Many pictorial and oral histories suggest that Our Belgian Sheepdogs were often used for draught work. There are many stories of them pulling Milk Carts & Machine Guns. We do know that through the years, people have found this versatile breed quite willing to get into harness and pull. And in typical Belgian Sheepdog fashion, the dogs have done it with both elegance and athleticism.

The Harness

Prince's harness is a Siwash harness imported from http://www.nordkyn.com/
This harness provides one of the best fits for a Belgian and is made to measure.

The Stages of building a Cart for Prince

We used the Wheels cut from a sack truck.
We made a tray type structure, then fixed a removable fence to improve the look.
At all stages we measured & adjusted the design to fit the height & width of Prince.

Prince now loves to pull the cart. He goes into working mode, ignoring all distractions & walks with the look 'look at how clever I am' when he meets people. Children love to see him pulling the cart & we get lots of great compliments.

He will happily wait outside the butchers, (in sight of me), while I go in to get the weekend joint & the bones for the Prince & Knight.

The base attached to the wheels

The base attached to the wheels

Fitting the sides

 

Fitting the shafts

Fitting the shafts

Prince trying the cart for size

Prince trying the cart for size

Having a cuddle for being so patient with all the fittings & adjustments

Learning to pull a weight
( A sack of logs)

Prince learning to pull the cart along the Pavement, but not happy with the task.

The cart now stained & with go faster stripes

Building the fencing

Knight trying the cart for size & comfort

Getting more confident & happy at pulling the cart

Getting more confident at pulling the cart

Helping with the Shopping

Being a luggage Porter - Assisting Peter on his School Trip