Australian Working Stock Dog Magazine - Issue 13, September 2020

The Australian

WORKING

STOCK DOG Magazine

Beginners Guide:

YARD TRIALLING GONE QUACKERS: HERDING DUCKS!

STUD PROFILE Eveready Kelpies

A DOG’S LIFE:

RHETTLENASH JOCK RRP $10.00 (incl. GST)

9 772205 872003 September 2020

ISSN 2205-8729

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Issue 13

Genetic Diseases in Working Dogs

AUSTRALIA STOCK DOG REGISTRY Including Hunting Dogs

Introducing the first Australian Registry for preserving the history and future of non-breed specific Australian stock dogs and hunting dogs.

• • • • • • • •

Stud Book Now Open What the ASDR can do for you:

Affordable rates Choice of membership Historical record of dogs breeding Registration and transfer of dogs Photo ID included on printable registration certificate Record DNA and Microchip details View and research bloodlines of dogs on our online stud book Submit and view videos of dogs working abilities

www.australiastockdogregistry.com.au

From the Editor Well things are still just as much in the air as they were for the last issue and look like staying that way for quite a while to come. With Victoria moving into stricter lockdowns and other states following suit, hopefully we can get it back under control and head back toward some normalcy sooner rather than later.

A lot of NSW have just had some fantastic winter rain which will set us up for a big spring – bringing some relief to country that has been in drought for many years. Hopefully conditions are favourable for the rest of the country as well.

A few trials have started to run under modified conditions and Covid-Safe plans which has been great for those of us who could attend. Thankfully dog trialling is a fairly low risk activity being held outdoors with social distancing fairly simple to observe. A highlight for me was attending the NSW Utility Championships at Nyngan at the start of August – A great trial, great weather and so good to catch up with friends.

The magazine is ticking along well – we had some more contributors this issue which is great to see. We want to keep our stories varied and from all parts of Australia, so we do need help from you guys to find and bring these stories to life. Get in touch with us at lauren@stockdogs.com.au if you would like to get involved or have any story ideas. Our

new website should be almost complete by the time this is printed – once this is done, we will be adding some more items to our online store. If you have anything you would like to see us stocking, let me know!

The hot weather won’t be too far off by the time this hits newsagencies – more daylight and warmer weather will make training and working our dogs much more enjoyable.

Hopefully it won’t be long until we have more events running to attend!

Kind Regards, Lauren Vest Australian Working Stock Dog Magazine Email: lauren@stockdogs.com.au

www.facebook.com/WorkingStockDogMagazine

All material in this magazine is protected by copyright laws and may not be reproduced in part or full without the written permission of the publisher. The publisher and contributors does / do not accept liability for any opinions or techniques described within The Australian Working Stock Dog Magazine.

Printed in Australia by Bluestar Pty Ltd.

Publisher and Editor: Lauren Vest Email: lauren@stockdogs.com.au Phone: 0431299186 Mail: 571 Kangaroo Mt Rd, Coolac NSW 2727

Design Director: Kasie LoSurdo Chief Designer: Annette Ross Copy Editor: Luci Canning Advertising Designer: Kerri Hill Contributors: Lauren Vest, Kasie LoSurdo, Aticia Grey, Patsy Trevor, Angie Snell, Rod Cavanagh, Annette Ross, Craig Bachmann, Karyn Turnbull, Ken Sykes, Denise Hawe, Deb Maxwell, Peter Brown, Sally Purbrick-Illek, Raechelle Miller, Jasmin Hyatt, Jess Coster, Jai Moar, Millissa Fox, Ange White, Romy Bennett Front Cover Credit: Jess Coster (JMC Photography) Advertising, Articles & Stories Email: lauren@stockdogs.com.au

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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2020

On the Cover

14.

Stud Profile: Eveready Kelpies

20.

A Dog’s Life: Rhettlenash Jock

47.

Beginners Guide to Yard Trials

58.

Genetic Diseases in Working Dogs

62.

Gone Quackers: Herding Ducks

38

Photo Essay

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Eveready Kelpies

58

Genetic Diseases

47

Beginning Yard Trials

62 Duck Herding

20.

Rhettlenash Jock 8

The Way We Were: Pip Hudson

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Stud Profile: Eveready Kelpies

20

A Dog’s Life: Rhettlenash Jock

22

Weekend Warrior: Damien Veneris

23

Cobber Fundraising Practice Days

26

Rising Star: Danny Kerr

28

Interview with Rod Cavanagh

30

Stockman Profile: Jim Marshal

35

ASDW Registrar

38

Photo Essay: Craig Bachmann

44

Koolies Nose and Truffles

46

Training Pen: Ken Sykes

47

A Beginner’s Guide to Yard Trials

50

Training Pen with Denise Hawe

54

Cerebellar Abiotrophy: Latest Updates

58

Genetic Diseases in Working Dogs

62

Duck Herding

66

Breed Profile: Stumpy Tail Cattle Dogs

70

Vet Check: Heat Cycles

74

NSW Utility Champs 2020 Wrap Up

75

Heat Stress

76

Bungendore 3-Sheep Wrap Up

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Breeders Directory

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THE WAY WE WERE PIP HUDSON Article and Photos by Lauren Vest

P

ip Hudson was born into a family legacy of bushmen and dog handlers, so it’s no surprise that he went on to continue a legacy of his own within the sheepdog world. The Hudson family now boasts 5 generations of sheepdog handlers which is a feat not many could match. Pip himself was the third generation with his mother being a very well-known three sheep trial judge and his father a handler.

Pip always owned and worked dogs growing up and has owned several different breeds of working dog. As a bush kid, growing up on an isolated farm in central west NSW and being taught to be quiet and reserved, he found it very hard to talk to people. He worked and trialled his dogs from age 15 but gave it away for a time after he was married in 1964. He started up again in 1980, winning his first ribbon in the encourage trial at the Australian Championships in 1982 at Mudgee.

Pip remembers around the age of 17 or 18 he would travel to trials in the far west of NSW with some of the older blokes who came from out west. They would pick him up with his two kelpie dogs and cart him to the trials with them. On the way to Bourke one year, the old bloke asked him if he could kill and dress a sheep? They came across a mate’s mob of sheep on the road and the old bloke said that the dogs needed a feed so they would kill a sheep. They hung a gambrel over a tree and Pip dressed the sheep and did such a good job they asked him to do another one. Once that was done, they thought that once they got to the trial, the sisters at the convent wouldn’t have any meat – so better do one more. He still remembers arriving at the trial and presenting the meat to the sisters at the convent!

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Another story Pip was told was about his grandfather. He was led to believe that one weekend he rode his horse 70 miles into Wilcannia with his dog following for a trial. He then won the trial, turned around and rode another 30 miles of the way home that night. He thinks he must have carted the dog on the horse, but that was not how the story was told!

it would be Geoff.

Pips mother was a renowned judge and he remembers her judging the national trial at Canberra. He drove her there as she didn’t drive. Mrs Marshall, wife of Bill Marshall, would come and find Pip and say – off we go! Pip would drive his mother and the other ladies would follow in their motorcars on a tour around Canberra, visiting parliament house, government house and all the sights of Canberra. This was a great experience for a bush kid from out west.

A huge display of ribbons and trophies show that Pip has found huge success dog trialling over the years. His favourite achievement was winning the brace competition when representing Australia in New Zealand. A brace is when you run two dogs – but it is very different to what we call a brace here in Australia. The dogs weren’t allowed to cross to each other’s side of the sheep. They had to split the mob and each dog take control of their half, with one dog holding his sheep in a pen while the other dog took his sheep away. The trial was shown on television. He has represented Australia against New Zealand a number of times and remembers winning the test in the parliamentary triangle in 1993. Tim Fisher presented the trophy that year.

The great handlers of those years were Geoff Jolly, Greg Prince, Don Smith from Queensland and Bill Marshall from Victoria.

Bill actually died of a heart attack while working in a trial – they couldn’t get to him straight away as his dog was protecting him. Geoff Jolly was the biggest influence on Pip as a handler.

Pip was at the Canberra dog trial one year and Geoff came and introduced himself and asked if he was Archie Hudson’s son.

After replying yes, Geoff told Pip he had better come and sit in his car with him. Pip sat with him for three days at that trial – he had been around trials his whole life and thought he knew a bit, but he learnt a huge amount from Geoff. He was the first person Pip had ever seen who backed his dog off the sheep the whole way around the course and kept the sheep inside the corridors the whole way. A few months later he was working at home and had just yarded a couple of thousand sheep when he went home for some food. He found Geoff sitting at the table having tea with his father. Geoff asked if he had lights in the woolshed – when Pip replied yes, Geoff asked what he was doing here then? They headed down to the shed and worked dogs for half an hour. Pip says he learnt more in that half an hour than he’s learnt from anybody else in his whole life. If he had to thank anybody for the success he has found in trialling

Although many would say he is biased, Pip says the best handler he has ever seen is his son, Mick. He is the best at handling stock and sheepdogs – every facet of working dogs and stock.

The best dog he has had would have to be Windeyer Pippie (Leerose Benjie/Windeyer Missie), bred by Ronnie Cover from Mudgee. She represented Australia 4 times and was part of the winning brace team. Part of the reason she is the best is that she has bred on consistently and her daughters and grand daughters are still breeding very good sheepdogs. Another great dog he had was Kiwi Gold (Don Calders Steve/Lyster Mary) she won a lot of trials and her progeny are also still winning.

As he got older and bought a few properties he realised his lack of social skills was impacting his business and his life, so he went and joined a club to practice. This, along with sheepdog trialling, really changed how he interacted with people and led him to some great achievements. He looked after the NSW Premier when he attended the NSW championships, he dressed the governor general when he

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presented the Gloucester sash at the national trial and in New Zealand the Governor requested to speak with Pip. In Perth and the royal show he was asked to put on a demonstration of sheep work – however he wasn’t to use a dog, but a pig!

Babe had just been released and a TV company approached him for the stunt. They provided him with some pigs and he trained them to successfully work sheep and put on his demo in front of the governor of WA. Dog trialling has taken him to places he would never have believed and he owes it a great deal of gratitude. He never would have gone to any of these places if it weren’t for dog trialling and he was lucky to realise that it wasn’t about the winning or the losing – It was going out to compete to the best level one could reach and playing the game straight.

People have come up to him when he is judging and asked him about faults he may have missed. His reply? That is the workers problem. They know if they didn’t play the game straight. If they can go and accept a ribbon they didn’t deserve then they know.

His advice to those starting out with sheepdogs is that you won’t win the Melbourne cup with the bakers cart horse.

Make sure when you are selecting a pup you go to a reputable breeder of working dogs and see the parents work. Don’t answer the ad in the newspaper for dogs that will do this and do that – see them for yourself.

Pip started teaching clinics throughout Australia to help people with their working dogs. Many people believed trial dogs couldn’t work on the farm and were mechanical and he wanted to help them realise this wasn’t true. He remembers starting a Lassie Collie at Condobolin, a Labradoodle at another school and teaching a Fox Terrier to back sheep and fill the jetting race. He is a believer that dogs are more intelligent than they get credit for and they know what we are thinking. He had a Kelpie dog who knew when they were going to a trial and when let out would go and sit by the passenger door of the ute. Pip remembers setting it up one day and making sure he didn’t do anything different to a

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regular work day – the dog still knew they were going trialling and went and sat by the ute. If you can teach a dog to lead a blind person through Sydney, or sniff out drugs, or track a child through the wilderness – you can teach them anything.

You can see when watching the great handlers with their dogs that the dog knows what they are thinking and the handler knows it as well. All people who have dogs have something in common – pet dog, seeing eye dog, show dog, working dog – they all have that common factor - love of the dog.

Every constitution of the trialling associations in each state of Australia reads ‘to breed and promote a better working dog for Australian conditions’. The great CEW Bean wrote the book ‘On The Wool Track’ - in that book he states that Australia was built on the sheep’s back and that of the working dog. There are a lot of people still in Australia with that aim still in the forefront of their minds, breeding a better working dog. Once upon a time the dogs were not respected as much as maybe they should have been. With a closer population or more caring people as the years go by, people on farms now have better housing, are mindful of their dogs capabilities, they care more, and look after them and care for them to a higher standard which is really wonderful. The working dog or any other dog does not ask for much - a nice meal, love, proper housing to the conditions in which they live, and proper veterinary care.

They ask for nothing more. No superannuation, no overtime, and you don’t have to pay GST. As time goes on, as long as we keep running stock in Australia, the dog will still play a great part. Stock handle much better off dogs than they do off humans – get a bag or a rattle and the sheep generally don’t take much notice. It’s hard work to draft 3000 sheep without good dogs. Sheep and cattle all respond better to the working dog.

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Stud Profile:

Article by Kasie LoSurdo Photos by Romy Bennett

Eveready Kelpie Stud

Eveready Kelpies Story by: Kasie Losurdo Photos by: ???

F

rom having no idea what he was doing at age 21 with his cattle dog trying to work cattle, to breeding the highest paid kelpie at Jerilderie Working Dog Auction in 2019, Nathan Cayfe from Eveready Kelpies must have learnt a thing or two along the way.

These days Nathan and his kelpies work sheep nearly every day on a sheep farm he and his family manage near Cowra.

For Nathan, his dogs need to get the job done, and by done he means move 22,000 sheep a year. His dogs need to be allrounders in a unique environment; moving large mobs of new lambs through various size paddocks, to feed lots, to yards, in drenching races and loading trucks. “I can’t be screaming instructions at them all day long, the dogs need to be able to think for themselves”, Nathan says.

Whilst Nathan is clear on what he requires from his breeding now, he had some good mentors and good dogs to help show him the way in the beginning. Nathan met Chris Stapleton from Capree Kelpies when he was working sheep and cattle in Rylstone and he needed a dog to help him with his daily work.

Nathan liked how well Chris’s dogs worked - “Once I saw what Chris’s dogs did, I wanted to work towards that”. Eveready Kelpies was born in 2007 with the purchase of Capree Rose.

