Draft dogs and sheep wagons?

[barefoot_bast]

This is a bit of strange question, but I was wondering if a team of four-to-six large dogs (say, Spanish Mastiff or something similar) would be able to pull a small sheep wagon? Roughly six feet by eight feet?

This is technically for a novel I'm writing and trying to be as accurate as possible, but not going to lie, I would kind of like to someday have a carriage or small custom sheep wagon pulled by some drafting dogs.

 

[Baymule]

What is a sheep wagon?

 

[Alaskan]

Well.... dog sleds are pulled by.... dogs.

Up here some people put wheels on the dog sled so their dogs can train in the summer. Maybe not the "sheep wagon" you are talking about, whatever that is, but I would guess the same ballpark.

With that said... Mastiffs tend to not have the staying power to be sled dogs... and they are so tall, so the pulling power is different.

I used to own a Mastiff, powerful beast, but again... not the same staying power as a sled dog.

So, if you want your mastiff to pull a cart full of wood from the house to the barn, that would work.

But, a trip of more than a mile with a mastiff pulling a cart, I do not think would work

Now a slep dog... you ask him to run... amd he will RUN for miles before he gets tired.... really something to see those dogs run!

 

[barefoot_bast]

What is a sheep wagon?

A sheep wagon is what pastoral sheepherders / shepherds used to live in. It is similar to a gypsy wagon.

 

[Baymule]

A sheep wagon is what pastoral sheepherders / shepherds used to live in. It is similar to a gypsy wagon.

Sounds kinda heavy for dogs to pull a distance. All the sheep herders I ever saw or saw pictures of, used mules.

 

[SageHill]

This is a bit of strange question, but I was wondering if a team of four-to-six large dogs (say, Spanish Mastiff or something similar) would be able to pull a small sheep wagon? Roughly six feet by eight feet?

This is technically for a novel I'm writing and trying to be as accurate as possible, but not going to lie, I would kind of like to someday have a carriage or small custom sheep wagon pulled by some drafting dogs.

I a bit late to the party on this one. My answer would be I bet they could - a small one for sure. I've done carting with my dogs, including competitively for fun. A single dog could easily take me for a ride.
These are old pics

Breed of dog - Belgian Tervuren - ~50lbs each.
There are national breed clubs that support this activity - check out American Rottweiler Club they call it carting they include a 40 lb load and off load; and Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America who call it a draft test (I believe a single dog has a minumum 150 lbs on the freight haul.

 

[JessieJim]

Don't you have a van? I don't think that it's good for dogs.

 

[Ridgetop]

It sounds like the "sheep wagon" she is talking is more like an old fashioned gypsy caravan. Basque sheherds used to take their flocks into the mountains around Bakersfield CA and live in them over the summer. Those would be too heavy for dogs to pull.

All dogs have been bred for one reason or another. Newfies are programed to love water and used to be used to rescue swimmers and boaters. However they are also loving family pets and have been used to pull dog carts for children. If you want to pull something the dog to use is one of the many breeds of sled dogs. For heavy work the Malamute is a larger, stronger sled dog. Siberians are slightly smaller but go faster.

Indian tribes used dogs to pull travois with small goods on them when they moved camp.

 

[Sundragons]

2 Alaskan Malamutes can pull a VW beetle with me in it with no issues. As long as you give them cheese. That's 2100 pounds. Agree with @Ridgetop, look at sled dogs.