Farm working dogs in New Zealand. 12. Dog Trials

  By Dr Clive Dalton

History 

Photo of 'Old Hemp' bred in Northumberland (UK) and now has his DNA in dog trial and working dogs around the world.

Dog trials have been part of New Zealand life since the establishment of sheep farming.  The late Neil Rennie’s research found that the first NZ trial was probably held at Wanaka in 1867 although it was not reported in the press. 

However, Neil found a trial reported in the Oamaru Times (now the Oamaru Mail) of July 9, 1869 as the third trial held on June 22-23 at Wanaka.  So these trials certainly outdated what was considered to be the world's first dog trial at Bala in North Wales in 1873!  Neil was always very thrilled with this historical fact!

The first trials were a bit sporadic, and it wasn't until dog trial clubs were formed that regular events took place.  The first trial, which included huntaway events Neil found was at Black Forest station in 1870.

Dog trialing in NZ is controlled by the NZ Sheep Dog Trial Association which is made up of affiliated member clubs with meetings starting with the summer A&P shows and culminating in regional and national finals in about June.  There are shepherds trial and maiden dog trials for the less experienced held throughout the year.

Dog trialing, while still an important way to select top dogs, has through Television become a competitive sport with great public interest.

Entry qualifications for trials

The only qualification for a dog to enter a trial is its ability to work sheep.  Pedigree, colour, age or sex are not important.  Handlers can be of any age and there is no sex discrimination!  Competitors must be the bona fide owner of the dog being run, and should have owned the dog for at least 6 weeks before the competition.

Each trial has its rules of entry. At some you may have to pre-enter some days before with runs pre-scheduled to keep to a strict timetable.  In others you enter on the day but may have to wait till dusk to compete!

Most trial organisations now insist that dogs have a current hydatids treatment certificate

Check the rules

It's very important for competitors to check the rules of the particular SDTA before they start.  You can get them from any Dog Trail Club secretary and are fairly common to all trials.  However, there may be some non-standard events which are displayed at the trial. 

In almost all NZ trials one dog works three sheep.  The running of "doubles" where a shepherd works two dogs or more is a British practice and is only used here for television presentations to provide more entertainment for the viewer. 

Standard classes

There are four main standard classes for trials run under the NZSDTA.

Class 1: - Heading dogs - long head or long pull.

The competitor and dog stands in a ring from 200-500m in diameter, and in a direct line away from where three sheep are set free by a "liberator" or "slipper".  When the judge calls "time" the dog is sent on its "outrun" or "cast".  It should be free-running and the dog should not waver, tack or stop.  Most long-head runs start on a hill and finish on the flat, depending on the trial location.

A pear-shaped outrun is ideal and it can be to the left or right of the handler.  Generally most courses favour a right-hand cast.  A very wide outrun as used in a big paddock is not wanted but it's also important that the dog does not run so direct at the sheep that it panics them and they take flight.

When the dog completes the outrun, it should stop in such a position that when the sheep move, they come in a straight line to the handler.  This is known as "stopping on balance," before the dog "lifts" the sheep or starts them moving.

The dog now executes the "pull" or drive the sheep straight towards the handler.  The sheep should not stop on their journey and the pull is completed when the sheep enter the ring where the handler stands.  This is the "hold" and is "claimed" by the handler standing still with outstretched arms.  After the "claim" the judge will call "right".

To go for the perfect hold the handler moves around the sheep as they enter the ring so the final scene is the sheep facing the dog with the handler behind them. 

The time allocated for this event is usually about 9 - 14 minutes.

Class 2: - Heading dogs - short head and yard

The competitor and dog stand in a pegged quadrangle or "quad".  As in Class 1, the dog makes an outrun and pulls the sheep to the handler, entering the quad between the front markers.  Even if the sheep escape, they must be taken back to enter the quad through "the front door", and the handler cannot leave the quad until this is completed.

Competitor and dog then move the sheep along a pegged 20m-wide lane towards two parallel hurdles.  They cannot stray outside the lane on this "first drive".  The handler can move across "the drive" but shouldn't get ahead of the shoulder of the leading sheep or move backwards.

Points are lost for excessive movement or running, or for the competitor and dog changing sides during the drive.  This first drive ends at a peg in the middle of the lane, 10m away from the hurdles through which the sheep have got to be driven.

