Carting with a 55 lb goldendoodle?

[Mae]

I can’t find any information on if goldendoodles would be appropriate to train as carting dogs. We have a 21 month old goldendoodle (F1b if that matters). He loves to pull on the leash so I thought it would be fun once he’s old enough (2 years old?) to train him to pull a light wagon. Once I even strapped one leash to my 5 year olds 12” bike and held the dog with another leash. He acted like there wasn’t anything behind him. How do you know if your dog is physically built for pulling? And what weight is safe to pull (my 4 and 6 year old would be thrilled to take turns riding while I lead him). I have a little experience with pony carts and charlie is so bomb proof I don’t think we’d have difficulty getting him used to pulling something. But I want to make sure we don’t harm him. Thanks!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks for correcting my phone typing errors.  I meant to say that she claimed to have created the mix of giant Schnoodles (giant schnauzers with poodles).  I always try to shortcut when on my phone cuz it's too much one finger typing for me.  :-}

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Boy, for someone who didn't want a smart phone, you're sure using it a lot, lol. :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am!  I really am enjoying using it, BUT it is not as easy to navigate (for me) as my computer.  Way not easier! Plus I have stuff linked and saved on my computer that I do not have, and do not want, on my phone!  :-}

[Stacy]

As hard as these guys can pull on their leashes when they're not supposed to I wouldn't think that a light cart would be an issue. Physics is my absolute worst subject. But depending on the terrain and slope of the walking surface I would think that they would only be pulling a fraction of the weight of the cart. Especially once they got it moving. I'm sure someone could figure that out. That person will not be me.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

You are correct about it being a very minimal amount of force required to pull a light weight if the friction is low (ie. good wheels that turn easily). :)  Especially once it's moving; you could even give it a little shove to help them out.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

This is not something I would even have thought of doing with a doodle, but I love the backpack and carrying water idea. That I have thought about as I hike with mine often.  As for the carting, I'd ask the Vet. I'd be interested in hearing what they say.   How much does he weigh?

[Mae]

So I did some more digging. Any dog can pull 2-3 times their weight (verified by my vet and other people I talked to on a carting forum). Standard Poodles are great working dogs. They love to pull and with their deep chests and long legs, they're great for it. So technically once he has been well trained and slowly conditioned, our 56 pound doodle can pull 165 pounds. I probably won't get close to that, but its good to know he can! I guess the weight limit is the weight of the cart plus the weight of the load. We've already got the card and built the shafts. Just waiting on the right harness and working on ground training. So excited! (The kids are also having way too much fun pulling each other around the neighborhood.)

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Sounds like a lot of fun :)

Riley certainly pulls hard enough I have no doubt she'd take us for a ride, not sure if it would be fun or terrifying though lol.  She can pull my DH right off his feet and he is 160+ pounds...and he's not on wheels!

[Mae]

Exactly! Charlie pulls pretty hard when he wants to but the only time he jerked me off my feet was when I wasn't paying attention and my kids threw a frisbee (his major weakness). I don't plan to ride in the cart but I do plan to put my kids or yard supplies in the cart. My husband went to this campground as a kid that he has always wanted to go back to but its 1.5 mile hike in. That's not so bad, except that you have to haul all your stuff. So now the dog can carry the little kids stuff (and my air mattress haha) so we don't have to wait until the kids are old enough to carry their entire luggage.

Again, I don't plan on weighing him down much at first. The cart is 33 pounds so we'll start with that (once we've gotten him used to the shafts. He already seems cool with the cart being pulled past him by my kids).

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I would seriously talk to a vetinarian about this before starting pulling.  Neither doodles, retrievers nor poodles are built anything like Siberians, etc.  

[Mae]

I did talk to her. She said she’s fine with him pulling up to twice his weight. 

[Stacy]

I just got an email that there is going to be a carting seminar in Wichita, KS in October. I have to work or I might have gone just because. That would be the perfect venue to try out carting.