Carting & Drafting With a Bernese: Getting Started

By the Riverside Berner Guide editorial team
Last updated November 7, 2026

Bernese Mountain Dog carting means teaching your dog to pull a cart or wagon in a harness, the same job Berners once did on Swiss farms. To get started, build solid obedience first, then introduce the harness and cart slowly with rewards. Join a regional club clinic, and hold off on heavy loads until your dog is fully grown.

Carting is a fun way to use your Berner’s body and brain, whether you want draft titles, a spot in a local parade or a helper around the home. This guide covers the breed’s drafting history, how the national club’s draft tests work, what AKC offers, the gear you’ll need and how to keep your dog safe. It’s part of our Bernese care guide.

Why Bernese Mountain Dog carting fits the breed

Berners were bred to work. The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America (BMDCA) FAQ sheet says the breed began as a general farm dog in Switzerland. Its sturdy frame and calm, people-loving nature suited it to driving cattle, pulling carts to market and watching over the farm.

The club’s draft work sheet adds detail. In the Bernese Oberland, Berners hauled milk and cream from farms to the dairy, often with children walking alongside. AKC’s breed history says they pulled milk carts and wagons of textiles for valley farms and Alpine dairies.

Today the work is mostly for fun and competition. The BMDCA says regional clubs across the country hold draft tests, and every BMDCA National Specialty since 1992 has offered them.

Carting vs. drafting: the basic terms

People use “carting” and “drafting” almost the same way: a draft dog pulls a load. The BMDCA calls two-wheeled rigs carts and four-wheeled rigs wagons.

Each has trade-offs. A cart turns more easily in tight spots, but its load must be balanced so it doesn’t put too much weight on the dog’s shoulders. A wagon carries its load on four wheels, so balance matters less, but it’s larger and harder to turn, and better suited to heavy weights.

At a test, the BMDCA’s draft test regulations also allow a sled, toboggan or travois. Whatever you use must be built so it can’t run up on the dog going downhill.

How a BMDCA draft test works

The BMDCA approved its first draft test regulations in January 1991, and the first test was held in New England that fall. A draft test is judged by two BMDCA draft judges on a pass/fail basis. Your dog must pass every exercise in a class at one test to earn the title.

The current rules are the 2023 edition. They divide a test into three parts:

1. Basic control. In Novice, your dog shows a simple heeling pattern with turns, pace changes and halts, plus an off-leash recall of about 30 feet.
2. Maneuvering. With an empty rig, your team works through turns and circles, a narrow gap only 12 inches wider than your rig, a back-up, everyday distractions, and loading and unloading. Novice dogs must back the rig at least 1 foot and Open dogs at least 4 feet.
3. Group stay and freight haul. Dogs hold a three-minute stay while hitched to loaded rigs, then pull their load over a half-mile course on natural terrain.

Loads and titles

Weights rise with each level. In Novice Draft, each dog pulls 20 pounds. In Open Draft, each dog pulls its own weight rounded down to the nearest 10 pounds, or 60 pounds, whichever is greater.

Passing Novice earns the Novice Draft Dog (NDD) title, and passing Open earns Draft Dog (DD). There are also brace titles for two dogs working side by side, plus Advanced and Master titles for passing a class five times under at least seven different judges. A dog that earns all four Advanced and Master titles becomes a Grand Master Draft Dog (GMDD).

The BMDCA also counts a draft title toward its Versatility and Working Dog awards. That’s a sign of how much the club values the breed’s working past.

Who can enter

The 2023 regulations say dogs must be at least 2 years old on the day of the test. Tests are open to purebred and mixed dogs that are registered or listed with AKC or the Canadian Kennel Club, except National Specialty tests, which are for Bernese only. On the BMDCA’s draft page, many regional tests are listed as open to all breeds with Berners given preference.

Open entries need a weight certificate from a veterinarian dated within 60 days of the test. A veterinarian must also be available at every test.

What AKC offers for drafting

AKC doesn’t run its own draft tests. Instead, its Title Recognition Program recognizes carting and drafting events held by parent clubs, and it approved carting and drafting for the Bernese starting June 1, 2011.

AKC’s titles list shows the BMDCA offering Novice Draft Dog, Draft Dog and two brace draft titles. An AKC Canine Partners article on the sport says most of these tests are run by breed clubs. In short, for a Berner the path runs through the BMDCA and its regional clubs.

