Draft Dog

Finally – Duncan, his cart, and his harness are all in the same place! Friday afternoon, we went to Pittsboro to get his harness and some basic training with the cart. Duncan looks very handsome in his harness, and he took to pulling the cart with almost no trouble at all (he panicked a little the first time he spotted the shaft at his shoulder when we asked him to turn). Claire and I determined that the shafts were a little longer than necessary, which isn’t surprising. We planned for them to be long, considering the length of Duncan’s stride. Once we got pup and cart together, we were better able to gauge how long the shafts actually need to be. The fellow who built the cart is coming over tomorrow to shorten the shafts and do a few minor touch-ups.

Saturday, Mary came over for lunch and a visit. While she was here, I put her to work taking pictures and video. We hitched Duncan to the cart in the back yard in order to get a few pictures. Duncan was so patient with the hitching process. It didn't bother him at all to stand there for several minutes while I made sure everything was connected properly.



Duncan's finally all hitched up and ready to go.


After a few photos, we took pup and cart to the front for a bit of carting practice. We’ve been instructed to stay on smooth, level ground as much as possible at first. This will give Duncan time to physically and mentally get used to pulling and turning the cart before dealing the natural difficulties of bumpy ground.



Depending on how things go, we may plan to attend a drafting trial in late September. We'll just have to wait and see how quickly Duncan picks up the various skills.

Today, Duncan had some very exciting carting practice. Brian, Marie and Sophie came over for a visit, and Duncan gave Sophie a ride in his cart. I could tell Duncan was getting tired by the start of the third loop between our driveway and the end of the cul-de-sac. Thats not surprising, considering the extra weight he was pulling. Duncan did a wonderful job, though, and seemed very pleased with himself.