Nathan purchased Capree Rose partially trained with a pup

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(Capree Dually) for $3,500.

Given Nathan had little idea about how to train her further, he just let her do her own thing. “She taught me more than any one person could have” Nathan says.

Nathan had no interest in trialling, because he still was not sure where he was headed back then, he just needed dogs to get his paid job done. However, a friend of Nathan’s was organising a trial at Rylestone and suggested he have a run.

Nathan and Rose finished in second place in the Encourage.

Rose showed Nathan what she was capable of, and that’s where Nathan’s addiction to trials, training and breeding dogs started.

Later Nathan changed jobs and found himself moving in a different direction and looking for a different type of kelpie as his foundation, so he sold Rose and purchased two bitches from Michael Johnston from Milburn Kelpies (Milburn Kelly and Milburn Molly).

Having a background in horses, Nathan assumed that training the dogs would be like horse training, where the trainer was all controlling. But after meeting Michael Johnston in Boorowa, Nathan learnt that handler mindset was so important. Nathan says “Michael told me to relax and shut my mouth. Once I let the dog work naturally with their instincts and with less

handler input, we gelled better as a team”. Michael soon became Nathan’s mentor. One of Michael’s dogs was like no other, Boanong Buster. During this time Nathan also met Ashley Corkhill who owned Marabou Roy. “It was mind blowing what that dog could do. Between Buster and Roy, they’re the best dogs I’ve ever seen – still to this day”. Their ability was like nothing he had seen before and Nathan knew this is where he wanted to build from.

Nathan breeds two to three litters per year and they are primarily for himself. He needs to have dogs up and coming to do the work on the farm. Currently Nathan has a team of 14 dogs – four full time and the rest vary from young dogs and pups at different stages of their training. He prefers black and tan dogs because he finds they have more presence on stock which contributes to the work. He also likes athletic, leggy dogs to cover ground with solid feet. As far as the dog’s temperament is concerned, Nathan’s aim is to breed kelpies that can handle the daily pressures of farm work and pace themselves to last the day. They need to be able to handle instructions, pressures from the environment like heat in the hottest time of the year, pressure from the sheep and pressure from hours of work either in the yards or in the paddocks.

Nathan says, “I don’t like dogs on my farm that bully sheep: overwork the sheep or who have a nasty bite”. They need to do their jobs quickly and effectively, have a good finish, and know when to keep their distance to minimise stress on the lambs.

Whilst farm work and family life mean Nathan does not trial much anymore, he still believes “Trialling makes us better and gives us a standard to work to”. Nathan says “I am always searching for top end dogs. When I do a joining, I have a vision in my head of the working attributes and type I am trying to achieve”. He says with more time taken to consider the pedigree, and watching a dog work, you learn what dog goes with what, when making breeding decisions. Nathan says you cannot breed based on pedigree alone because “How do you know what you are breeding to? The dog might not stack up”. He believes “to see a dog’s full potential, you have to give them consistent, long days at work. It’s the ultimate test”. So, he does not limit himself to what he just sees on the trial ground.

He is aware that there are plenty of good dogs out there that do not trial – they may even be better dogs, as there are lots of good stockman that do not trial.

Nathan admits he did get a little caught up in the trialling bubble for a while. Whilst he was not overly concerned about winning or not, he says “It does tell you where your dogs are at”. Nathan says trialling is fun, and when he wanted to better his skills at trials, a friend suggested he become a trial judge because it makes you a better trialler. Judging gave Nathan a different perspective on trialing. “You really have to be focussed with every run to maintain consistency” he says.

“You can pick up on every dog’s strengths and weaknesses and also see how a handler’s decisions can alter an outcome”.

Nathan says that while handling weaknesses that show up at a trial do not necessarily matter in day to day work, trials do make you a better handler.

Eveready Copper

Eveready Bob

Eveready Bob, Lucy & Copper

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Nathan uses the knowledge he has learnt over the years to help others out, readily giving up his time and property to help people wanting to learn. He says, “I help people because I am in a position to do it, and I think back to the generosity of time and knowledge that Chris and Michael shared with me”.

Nathan says if people are willing and eager enough to travel to him, that’s enough for him to give up his time. He enjoys teaching and seeing people improve. He also sees it as a way to contribute to the industry. “The more people out there doing the right thing by the breed is only a good thing”.

“I realise perfect doesn’t exist, but it’s still a goal” Nathan says.

While Boanong Buster and Marabou Roy were freaks, they’re still in Nathan’s mind as the high standard. Nathan strives to be consistent and breed dogs with the ability and necessary attributes. While he can’t keep all the pups he breeds, he enjoys selling good dogs that make people happy. Eveready Kelpies may not be around forever, because once Nathan is not doing farm work anymore, he says he will not have a need to breed, but you never know, by then he might have time to get back into the trial ring.

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ARTWORK BY: PEEK GRAPHICS

ELFINVALE STUD KELPIES

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A DOG’S LIFE

Story Lauren Vest, Photos Danny Ruben & Peri Chappell

Rhettlenash Jock

Article by Lauren Vest Photos by Jess Coster (JMC Photography) Jai Moar and Lauren Vest

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t most yard trials around the south east of NSW, there is a combination you just can’t miss when they are in the ring. Ben Coster has a big personality and his dog Jock takes some handling at a trial, which results in a very recognisable chorus of “Jock! Get off! JOCK!”. Behind the noise and their success at trialling is a dog that shows up consistently day after day on the farm, always keen to get to work no matter the job.

Rhettlenash Jock is a six year old Kelpie. Sired by Cotway Bolt (Yallaroi Toss/Coopendale Floss) and out of Cactus Sprite, he was bred by Craig Macpherson. Craig had been wanting a pup out of one of Ben’s bitches, so they did a deal to swap a pup for a pup. Ben says that Jock was pretty tough to train as a pup – he was very strong minded. Thankfully this is an asset for a dog in Ben’s camp. He needs dogs that can take a lot of handler pressure and come back harder when the pressure is on. He showed natural ability from the start, as well as strength.

When Jock was a young dog, Ben was working for Romani Pastoral Company at Harden, running around 30,000 sheep.

As a 10 month old dog, Jock worked two months straight at shearing time which Ben says helped make him into the great work dog he is today. Nowadays Ben manages a property near

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Yass that runs 8,000 first cross ewes and 600 cows. Jock is the go-to dog – He loves work, and his favourite job is mustering big paddocks. He has a big, searching cast and you can send him around a mob and leave him there while you go to muster another paddock. When you come back, he will have the sheep ready to go at the gate. While the paddock is his favourite, he still loves yard work – he will bark and bark all day and loves filling the shearing shed. He also gets to be the helper at dog schools, holding the training sheep for younger dogs or demonstrating training exercises.

While he is a stylish, natural worker with good distance at work, Jock often pushes against Ben at a trial and gets hard to handle. He seems to know the difference between work and trial, he also knows that he can get away with being a bit headstrong in the arena! He thinks he knows better, which unfortunately isn’t always true. Despite this, the pair have had consistent success at trialling in all disciplines. Yard trialling is their main discipline - Jock is an open yard dog, he has won and been in numerous open finals. He has also won a novice three sheep trial, made finals in utility and cattle trials. He was the overall winner of the AUSDS trial in Mansfield in 2019 which was judged on yard, paddock and cattle work, as well as

A DOG’S LIFE Rhettlenash Jock

placing third at the Tamworth Stockdog Spectacular in 2018 in the allround stockdog competition. Aside from work and trialling he is also a great family dog. Ben and his wife Jess have three kids and Jock loves playing with them. The eldest, Claire, has trialled Jock a number of times in junior classes at yard trials. Ben’s next goal is to win a big trial with Jock – a championship or Australian.

Ben is the man behind Wandabar Stockdogs and Jock is his main sire. Ben’s team contains a number of dogs who are by Jock or out of bitches by Jock, and many more are spread around Australia working on stations. His progeny has been inheriting his style and his solid temperament. Ben’s favourite Jock pup is his bitch Wandabar Rosie II, out of Tumutvalley Rose IV (Capree Claw/Kamileroy Lucky).

Within 6 months of starting to trial she won a maiden and a novice at the same trial, and a second novice not long after. She has since won the Improver at the Australian Championships as well as an open. She is a very promising young bitch and dependable at work.

Some other talented progeny includes Wandabar Tess out of Cotway Webby (Democa Louie/Kellerslea Quinn). She has not been as successful trialling as she has a bit more bite but is Ben’s best work bitch with a good cast, good in the yards and good on cows and calves. She has been breeding on well.

Wandabar Jed, out of a stationbred bitch, had some trialling success with Ben before being sold at Wagga dog auction to Noel Hocking. He was a really handy work dog that Ben regrets selling. Wandabar Bill out of Wandabar Polly (Democa Punk/Coopendale Lucy) is a big leggy dog who Ben sold to a handler in Queensland. He has been very successful up there and made a bit of a name for himself locally as a work dog on cattle, sheep and goats. He has also sired a few litters. Lokabe Ruby out of Raimar Emily (Kippakoop Poley/Barrkel Twisty II) is a younger bitch by Jock who is showing a lot of promise.

She is a great work bitch, really good on cattle and especially useful at lambing time with a big bark to shift mobs of ewes and lambs.

Jock is really a dog who shows what the Australian Working Dog is all about – a work dog who shows up day in and day out on any job, a family dog who plays with the kids and a dog who can show up to a trial on a weekend and put in consistent performances on any kind of stock. www.stockdogs.com.au AWSDM

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WEEKEND WARRIOR DAMIAN VENERIS

Article & Photo by Angie Snell

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amian Veneris is a familiar face around the three sheep trial circuit in Queensland. He has been trialling for a few years now and has gradually built his way up from beginner in encourage trials to a serious competitor to watch out for. While Damian is now a serious competitor it was in fact his son Charlie who introduced him to the sport.

After purchasing a Kelpie as a family pet from gumtree in 2012 Damian Veneris and his son Charlie found themselves at Shaundar herding in Greenbank with Dale Formosa. After noticing Hugo’s natural ability, they sought out a trainer and started attending herding school. Charlie who was 13 developed a love for herding sheep and was the first in the family to catch the trialling bug.

After watching many trials Damian took the plunge into sheep dog trialling with a dog borrowed from his trainer Dale Formosa. Her name was floss and they took to the paddock at Karara in Queensland. “Floss who has sadly passed away now was a very talented working border collie and she has taught many new trailers how to improve their trialling”.

newcomers hope that they too can be competitive in three sheep trialling.

It’s not all about winning however, when asked what he enjoys most about trailing, he replied “Trialling for me is about enjoying working with the dogs, and hopefully improving my skills with each run. Getting a win is a bonus.“ His enjoyment of trialling is evident, when asked what his favourite moment at a trial was he said “watching my son Charlie trial for the first time at Kalbar was probably the most memorable. Followed closely by Stanthorpe 2020 where two of my dogs Crush and Stanley placed 5th and 6th in the improver category.”

The wins have happened though, and Damian has won three encourage trials which means he can no longer compete at this level. The encourage trial is designed to do just that, encourage beginners into having a go at three sheep trialling. This is a great achievement in itself to grow beyond the encourage trial and be out competing with the best trialers.

After this first experience with Floss Damian was hooked and got his first dog Ritchies Crush, “He was given to me by our trainer Dale as a 4-year-old experienced trial dog.” The rest they say is history and Damian now has 4 trialling dogs (although he’d love more) and has since gone on to compete in roughly 40 three sheep trials.

Obviously with all this trial experience and from attending herding school Damian is a wealth of knowledge and is more than happy to share with those new to or looking at starting trialling. When asked what advise he’d give to those looking to get a start he said “my best advice to anyone wishing to begin trialling would be to get yourself an experienced dog to start.

They can teach you so much. Also talk to other trailers and watch as many runs as you can.

Damian can be seen at trials across Qld encouraging newcomers, offering advice and generally being a great role model for those in the sport, and is certainly someone many trillers look up to. Knowing that you do not need to have a country background, or a sheep station to be successful gives

Damian is certainly one of those to talk to about trialling, and its worth watching a few of his runs! He is a great example of what can be achieved as a weekend warrior. With competitors like Damian involved the future of three sheep trialling sure looks bright!

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Cobber Fundraising Practice Days

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t Palen Creek, just over the border into Queensland, Luke and Amy Lloyd have started up monthly practice days for locals to come and give their dogs a run on stock. Hosted at their property, the home of Netherby Working dogs, the days are proudly sponsored by Cobber Dog Food. All proceeds are being donated to Precious Wings, a charity that focuses on giving families keepsakes of a lost baby so they don’t have the leave the hospital empty handed.

Locals can enter their dogs for a small fee as well as buy raffle tickets, and a BBQ lunch is shared by all for a gold coin donation. The happy winner of a bag of Cobber Dog Food at the first practice day was Craig Freestone. So far they have donated $190 to Precious Wings.

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RISING STAR

DANNY KERR Article by Lauren Vest. Photos by Lauren Vest & Angela White

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anny is the manager of a thoroughbred breeding farm in the Hawkesbury area, but in the last couple of years he has embarked on the journey of training his own working dogs. Not coming from a working dog background, Danny has been noticed for his dedication and skill in training his dogs himself and doing a great job of it. At the Bungendore three sheep trial I sat down with Danny and had a chat about how he got into working dogs and where he is heading.

In his own words – He was a pretty bad kid. Headed down the wrong path, he was lucky enough to cross paths with a mentor, Peter Govan, who helped him get back on track. If it weren’t for him, he would likely be dead or in jail – he was a lifesaver. Unfortunately, after a time they dropped out of contact, and Danny headed on with his career in horses. After some time on a dairy he started at a showjumping stable and learnt how to ride. He found his way into polo and now into thoroughbreds.