After all the sheep have passed the peg, the handler may move about freely to help the dog drive the sheep through the hurdles.  The sheep are now in the "free working area" ready to pass through the hurdles that are 3m apart.  All sheep and the handler must pass through the hurdles.  So if any slip past, they must be brought back.

The "second drive" is similar to the first and ends at a line 10m from the yard.  Once over this line, the competitor can go to the 2m square yard and open the gate until it hits a stop that prevents it opening more than 90 degrees.  Once the hand is on the gate, it cannot be released until the sheep are completely inside the pen.

The gate cannot be used to frighten the sheep and drive them in.  That's the dog's job!  No part of the competitor, including the stick which must be no more than 1m long, is permitted to come forward of the line extending along the gate and out from its head.  Only behind this line can the competitor move about to assist the dog.

The run is completed when the sheep are penned and the gate shut.  The time for this event is usually about 10 - 14 minutes.

Class 3:  Huntaways - Zigzag hunts

For the "zigzag" or "huntaway with slew" the competitor stands at the bottom of the course, usually in a pegged area and facing a steep hill.  Three sheep are liberated at the top of the course and at the call of "time" the trial starts.

The competitor directs the dog to hunt the sheep in a straight line through the first two pegs marked on the course.  The sheep must then change direction or "slew" towards a second set of makers and then proceed to the top markers in line with the first.

The dog must "face-up" to the sheep.  In other words it must bark at the sheep, and not at the handler.

The time for this event is usually around 8 - 10 minutes.

Class 4:  Huntaways - straight hunt

This begins in the same way as the zigzag but the only markers are those at the top of the course.  The sheep have to be hunted directly to the centre of these top markers - in as straight a line as possible.

At some trials, class 3 and 4 are run on the same course, with the two sets of markers being ignored for the straight hunt.

Time allowed for this event is usually about 8 - 10 minutes.

General points

·      The aim of trials is to demonstrate a high level of stock handling and dog control.

·      The challenge is to be able to assess quickly the sheep's strengths and weaknesses.

·      The aim is to direct force at stock from a distance.  The dog must be careful but firm.

·      The first contact of the dog with the sheep is a critical time and must be accomplished with great care.

·      There is no disgrace in not finishing a run.  It's better to withdraw with grace than hound some other person's sheep to injury or exhaustion.

·      Withdrawal is indicated by a wave to the judge or walking off the course.  If you cannot control the sheep, then leave them for the officials to handle.

Judging

Judges are all experienced dog trialists who aim to judge each run with impartiality and to a uniform standard.  Judging in nearly all NZ trials is by one judge who takes points off the perfect score of 100.  There are a large number of reasons to deduct points.  Here are some major ones:

·      Not completing the run.

·      A dog that loses concentration and stops to sniff an area or urinate.

·      A huntaway that shows inattention to the sheep, eg looks back and barks at the handler called "barking off the stock".

·      A heading dog that makes a slow outrun without much purpose

·      A heading dog that bites sheep.

Cattle dog trials

Although sheep dogs work cattle, trials to demonstrate this skill have not been popular in New Zealand.

The Stud Book

The NZ Sheepdog Stud Book, in which all dogs that win trials can be entered started in 1940.  It is run by a stud book committee and a registrar. 

Further information

New Zealand Sheep Dog Trail Association, PO Box 307, Hastings, New Zealand.

Further reading

Burns, M and Fraser, M.N. (1966).  Genetics of the Dog.  London: Oliver and Boyd

Dalton, D.C.(1983).  Farm Working Dogs.  Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries AgLink advisory leaflets.  FPP 613, 695, 696, 697, 698,699, 700, 701, 702, 703,704, 775.

Fox, M.W. (1965).   Canine Behaviour. Springfield: C.C. Thomas.

Fox, M.W. (1972).   Understanding Your Dog. New York: Coward. McCann and Geoghegan.

Kelly, R.B. (1958).   Sheep Dogs. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.

Longton, T and Hart, E (1969).   Your Sheep Dog and its Training.  Battle (Sussex):  Alan Exley.

Lorenz, K (1953)   Man Meets Dog.  London:  Penguin Books.

Rennie, N (1984).   Working dogs.  Shortland Publications, Auckland NZ.  96p

Scott. J.P. and Fuller, J.L. (1965).  Genetics and Social Behaviour of the Dog.  Chicago: University of Chicargo Press.

