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Urban Dog Sled

Scooter in front, 2 or more dogs in back.
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A scooter with a string of dog harneses mounted behind it so the dogs push you along. You'd steer, break and twist the throttle that would give the dogs the go signal. Not sure what that would be, speakers on their collars saying "Mush" or something. Since they're pushing as opposed to pulling like on a standard dog sled steering would be much easier.

Ummm, that's it.

doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012

Dogs pushing things example #1 http://www.youtube....watch?v=M1udFZy3fo0
[doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012]

Dogs pushing things example #2 http://www.youtube....93ik&feature=relmfu
[doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012]

Example #3 http://www.youtube....IEAk&feature=relmfu
[doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012]

And 4 http://www.youtube....QWM&feature=related
[doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012]

And 5 http://www.youtube....watch?v=nUrZGsNhaiU
[doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012]

...etc... http://www.youtube....watch?v=2kVD9zz_KJ8
[doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012]

...etc. http://www.youtube....watch?v=QLyv6egb59Y
[doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012]

Semi baked http://www.youtube....HOo&feature=related
Now do this with multiple dogs behind the scooter. [doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012]

Urban idtarod http://laughingsqui...1-in-san-francisco/
It's human powered, and totally out of control. I've done it a few times- its awesome., it's half baked for sure. [white, Jul 20 2012]

Pawsitraction http://en.wikipedia...d-slip_differential
[normzone, Jul 20 2012]

[link]






       Well, good luck steering a dog sled in the city, they don't exactly turn on a dime. The final say in where a standard dog sled is going is after all, up to a dog. You coax and cajole, but the lead dog decides where that sled is going.   

       This solves that problem. Frankly I don't see why they don't do it on the snow version.   

       Actually, it just occured to me. The dogs being in front is a safety measure if you hit a hidden cravass in the ice. The dogs go over and you get to just jump off. That's not as necessary in the city.
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       Immediate bun for the title.   

       But, just like humans, your garden variety mutt is just as likely to push you into a wall, just for laughs, if you put it behind the sled.
FlyingToaster, Jul 19 2012
  

       See the previous anno, I've answered that. And have you ever tried to steer a dog with a leash? Good luck. The dogs are locked in place with this and can only go forward, you determine where the sled is going by turning the handle bar. You'd also have to train a dog to be steered like a horse. Again, knock yourself out if that's what you want to do. This requires no training.   

       Additionally, you can start this thing by pushing it just like with a scooter. The dogs feel the pull, see you moving forward and get the idea.   

       You wouldn't even have to signal them, just push start it and go. Can't do that with a dogs in front arrangement.   

       You also get to ride in style at the front of the pack enjoying a much better view.
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       That's how it works with a regular dog sled. They follow the lead dog. Only with this, the human driver is the lead dog.   

       //Dogs aren't bred for pushing,//   

       The he only thing that makes it "pushing" is that you're in the front.   

       Here, let me simplify it.   

       Take a dog sled.   

       Stiffen the harness stringer (whatever holds all the harnesses in line) so it can bend in turns, but not buckle if for instance the back dog walks faster than the dog in front of it.   

       Replace the lead dog with you and a scooter.   

       Done.
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       Dogs aren't bred to push things? Sometimes you just need to let it go 2. (See links)
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       Ok, mount them upright. Anything else?   

       And you fail to fathom that a dog with a yoke around it's neck feels only the resistance against movement of that yoke. It makes no difference if it's attached to something that's pulling, or pushing, or winding a watch.   

       It is ALWAYS pushing against a harness whether you're in front in back or not there at all. There is no difference to the dog.
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       Ok looking for examples of dogs pushing things, I found that it's almost baked. Somebody did this with the dog on the side.   

       So my idea, take the one dog on the side, and makes it 2 or more dogs in back.   

       Dog pushing = proven. Quest? Gonna man up and take that bone back?   

       Quite obviously they much prefer to push because the steering's done for them, they're just following their master as dogs are wont to do. I notice that with the dog pulling arrangements lots of energy is spent by the dogs trying to figure out where they're supposed to go. They swerve back and forth, hesitate, slow down. All of that eliminated by giving them a clear leader. You're steering it with a handlebar, a wheel and a human brain rather than a dog and a dog brain. It's a much more effective arrangement.   

       This puts the human brain directly in charge of steering bypassing the dog brain all together.
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       Thank you Quest, your grace in taking the bone back is noted and appreciated. A tip of the hat to you sir.
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       Saw a problem with the side dog arrangement. You bank too hard left on that thing, that dog on your right's going airborn. You're not only loosing traction, you've got a dog up in the air, presumably pretty unhappy.   

       I think my design is solid. Bucket list thing to do # 3,056 = Build a 4 dog powered one of these things.
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       I don't quite understand the steering problem: has no one thought of dangling a sausage on a stick in front that can be moved side to side and backwards to be over the dogs to stop?   

       That, or put them on a treadmill and use standard car controls (clutch, brake, gearstick, steering wheel). Changing gear might be initially confusing for the dogs, but if well trained, I think they would get the hang of running at a different speed to their movement. Naturally the cart would have to be entirely made of an extremely lightweight material.
TomP, Jul 19 2012
  

       This was an automatic bun for that freaky kind of halfbakery psychic phenomena whereas I was just thinking something similar the other day!!
xandram, Jul 19 2012
  

       That happens to me all the time on this site. One of the reasons I like it, seeing that other people have ideas just as wacky as the ones I come up with.
doctorremulac3, Jul 19 2012
  

       Station a bitch on heat at the desired destination and populate the sledteam with entire males.
Phrontistery, Jul 19 2012
  

       On the dangers of sledding on wheels in the city, I speak from experience. The urban iditarod team Santa nearly pulled some "dogs" off their feet, and we just ran through most lights rather than even try to stop. Making it a pub crawl might not have helped...
white, Jul 20 2012
  

       I am in awe of people who manage to go the extra step in life and do fun stuff like getting drunk and driving a dog sled through the city.
doctorremulac3, Jul 20 2012
  

       You should see the kind of equally weird shit we get up to out in the boonies, like snowbashing races.
Alterother, Jul 20 2012
  

       Yeah, you're going to need some form of doggie posi-traction.   

       (Off to trademark the term "Pawsitraction")
normzone, Jul 20 2012
  
      
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