Dogs were always in Danny’s life, but usually just as pets. He had pitbulls for a long time, and actually taught them to go back behind cattle or horses and gather them, but had no idea you could teach a dog sides or a stop, or more finesse, until he got into sheepdogs. A few years ago Danny and Peter Govan got back in touch – and as it turned out, Peter was a cattle trialler.

He mentioned that he had an imported New Zealand bitch who had just had pups. Danny thought working a dog might be a good thing to learn so he bought one of the pups. He

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named him Buddy – out of the NZ Heading Dog bitch, sired

by Trewina Zac. He got some sheep to train his pup on and off he went. He would send videos to Peter and then talk on the phone about how he was going. One of these first video and phone calls he was told to let his pup go to the head instead of stopping him – that’s the whole idea of it! Buddy is now two years old.

The Hawkesbury is where the very active Sydney Sheepdog Club is based, and members can go and train on weekends.

Danny is there nearly every weekend. Everyone there is very generous in sharing knowledge and helping each other out.

Being someone who learns best by watching, seeing the other members training their dogs and seeing what is good and bad has been really valuable.

especially at a utility trial!

He doesn’t want to be stuck to any one training method, type of dog, or type of trial. He is interested in learning to develop dogs that can adapt to any stock or any situation – practical, useful dogs. He likes learning and watching a variety of different trainers and handlers. Down the track he would like to try his hand at managing somewhere that runs varied livestock or even a bit of contracting work.

Danny is a great example of how quickly you can progress if you dedicate the time, have an open mind and are always willing to learn. We will be seeing much more of Danny I’m sure, as he develops as a trainer/handler and both his dogs and himself continue learning!

Danny also attended a clinic with Jake Nowlan. Despite struggling with learning he say he must have taken something in as he finds himself doing things he learnt from the school without even realising. This clinic also made him realise that he wants dogs that are mentally strong and can deal with handler pressure. Once things start running again he is very keen to go to some more clinics.

Once his mentor saw how well he was doing training Buddy, he sent him a sister from the same litter to train as well, named Mingle. In addition he has also bought a kelpie pup to bring on (EK Collie – Eveready Copper X Karana Soul).

Danny had his first go at trialling at the Molong three sheep trial this year where he penned in both encourage and maiden with Buddy. Buddy and Mingle both had a go at the Bungendore three sheep trial and worked well on very tough sheep. Most recently he travelled to Nyngan for the NSW Utility Championships where he also ran Buddy and Mingle.

Buddy placed second in the nursery trial which is a great achievement for a young dog and a first time trainer/handler,

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Interview with Rod Cavanagh Q Why was the AUSDS Inc. formed – surely there are enough other livestock working dog organisations?

A The all-round ‘utility’ dog is required to work all types of stock, including both sheep and cattle, in various situations.

There is no other national body that demonstrates a combination of these four aspects: (a) Long Searching Casts and Mustering; (b) Paddock and Obstacle Work; (c) Yard Work (sheep); and (d) Cattle Handling. Therefore, it was considered necessary for the natural ability of ‘utility’ dogs be tested and accounted for.

Q What is the Society all about?

A The aim and purpose is “To foster both the improvement in excellence and the continuance of High Quality Practical Working Stock Dogs – for sheep and cattle work, in the livestock industry throughout Australia and internationally”. It is a ‘not for profit’ organisation, basically run by volunteers.

The Society has been operational for 5 years and has been extremely fortunate with great sponsorship and donations.

The slogan is “Fostering Excellence in Breeding Practical ‘Utility’ Stock Dogs”.

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Q Is there support from experienced stock men and women who rely on dogs for their livelihood?

A YES – Having a practical and common sense approach to stock work; getting a job done with sound Stockmanship practices; avoiding unnecessary technicalities; and portraying stock dogs’ all-round natural ability. These features have created this most essential support.

Q How many ‘Stock Dog Challenges’ are planned annually?

A Hopefully, a couple of ‘Stock Dog Challenges’ will be run annually in both NSW and Vic., and at least another annual event in all other states: Tas., SA, WA, and Qld. Q Are venues difficult to source?

A YES – It is a huge commitment for a property to agree to hold an AUSDS Inc. ‘Stock Dog Challenge’. Suitable facilities, and having both sheep and cattle available, are not easy to come by. The cartage of stock from any distance is generally cost prohibitive. Biosecurity issues, and seasonal conditions also have to be considered. The Society does have a substantial public liability insurance cover.

Q What are the requirements for holding an event?

A There are three components: 1. (a) Long Searching Casts and Mustering, and (b) Paddock and Obstacle Work (combined) – [a paddock with an area suitable to cast a dog up to 400 metres or so, with an area close by to set up some panelled obstacles]; 2. (c) Yard Work (sheep) – [large sheep yard (ie. portable yards) having a drench and draft race, and a ramp into a trailer]; 3. (d) Cattle Handling – [cattle arena with some spare panels to form an obstacle or so]. It is best if the time keeping and tabulating of results can be managed from a cen-

tral position, which also has the advantage where people can view all three components simultaneously. Any help towards obtaining suitable venues is much appreciated.

handler and the sheep, although often not desirable, doesn’t incur a disqualification. Dogs working on their own initiative is far better than ’mechanical robots’.

Q Do I have to be a Member of the Society to compete? / Do I have to register my dog? / Does my dog have to work both sheep and cattle?

A Competitors who only work dogs in Level 1 events are not required to be Members of the AUSDS Inc., but those competing in higher Levels must be Members. All competing dogs, regardless of breed or level, must be registered with the AUSDS Inc. Dogs that are competing are expected to work both sheep and cattle.

Q What happens to the recorded assessments – are they available to peruse?

A Assessments and results can be perused at any event. Afterwards, these assessments are transferred to a database. The complete database of all events is available to Members upon request, which can be an interesting and valuable tool for selecting desirable traits in dogs for the future.

Q What is the difference of the AUSDS Inc. scoring and judging system to other trials – and Why? A The Society’s system is fair and transparent. Instead of starting from 100 and deducting points for every fault, an overall view of the dog’s work is undertaken. Each of the four aspect [(a), (b), (c), and (d)] as already mentioned, are of equal importance and each is worth 25% of the total maximum score.

These aspects are divided up into sections with more points being allocated for important sections and less points for others. Assessments given for each section are retained and cannot be undermined by faults occurring elsewhere.

If a dog isn’t capable of, or not coping with a section at hand, the handler can go on to the next. However, assessments are only recorded for this procedure, with zero points given for uncompleted section/obstacles. Also, ‘backing’ and ‘barking’ are now only assessed, with zero points given, as these procedures are not always required to get the job done satisfactorily in a sound and practical Stockmanship manner. Disqualifications are kept to a minimum, and a dog crossing between the

Q Can the rural and livestock industry benefit from the Society’s ideals?

A Yes, most definitely – By attending and competing at AUSDS Inc. ‘Stock Dog Challenges’, and from the recorded data available, stock men and women are better able to select the breeding of dogs suitable to their needs. This selection of high quality practical working stock dogs invariably improves efficiency and ease of stock handling. It flows down the line to property management and national economics. A big plus is a better outcome for the welfare of stock and dogs being worked, of which the Society takes a very serious attitude.

Q When and where will the next ‘Stock Dog Challenge’ be held? / How does the Society promote its cause?

A The next event was scheduled early May 2020 at Chiltern Vic., but was postponed due to the Covid 19 virus. Future events will be announced as soon as practical. A uniquely designed banner will be displayed at ’Stock Dog Challenges’. The AUSDS Inc. has a Facebook page and website www.ausds.org

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STOCKMAN PROFILE Jim Marshal Castle View Gunna Kelpie Stud

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estled into the hills on the outskirts of Scone lies ‘Castleview’, a picturesque 240 acre sheep and cattle property run by Jim & Noreen Marshall. It is also home to an assortment of racehorses as well as Gunna Kelpie Stud - founded in 1996 when Jim and Noreen came to Scone.

Jim and Noreen also own another 140 acre property adjacent, run by their son.

I was lucky enough to spend what was meant to be a couple of hours with Jim and Noreen but ended up being an all day visit with them and their working kelpies. Jim prides himself that he is now down to single digits in the number of kelpies that he owns…. that’s if you don’t count a litter of 7 week old pups, a couple of dogs Jim has taken on for training that he sees some potential in, and another litter just born the night before my visit. We will get back to the breeding side of things later.

Jim’s career in agriculture started at 15 as a station hand on a property called Willandra at Hillston NSW. A Merino stud running around 200,000 sheep at the time. At 15 years old living in a hut with 8 – 10 men proved a somewhat interesting experience. Jim said it was a wild time - once one of the stockmen shot into the ceiling of the hut with an automatic

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Article and Photos by Patsy Trevor

rifle. He also said if he’d had the funds to go home, he would have left however he stayed on and luckily the Overseer Norm Hockings took Jim under his wing.

While working as a station hand at Willandra was the first time Jim came across working dogs and this is where his love of stock dogs began. Jim’s first dog was a cross bred kelpie left behind by one of the stockmen and it was the start of his team.

Jim’s initial dogs were all ‘half handy’ cross bred station dogs that were either left behind as station hands moved on or that he bought off them.

Jim started at Moolbong as a station hand about 12 months later and after 12.5 years worked his way up to be Overseer.

Moolbong ran at the time roughly 30,000 Merinos and 500 head of Stud cattle during a good year. During this time Jim brought together a line of cross bred kelpies that he liked due to their versatility and all round abilities. With the biggest paddock at Moolbong being 12,000 acres in size, Jim was required to go out and muster over 1 – 2 days. He had no time to swap out his paddock dogs for specialist yard dogs, so his dogs would have to work the yards as well. His dogs were tough, strong and had good stamina. As Moolbong also ran a herd of 500

head of cattle these same station, dogs would also be required to muster the cattle.

All round ability in a dog is something Jim still values to this day and can be seen in his Gunna line of working kelpies, who often yard trial on one day and then turn around and cattle trial or 3 sheep trial the next.

Whilst at Moolbong Jim often spent his holidays truck driving and wool classing around NSW and Victoria, however he says he always ended up back at Moolbong. Although this wanderlust earned him the nickname “Wandering Jimmy” it also resulted in him meeting and marrying Noreen.

After leaving Moolbong Jim and Noreen moved on to another Company owned property ‘Burrawong South’, at Forbes for 12 months and also spent some time taking care of the property ‘Kylie Park’ at Coorawatha NSW where he was the mainstay in evolving a successful rabbit eradication program.

Due to a severe drought affecting the area in 1967, Jim and Noreen decided to leave the land behind entirely and the couple ended up buying and running a Mobil Service Station at Young in NSW. Jim said at the time they would either sink or swim and fortunately they could swim.

Though Jim and Noreen had left the land and spent around 3 years running the service station at Young, and Jim did have to let most of his team of dogs go, he did have the foresight to hang on to his main working dog Flo a fawn kelpie bitch. Jim in his understated way classed Flo as ‘more than handy’ as she could work paddock or yard, sheep or cattle.

While Noreen ran the service station Jim decided to go back to school and trained to become a Meat Inspector and upon successfully completing the Meat Inspector’s course, he started working at the Cowra Meatworks.

One day while he was working at the Meatworks, he received a phone call saying that his application to become a Rabbit Inspector for the PP Board at Young had been successful, which he found quite interesting as he hadn’t actually applied for the job. Turns out Noreen had decided that Jim needed a change in career and had made the application on his behalf.

Jim decided to keep his wife happy and ended up taking the job although he did insist on being interviewed first.

After this Jim, Noreen and their young family moved up to Scone and Jim started work at the Export Meatworks at Aberdeen. They purchased a property on 80 acres called Gunnadoo, on the highway a few kilometres out of Scone NSW. This allowed Jim to get back into working dogs and using the skills he had built up during his years working as a station hand and overseer in Outback NSW. He was given a koolie dog bred by his Uncle at West Wyalong and thus began his small team of working dogs. His team consisting of koolies, cross bred koolies and Flo the kelpie.

One day while working his dogs at home at Gunnadoo, his next door neighbour across the railway tracks John (Jack) Johnson, heard Jim’s raised voice as he was working his dogs. Jack later invited Jim to become involved in the Scone Yard Dog Trial, run in conjunction with the Scone Gala Day at that time run on Jack’s property Tyrone. The Scone Gala Day Show was initially set up by Jack to run in conjunction with the Scone Horse Festival to entertain the crowds, featuring working dogs instead of horses. The Gala Day was run out at Tyrone from 1988 to the mid 1990’s.

The Scone Gala Day Yard Dog Trial was Jim’s very first trial, aged in his mid-50’s and he freely admits that he was overcome by nerves, struggled with gates, gate latches and remembering the course, but was totally hooked on the sport. He also remembers going home after his first trial and thinking to himself that his good old ‘faithfuls’ were not going to cut it at trialling and that

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he needed a better style of dog to be competitive in the sport.

This road in 1994 led Jim to buying a black and tan bitch pup by the name of Karana Jedda. She was bred by Kevin and Kay Howell of Karana Kelpie Stud and was by Philscreek Jim out of UD Scarlet.

At West Wyalong Yard Dog Trial in 1995 Jim came across Paul Spears of Yakka Kelpie Stud at Wagga Wagga, who had 4 cream pups in a box. Jim picked out a male pup and aptly named him Custard due to his cream colouring. This was to be the start of an ‘interesting’ but very rewarding partnership that led the pair to compete very successfully in the disciplines of Yard Dog Trialling, Cattle Trials, Utility Trials and also 3 Sheep Trials.

Yakka Custard was by Philscreek Rebel out of John Lee Paddy.

Paddy at the time was a highly successful trial bitch and Jim was very happy with his pup purchase.

