The Dogs, who travelled back from Perth for the second time this season last weekend after losing to West Coast, were run over by the high-scoring Blues 21.7 (133) to 13.12 (90), after struggling to make an impact up forward.
The Blues simply had more goalkickers more often, with the Bulldogs failing to match them on the board despite having the same number of forward entries.
Brad Johnson (four goals) was the highest goalscorer for the Dogs, who had eight individual goalkickers to the Blues' 12. Eddie Betts and Brendan Fevola led the way for Carlton with three each.
Shaun Higgins played another good game in his strongest season yet, collecting 27 possessions, while Matthew Boyd was good opposed to Chris Judd for most of the match.
Robert Murphy and Jarrad Grant came into the side to bolster the attack, and while they got through the game unscathed, didn't make an impression on the board.
Murphy played his first game for the year and started on the bench before coming on to take on a defensive post against Jarrad Waite while Tom Williams spent time off the ground.
He played the first term in the back half before shifting forward in the second, and ended with 13 touches for the game.
In his first senior match, Grant started on the field against Carlton defender Michael Jamison.
He got his first touch within a minute before earning his first kick at the 23-minute mark, which he slammed into the post. The youngster ended his afternoon with eight disposals and two marks.
The Blues made the most of their arc entries in the first half while the Dogs were wayward with their kicking.
After the Bulldogs led for the first half of opening stanza, the Blues kicked the last three majors of the term through Cameron Cloke, Fevola and Betts to take a 13-point lead into the second.
An early goal to Waite after the break had the Blues 18 points clear, but the Dogs came back and hit the front after unanswered goals to Boyd, Ryan Griffen, Liam Picken and Daniel Giansiracusa.
However, the Blues weren't content and increased their productivity up forward, rounding out the first half with six goals to one – the Dogs' only six-pointer coming through a converted Higgins set shot at the 26-minute mark.
Carlton took the biggest lead of the game – 24 points – into the second half after Jordan Russell kicked a long running goal shortly before the siren.
Rodney Eade threw Williams forward in the third in a bid to make an impact, but unfortunately the traffic was all headed the other way with the Blues snaring the first two goals in the opening two minutes.
The Dogs peppered the quarter with sporadic majors but couldn't string two together until after the 20-minute mark. Boyd goaled and then Brian Lake had a chance to make it two, but the fullback sprayed his shot.
Nick Stevens then fluffed the kick in by directing it straight into traffic, which was then collected by Brad Johnson and fired straight back through the big sticks.
The term ended on a sour note for the Dogs with Lake misjudging a handpass in front of goal that resulted in a turnover and another Carlton forward entry.
The difference at the final change was 27 points, which was expanded to 33 when Betts kicked his second a minute into the fourth.
The Dogs tried to make the Blues earn it when they promptly retaliated through Mitch Hahn, but then the challenge ended – with the exception of two late goals through Johnson – and the navy blue side returned to the winners' list.
The Bulldogs will now play the unbeaten St Kilda next Sunday in a twilight match at Docklands.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs.
MATCH DETAILS
Western Bulldogs 1.6 6.9 10.10 13.12 (90)
Carlton 4.1 11.3 15.7 21.7 (133)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Johnson 4, Giansiracusa 2, Boyd 2, Hill, Griffen, Picken, Higgins, Hahn
Carlton: Fevola 3, Betts 3, Kreuzer 2, Simpson 2, Russell 2, Cloke 2, Houlihan 2, Waite, Murphy, O'hAilpin, Carrazzo, Gibbs
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Higgins, Boyd, Giansiracusa, Hill
Carlton: Judd, Simpson, Kreuzer, Murphy, Gibbs, Houlihan, Carrazzo, Waite
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Carlton: Johnson (quad)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Vozzo, Ryan, Nicholls
Official crowd: 44,268 at Docklands
