. There is the neck piece, belly band, and 2 traces. You MUST be absolutely certain that the 2 traces are the same length so that the weight is distributed correctly. These two traces either attach to a tree or 2 points on the vehicle. The advantage of the carting harnesses is that you can just unhook the traces without having straps hanging off everywhere.

I personally lean towards the carting harness. It's just a personal preference. There is no performance differences between the two harnesses if used properly.

Preface and big thanks!

2009-09-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

As I write this drafting handbook, now blogpost, I think of all the people who helped me put together this guide. The inspiration, support, and guidance that helped push me to write this book comes from a plethora of people. These supporters came from all walks ranging from my training mentors, my academic students, and people who wanted to learn what drafting. Over the years, people and their dogs have taught me more and more about draft work, and how to deal with problems in drafting. Additionally, many drafters have also contributed their knowledge, time, and ideas to the construction of this handbook. I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to those supporters.

I started in draft with the late Dick Shumer, a serious master drafter, trainer, and friend. Dick Shumer was a Jack of all trades who taught more than just canine drafting. He also taught us how to build carts, how to jerry-rig just about anything, and he was the absolute king of bungee cords. Dick is the kind of person that gives and gives, and never expects anything in return except for the satisfaction of his students being happy. He taught us the meaning of generosity, patience, and forgiveness. Thank you for so much you have done for me and the Austin canine drafting community.

Another big thank you goes to Janice Swenson for all her time, effort, and support. Janice is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Should know ever have a question, Janice will more than likely have the answer with all the caveats. If she doesn't have the answer at the moment, you can guarantee that she'll have it soon with more information than you ever needed to know. Janice is like google for dog drafting.

Other thank you to Debby Quigley, Judy Ramsey, Letty Alamia, John O'Niel, Kathleen Conway, Molly McNally and family, Karen Kimborough, Barbara Cecil, Connie and Jon Beauregard, Bill and Jeannette Faure, Shannon Hennigan and Sue Urban, Chris Christensen, Ron and Pam Capelli, Don Beard, Glenda Parks, Ann Logan, Patty Pearce, The Kretchmars, Huck Bothner and Jean Measell, and Michael and Audrey Starns, and Ron Horn for all your support.

For those who don't know about my professional life, I began graduate school around the same time I got my first Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Mouse. Grad school is supposed to be a time consuming and mentally challenging experience. My graduate school experience was all that and more. Another special thanks to all those who supported me through dog training and grad school. Roman Reign is very thankful for those who provided moral support.

And last but not least, a big thanks to Mouse, my first sweet and gentle giant. He has no concept of his size, and as he matured, he had no concept of his age (you'll be getting a glimpse of what I mean later on). As a veteran now, he still looks and acts like a 6 month old goofball. Thank you to Mouse for being incredibly tolerant, incredibly patient, and incredibly forgiving as my first dog. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've made mistakes with you, and you just kept on trucking.

Another points I must bring up in writing this book is that I was formally trained as a scientist in social psychology. My field of research was in behavioral neuroendocrinology. My academic training and many of my dog trainers were very methodological with very structured training programs. This book, now blog, is similar in lay out and structure. Each exercise will be approached step by step with supplementary videos on youtube. My hopes is that with these two methods, you will be able to understand the concept and goal of each exercise. You should also understand each step and why the steps are important (no skipping around!) My recommendation for training is if you reach a speed bump in your training, back up about 3 steps. If you reach another speed bump that isn't addressed in this handbook, do not hesitate to contact me.

Welcome to Canine Draft Work.

2009-09-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

Canine drafting is a fun activity for active dogs. Drafting, also known as carting, is a sport in which a dog pulls a cart, wagon, or other vehicle. More deets on the specifics in later posts. Many large breed dogs have a history of drafting successfully. The Newfoundland, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Bernese Mountain Dog, Mastiff, Rottweiler, and Great Pyrnees are some of the more common breeds that participate in drafting. I've been drafting for seven years with my Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and I've been judging draft trials for almost 3 years now. I had planned on writing an updated drafting book, but I decided that it would be easier and more logical to post it as a blog. I can easily answer questions via the comment feature, and I can also edit and add information more readily.

Enjoy!