Karana Jedda was later bred to both Capree Watch and Capree Minute however missed to both. Her pairings with Yakka Custard however went on to produce 55 pups in total for Gunna Kelpie Stud. Some of these pups were named Slice, Tart, Junket and Puddin in honour of their sire and interestingly Jim says only very few were cream in colour. Karana Jedda produced 90 odd pups over her lifetime for Gunna Kelpie Stud which made Jedda a highly valuable and very productive brood bitch for Jim. I asked Jim what is his secret, how do you pick the best pup in a litter to keep? He said he gets asked this question often and it gets people to prick up their ears wondering what the secret is. Well the only way to pick the best pup is to keep the whole litter. You should always keep a pup you actually like and that you can work with. Jim breeds mainly for himself and sells the Story &pups. photos Grant remaining A Michael cream male pup by Yakka Custard out of Gannon’s Tish travelled overseas to Canada and another pup is in Brazil. Jim has also sold pups all over Australia.

Jim explains that the prefix Gunna for his fledgling kelpie stud was actually an abbreviation of the word Gunnado, as in Jim’s gunna do this and Jim’s gunna do that. The application when it was sent off to the Working Kelpie Council for approval came back with a note form Barbara Cooper saying that Gunnado was taken and would Gunna be okay. So Gunna Kelpies it was.

Gunna Chief (Yakka Custard x Karana Jedda) a male pup was purchased by Jim Luce a very successful trialler and owner of Philscreek Sam (Pat) who was renowned for his work outside.

Jim Luce rated Gunna Chief as even better outside than Pat. Unfortunately, he was lost very early to an accident so we will never know how good he could have been.

One of the best dogs Jim bred was Gunna Mick (Jendara Boo x Gunna Bess) one of Jim’s favourites who was very successfully competed in Utility, 3 sheep, Yard Dog and Cattle Trials. He won the Schute Bell Trophy for the Top Dog Shoot Out held at Willow Tree in 2011 competing in the 3 Sheep Trial, with Jim beating Greg Prince. Mick and Jim won the Paul Hodges Memorial Open Yard Dog Trial at Upper Horton in 2010 and 2012. Gunna Mick also won the Open Yard Dog Trial in Muswellbrook NSW on one day and then turned around and with a score of 99 won the Gloucester Open Cattle Trial the following day. He won 3 x Encourage 3 Sheep Trials at

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Gunna Jaxx

cont..pg.34 .....

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Murrurundi and the Improver 3 Sheep Trial at Willow Tree.

One of Jim’s favourite wins with Gunna Mick was the Middle Mount, QLD Cattle Dog Trial where Mick won by 1 Point against 128 dogs. This particular trial was one Jim always wanted to win. Held at the property Orana Downs and run by Rob Colcott, it was considered a very prestigious event. Mick won it in the final year the trial was held so the memory is all the more special to Jim. Another one of Jim’s favourite dogs was Gunna Puddin, a Yakka Custard son, who won multiple Open Yard Trials, Cattle Trials and Utility Trials and was lost tragically to blue green algae toxicity. Jim still misses him to this day. Jim twice represented NSW, in the State of Origin Trial Series with Coogee Jim a grandson of Gunna Puddin, against QLD in the State of Origin Cattle Dog Trial at Bouhinia in 2009, and again at Dulaca the following year in a 4 person team with Johnathan Randle, Dick Chapman and Nikki Collison. Jim remembers that NSW won the Series in 2009.

Gunna Ben (Yakka Custard x Gunna Bess) and Jim won the Novice Event at the Scone Horse Festival Cattle Dog Trial in 2007. Gunna Reg came 1st in the Open Yard Dog Trial in 2014 at the Coonamble Show.

Jim and Noreen have travelled to every State in Australia other than the NT competing at Trials, the friendship and hospitality they have found everywhere has been amazing. The couple spent a season on the QLD Cattle trialling circuit and loved the people and friendships they made on the road. They travelled across to compete at the National Kelpie Trial in WA in 2005 with Jim & Jan Luce, Rex & Kay Hocking and Kevin & Kay Howell. Jim and Noreen particularly value the competition and friendships they have made with like-minded people.

One man in particular, Greg Prince, Jim credits as being a magic man with dogs and also his greatest mentor. Jim realised early on if he “didn’t get help he would have to get out of trialling”, so he contacted Mark Edwards a friend and fellow 3 sheep trialler who organised for Greg Prince to come out in the following weeks to Jim’s property Gunnado at Scone, to host a dog school. Jim particularly looked up to Greg’s professionalism, his ability to read stock, the quiet way he went about his job and his helpfulness in passing along his own knowledge to others. Jim wouldn’t be the trialler he is today without Greg’s help. Jim says Greg Prince would never run you down however if you asked him a question, he would tell you plainly what he thought of your run. Greg over time became a great friend as well as mentor.

Jim tells the story of competing Karana Jedda at the Open Yard Trial at Henty one year. Greg who had missed his round so that he could watch Jim compete, he sat in the packed grandstand watching. Jim relates he was having a lot of trouble finding a leader off the truck section and was getting more vocal and irate saying “Jedda get up here, Jedda get in there, Jedda this and Jedda that” when the next minute a voice (Greg Prince) pipes up out of the blue from the grandstand “Jim what’s the name of that dog?”, which brought the whole house down in fits of laughter.

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Jim also tells of Greg’s habit of having an early morning cup of coffee whilst quietly exercising his dogs by running them in a circle around him. A quiet whistle they would all turn around and run in the opposite direction.

Jim and his kelpies have featured on Harry’s Practice twice as well as an ABC story by Rhonda Thwaite called “Room to Move and Grow”. He has judged all over Australia, was a foundation member of the Hunter Stock Dog Association and instrumental in organising trials in the area such as Timor, Muswellbrook, Dungog, Stroud, Tamworth and Manilla. Jim was on the NSW Yard Dog Committee and was at the forefront of getting Utility Trialling under the NSW Yard Dog Banner.

I asked Jim if he has any advice for young triallers starting up in the sport and he words of advice were to watch the top triallers, buy a pup from a reputable breeder, go to some dog schools, listen and take advice and finally don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are some great young people trialling today with Jim particularly impressed by young triallers such as Ben Coster, Adam James, Debbie Poole and Jenny Burrell.

Finally, no article involving Jim Marshall stockman, judge and trialler would be complete without a special mention of his dog Yakka Custard and their many feats together. Jim says Custard was a hard dog but had some unreal work in him and while Jim could bring the best out of Custard, sometimes things didn’t go exactly to plan.

While competing down at Henty with Custard, in the Open Yard Dog Trial in yards that were not permanent at that time, Custard with his usual vigour jammed the sheep up so tight against the gate in the drenching race that Jim was unable to get the gate open. After struggling for what seemed like ages, Steven Condell’s voice came over the PA system asking if anyone in the crowd had a set of bolt cutters to lend Jim to help him get the sheep out! Luckily Jim has a great sense of humour, especially needed he said when trialling Custard.

ASDW Registrar Ulara Border Collies

Article by Lauren Vest, Photos by Lauren Vest & Millissa Fox

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nyone who has registered dogs with the NSWSDW (New South Wales Sheep Dog Workers – The governing body for three sheep trialling in NSW) will know how dedicated and capable Ann Moy is at her job – Registrar for the studbook. It is Ann’s responsibility to maintain the studbook, register new dogs and litters, issue transfers and deal with any other issues that come up.

The NSWSDW studbook is an amalgamation of records from the WKC (Working Kelpie Council), AWBCR (Australian Working Border Collie Registry), the various state three sheep registries, the QLD working cattle dog registry, as well as including quite a few UK bred dogs from the ISDS (International Sheep Dog Society). Every dog who trials at a three sheep trial must be registered with the studbook – So you can imagine over the years that adds up to a massive number of dogs!

Ann took on the job in 2009, following on from Mandy Carney.

Before Mandy, the position was also held by Bruce Bashford and Charlie Cover. When Ann took over, a lot of the records were on paper in filing cabinets. Completing the transfer of everything to digital/online has been a massive undertaking, but a necessary one to streamline the process and make records more accessible to breeders and triallers. Using the Breedmate software, it is now much easier to generate pedigrees, try out test matings, or calculate the COI (Inbreeding Coefficient) of individual dogs or prospective matings. Ann is incredibly helpful when it comes to requests for test matings or pedigree details.

As well as maintaining the studbook, Ann breeds Border Collies at her home near Bathurst, with her partner Colin Webster. Colin was a highly successful three sheep trialler, winning the Australian Championships at Mudgee in 1991, as well as a number of other wins and placings. He also did a lot of ANKC (Australian National Kennel Council) herding trialling. Coming from a background of obedience trialling and showing, Ann also now trials in ANKC herding as well as some three sheep trials. Between the two of them they have a very impressive collection of trophies, ribbons and prizes from various forms of trialling.

Ann’s dogs come from her original ANKC Collie lines (Show Border Collies), however she now selects strongly for working ability. Dual registered ANKC/ISDS dogs have been used to maintain the working ability in her lines. The first dog Ann started herding with was Ulara the Oracle, one of her show bred dogs. Most of the dogs she has now, are bred down from Ohutu Cate IMP NZ, an ISDS bred bitch. She has been joined to different dogs to produce Ann’s current team. Out of Cate and sired by Ulara Ranger (goes back to Ann’s first BC – Ulara Lignite Luke) is Ulara Ice, who joined to Etherial Loch produced Ulara Merlyn and joined to Sarasota Craig produced Ulara Sally. Cate joined to Etherial Loch produced Ulara Cap and Ulara Twig. Ulara Drift from the same litter is owned by Bianca Godson and works fulltime in the saleyards as well as producing some quality progeny. Ulara Twig won the 2019 Border Collie Nationals for Herding, with her dam Cate winning the same trial in 2014.

The next step in Ann’s breeding program will be to join Ulara Twig on her next season - the sire will be an ISDS dog in the UK via frozen semen. His name is Gelert and he has been siring some very nice pups. Hopefully they will cross well and produce the next generation of workers for Ulara. There is also another ANKC litter in the works as Ann’s eldest daughter lost her Border Collie recently and would like another pup.

The plan is to breed Ulara Sally to an imported Border Collie sire named Chill, who goes back to Ann’s original dog Ulara Lignite Luke.

Ann and Colin open their property on weekends for people to come and train and work their dogs on sheep or ducks. They have a full three sheep course and ANKC B course set up in the paddocks as well as yards to work in. People drive from as far as Sydney to come and work their dogs and spend time with Ann and Colin. They have built a fantastic place outside of the bustle of town where anyone can come and feel welcome and talk dogs all day with a cup of tea and good company.

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Serrano Mini & Rossco

(Kennallywood Rusty x Serrano Pink) CEA normal

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We have dogs that are being trialled and working on sheep and cattle properties.

Find us on

Peter Brown P: 0422 044 089 E: peterandsuebrown@aapt.net.au Located in Casino, N.S.W

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Photography by By Craig Bachmann Photography enquiries to Lauren Vest: lauren@stockdogs.com.au

PHOTO ESSAY

Craig has lived and worked on the land his entire life and he and his young family are proud to call the Lockyer Valley home. Since purchasing his first DSLR camera in 2015 his photography has gone from strength to strength thanks to the help from his fellow photographers, the huge support from his local community and his loyal and interactive facebook and instagram followers at craigbachmannphotography. Craig doesn’t only enjoy photographing working dogs and cattle but focuses much of his efforts on landscape, nightscape and severe weather photography. Last year Craig produced his first ever large wall calendar and has spent the last 12 months working hard on capturing images for his latest 2021 calendar, which has just been released and is sure to be extremely sought after once again. Craigs images are available as rolled, framed and HD metal prints and also fine art canvas prints.

You can purchase and view his entire range at craigbachmannphotography.com

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Riverside

Working Dogs

Riverside Jake

Open to breed, Semen collected 2014 Australian open cattle dog of the Year 2014 Nsw Open cattle dog of the Year 2018 Australian open Championship winner Grafton 7 Times represented NSW State Of Origin Winner of 12 Opens.

2014 Australian Maiden Championship winner Red Range 2014 Australian Novice Championship winner Red Range Dot has bred multiple trial winners but most importantly she has bred great working dogs.

Hylite Dot

Ad Design Kerri Hill

BEN GOULD | 0416354061 Follow us on Facebook and Youtube: Riverside Working Dogs

Truffle History in Australia

A KOOLIE’S NOSE is worth its weight in Black Gold!

Article and Photos by Karyn Turnbull

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n Australia the Truffle industry is less than 30 years old (unlike the Koolie Breed of 160+ years), and is now the fourth biggest producer of French Black Truffle in the world (after France, Italy and Spain). The most prized type of Winter / Black Truffle is the Périgord or French Black (Tuber Melanosporum). Australia also produces another variety the Tuber Borchii, a white coloured Truffle with a garlic / chive / onion smell and taste, these are a late winter / early spring variety and are not grown as prolifically as the Black Truffle.

Australia also has many native Truffles that native wildlife indulges in, however most are inedible for humans.

Koolies Nose was Born Back in 2014/15 I was sitting in a ‘Nose Works’ class and the teacher asked ‘does anyone have any questions’? I asked ‘How does one find Truffles’? The class laughed…..2016 ‘Silhouette’ Luca an Australian Koolie, was the first of his breed in the World to find an Australian Truffle, we found an 85g Black Truffle on a farm in Bredbo NSW. At the time there were no farmers in Victoria prepared to let me ‘try’ my year of training (out the back of Echuca in dry dusty paddocks) to see if it works!

2020 and the Koolies Nose Team have proven themselves from an 85g truffle to well over 35+ kilos a season. When you consider this is done generally on weekends over a short truffle season (May to mid-August), and that I work full time in ‘Corporate World’, it is not a bad haul.

It’s not all about the incredible Koolies nose, the handlers also need to know that ‘perfect ripe smell’ before even putting a tool in to start to excavate the Truffle. Then how to excavate the Truffle without damaging the Truffle and its surrounds or any other Truffles that may also be hidden. Washing, grading and storing are skills we share with farmers. I studied Agriculture and Animal Husbandry at Boarding School and this background serves me well to be able to discuss all sorts of topics from soil PH, pruning, and many of the newer techniques around re inoculation.

