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Aussie pulling a sulky?
well, we just got a 3-4 month old Australian Shepherd puppy, she is already 27 pounds. i want to train her to pull sulkies. buy the time she is 2 years old will she be large enough to pull one with, lets say a 130 pound person in it? i read somewhere that a dog over 35 pound can pull one, is this true?
1 Answer
- ?Lv 48 years agoFavorite Answer
Aussies are a fairly light-framed breed compared to other non-typical drafting breeds, such as Labs and Rotties. Honestly, 130 pounds sounds a bit much. At the moment, don't do any work with her--she should be 18 mths-2 years before you start to avoid damaging her bones.
It's great that you want to train her to do this. Drafting is a good way to exercise/challenge your dog. Though, I don't think she could pull 130 pounds without strain/injury. It might be possible, but as far as dog sports, you might want to look into agility or flyball. Aussies are usually stars there, and it's great fun for the handler!
If you choose to let her pull (but maybe not that much) make sure she is properly conditioned first. Spend weeks and months on slowly strengthening her body. Don't just put a weighted sulky on her one day. Start by having her get used to the harness, commands, etc. Pull a brick or two. Then more bricks. Then more bricks. Then more bricks for a longer distance/amount of time or greater speed. Then heavier objects. You get the idea. This will prevent injury/strain on her body and help her enjoy it. If she isn't excited about pulling, you may want to find another sport, as the dog's enjoyment is so important. Best of luck:)
