buster the show dog
Posted : 8/7/2008 12:34:04 PM
I've had dogs that were happy to pull a cart well into their senior years, although they all learned the skill as young dogs. What is your goal with carting? If you just want to teach your dog a fun skill, then there's no reason why a sound 7 yr old couldn't learn to pull a cart. The cart itself isn't very heavy, so the cart alone isn't going to put a lot of physical stress on a sound dog. On the other hand, if you want to participate in carting tests, or you want your dog to actually haul loads of stuff for you, then he may or may not be able to do it. Most carting tests don't require that the dog pull all that much of a load. They are not weight pull competitions where the emphasis is on muscle power. Carting tests are much more about skill and precision in maneuvering the cart, and much lass about brawn. If your goal is to have your dog pull loads for you in some practical situation then it depends on what it is you want your dog to haul. Since you already have the cart, you have nothing to lose by teaching him to pull an empty cart, and then you can gradually add weight to it (by gradually I mean a couple pounds at a time, not fifty pound increments). It should be apparent to you when the amount of weight is causing him to struggle a bit, and at that point you back off on the load significantly.