Nowadays the Koolies Nose Team consists of ‘Silhouette’ Luca, as well as his older sister Kyra. Koolies Nose also has Kate and her Koolie Ripsty working independently. We have a few dogs in training at various stages, including one awesome boy who has just graduated from his learner harness to his provisional

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harness, as he identified his first truffle a few weeks ago. Bear was a Koolie who was seeking another home through no fault of his own and has well and truly landed on his feet and with a part time sniffing job in our team.

I have been able to find homes for the odd Koolie/s over the years and it’s even more exciting when I can include them in the Koolies Nose team to provide them with not only a job, so to speak, but to see them gain confidence and work with their humans so closely and grow that bond. It’s so rewarding, especially for dogs who have some ‘challenges’ as many rehomed dogs can have.

What makes the best truffle dog?

I get asked this so often and I always find this an interesting topic. I suspect any breed can find truffles and over the years have seen some interesting breeds do just that! For Koolies Nose it’s all about work ethic. Koolies are inherent herders (Luca and his sister Kyra have 30+ years of selective breeding for this instinct and drive). Challenges include the weather (snow, rain, hail) they need to work in, being in sniffing mode for hours, many hours of travel and staying away from home in strange environments during the winter season. This calls for a dog that is adaptable, willing to please and will go until it drops. Koolies just love to please their humans and with their focus and drive I don’t think there is any better breed, for us!

These days I also use the years of hands on experience to train farmers to train their own dogs. I have trained some lovely humans and their dogs from a Lagotto (who was rehomed) who now helps his farmer identify three or four kilos a day, to a delightful full on Springer Spaniel who is so full of energy, she is just mind blowing and she will be the future of the farmers public hunts in the coming years. Of course, the training of Koolies and their intelligence never fails to astound me.

Highlights of Koolies and their noses Last season Luca indicated under a French Oak tree on a young farm on one of the wettest weeks in the Vic High

Country. The ground was like a mud pie mixture and it was still pelting down and about two degrees. The farmer and us started to excavate the spot and after 45 minutes of digging and bringing Kyra back over to check if there were more time and time again - we had identified 24 truffles in a cluster from the trunk to the drip line around the tree. This was a first for us and the farmer, to find so many under such a young tree. I can’t tell you the words of excitement the farmer used as this unfolded!

Two seasons ago Luca, who mainly air scents, and I were working a row and the farmer was walking with us. The farmer asked me ‘does this dog actually find truffles’? I explained to him – Kyra, like all good females are hard workers, nose down hard at work. The male, I say appears like he is just strolling in the park having an enjoyable time, but with a breeze he’s on.

The farmer scoffed at my explanation. Almost on que Luca nose went up and he crossed over 4 rows some 50 odd meters from where we were working and identified what turned out to be a 351g truffle. The farmer no longer questions Luca’s abilities.

The truffle industry is still young and has posed us some fascinating barriers at times. We continue to charge head on to such challenges and have overcome many and will continue too, while also show casing the capabilities of the Australian Koolie and how adaptable they are, as are their humans.

Koolies Nose was founded by Karyn Turnbull and it was born from my desire to support and find a sport for my boy Luca that would meet his unique needs. I continue that passion and where able will identify, train, and rehome Koolies to suitable homes to work for their humans in this industry.

For more information please visit www.kooliesnose.com.au Social media – Instagram: @kooliesnose and Facebook: Koolies Nose

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The Training Pen Understanding Animal Behavior Ken Sykes The Training Pen -“DO’s and DON’Ts” for successful sheepdogwith training

Ken Sykes

Ken Sykes has been involved with working dogs for most of his life. He has managed extensive sheep, goat, and cattle properties in the New England Region of New South Wales, and in the traprock region of Queensland. Over recent years Ken has become involved in sheep dog trialling and is a regular competitor on the Queensland circuit as well as giving working dog demonstrations at field days. Ken has been a regular contributor to various magazines and has travelled extensively in Australia and internationally to talk on livestock management and nutrition.

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t can be very frustrating for a newcomer to stock work or trailing, to watch an experienced handler who appears to handle the stock with no effort and then when they try, the stock will just not cooperate. I have often heard it said, you either have stock sense or you do not, and I believe that there is a degree of truth here. On the flip side, a basic understanding of stock and dog behavior can make things much easier. The following is a general outline only. Different breeds and different ages of livestock will behave differently.

Even shorn and unshorn sheep require a modification of working technique.

• Livestock, whether sheep, cattle or goats, are prey animals and understand predators.

• Humans and dogs are seen as potential predators.

• Livestock need time to see where you want them to go.

• Livestock have poor depth perception and limited binocular vision. (Keep this in mind when approaching a gap or gate, bridge, ramp, or obstacle. Stock may not initially perceive the opening or see the ramp as a solid wall. Give them time.)

• Livestock have excellent peripheral vision but cannot see directly behind them.

• Livestock have difficulty establishing whether a person or a dog standing still, is in a position to apply pressure. (This is a requirement in the trial arena, but you should avoid standing still when working stock in yards) • Livestock will always try to go back to where they came from.

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• Livestock will always try to move toward a larger mob.

• Anticipate where the stock will attempt to go and place your dog to prevent movement in the wrong direction, rather than to block after the stock have already moved off.

• Livestock language is not verbal. We communicate with them through position, distance, angle and timing.

• We need to know when to apply pressure and when to release.

• Livestock like to see what is pressuring them and need to see where you want them to go.

• Rather than trying to put stock anywhere, make where you want them to go the most logical and most comfortable place for them to go.

• Livestock like to follow a leader. A rider in front encourages stock to walk out and also steadies the lead.

• Dogs don’t speak English—they respond to sounds. The longer and more complicated the sounds, the more difficult it is for the dog to comprehend.

• As the dog is responding to a sound, it does not matter what word the handler uses, providing it is short, distinct, and consistent.

• Use the dog’s name. The dog must be familiar with its name.

Use the name when you call the dog to you or at any time you wish to gain its attention.

• Don’t SHOUT. Dogs have extremely sensitive hearing and respond much better to quieter commands.

• Excessive correction actually slows down the learning in the dog.

• Plenty of praise and pleasant experience speeds up the learning process.

• If you can whistle proficiently, whistle. Most people find it difficult to whistle, shout, and swear at the same time!

• A well-bred working dog is born with all the knowledge it needs to work stock. It is your job as handler to learn to control, modify and develop this knowledge to allow quiet, confident control of stock.

• No dog is perfect. They How to select t he right and for all have strengths and m a stro pup ng part nership weaknesses. Your job is to assist the dog to become as good as it can be.

• When purchasing a dog allow up to a month for him to adapt to their new home.

• Be kind, considerate, and compassionate but the dog must always know who the boss is.

Age old tra ining prac Be the pack leader. recent scie tices com ntifi bi ned with c discover ie cluding po s on how dogs lear n. stage in A ustralia Signed co pies availa ble from th kwsykes@ e bigpond.co author at m $30.00 in

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A Beginners Guide to YARD TRIALS Article by Lauren Vest

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he first go at trialling can be a very intimidating event for newcomers to the sport. Thankfully, most competitors and judges are friendly, approachable and interested in helping people new to trialling. So why not have a go!

and whether you might be ready to have a go at a trial – try contacting your state association to see if they can give you details of trainers near you that could help.

What is a yard trial?

Classes are split into junior, beginners, encourage, maiden, novice, improver and open. Beginners refers to the handler, it is for handlers who have not won any trials. You can win two beginner classes before you graduate into encourage. You can then win two encourage trials before moving out of encourage. You may run any dog regardless of their status in a beginner or encourage class. The other classes refer to the level/ status of the dog - they start in maiden and as they win classes they move up through the levels, with open being the highest class. The course at a yard trial is often different depending on the class being run – encourage, maiden and novice classes are often simpler and may use less sheep to make it easier for younger dogs. Improver and open classes are usually longer, more difficult or complex, and use more sheep. Some trials run a local class for people who live within a certain distance.

A yard trial is meant to reflect the jobs a station dog might do in an everyday work environment in the sheep yards. There are slight differences between every yard trial, but they all contain certain elements - a short cast and pick up, a drench race, a draft and a put away. In the higher levels you will usually have to load the sheep onto a trailer or truck as well. These obstacles may be in different orders or positions depending on the trial.

The drench race is a long narrow yard that you pack the sheep in tightly to medicate or handle them easily. The draft is a set of swinging gates that are used to split certain sheep out from the rest of the mob. Yard trials are held in a small enclosed area and are testing the dog’s ability to move sheep through smaller yards and confined spaces.

What do my dog and I need to be able to do, before we enter a trial?

You need to have your dog under good control and most importantly you must be able to stop it while it is working and call it off stock easily. You need to be able to send it around sheep from a short distance away and have your dog balance (bring) them to you. Being able to position your dog off balance is beneficial but not always necessary. The dog should be comfortable working in small yards and in close proximity to sheep without excessive biting – if this is a concern, a muzzle can be worn. Being able to back (move over the top of the sheep’s backs) and bark on command is usually required to fill the drench race, to draft, to clear gates and in the higher levels to load and unload the trailer.

Points are lost for things like biting or stressing the stock, the dog leaving the yard or the dog crossing between the handler and the sheep. Attending a clinic or training day with an experienced trainer, is a great way to gauge how your dog is going

What are the levels?

How are yard trials scored?

Yard trials are scored out of 100 points. Each combination starts with 100 points and as they work their way through the course, the judge deducts points. The aim of the trial is to move the sheep through the course in a smooth, flowing manner with forward momentum without stressing the stock any more than necessary. Points may be deducted for anything outside of this. Sheep breaking away from the mob, loss of forward momentum, moving off course, biting, sheep becoming jammed in the drench or draft, sheep or dog leaving the ring – these are just some of the things that may result in loss of points. Something that newcomers may not be aware of is that touching your dog or the sheep during a run will result in a loss of points – the exception is if a sheep gets stuck in yard panels or similar and needs assistance. There are also rules in place to make sure the handler isn’t influencing the sheep instead of the dog. When you open a gate to fill a yard you must pick a position and stay there without moving until the sheep are in the yard.

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Filling the Drench

There is always a time limit during a yard trial. If you run out of time you will still receive your score but you will also lose a set amount of points for every obstacle not completed – for example, you may not complete the draft and the put away before you run out of time. You might lose 10 points for not completing the draft and 10 points for not completing the put away.

In encourage classes the judge will be much more forgiving on a lot of these points and happy to help you get around the course and have a good experience. In your first few trials the score is not the important part – you want to make sure it is a fun and enjoyable experience for yourself, your dog and not a stressful one for the sheep. Once you have your head around the rules and how to work the course you can aim to increase your scores and move up through the classes.

How do I enter my first trial?

To enter a trial, you either need to join your state yard trialling association or purchase a day membership at the trial to be covered by insurance. Your dog does not need to be registered for yard trialling; it just needs to be under control on stock.

Any breed of dog is welcome as long as it works stock under control. Most of the state associations have websites that show upcoming trials, entry forms, membership forms and contact details for committee members. Some also use Facebook to advertise upcoming trials. Look up your state association and find out which trials run near you. Entry forms for trials always include contact details for the organisers if you have any questions or need help with entering.

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Working the Draft

When you arrive at a trial, make sure your dog is always under control and does not go near the ring when someone else is working. There will usually be a scorer’s tent or shed and this is where the draw will be posted, and questions can be asked.

At the start of each class there will be a judge’s talk – this is where the judge will walk the competitors through the course and explain how they want you to work the course and any special instructions. This is also the time to ask the judge any questions you have, so don’t miss the judge’s talk! Check things like where to stand at gates, how all the latches work, which sheep need to be drafted out and anything else you can think of. You are allowed to go to test the gates and look at the whole course during the talk to get clear before you go out with your dog. This is also a great time to introduce yourself to the judge and let them know you are a newcomer. They will usually be happy to help you while you are having your run if you get lost.

All that is left do to now is watch a few runs and then go out and have your go! Make sure you have emptied your dog out well before your run, as going to the toilet on course will lose you points. Try to relax and enjoy the experience – and prepare to get hooked!! *This article is written from the perspective of someone who trials mostly in NSW and VIC – rules differ slightly between states, so make sure you clarify things you aren’t sure of with the judge or committee at the trial.

The Training Pen The Kaden Way withtraining Denise Hawe The Training Pen -“DO’s and DON’Ts” for successful sheepdog

Denisee Haw

Denise Hawe owns a 42000 acre sheep grazing property in outback QLD. She has worked on the land most of her life, where horses and dogs were an integral part of stock management. Denise became passionate about finding better training methods around 10 years ago when she tired of the old ways, finding that they produced high turnover rates of dogs that just didn’t do the job. Although Denise participated in sheepdog trials and achieved success, she chose to turn to research and increasing her knowledge to improve her skills. Denise looked at great trainers, not in the working dog field but those that had studied the dogs mind and knew how to train them successfully. She undertook and achieved certificates in Dog Psychology, Obedience and Obedience Instructor, Concept Training with Pro Dogs, Recallers, and many Online Working Dog Schools in both America and England. Denise has now built up 2 successful businesses teaching people how to train and has vowed to never stop researching, always improving her knowledge of the beautiful dogs that have become not only her working partners, but also her life and passion.

I wanted to learn from people outside the working dog industry, people who had studied the dogs mind and behaviour, those that had worked with different methods to form strong bonds.

I studied information from vet behaviourists and professors that had excelled in their field. This formed the basis of Kaden, setting out the foundations and the ethics behind our training.

To fully understand ‘The Kaden Way’, let’s start with the dog’s brain. We can simplify the terminology and say it is made up of building blocks. These blocks form the strengths and weakness in the dog’s personality. We call these blocks concepts - focus, arousal, grit, optimism, confidence and independence etc. During every minute of the day, dogs make choices. These choices are made and then what follows is an outcome, or a situation. Some outcomes we like, and others we prefer they did not choose.

