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Hi! I'm Darlette and I live in Santa Clarita, CA. I have been "owned" by Portuguese Water Dogs for over 18 years and am currently "driving" my third generation of porties! I've also had the wonderful experience of training and driving a Bouvier de Flanders for a few years too.
I founded the Santa Clarita Valley Carting Club in 2005 to provide a focal point for new drivers to contact so they can get help and find others to enjoy the sport. I am a member and the carting contact for the So Ca Bouvier de Flanders club and have given several talks and demos to local clubs and even an animal studies class at a local university.
I've been driving dogs since 2000 and like many others started with dual shafted sulkys but now use the dorsal hitch sulky. I've trained 6 dogs to drive as well as helped others train on both side-shafted and dorsal hitch sulkies. I am in the final stages of finishing up a manual named "WHOA" that explains the sport of dog driving and provides step-by-step training for teaching a dog to drive.
Right now, I have a team of 2-4 Portuguese Water Dogs that I drive regularly, logging over 300 miles per year on my sulkies.
If you've got questions about dog driving or are interested in getting started in the sport be sure to check out our "Intro" pages that explain some of the basics. If you need help with training, please feel free to contact me at dogcarting@aol.com.
Happy Driving!
Darlette and the Carting Porties (and Bo and Crunch at the Rainbow Bridge)
I became interested in dog driving about 3 years ago when I adopted Dudley, a Boxer and Old English Sheepdog mix. At the time, he was a wiggly untrained mess, so I searched on the internet to find a healthy, energy-intensive activity that we could both enjoy. Driving seemed to be a fun solution, so I took the time to learn about different types of equipment, and we started training together.
The physical and mental benefits that the sport has had on Duds are tremendous. Not only is he extremely fit with excellent muscle tone, but driving also exercises his mind and has considerably improved his confidence since I adopted him. The sport of dog driving has truly enabled us to bond and work together as a team. The stamina and endurance that Dudley has developed from driving enables him to excel in other dog performance sports such as lure coursing and agility.
We are currently located in Nyack, NY and have been traveling between Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania conducting dog driving events and demonstrations to share the sport. Please contact me at dogdrivingfun@yahoo.com if you are interested in arranging a demonstration or workshop in any of these areas or just want some help getting started or training.