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Advice on the Training of Dalmatians for Axle work
by Joy Claxton



Start introducing your dog to the axle when he is happy to walk and trot on a slack lead, and has some basic obedience and confidence with his handler. Begin with the dog at heel then both follow the carriage gradually getting closer. The next step is for you to get up in the carriage. Swap the lead for a light lunge line that can be played out if necessary. We all use our horse head collar rope as a lead and the dog may be used to the heaviness of this and he may have learnt to associate this with obedience. Exchange the rope with a light lead perhaps one made for a toy breed of dog so he hardly knows that he is on a lead. It is a dangerous practice to tie a dog to the carriage although there may be occasions when you do need to do this, for example when stipulated in show rules that all dogs should be on leads. I used a length of fishing line with a low breaking strain so that the dog can break free in an emergency.

A dog that has a natural instinct to “run under” or to “coach” will need a little guidance so that he runs happily and in safety. If the dog chooses to run in front of the axle he is likely to get kicked or struck from a long striding horse, also he may be tempted to make his exit in front of the wheel. When the axle happens to be lower than the dog’s shoulders and the dog puts himself in front he becomes trapped. Trotting with the shoulders under an axle that is lower than the dog will cause him to move in an unnatural way, putting undue strain on his back and causing all kinds of muscle and skeletal problems now and in latter life. To prevent this while training and to establish a safe way of running an obstruction can be hung from the axle. A light bar, perhaps an old broom handle, a pair of garden canes or a sheet of cardboard. A string from the front of the carriage will stop the obstruction from swinging backwards onto the dog. If this running position is established firmly in the dog’s mind and he is required to run under a four wheel carriage then there is no danger of him being hurt when a tight turn is made and a front wheel suddenly encroaches in to the space he was occupying!

With a pony size vehicle or a modern style carriage the axle will probably be too low for these problems to arise. The dog can still be trained to follow closely or even run beside the near side rear wheel in which case his shoulders should not be in advance of the hub. A “back step” carriage is very convenient as the dog can be trained to run to its handler’s heel, keeping in mind that there is a difference between the usual “close “ heel work and a freer way of going. This can be established with the command “heel “ giving way to “wheel “ as the handler steps up on to the carriage.

Modern methods of training or rewarding with tit bits may cause problems in that it breaks the dog’s concentration. Given by hand the dog must come too close to the turning wheel or if thrown on the ground cause a disobedience in retrieving it. A smile and an encouraging word should be enough of reward while working alternating with a rough stern rebuke when wrong. These two different voices are easily established in early training.

I have found a last command “last penny” or ”last chance” combined with the act of emptying their bladder is very convenient: you then eliminate the hanging back and going off for a call of nature.

Your dog will probably learn to respect the wheel the hard way so encourage him to be under whilst moving the carriage around by hand. You may be able to knock him with a wheel or even pinch a toe. This will be less painful than receiving the lesson at speed from a fully loaded vehicle!

I have always hung a bell on the collar so that I can hear exactly where my dog is. I take it off at night but all my dogs have insisted that it is put on before going out in the morning. For “best wear” I had a collar that matched the brow band of my horse. For sporting carriages a “hit and miss” or coaching style coloured backing matching the colour of the wheels puts the cherry on cake.