Sheep Dogs Valuable Helpers

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31195, 20 October 1966, Page 23

Sheep Dogs Valuable Helpers

In handling of sheep on i bigger farms a good dog is i worth almost another man about the place, while on back country stations it would be almost impossible to work the sheep without a good team of dogs. With sheep dogs: playing such an important part in the economy of the country it is little wonder that wherever sheepmen foregather they should inevitably acclaim the skills of their favourite dogs. It is little wonder therefore that sheep dog trials developed as a sport amongst the farming community. Visitors to the show will have the opportunity of seeing some of the best dogs in the country in action, combining with their masters to pit their skill in a battle of wits against often capricious sheep. Obedience As well enabling sheepmen to pit their skill and that of their dogs against rivals, the trials have resulted in keen breeders developing a type of dog that is easier to train and with ability far above that of the older style run-about farm dog. Obedience is the first lesson the young pup has to learn for, no matter what his other attributes, he is useless without that. Training begins at about six months. After another six months the young dog is put to work with sheep and if he is intelligent the rest is comparatively easy for the working of sheep seems to develop almost instinctively from then on in a well-bred dog. Derived from a Border and Scotch collie cross, the New Zealand sheepdog has developed in to almost a typical breed of its own. The huntaway in particular has been developed almost entirely for New Zealand conditions. This is a hardy, forceful type capable of working for days on end in the roughest of New Zealand hill country, encountering shingle slides and rocky going, and when the sheep have been brought to the homestead, capable of still working around the yards. Specific Tasks Dogs have been bred for specific tasks but the “handy” dog has a place as a jack-of-all-trades and these are usually found on farms where one or two dogs are all that are required. Most musterers like to include one in their team, however, and usually he is the hardest worked member.

The backing dog comes in to its own in the yards where he delights in racing across the backs of the closely packed penned mobbed, when it refuses to move through a gate or race. Stopping just short of the lead sheep, the backing dog terrifies them in to bursting through the opening. Dropping to the ground the dog then threads its way back through the mob turning the heads of the sheep in the right direction. The leading dog is falling in to disuse with the replace-

ment of droving with trucking. This type of dog was used to lead the mob, dictating its speed and direction, with the sheep following as if he were one of them. He was valuable in clearing the way of strays or when meeting other mobs along the road. Type at Show The type of dog that visitors to the show will see is the heading dog. His task is to cast round the flock or to the head of the mob to gather the sheep in to a compact group ready for yarding or droving. In the trial at the show, the dogs will round up three sheep and demonstrate their ability by driving them through a series of obstacles, finally penning them in a six foot square pen. This is often

more difficult than handling a mob, for with only three, the sheep are more inclined to break away. Good heading dogs are often referred to as “strong-eyed.” Many experienced sheepmen consider that the dogs tend to mesmerise the sheep with an intensely concentrated gaze, as with very quiet and, to the unitiated, painfully slow movements they force the sheep through the obstacles. The trials at the show, with the preliminaries tomorrow and the finals in the ring on Saturday, will demonstrate only one aspect of the vital part that sheep dogs play in New Zealand, particularly in the back country. Sheep dogs are so important to the economy of the country that in some areas their numbers exceed those of human beings.