| Scooter |
Where? |
Sulky |
| The scooter is wonderful on single track dirt trails. Ride the scooter
on level and downhill sections and get off & run beside the scooter
when going uphill. |
Dirt trails |
There are some dirt trails in parks that are wide enough for a great
ride with the sulky. It is fun steering around trees that project into
the trail. |
| All the scooters will travel on pavement. The best for pavement is
the willy. It is not wise to let the dog gallop on pavement. Pavement
is for walking & trotting. |
Pavement |
The sulky is the queen of pavement. It glides along. For dogs that
prefer to walk and trot and that travel on sidewalks, the sulky is
ideal. Many sulky owners do their "about town" errands on their sulky
hanging their pack from the seat back. If you pull the trailer, you
can carry even more. |
| Scooters are difficult in crowds. The dog is out front meeting other
dogs, adults and children head on. He is controlled by training, voice
and a rope. |
Crowds |
The sulky is the ideal crowd machine. The dog is controlled by the
shaft, the reins, your voice, and the brakes. It is such fun to cruise
skillfully through crowds. Folks love to see you and your clever dog
trotting along. Parades anyone? Rides at nursing homes? Schools? |
| The scooter requires a fair amount of athleticism including balance.
You run beside the scooter when going up hills. On rough ground you
kick to help move the scooter. |
Less than perfect
human
fitness |
The sulky is ideal for people whose balance is not good enough to
ride a scooter or who hurt when they stand or walk. You need to be
able-bodied enough to get on and off to deal with situations such as
curbs or loose dogs or toddlers wanting to pet your dog. You need to
be strong enough to squeeze the brake lever. |
| Some people riding scooters put their child on the foot platform
in front of them. Some scooterers adopt small dogs so their children
can scooter with them. |
Young
and old |
The sulky is perfect for traveling with childen or an aged parent.
Walk along beside the dog and let the rider enjoy the safe ride. Young
and old enjoy this and the dog feels proud. |
| Scooters are a blast on hills. It is fun to run beside the scooter
going up the hill and fun to ride fast on the scooter down the hills.
(Be sure to use the brakes to keep the tugline tight between you and
the dog.) |
Hills |
Ride the sulky on gentle hills and level ground. On steep or long
hills, I enjoy running beside Tess holding the reins. We charge together
up the hill. I ride down gentle hills only. It is difficult to brake
and balance the sulky on a steep hill. We walk down steep hills. |
| Scooters are a blast with dogs that are crazy to run fast. By fast
I mean 14 mph and up. Scooters are not so fun at a slow trot (6 mph)
unless you are on a narrow single track trail. |
Fast dog |
At high speeds the sulky is thrilling, partly because you are sitting
down and therefore feel more vulnerable than when standing on a scooter. |
| Slow scootering can be fun if there are corners to turn, bushes to
duck under, scenery to admire or shop windows to peer into. |
Slow dog |
The sulky is fun at any speed - even at 4 mph because there is a
wonderful gliding feeling coupled with the light touch needed to steer
the dog with reins and voice. Dogs that move with strength and slowness
like rottweilers and bernese mountain dogs are fine sulky dogs. |
| Scooters are easy to pull. Thirty pound dogs pull them just fine.
With dogs smaller than 30 pounds, have two or more pull or plan to
do a lot of kicking. |
Small dog |
The Chalo Sulky Uno is easier to pull than a scooter because it has 26
inch wheels with street tires. Small dogs can pull it but they look
out of scale. With small dogs like portuguese water dogs, harness two
or more dogs. Some people run their larger dog attached to the shaft and
the smaller dogs on lines running back towards the rear shaft. The Chalo
Sulky Duo generally requires two or more dogs. |
| Scooters are cheap compared to sulkies. The scooter harness is cheap
compred to the driving harness (plus collar and reins). |
Cost |
The sulky is worth the extra cost! It is fun, cool and requires a
higher (and more interesting) degree of training. Once you get the
sulky, you can get a trailer and haul groceries or kids or an old dog
or ... And think of all the parades you can join. |
One shaft (Dorsal hitch) |
Two shafts (Traditional hitch with
traces) |
| It is easier to train a dog to pull a sulky with one shaft than with
two shafts. You are up and riding in less time. |
The dog is confined between two shafts. This could be an advantage
or a disadvantage depending on the dog. |
| The single shaft weighs less than the double shaft. It pulls lightly
upwards on the dog making him lighter on his feet. |
Some people enjoy the precise training needed with two shafts. They
train the dog to change leads and to walk, trot, and lope on command. |
| It is faster and easier to hitch the dog to the sulky with a dorsal
hitch system. |
Some driving titles do not allow dorsal hitches. |
| The dog has a great deal of freedom of movement with the dorsal hitch
and is much more apt to lope or gallop. Galloping along a trail full
of rabbits is so much fun. |
Turning is a skill. The dog must learn to push against the shafts
to turn the sulky. |
| Turning is easy because the dog turns under the shaft. |
In a parade, the two shafts look more "real/horsie/oldfashioned". |