How to get started with your Berner

Build the foundation first

The BMDCA says draft work is much easier to teach once you have basic obedience. Your dog should walk on a loose leash, stay, and come when called off leash, and you’ll need heelwork for a test. Our guide on how to train a Bernese Mountain Dog covers leash manners and recall step by step.

The AKC article adds a few more skills worth having. These include a reliable “halt” or “stop” cue, a “leave it” cue and a dog that stands still for harnessing. It also suggests reading each club’s rules early, since weights and standards vary.

Find a club and a clinic

You don’t have to learn alone. The BMDCA says many regional clubs sponsor draft clinics, seminars and classes, and it suggests contacting your regional club about training, workshops and practice matches. The BMDCA’s regional club listing is the place to find yours.

Train in small steps

The BMDCA’s draft work sheet lays out a gentle progression. Use lots of praise, food and positive reinforcement, and make sure your dog is relaxed at each step before moving on.

1. Harness. Let your dog sniff it, then have them wear it around the house and on walks.
2. Traces. Attach the traces and let them drag behind your dog.
3. Light drag. Add something light, such as a small piece of wood or a partly sand-filled milk jug. Do all of this on leash.
4. Meet the cart. Pull the cart around the yard while your dog follows, and walk your dog beside, behind and in front of it. Some owners feed meals near the cart to build a happy link.
5. Walk between the shafts. Have your dog walk between the shafts while you pull the cart. Some dogs feel closed in by solid shafts, so take your time.
6. First hitch. Hitch up with a helper on each side, take a few steps, and praise. Build up to long straight lines, then wide turns that slowly get tighter.

Teach backing without the cart first, then add the cart with plenty of help and praise.

Equipment: the harness, cart and collar

Choosing a carting dog harness

The BMDCA describes two styles. A buckle harness has a band across the chest and is the traditional Swiss style. A siwash harness, the type used in sledding, allows full freedom of the shoulders, which a buckle harness may restrict.

Some dogs prefer one style over the other, so be flexible. Whichever you choose, the BMDCA says it should fit fairly snugly without chafing. The AKC article notes that a good drafting harness is custom-fitted with buckles or snaps for adjustment.

Carts, shafts and weight

The AKC article explains that a lighter cart leaves more of the required weight for the load itself, and that two-wheeled carts are typical for tests. It also describes brakes on the shafts that keep the harness from sliding, which matters on hills.

The BMDCA says some people adapt antique carts, some build their own and others buy one. Choose based on what you plan to do.

Collars and leashes at tests

The 2023 regulations require a properly fitted buckle, slip or martingale collar. Prong and electronic collars aren’t allowed, and carrying food or toys during an exercise means a failing score. Plan your training so your dog works happily for praise by test day.

Safety and age: when can a Berner start pulling?

Age and growing joints

The BMDCA says even a young puppy can be introduced to a harness and dragging traces. Heavy loads, like those in Open Draft, should not be added until a dog is fully mature, at least two years old. The club also says to raise load weight very gradually over weeks.

AKC’s breed history makes a similar point, saying growth plates close around age 2 and no weight should go in the cart before then. Large, fast-growing dogs are at risk for joint problems, so read about hip and elbow dysplasia in Bernese and ask your vet before your dog pulls any weight. Your regional club can help you plan the pace.

Control comes first

The BMDCA calls safety paramount, because an out-of-control dog hitched to a cart can hurt itself and anyone nearby. Keep your dog on leash in the early stages, and have a second person help the first few times you hitch up in case your dog panics. At tests, the rules let judges excuse a dog that is lame or seems to be pulling more than it can handle.

Fitness and heat

The BMDCA calls a draft dog an athlete that should be carefully conditioned. The AKC article says your dog should be in excellent shape, and to check with your vet if you have any questions about fitness. Our Bernese health guide covers the breed’s common problems.

Watch the weather, too. The BMDCA FAQ says the breed does not do well in hot, humid climates, and the 2023 rules allow cooling coats at tests. Train in the cool part of the day, keep sessions short, and stop if your dog seems tired or uncomfortable.

Is carting right for your Berner?

Not every Bernese will love to pull. The BMDCA FAQ says individual dogs do well in different activities depending on their structure, character and temperament. If your dog enjoys it, carting can be a satisfying partnership that honors the breed’s farm roots.

If you’re still choosing a dog, our guide to Bernese puppies and the first year explains what to expect while your Berner grows into a working partner.