Farm working Dogs in New Zealand. 7. Genetics and breeding

By Dr Clive Dalton

 

Genetics or environment - which is more important?

This is the old question of which is more important - nature or nurture?  Is it the dog’s breeding (its genetic makeup) or the way it is trained and cared for?  Both are important and no amount of training will make a top dog if the genes for performance are not there.  On the other hand, good genes will not be fully expressed under poor training.

Most working dog traits or characters are strongly inherited - in other words what you see in a dog's performance will be passed on to the next generation.  The term "heritability" is used to describe this and is on a scale from 0 - 100%.  Weakly inherited traits like fertility and litter size are below 10% and strongly inherited ones like casting would be around 30-40%.  This is a guess, as geneticists have not done much study on working dogs, despite their importance.  Research has shown that hip dysplasia averages around 30-40% heritability.

What are working traits?

Heading dog

·      "Eye" or the ability to out-stare a sheep.  Dogs vary from "strong" eye to "plain" eye but the trait seems to be strongly inherited.

·      "Heading" or the dog's ability to cast around sheep.  Some dogs will naturally take a wide cast and others will run straight at stock.  The dog trialist's ideal is a pear-shaped cast.  Again this seems to be strongly inherited.

·      "Shedding".  An ability to separate one sheep from another at close quarters.

·      Temperament.  This is the dog's "nature" and breeders say this is fairly strong in its inheritance.

·      “Early maturity” refers to the ability of a pup to start working at a young age.  Again breeders believe this trait is strongly inherited.  The fear with late-maturing pups is that they may not start to work at all.

·      Not biting or grabbing sheep is important.  Seen in some strains so must have a fairly strong genetic base.  Can be modified by training but is always there.

Huntaway

·      "Heading".  All huntaways should be able to head stock as in heading dogs.  They'll head without showing "eye".

·      "Noise.  They must bark naturally and this seems to be strongly inherited.

·      "Temperament".  Very important and generally very good in huntaways.  They are always anxious to please.

·      "Force".  A trait usually seen best in big dogs that will push among stock with no fear of getting hurt.   A fairly strong genetic trait perfected by proper training.

·      "Backing".  Where a dog will jump on the back of sheep and walk over them.  A trait which varies a bit in strains, so must have some genetic base. 

Physical traits

Breeders are concerned with such genetic defects as:

·      Undershot jaw or parrot mouth.

·      Overshot jaw.

·      Normal reproductive organs.

·      Sound bone structure - eg no hip dysplasia common in some strains.

·      Sound feet pads.

·      Normal palate ie. no cleft palate.

·      Normal leg length - no drawfism.

·      No problems with the eye retina.

Single genes - simple traits

These are simple traits controlled by single or very few genes.   When we get to the performance traits like speed, intelligence and working ability we have to deal with thousands of genes.  The dog has 39 pairs of chromosomes in its sex cells (sperm and eggs) and at present we don't know much about the thousands of genes on them. 

These thousands of genes combine when sperm and eggs are produced into millions of different combinations.   So don't expect parents to produce identical offspring unless you start splitting eggs.  In future we could see a lot more reproductive technology used in dogs and even genetic engineering where we can separate genes on a chromosome and move them around to engineer more certain combinations.  But before that we have to do some "gene mapping" to find out what genes are where on the chromosome.  This mapping the genome of the dog is underway.

 Many genes - complex traits

If you see "variation" in a group of animals (eg litter mates), then you are dealing with many genes controlling them, and to improve the next generation, you "select" the best parents from the present generation.  Sounds simple!

So in dogs you should not be surprised when some pups in a litter turn out to be good workers and some are not so good.  You will see a whole range in ability and this variation is then the raw material we use to make improvement, and the main tool we use is "selection".  Variation and selection is what has made our dogs and what will allow us to improve them.  So don't pine for dogs that are like peas in a pod, we need variation to work on and make progress.

 Cloning

Cloning where identical copies of an animal are made is now possible, and some merit can be seen for it in farm animals.  The idea is good provided that no problems will occur over time with the animals you produce - because if they do, then the entire cloned population will get it.  You have to make sure that what you are going to clone is “perfect” in all traits, and that’s asking a lot in the world of animals.  It also restricts genetic diversity for future selection.