But how do we use this knowledge to train our dogs to make good choices, and grow into the workers we want? Let’s look at the evolution of dog training to fully understand what I am talking about. First, we go back decades to…

Trainer 1. A handler who trains in the outcome or the situation. This trainer sees a problem, like a dog choosing to chase a roo or not coming when called. Their first action is to wait until the bad behaviour occurs, and then try to make the dog do the right thing. For a one-sided dog they often keep sending it on their ‘bad side’ until they get it right. For a fast dog, they tend to pressure the dog into slowing down by using the stop command. The problem with this trainer is that they often use aversive practices, which is everything from voice correction to e-collars. They believe in the pack animal and ‘being the alpha’ etc. Sadly, they do not deal in facts. It is well documented that our domestic dogs are no longer a pack animal. Sadder still is that many handlers still train in this style. Now let’s jump forward a decade to…

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Trainer 2. This trainer came along with all good intentions.

They are ‘The Positive Trainer’, rewarding the good and ignoring the bad. Trouble here is that sometimes there is not much good to reward, so what do you do then? Good intentions are commendable, but we are still missing a bit of the puzzle. Leaping ahead to today, we have found a proven method!

Working dogs are taught mainly by an ‘ask, demand, correct and praise’ method. There seemed to be a one size fits all policy which we found lacking. It was after we started experiencing shut down and reoccurring behaviour problems that we went looking for answers.

Trainer 3. The concept trainer. A games-based reward giving trainer. Now before you have a meltdown, let me show you why this method is proven. In a study done in America these three ways of training were tested on working dogs, and Trainer 3 had more success than the others by far. Trainer 3, trains for the outcome or situation, rather than in it! That is how simple

he idea of ‘Kaden’s Way’ came about when my daughter Kate and I decided that the way we were training our working dogs was not getting the results we wanted. I had been trained by many experienced handlers and had taken a few courses, but I found that the standard program was not addressing all the problems we were coming up against.

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The Training Pen The Kaden Way

it is. We work with the concepts of the dog’s personality that are causing the problems and problem solve to improve them.

Ultimately, they make the choices we want. Because the choice is reinforced, that behaviour will be repeated again and again.

Let us look at the pup who hates to go one way. This is a confidence issue, so what we do is build up the confidence of that pup with dry foundation work. When we take it to sheep, we manage the problem. We do not send the pup to their bad side while we are working on building their confidence.

During dry training we use games that get them turning both ways for rewards. On sheep we keep to just allowing them to go the way they want. Once confidence is built, they will choose to go the other way naturally, and you will no longer get dogs slicing and gripping. It can also be good to keep this type of pup away from fences and give it space to work away from pressure.

Stops, call offs, casts and so many other different aspects of training are all handled better with good foundations. The biggest improvement you will have is the connection between you and your dog. The dog will be focussed on you and listening, wanting to learn and wanting to offer you a behaviour. Your pup will grow up to be a confident and independent worker fully connected to you. Even the behaviour around the kennels is improved by this method.

A simple game of ‘Switch’ can teach your dogs to change direction quickly. Then if you have come upon a kangaroo or stock when out walking, all you have to do is say the word and because you have made it an exciting and rewarding game they will choose you first. No longer do you have to carry a stick and have them filed in behind you, too scared to relax and enjoy a walk. It has saved me many a time when running into wildlife and stock. Simply managing the problem is so effective, while also building focus on you. If you have a dog who bites, don’t wack it on the nose, manage the problem. Use a muzzle and train it properly with a game to enjoy wearing one, then work on getting the pup confident enough to be able

to handle the situation without using their teeth. Management is the great tool we use here, not sticks and rakes.

Concept training, which was once considered a bit ‘flowery’, has worked its way into the training of working dogs. Why? Because it gets results. Yes, it should be tweaked to suit a working dog, but the foundation is still there.

We need to look at why so many dogs don’t make it through training. Instead of blaming the breeding, maybe we should focus on how we train and our insatiable need for fast results.

Pups are being started younger, and pressure is being forced on dogs far too early. If I was to give one piece of advice to people starting out, it would be not to ignore the research. Do not ignore the importance of understanding a dog’s mind and how they learn. This information must come from fact, not opinion. Spend those first months teaching good foundation and start your pup around 10 months onwards. Know your dog and learn how to train the dog in front of you without just following a step by step program.

People need to understand that dogs do not need to be taught ‘respect’. They are not arrogant creatures that plan to upset us. They are not capable of spitefully doing things to annoy us. Breed and traits play a small role in the way a dog learns, events play a huge role. Train and know the dog in front of you and remember that the old saying of ‘the pup you have and see will be the dog you will get’ is no longer true. Work with that dog’s strengths and weaknesses in order to shape them into what they can be. You just need the knowledge.

I love a passage I took from Tom Mitchell’s book, ‘Learning is more powerful the longer we take and the more we break it down”. I believe it sums things up beautifully. The more we break down and understand what our dogs are doing, taking the time to train the behaviours we need, then the better the connection we will have and the better the outcome will be.

The research has been done, and the results are here. It is in your hands.

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Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) — Kelpie Ataxias

Update July 2020

by Deb Maxwell BVSc

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ith tests now available for CA, the number of CA affected pups being born can be greatly reduced.

In every mating, for each CA type, one parent must be clear.

Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) in Kelpies causes ataxia and other difficulties with movement. There are three or more genetic causes, and while DNA tests have been developed, there are still unknowns. This article presents the knowledge to date, but continuing research and the data from wider commercial testing will build on this knowledge and may result in changes to tests and future recommendations. Nevertheless, the current tests can greatly reduce the number of potentially affected pups.

The same disease variants may also affect ANKC Kelpies, Border Collies and Koolies, as well as crosses of these breeds, due to their common ancestors and occasional cross-breeding.

Tests run by the researchers on about 200 Border Collies

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(mainly ANKC) did not show CA markers. Since the research, the Late- and Early-onset CA has been confirmed through commercial tests in some Border Collies; CA affected Koolies require testing to confirm these.

• Cerebellar Abiotrophies (CA) are incurable, inherited diseases in Kelpies with the majority identified by three known and unrelated genetic markers.

• Signs include ataxia, high stepping [hypermetria], wide stance, incoordination, falling over, difficulty jumping onto objects, fine tremors, a nodding head, difficulty eating or drinking from a bowl, and, occasionally, seizures.

• The disease is not common, with the level of CA markers in the population remaining low, but two carriers may be chosen as mates and produce affected pups, and linebreeding/ inbreeding can increase the chance of this occurring.

• Some affected dogs studied were not explained by these three markers; potentially there may be one or more other genes causing CA in Kelpies or there are other genes that affect

whether the disease is fully expressed, or other markers may be better indicators, in particular, with the Early-onset variant.

• Dogs with a pair of CA markers are positive or “affected” and most will have signs of ataxia. Carriers only have one copy of any CA marker and will not be affected.

• The extent of signs in affected dogs varies and is not yet able to be predicted; some dogs can live a relatively normal life; others will need to be euthanised.

• Signs in affected dogs vary in time of onset according to the CA variant: Early-onset from 4–8 weeks, Late-onset from 3–8 months (but sometimes later); the German type CA from 4¬–8 weeks.

• DNA tests are available to identify whether a dog has any of the markers for the three known CA disease variants, indicating clear, carrier or affected status.

• The tests vary in their ability to identify affected and carrier dogs: • For Late-onset CA, the test is believed to identify all affected and carrier dogs.

• For Early-onset CA, the current test misses some dogs; any dogs that the current test identifies as carriers or affected, are carriers or affected, however some affected dogs with Earlyonset CA used in the research were not identified by this marker. DNA tested with the current marker contributes to CA but may not be the direct cause. An alternative marker that appears to have higher predictive power is being studied.

• For the German type CA, very few dogs were in the study.

Also, two dogs had tests indicating they were affected, but whether signs of CA appeared in them could not be confirmed.

Currently, this test is only recommended for dogs related to the family identified by this marker in the research.

• The DNA tests are currently only available through one Australian testing company: Dog Breeding Science, but this may change in the future.

• Tests can be used to greatly reduce the number of CA affected pups being born by including a clear result for every test, in every mating, every time.

• Carrier dogs with superior working ability do not need to be removed from the breeding pool, simply ensure that their mate is clear for the CA marker they carry.

• Carrier dogs do not show signs of disease; buyers of working dogs not intending to breed them should have no concern about their health.

• Dogs with negative or “clear” test results should not be represented as CA-free because there may yet be an unidentified CA variant, and the Early-onset and German CA tests may not be fully expressed or predict all affected dogs.

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$19ea Discounts for buying more!

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Bill and Marg Scott North East Victoria 0428662728 stockmans5@bigpond.com www.stockmans.com.au Stockmans Kelpies - Stockmans Collars

Article by Peter Brown

Inherited

DISEASES of Working Dogs 58

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his is a summary of the genetic diseases that are known to be present in the working breeds of Australia. Part two of this article, explaining the process of testing your dogs for these genes and what to do with the results, will be included in the December issue. CA (Cerebellar Ataxia) is another genetic disease to note, but is addressed in a separate article.

CEA – COLLIE EYE ANOMALLY • Is present in Border Collies & their crosses. It has been detected in kelpies.

• The severity in AFFECTED dogs varies from total blindness at birth to no apparent problem with sight.

• There is always a decrease in the development of blood vessels in the back of the eye. This can only be detected through eye examination between 6 – 8 weeks of age.

• Dogs may develop holes in the back of the eye where the nerve enters the eye.

• Dogs may suffer from partial or full detachment of the retina causing varying degrees of blindness.

• It is estimated that this disease is present in 42 – 50% of Border Collies in Australia, this includes carrier (a single faulty gene) and affected (two faulty genes) dogs.

• CEA is an inherited disease requiring a faulty gene being passed on from one or both parents. To produce an AFFECTED offspring a faulty gene must be passed on by both parents, if only one parent passes on a faulty gene it will result in the offspring being a CARRIER of the disease but that dog will not have any vision problems from the disease, but if used in a breeding program it has the ability to pass on a faulty gene. If both parents pass on a NON AFFECTED gene then that offspring will be totally free of the disease. It is possible to have a mixture of AFFECTED, CARRIER and disease FREE puppies in a litter depending on the disease status of the parents.

TNS – TRAPPED NEUTROPHIL SYNDROME • TNS is a disease of Collies.

• It is an immune defect disease where neutrophils are produced in the bone marrow but there is a defect preventing them from getting into the blood stream.

• Affected dogs are prone to infection and some pups appear to have small fine bones and ferret type heads while other pups in the litter may appear normal. AFFECTED pups may appear ill thrift, display poor growth, suffer from weight loss, lethargy, diarrhoea, and vomiting.

• Affected pups normally die before 6 months of age, they can develop severe fever and illness, commonly after normal vaccination procedures.

• TNS is a recessive disease and is inherited in the same way as CEA. • Carrier rate worldwide 10-15%

IIGS – IMERSLUND-GRASBECK SYNDROME • Affected dogs cannot absorb adequate levels of vitamin B12 from their diet.

• Symptoms normally appear between 6–12 weeks after birth.

• Symptoms include: Lethargy, failure to thrive and a lack of appetite but may include anorexia and poor muscle mass.

• Pups are born with sufficient levels of B12 to get them through to 6 weeks of age.

• The disease cannot be cured but can be managed with regular supplementation of cobalamin (Vitamin B12). It is an extremely painful disease if not treated as ulceration commonly occurs in the gut.

• It appears that IGS is widespread around the world and is present in Border Collies, Beagles and Australian Shepherds.

It originated in the UK and there has been CARRIER Border Collies imported to Australia.

SN - SENSORY NEUROPATHY • Disease of border collies.

• SN is an Autosomal recessive disease and a test was developed in 2015.

• It is a progressive severe neurological disease caused by the degeneration of nerve cells.

• Signs of the disease normally present between 2 - 7 months of age and may include ataxia, abnormal gait, knuckling of the paws and hyperextended limbs. Urinary incontinence and regurgitation of food may occur as the disease progresses.

• Affected dogs lose feelings in their limbs and lose the ability to recognise the position of their limbs in space. The hind legs may be affected. They will often chew on their legs and feet as they lose feeling. Affected dogs require euthanasia.

• The disease has been identified in ISDS lines and CARRIERS have been identified behind dogs imported to Australia.

EAOD/EOD - EARLY ADULT ONSET DEAFNESS • A test for this disease has only recently become available and is available through MYDOGDNA. • The disease is relatively common in Border Collies and may present as early as 2 years old but normal presents between 5-7 year old.

• There is a non-genetic test called a BAER TEST to physically check a dogs hearing ability. BAER testing is available in Australia.

• It is thought that the CARRIER rate is around 35% and many breeds suffer from the disease including working dog breeds.

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I-E IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSY • It is believed that this disease is the biggest concern for ISDS origin Border Collies, and it continues to be diagnosed. I-E is also fairly common in Kelpies.

• There is no test to identify the disease and it is thought that it is polygenic and recessive.

• The disease causes fitting, convulsions and seizures which normally starts between 1 - 4 year old. Frequency and severity of the fits varies between individual dogs and the dog may appear, and act normally between fits.

• There have been Border Collies euthanised in Australia because of this disease.

WHERE TO NOW? TO TEST OR NOT • Don’t take fright at the number of diseases that are present in the breed that you work with but be mindful that most of these diseases cannot be physically observed unless the dog is AFFECTED and displaying signs of disease. Genetic diseases only become apparent when they turn up in a litter or are found through testing.

• A good place to start is to test all dogs that are intended for breeding prior to mating. This allows you to think and rethink about what that mating may produce genetically as a problem for yourself or a buyer later on. Dogs that don’t display any disease problems may be CARRIERS of a disease and therefore have the ability to pass that problem on to their offspring.

IVERMECTIN SENSITIVITY • It is a mutation on the MDR1 gene which makes the affected animals sensitive to certain drugs like Ivermectin.

