Would you let your dog pull a child on a sled? (in snow, of course)

[Anthony8858]

Have you ever had your GSD pull a sled in the snow?

[hunterisgreat]

Originally Posted by Anthony8858

Have you ever had your GSD pull a sled in the snow?

We don't have snow, but we used to have a competition where Jäger pulled people on a plasma cart after someone with a sleeve a hundred yards away. Whoever stayed on the longest was declared the winner.

Plasma cart:

[Kyleigh]

Oh I plan to!!!! I'm getting a dog sled for Kyleigh, and as soon as the snow comes to Ottawa, I'm going to start training her!

My nephew is 6 and he is soooo looking forward to it!!!

BUT ... my nephew will be sitting on the chair, and I'll be standing behind the chair ... so he won't be alone, and I won't be letting Ky run full tilt!

[Lilie]

I've had dogs pull little red wagons with our children in them. We had a goat we trained to pull a wagon as well. Not as successful as the dogs, but it was great fun. I've had dogs lead little ponies around the pasture with children riding the ponies.

As long as your careful and the kids / dogs are supervised, I see no problem with it at all.

[sashadog]

I've let my dogs pull my younger siblings in sleds and wagons but only with me walking them on a leash. I didn't trust them to not take off after a squirrel with my 5 year old sister attached The only caution I would take is pay attention to if your dog truly likes pulling... I had a couple that seemed really confused and anxious if I asked them to pull anything, although I blame that on them being older (4 or 5) and having had years of training to NOT pull

[Bear GSD]

Originally Posted by Anthony8858

Have you ever had your GSD pull a sled in the snow?

When you say "sled" do you mean a sled for kids to go sledding on or a real dog sled? Also how old is the child?

I have had my last GSD pull my kids in the snow, but they were over the age of 13 and were in an area that was clear of trees, etc...

[carmspack]

after working with Bruce Langmaid a professional competitive sled dog racer , Iditarod and Yukon Quest, I bought his gorgeous hand crafted Quebec artisan made sled which he was retiring to get a more high tech, lighter weight sled for competition.
I would be invited to my sons primary grades school and the kids all got rides around the perimeter.

It takes training before - sound on go and stop , directions left right, and turn arounds .

Very important is that the dog is physically sound . That the equipment be correct so that the dogs pulling effort is correctly distrubted , and that the dog be of a temperament to enjoy it .

Control is necessary . You can not have a dog bolting , especially with a child on the ride.

These same dogs were trained to pull a wheeled cart also.

[Kyleigh]

That's the only thing I don't know yet ... will she like it? I'm hoping she'll love it because I really need something that gets us out in the winter (since I hate winter, and can't ski to save my life!)

The guy that is building it for me is awesome - He asked me a million questions about Kyleigh - height, weight, physical fitness, etc. I should have it by mid-December! It's a chair on skis with a place for me to stand behind the chair. This way my nephew has somewhere to sit, while I control Kyleigh ...

If it doesn't work this year, there's always next year. Certainly don't have to worry about not getting snow in Ottawa (mind you it's +5 and raining today LOL)

[Blanketback]

I would, but I'd get a proper pulling harness instead of letting the neck take all the pressure with a regular flat collar.

[sashadog]

Originally Posted by Kyleigh

That's the only thing I don't know yet ... will she like it? I'm hoping she'll love it because I really need something that gets us out in the winter (since I hate winter, and can't ski to save my life!)

The guy that is building it for me is awesome - He asked me a million questions about Kyleigh - height, weight, physical fitness, etc. I should have it by mid-December! It's a chair on skis with a place for me to stand behind the chair. This way my nephew has somewhere to sit, while I control Kyleigh ...

If it doesn't work this year, there's always next year. Certainly don't have to worry about not getting snow in Ottawa (mind you it's +5 and raining today LOL)

Just out of curiosity, can one dog really pull an adult or even two people? I've just always seen multiple dogs used to pull people.