Laura Waldbaum - Carting with Your Dog: Positive Draft Training for Fun and Competition

Carting with Your Dog
Positive Draft Dog Training for Fun and Competition
Laura Waldbaum

Dogwise Publishing
A Division of Direct Book Service, Inc.
403 South Mission Street, Wenatchee, Washington 98801
1-509-663-9115, 1-800-776-2665
www.dogwisepublishing.com / info@dogwisepublishing.com

2011 Laura Waldbaum

Photos: Shari Curran, Gina Ellis, Diana Gerba, Nancy Guisti, Fred Helmbold,
Nick Hengeveld, Judy Hengeveld, Lacey McNally, Christine Mann,
Debra Quick, Jeff Sellers, Kyla Smay, Cindy Still, Kathe Vasquez, Laura
Waldbaum, and Ray Waldbaum.
Graphic Design: Lindsay Peternell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, digital or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system
without permission in writing from the publisher.

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty:
The author and publisher shall not be liable in the event of incidental or
consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing,
performance, or use of the instructions and suggestions contained in
this book.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Waldbaum, Laura, 1959

Carting with your dog : positive draft dog training for fun and competition / Laura Waldbaum.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-61781-024-4

1. Dogs--Training, 2. Working dogs. 3. Carriages and carts. 4. Wagons. I. Title.

SF431.W28 2011

636.73--dc22

2011002640

ISBN: 978-1-61781-024-4

Printed in the U.S.A.

More praise for Carting with Your Dog

Information about draft work is hard to come by, and what a delight it was to find that Waldbaum is not only an experienced competitor in the sport, but knows the science behind the successful application of positive reinforcement training. She breaks the information down for both the trainer and the dog ensuring her goal of making training easy, fun, and safe. Her explanations about using clicker training to capture, shape, or target behaviors make this book a must read for both neophytes to the sport or to clicker training. Shaping dogs to get into position in between the shafts of a cart was a great example of splitting behaviors into fun, doable pieces for the dog. Terry Long, CPDT-KA, an award-winning writer, is the founder of DogPACT, a training and behavior consultation service in Long Beach, CA. She is a former managing editor of the APDT Chronicle of the Dog and is editor of its On Behavior column.

Carting with Your Dog is one of the best examples of using positive reinforcement training methods for behaviors outside of the obedience realm. Laura Waldbaum has the background and knowledge to use positive methods to ensure not only the safety of the dog/ human teams, but to solidify the fun that working dogs should experience when doing their jobs. Good training in any dog sport should include the credo, Make it fun or make it stop, (a phrase coined by Madeline Gabriel, CPDT-KA) and Laura has taken this into consideration with every step in this unique and informative book. This is a must read, for anyone that wants to do carting and keep their dogs safe and happy in the process. Nan Arthur, CDBC, CPDT-KA, KPACTP/Faculty, author of Chill Out Fido!

There has long been a need for someone to compile collective wisdom about how to teach a dog to cartLaura Waldbaum has done this with Carting with Your Dog. Using her own excellent skills as a trainer and a solid understanding of the value of positive training methods, Laura provides readers with a step-by-step guide to successfullyand safelycart with any dog. The authors straight forward writing style makes this book well-organized and easy to read, and her ability to explain the incremental tasks associated with cart training is invaluable. This is a book that will become a primer for anyone with an interest in carting with a dog, and is a valuable resource both for novice and experienced handlers. In addition, this book would be an excellent gift for those we would like to encourage in the sportI will be sending copies to some of my puppy owners! Mary-Ann Sontag Bowman, Ph.D., LCSW, is one of the most successful and versatile trainers of Bernese Mountain Dogs in the breed. She has earned multiple High in Trials and several BMDCA Top Dog awards.

This book provides a great foundation for people who are interested in training their canine companions to pull a cart. Pulling a cartor draft workis one of the traditional ways that dogs have provided assistance to humans. Draft work can be useful, or just a fun activityan activity that any dog of any size can learn. Ms. Waldbaums book gives the reader all the tips and tools necessary to get started. For the dog owner who is new to training, Ms. Waldbaum describes a positive approach to teaching a dog any skill. For the more experienced trainer who is new to draft work, this book is the right place to get the information necessary to have any dog happily and successfully pulling a cart.

There is also a competitive venue for drafting, and Ms. Waldbaum explains how to prepare for and participate successfully in a draft test. Different types of equipment and different venues for competition are all highlighted in this book. Whether you want to have your dog pull a cart in parades, give cart rides to your kids, haul a load of wood, or successfully pass a draft testthis book covers all the bases in a training progression that is easy to understand and follow. Carting with Your Dog is a worthy addition to the training library of any positive training enthusiast. Ruth Nielsen has been actively involved in training and competing with her dogs in a variety of canine sports since the mid-90s. She is also a draft judge, and has been judging draft competitions for the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of American (BMDCA) since 2003.

To Isaac, who started this journey
by my side and will always be
with me in my heart .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

10. Problem Solving

Appendix 5Converting a Childs Wagon into a Draft Rig

At the age of fourteen I trained our family dog, Ziggy, an English Setter, and earned my first AKC title, a CD. I trained her the way dogs were trained in those days using corrections (a choke chain pop) and praise. Ziggy performed the obedience exercises to the best of her ability because she was worried about the consequences of not doing so. That year Ziggy and I won an award from The English Setter Association of America. Although thrilled by the recognition and minor celebrity status, the whole training experience left me feeling sad. My best friend was now afraid of me and I soured on the sport of competitive dog training.

Dog training has changed a lot in the thirty-seven years since then. Pioneers in positive training techniques like Karen Pryor and Ian Dunbar questioned the old ways and led a revolution in the way we think about training and the trainerdog relationship. This revolution swept me up and I am happy to be a part of it. My dogs and I have earned many more titles and awards since that first one each accomplished willingly and with no regretsthe culmination of another fun training game we played together.

It is said that a good dog trainer combines elements of both art and science in her work, and I believe that this is so. Evidence based training concepts appeal to my scientific background. I eagerly embrace research based learning theory and teaching techniques founded on positive reinforcement, conditioning and counterconditioning. The research has been fascinating and I look forward to its continuing advancements. I also have within me a creative spirit. That spirit lives in my imagination in a world of the possible, always asking the question Why not? Each new dog and training experience has challenged me and nurtured that creative spirit. I have been lucky, the years I have spent working with dogs have given me a precious gift.