• Ivermectin is commonly used to treat heartworm and mange.

• Affected dogs may suffer seizures when given this drug.

• The dog is not capable of draining the ivermectin from the brain therefore these drugs can accumulate in the brain tissue.

• Dogs carrying two copies of the mutant gene are more sensitive to these drugs than those carrying one copy.

• Many breeds suffer from Ivermectin sensitivity, but it occurs in Border Collies and all working breeds including cross breeds.

• Remember that some of these diseases have resulted from inbreeding or closed breeding in a small gene pool.

• Don’t exclude known tested CARRIERS from your breeding program but make sure that they are mated to dogs that have tested CLEAR of disease. The resultant litter should then be tested prior to sale so that the purchaser is mindful of what they are purchasing. It is possible if you only have one disease e.g. CEA in your breeding line, to test for that disease only; it will reduce the price on testing.

• The latest research is showing that overuse of popular sires is damaging to a dog population as it results in a loss of genetic diversity over time.

• What about outstanding tested AFFECTED dogs. Using these dogs becomes a long term program as they should only

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be mated to tested CLEAR dogs. If the disease of concern is a recessive disease like CEA, then all of the resultant progeny will be CARRIERS of the disease. This is fine when a recessive problem exists and both parents are supplying a gene for that characteristic (disease) but a lot of consideration should be undertaken when the disease can be passed on as single gene inheritance creating an AFFECTED offspring.

• If there is no DNA test available for a particular disease, examine the pedigree, check those data bases that are available, look very diligently for inbreeding and examine the coefficient of inbreeding. Lastly look at some breeding strategies that may give a similar type of offspring but without the disease problem.

WHERE TO TEST • There are many places to submit samples for testing, some in Australia and many overseas.

• The types of tests that are carried out vary between providers, as does fees and time to report results. Check the various websites to ensure the tests you want are available and the price is what you are prepared to pay.

• Most samples are mouth swabs that collect DNA from saliva and skin from the inside the mouth.

• A few of the more common labs are: www.mydogdna.com/ - orivet.com.au - Paw Print Genetics • CA testing is only available through Dog Breeding Science

http://breeding.dog/index.php?test=cam

Genetic disease is on the increase in Australia. It is imperative that we maintain the integrity of our great working dogs and manage these diseases to ensure the survival of our breeds.

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Herding goes ! s r e k c a Qu 62

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D

ucks may be a practical solution for urban dwellers who are interested in herding training and trialling, as several can be kept where it would be impractical to have sheep. They are hardy, relatively easy to keep and transport, and work done on ducks can be applied to working with sheep.

The duck breed commonly used for herding in Australia is the Indian Runner, with their upright stance and fast gait. Call Ducks are also good for young dogs as they tend to be slower.

Five to seven ducks may be adequate for a small facility where only one or two dogs are being worked. However, ducks not raised together generally do not readily associate with each other and tend to split off, which may be frustrating for inexperienced dogs and handlers.

Drakes are quieter than hens and usually have more stamina than the heavier females, who are devoting energy to producing eggs. Drakes kept in small areas may fight during mating season even if no hens are present. Ducks can be allowed free range in large areas but should be enclosed in a covered pen for their safety, if there are predators such as foxes. You should check with your local council requirements for keeping poultry, before purchasing.

Ducks used for training must be fit and cooperative. A drawback of using ducks is that they are slower than sheep and can cause the dog to work closer to the stock than is ideal.

This can be used as an opportunity to insist that the dog work slower and further off the stock. Ducks do not have a great deal of stamina and must be treated with care, especially in hot weather. They do not readily come to people, which contributes to their suitability for fine-tuning a dog’s work. They are great for intermediate-level work because they respond to small movements on the part of the dog and readily move away from the handler in any direction. A dog needs to keep a suitable distance, avoid overrunning the ducks, cover well from side to side with square flanks, and quietly move in tight circumstances.

Duck herding trialler Natalie Kirkwood and her husband David keep a flock of more than 20 ducks which include Indian Runners, some crossbreeds and Call Ducks on their two-acre property in Camira Queensland. Natalie first became interested in keeping and trialling ducks when preparing for the 2016 ANKC Herding Nationals in Tasmania, where she competed and won several events.

For more information about competitive duck herding please see the Australian National Kennel Council’s Rules and Regulations for Herding Trials http://ankc.org.au/media/9096/7-herding-rule_-2018.pdf Sally Purbrick-Illek lives on the Gold Coast with her working border collies. She advises urban dog owners about the health and training of their working breed dogs via her Facebook page Dog Works@cityworkingdogs.

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Written By Raechelle Miller, Cumbydene Stumpies

The Australian

STUMPY TAIL Cattle Dog (ASTCD) T

he Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog is distinctive because of its “Stumpy Tail”. His tail is naturally short and is never docked.

Stumpies are a super-intelligent, very loyal, courageous, obedient, affectionate, rugged dog and responsive to their owner. However, they can be reserved and suspicious of strangers coming near their home, people, herd or anything that they think is theirs!

The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog closely resembles the Australian Cattle Dog but the Stumpy has a lighter build, longer legs, and is more athletic.

The breed that we see today is the result of many years of careful thought and selective breeding by dedicated people. The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog is the original Australian working dog, developed before the Australian Cattle Dog and the Australian Kelpie. Through selective breeding of bobtail

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dogs, the Stumpy was developed in the late 18th to early 19th century.

In 1825 at Dartbrook Station in the rolling hills of the upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Thomas Simpson Hall crossed an English drover’s cur with a dingo. Hall was part of a family dynasty with a spread of properties from western Queensland almost to Sydney and a beef empire that at its peak had about 60,000 head. He had his own team of drovers and issued them with his new, highly prized breed of dogs.

They were dubbed Hall’s heelers because of their ability to shift stock by nipping at the heels of recalcitrant cattle to harry them along. Hall must have been an exceptional dog breeder - somehow he incorporated a dingo into a line of specially imported blue-coloured dogs sent to him by his relatives in northern England. Through repeated backcrossing, by 1832 he had developed a useful dog.

The Hall’s heeler had all the toughness and stamina of the dingo combined with the stock sense and instinct of the cur. It is believed to be the only instance in the world where a wild dog has been bred with a domestic dog, to achieve biddable working offspring. We will never know how Hall went about it, because after his death in 1870 his meticulous breeding records were dumped down a well.

Sometime after Hall developed his heeler, an offshoot of the breed arose called a Timmins’ biter, named after the stockman who developed the strain. It was also a dog with a bob tail, usually blue in colour and one of the progenitors of today’s stumpy tails. Records of working dogs are scarce from this time period, and there are differing accounts of the breed’s development. One is that a drover named Timmins, who worked for Hall in the Aberdeen area of New South Wales, also crossed the Smithfield dogs with dingoes, producing a type of working dog called Timmins’ Biters. In order to mute their dingo characteristics and make the dogs easier to handle, further crosses were made with Scottish Smooth Collies, producing either speckled red or blue dogs that were often born tailless.

The Stumpy has been recognized as a standardized breed since 1988 by the Australian National Kennel Council, in its “Group 5 (Working dogs)”.

The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog IS NOT an Australian Cattle Dog with a docked tail. The Stumpy is a naturally bobtailed breed and stands square with plenty of leg length under the body - a rugged dog with pricked ears and long legs. The breed’s most distinctive feature, for which the breed is named, is the stumpy tail. When there is a tail, it must be no longer

than 10 cm (4 in.) The Stumpy has a hard-bitten, rugged appearance and must be well-muscled, to endure long periods of arduous work. Stumpies do not have tan points or markings as seen on the ACD. The breed has two colours – blue and red.

The nose is black, irrespective of the colour of the dog. They have a double coat which is short to medium length - straight, dense and harsh with a mild ruff around the neck. Height is 46–51 cm for dogs, with females slightly smaller at 43–48 cm.

Weight is16–23 kg and Average Lifespan is 15-17 years.

In general, the Stumpy is a relatively healthy, robust breed but like all breeds, they are prone to certain health conditions.

The most commonly occurring conditions found in Stumpies are as follows. Prcd-PRA - this condition causes progressive vision loss. Non-form PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) can only be identified through eye examination, not through a DNA test. Examination of breeding stock by an ophthalmologist is recommended. Primary Lens Luxation (PLL) – Another eye issue, causes lens luxation in the eye. Deafness - for which a BAER test is available.

Stumpies need an owner that is committed, active and an experienced dog owner. Not suitable for a first pet due to their high intelligence. This is not a part-time breed, they can be full on, they need early socialisation with dogs and people for a well-rounded, happy companion. Training and firm leadership is essential. Most Stumpies adore children, but care should be taken. As an intelligent thinking dog, the Stumpy will compensate for any weakness in leadership by taking the place at the top of the pack. ‘Firm’ does not mean ‘hard’; the Stumpy’s eagerness to please you means that consistency, reinforcement and reward will go much further than punishment.

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Standing at stud (L-R above) Tundabardi Buster | Myamba Moss | Lokabe Ace

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VET CHECK Breeding Timing & Cycling in the Bitch Determining the optimal time for breeding of a bitch in heat is not as simple as one might think! There is significant variation in the behaviour each bitch shows on her most fertile days, meaning we cannot rely on behavioural and anatomical changes to give us the best chance for conception. This is especially important when you are using stud dogs that may have poor fertility (be it because of old age, previous injury or infection), or when performing Artificial Insemination with fresh or frozen semen.

Thankfully we have additional tools available that, in combination, enable us to ensure breeding occurs during the bitch’s period of maximum fertility.

Physical and Behavioural Changes (Low accuracy)

The following table shows the changes you will see externally and behaviourally in bitch’s in heat. Usually those found in mid-late heat indicate increased fertility. It is important to remember that these changes can be used as a guide only.

Many bitches will show receptive behaviour and bleeding changes at times OTHER THAN their fertile periods and reliance on these changes alone significantly reduces her chance of pregnancy.

Dr Jasmin Hyatt BVSc (hons) DipACT MANZCVS (reproduction) Veterinary Reproduction Consultancy, Orange NSW

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Vaginal Cytology (Moderate Accuracy) A veterinarian taking a cotton swab of the top layer of cells in the vagina tells us a lot about where the bitch is in her cycle. It is a simple, cheap and instant procedure which many vets can interpret. If confidence is lacking, here at VRC we can interpret microscopic images remotely if your vets send images through.

When a bitch gets closer to her peak fertile period, she begins to build up layers of cells in her vagina. These function to protect the bitch both from the physicality of mating and entry of bacteria at the time of mating.

As cell layers build up, the top layer of cells becomes further from the blood supply, changing the appearance of the top layer cells seen under the microscope from healthy ‘poached eggs’ (round, large central circle) to dying ‘fried eggs’ (flat, irregular shape), telling us she is nearing her peak fertile period. At the time of fresh insemination or natural mating we want to see >80% of the cells looking like fried eggs.

Example of vaginal cytology under the microscope – lots of fried eggs, not round and poached = time to breed!

VET CHECK Breeding Timing & Cycling in the Bitch

Progesterone Hormone Testing

Length of time in between ‘heat’s’

At the beginning of a bitch’s ‘heat’, or estrus cycle, the hormone ‘Estrogen’ increases. Estrogen functions to prepare the reproductive tract for breeding and we can visualise these changes externally (like the swelling of the vulva, and the bleeding).

Due to their unique hormonal cycling, unfortunately we cannot ‘short cycle’ heat cycles in dogs like we can in other species like cattle, sheep and horses! However, it is important record the time between heats for each bitch as it can influence likelihood of conception:

Then in the middle of their ‘heat’ when they are closing in on their most fertile time, estrogen levels start reducing and the hormone ‘‘Progesterone’ (P4) begins to rise. Progesterone hormone is measured by a blood test.

1. SHORT time between heats (<5.5 months): The uterus in the bitch undergoes a lot of stress during the ‘heat’ and it needs 6 months to recover, regardless of if she becomes pregnant or not. For this reason, we know that intervals of <5.5 months between heats are associated with reduced conception and fertility, by about 30-100%. If this is occurring frequently in individuals there are medications, we can prescribe to lengthen the interval between heat cycles however you will need to contact us at VRC or a reproduction veterinarian to discuss.

Specific levels of Progesterone correlate with when the bitch ovulates her eggs. Following the subsequent rise in the hormone confirms she has indeed ovulated and then determines when the eggs are ready for fertilisation. This continual monitoring relative to P4 rising is the reason why we rely on the trend of P4 rising over a few blood tests, rather than one specific reading to determine best day for insemination.

2. LONG time between heats (>10 months): Whilst this has no impact on the bitch’s fertility as such, bitches that have a long time in between heat cycles can cause frustration if you are wanting to breed from them! There are methods that we can use if the interval since her last heat has been confirmed as >10 months that will induce estrus in these girls; again you will need to contact us at VRC or a reproduction veterinarian to discuss.

Conclusion Proestrus and Estrus (Blue is Progesterone)

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Optimal breeding timing requires all the above tools to be used in combination and assessed by a veterinarian with accurate knowledge and experience. At VRC we use specialist knowledge, skills and vast experience in canine breeding to determine the optimal time for breeding for all inseminations performed at VRC. We also offer an Ovulation Timing consultation service for breedings (natural matings or vaginal AI) performed externally, assessing progesterone levels and cytology to determine the best day for breeding. Please contact us for more information.

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NSW Utility Champs 2020 Wrap Up

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ith the current state of affairs throughout Australia, we are lucky to be able to attend any trials at all, let lone a state championship. The extra work and training required to run a trial under Covid Safe regulations proved well worth it, with competitors from throughout NSW attending the championships held at Nyngan over 31 September – 2 August.

Run by Gary White with the help of the whole White family, along with David Motley and various other volunteers, the trial ran smoothly all weekend. The sheep proved challenging, testing the dogs holding ability and clean heading in the paddock while being fairly good obstacle sheep at the same time.

