I am interested in teaching my 2 dogs to pull a cart or sled (probably a cart more often considering our biggest snowfall is like 3-4 inches and melts the day that it snows!
) Anyway, I wondered if any of you have taught your dogs carting or sledding and any tips you may have. Websites that have great info, good places to get harnesses, ganglines, tuglines, hitches, etc. Or are any of you interested in teaching your dog how to cart but haven't done anything yet like me?
Also, do you guys think that it is hard on the dog's hips or back to pull things like that? I'm a little bit worried about increasing the risk of hip dysplasia with heavy pulling, but I e-mailed a lady who is an expert on carting and she seemed to assure me that if done the right way, it shouldn't be a problem. How old do you think my dogs should be before I teach them to pull? I don't want to hurt growing bones or muscles. Zoey is 17 months and Dolly is 15 months. Tell me what you all think!