They flowed fairly well in the yards with the addition of more sheep in the open adding some extra difficulty.

The weather was fantastic for the whole trial – Having had good recent rain there was no dust and the winter sun put on a great few days. The main sponsors for each class were Nyngan Toyota for the Nursey, AGL for the Novice and Tony Walsh Sheep/Cattle Scanning for the Open. Coprice was another major sponsor, supplying dog food for competitors and place getters, as well as Carter Lyndsay & Weber. Mullengudgery Merino Stud supplied the sheep and the help was also provided by Bogan Shire Council. These trials don’t run without the generous support of sponsors and volunteers.

A nursery class was held for dogs who haven’t won any trials.

Judged by Greg Walton, there were some great combinations on display. The class was taken out by Mark Currey working Fletchers Heidi, followed by Danny Kerr working Buddy and Jacob Ryan working Motleys Ben. A huge novice class with 87 runs was judged by Olly Hansen.

The novice final was held under lights on the Saturday night which gave it a great atmosphere. The sheep seems to like the spotlight with nearly all combinations in the final, penning their sheep after two days of difficult first round runs. Coming out on top was Kevin Howell working Karana Ace. The rest of the places were filled by Ben Coster with Lucy, Les Everleigh

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with Hiltons Holly and Nigel Brazier with Sterlo.

The championship commenced on Saturday, with 75 runs judged by Tony Overton. The sheep continued to test the Story byonLauren competitors and to ensure the trial finished time, aVest cut off was introduced on the Sunday. Even so, the final ran right up until sunset with the competitors agreeing beforehand to run through instead of waiting for full dark and running under lights. The last run of the final took place right on dark with a spectacular red and orange sunset as the backdrop.

The NSW Utility Championship was won by Kevin Howell working Karana Roy. Second place was Adam James with Tundabardi Buster, third was Gary White with Whites Benny, fourth was Maurice Metherall with Joy, and the final two places were filled by Gary White with Whites Lucky and Whites Jimmy.

Who knows when we will be able to attend another state championship, or any other trials for that matter – but I’m sure everyone able to go appreciated the chance to get out and work their dogs and catch up with friends not seen in a while.

Heat Stress in dogs More common than you think Article & Photos by Aticia Grey

I

nearly lost one of my dogs in the middle of winter to heat stroke. To be fair, our winter is not really that cold, but it still hit me out of left field.

By lost, I mean he was knocking pretty hard on deaths door.

Thank God they didn’t let him in. Those few days are not ones I wish to recall but I hope it can raise awareness on just how easily it can happen and how dangerous it can be.

Working alongside our dogs, we get to know their limits.

We learn how far they can push themselves and how much they can handle, when to pull them up if they won’t pull up themselves. But what I learnt this week is sometimes situations change unexpectedly, factors we haven’t anticipated step in and it can all go so very wrong.

My dogs overheating is something I am so paranoid and careful about. Cruise has got the best stamina of all my dogs second only to Charm. What I hadn’t anticipated was him consuming a large volume of dry grass unseen, potentially binding him up & restricting his ability to rehydrate himself properly while also dehydrating him further. I didn’t anticipate the mob splitting, resulting in me losing track of my dogs for a length of time while we all tried to put them back together, leaving me unable to see the early warning signs. I didn’t anticipate taking 2 hours to find where he had collapsed in the large tree laden paddock, where I assumed he was lost because I just couldn’t fathom that he would have overheated in the short time since they had been at the trough.

That was the start of four of the most stressful days of my life.

All I could do was bathe his mouth with water and wet him down before trying to get him back to stock camp, on a bike that wanted to get in on the dying and break down as often as it could. We were one and a half hours east of our homestead and a further four hours from the closest vet. I didn’t stop except to warn them I was on my way. He was still with me, my hand feeling for his heartbeat the entire trip. At 10.15pm I ran in the vets door and there started a three day vigil as we pulled out every trick in the vets repertoire. So many times we battled with the question of whether we should call it. If we did manage to pull him through, would he still have a good quality of life? Were we doing the right thing by him? But his vitals

stayed strong and his blood work promising, so we decided that if he kept fighting, so would we - and he fought hard. This gorgeous boy of mine pulled off a miracle. He defied the odds and everyone’s worst fears, though we had no idea just what, if any, permanent damage may have been done.

When we first got home, his eyesight and coordination were not 100% but his personality was shining through. Watching him happily cruise around the house and lawns again was such a relief. His coordination has since come good and his eyesight is spot on, but what I have noticed is his comprehension isn’t what it used to be. I have no doubt some of it is played on “what do you mean by get in the kennel? I don’t understand….” but it seems we have gone back to a blank slate on his work. Habits he had shown as a young dog that we had corrected have reappeared, his call off is nonexistent and he’s happy to be the only one in the picture when he works. So it’s back to basics we go and hopefully he will relearn quickly as his brain continues to heal from the glucose drop he experienced.

My quad will now always be equipped with electrolytes, even on the small days. I’m going to learn everything I can medically to help mitigate the isolation and distance we need to traverse to get my dogs to help. I’m going to be so much more aware of what my dogs are trying to tell me. Their body language speaks volumes if I can learn to read it better. I’m going to give them all more of my attention and time as I am reminded once again just how much these beautiful creatures mean to me.

We don’t often get a chance to learn from hindsight without the hard teacher known as grief so I’m counting my blessings twice over.

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Bungendore 3 Sheep Wrap Up Article and Photos by Lauren Vest

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old and wet is often the experience at Bungendore in winter, and the three sheep trial held on July 23-26 was no exception. Sunny and clear but very chilly at night for the first few days, the rain set in on the Saturday and Story by Lauren Vest the Sunday. The rain didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dampen the continued throughout spirits of competitors though, who were just happy to get out and give their dogs a run after a long time away from trialling.

Capably run by the members of the Bungendore and Districts Sheepdog Association, the trial ran smoothly all weekend. New measures in place to deal with the Coronavirus risk were sign in sheets, hand sanitizer, regular disinfecting of the facilities and social distancing. Thankfully our sport is held outdoors with plenty of space which makes following these directives quite achievable.

The sheep were supplied as usual by Paul Darmody and proved very challenging for a lot of dogs. Being quite runny and happy to split up, the competitors had to work hard to keep them together and on track. Over 170 combinations were entered over the four classes which made for a full four days of trialling.

All classes judged by Kenny Robinson, which was a huge effort over four days. The encourage class was won by Douglas Taylor with MGH Snip, followed by Ben Coster with Jock, Susan Sibson with Fiesta Zoe, and Sandra Elliott with Trinity Breezer.

Novice was also taken out by Douglas with MGH Snip who had a very successful trial. Second place was Tegan Perry with Bredbo Razz, followed by Neil Croxon with Pammartin Rex and Bailey Knight with Knights Ron. The Knight family travelled all the way from Queensland â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The cold must have been quite a shock to the system!

The winner of the Improver was Linda Dening working Clonlara Whip. The other placings were taken by the consistent Douglas with MGH Snip, Neil Croxon with Pammartin Rex and Bailey Knight with Knights Ron.

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The open concluded on the Sunday in the persistent rain. First place was won by Pip Hudson working Rocky Skye. Following Pip and Sky were Scott Smith with MGH Gem, Pip again with Hudsons Tonka, Mick Hudson withStory Ritchies Finn and

by Lauren VestPaul Darmody with Somerville Drift.

tuning the rules, a pinch of this and a pinch of that, and a whole lot of Town & Country and we had, what we felt, was a competition that not only suited the amateur but also offered the more experienced competitor a challenge.

With the generous hospitality of Lyndal & George and Sheepdogs on the Cove, we had our venue. Utility yards had to be planned and erected, let out yards built, courses and obstacles planned and set out, awnings to be put up, many hands make light work, thank you to everyone who assisted and most importantly, the Launch party to organize!

Article and Photos by Annette Ross

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n idea floated amongst friends, to create a competition to bridge the gap between ANKC and 3 sheep trialing, to give the passionate, enthusiastic amateur stock dog handlers, from town & country alike, those whose canine companions donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit the criteria of ANKC herding, and yet, are just not ready, or suited for the more advanced world of 3 sheep trialing, an enjoyable, relaxed, fun and affordable path into stock dog trialing. The name Town & Country chosen as it was synonymous with the purpose of which we wanted to create this new trialing association, to bring the worlds of town & country stock dog trialing together, to open a fun and enjoyable transition from training to trialing.

A committee was put together consisting of like minded passionate stock dog trialers, many meetings later, organizing, reams of paperwork, hours of work and Town & Country Association Inc was born. The onset of the virus and the restrictions in place, put our plans on hold, but we overcame and adapted, meetings carried out online, A very generous sponsorship by Hypro Pet Food for our prizes, and finally we were on the road to our launch and first Invitation trial.

Covid-19 Safe rules set, Date set, Invites sent out and time started marching very quickly, nothing was too hard, nor too much for our awesome group, countless hours spent on fine

With the ominous forecast of showers and rain, Saturday dawned foggy but fine for our first short course trial. All competitors were ready and on time, some having to leave in the small wee hours of the morning to make the 7.30am start.

Penny Downey who judged the short course, set an interesting course, that coupled with a combination of sheep, who often didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to play the game, tested and challenged even the more experienced dog and handler.

Sunday again dawned foggy for our first utility trial, and inaugural pairs utility trial and with the threat of rain in the afternoon, we got off to an early start. Judge Mike Dungey set an easy flowing paddock course, to limit the time spent in the paddock and allowing more time in the yards and the sheep were playing nicely. As is the target of Town & country, there were handlers and dogs who had never competed in utility before and from all accounts, enjoyed the experience immensely. The weather Gods were kind to us and the day progressed without rain.

For a bit of fun, our inaugural Pairs utility was drawn by Ballot, handlers nominated either paddock or yard, and names were drawn out of a hat to be matched. One Handler & dog competed in the paddock section, finished with putting the sheep into the forcing yard and their team mate then competed in the yard section. It was fun & enjoyable and very relaxed, with no pressure, again dogs and handlers who had never competed in yard trialing having a go, very successfully.

An event enjoyed by everyone..

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes good friends, hard work and a lot of support to raise an association, .

www.stockdogs.com.au AWSDM

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Mental Health

Everybody feels down sometimes, and it ain’t weak to speak – Sometimes we need more than man’s best friend to talk things out with. If you are struggling with the drought or anything else in your life, please check out some of the links below:

The beyondblue Support Service is available by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1300 22 4636. Webchat and email options are also available via www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support.

Trained mental health professionals can provide free and confidential short-term counselling and offer referrals to local support services.

Lifeline: 13 11 14 Aussie Helpers: Virtual psychologist - call 1300 665 234, text 0488 807 266 or visit https://aussiehelpers.org.au/aussie-helpers-virtual-psychologist-for-drought-affected-farmers/ Donations - www.aussiehelpers.org.au Rural Financial Counsellor Service: 1800 686 175 (for advice about locating counsellors in your area)

MICK HUDSON MGH WORKING DOGS Mick is a third-generation stockman & working dog trainer.

He musters cattle, sheep & feral goats on his properties with his working dogs & also competes with these same dogs in 3 sheep dog trials to showcase his stockman skills & ability of his well educated dogs.

Mick has been very successful in the last few years, winning the National, Commonwealth & Supreme Australian Championships + many other open trials.

He also won NSWSDWI Handler of the Year and Dog of the Year in 2015 & 2017 and is representing Australia in 2018.

Mick has 2 day training clinics at his property near Dubbo NSW & from time to time has MGH bred pups for sale. See website for information & contact details.

“I feed all of my dogs nothing but the best, so I can get the best out of them.”

Mick’s passion & dedication to his dogs starts with nutrition & to achieve the best results he feeds them the most complete high-performance food he can.

www.mickhudson.com.au

Nothing but the best for Mick’s dogs!

Hypro Premium with REAL KANGAROO & TURKEY for High Performance Working Dogs is a Complete & Balanced Grain Free diet specially formulated to help maintain the health & well-being of all active dogs breeds, age & size.

TYPICAL COMPOSITION Crude Protein Fat Calcium (min) Phosphorus (min) ME (kcal/100g)

32% 22% 1% 0.8% 405

NUTRITIONALLY FORMULATED FOR ADULT WORKING DOGS Optimal blend of extra proteins, fats, and oils, vitamins and minerals to help keep your active dog healthy and happy.

INFUSED WITH MEAT FOR MUSCLES Real kangaroo and turkey meats supply the protein with essential amino acids which are the building blocks for the development and maintenance of strong active muscles.

DEVELOPED WITH BEET PULP & CHICORY ROOT FOR DIGESTION Beet pulp and chicory root, excellent sources of prebiotic fibres, encourage beneficial bacteria to help improve digestion and provide healthy firm stools.

OMEGA 3 & 6 FOR SKIN & COAT Sunflower, flaxseed, fish and emu oils provide essential fatty acids (omega 3 & 6) to help maintain healthy skin and shiny coat.

NSW Sheepdog Workers Association Inc.

Queensland WorkingSheepdog Association

Victorian Working Sheepdog Association

EMU OIL FOR ANTI-INFLAMMATORY Emu Oil is and excellent source of essential fatty acids (Omega 3, 6, 9) to help nourish your dog’s skin, and joints.

To order Contact Hypro Pet Care

Hypro Pet Care continues to be the MAJOR SPONSOR of

Australian Sheepdog Workers Association

NATURAL ANTIOXIDANTS FOR IMMUNE SYSTEM Peas, carrot, spinach, alfalfa, tomato, blueberry, cranberry and apple contain natural antioxidants that can help support the development of a strong immune system, helping maintain good health for active dogs.

South Australian Working Sheepdog Association

Western Australian Working Sheepdog Association

Sean Hickling Mobile: 0408 626 784 Email: sean@hypropetfoods.com.au 15 Box Avenue, Wilberforce NSW 2756 www.hypropetcare.com.au