G and E

But remember this "variation: is caused by two things.  First there's the genes or genetic variation, referred to as "G".  Then there's the environment, referred to as "E" which is the rearing, feeding and training.  Some trainers produce better E than others.  You need plenty of G to make a champion, but you'll not do it without good E.   This is the old saying that "90% of the pedigree goes down the throat."

Mate the best to the best

This is what the early improvers did long before the science of genetics was born.  It worked then as it does now.  The only problem is what do we mean by "best"?

Dogs that consistently win at a range of trials, clearly have the genes needed on the farm.  They’re surely the best.   But there are some folk who think that today's trials are too artificial, and don't relate to the commercial farm with large numbers of stock per person.

The counter argument is that these trial dogs do work on commercial farms and can do all the jobs needed, as well as the fancy stuff for the trials.  They have the genes to do everything needed so there is no worry.  If they win at trials then they qualify to enter the stud book of the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association (NZSDTA).  No useless dog can get into this book, and a dog’s looks and fancy points don't matter.  It's performance alone.

If you want to breed dogs that are not in the stud book, then you should make sure the parents have performed well and that you can see them working.  But remember you are trying to judge G, even if the handler has ruined it through the E provided.   In other farm livestock, many a farmer has been duped by thinking he/she was buying G when in fact they paid through the nose for E. 

Check the pedigree

Pedigrees are simply a record of ancestry - and that's all.  Never assume that a "pedigree" animal that can be registered in a studbook is genetically better than a non-registered animal.  This is where the New Zealand farm working dog is unique - they can only get into the stud book by proving good working performance.

If a pedigree is a list of names and numbers and has no record of performance - then it doesn't tell you much.  The important feature of a pedigree is that every time you go back a generation, then you halve the genetic influence of the ancestors.

So parents give half of their genes (good and bad) to their offspring.  Grandparents give a quarter, great-grand parents one eighth and so on working backward along the pedigree.  In practice, only be concerned with a pedigree as far back as grandparents, as each ancestor after that has so little influence.

Remember that if anyone is trying to tell you that an animal's superiority is due to a particular great-great-great grandsire, he has only provided one sixteenth of the genes.  Does this mean that the other fifteen sixteenth of the genes were useless?  Which would have the greater influence one sixteenth or fifteen sixteenths?

Fortunately the working dog world is free from a lot of the mumbo-jumbo about pedigree breeding that confuses other livestock.  We breed for performance and "functional traits" in working dogs and it makes life so much easier, and the end results more predictable.   Thank goodness nobody yet has started to say what a working dog should look like and formed a committee to administer this nonsense.  But that’s not to say it could happen in future.

Inbreeding

This is where "related" animals are mated.  This concentrates genes, whether they are good or bad.  Breeders are often forced to inbreed when they want a sire for a particular purpose, and they cannot find one better than their own.  So they mate related animals and live with the consequences.

There is nothing wrong with this, and it will certainly concentrate similar genes.  In the process however, as similar genes meet, they may throw up certain recessive genes that have been hidden.  It's here where undershot jaw, cleft palates, no hair, and drawfism is seen.  You can cull these out and keep on inbreeding, but as the level of inbreeding rises (called increasing homozygosity) you'll most likely find "inbreeding depression" taking its effect.

Here traits like fertility, litter size and general "fitness" are affected.  Bitches will be hard to get in pup, and they'll have small litters with “runts”(small weak pups) in them.  In working dogs we euthanase them but in the fancy dog world they keep them, often to form new breeds!

If you inbreed and strike trouble you can get out of it in one generation by making an "outcross" to some completely unrelated animal.  All those recessive problem genes will have been buried again.

So avoid high levels of inbreeding by not mating sires to daughters, sons to mothers and even as close as first cousins.  Don't go any closer than second cousins.  First cousins have common grandparents and this is generally too close, unless you have a very special reason to experiment.

Linebreeding

This is very similar to inbreeding but seems to have a better image among breeders.  It's “inbreeding done more slowly” and has the same effect as mating relatives and concentrating genes.  This is the way to go - you make haste slowly, and it gives you time to do some selection, and go back and make an outcross if you strike trouble. 

In this outcrossing, try to get a new sire from a breeder with similar objectives but slightly different genes.  Then you don't slip back too far and lose the benefits of the genes you want.

People have a great fear of inbreeding (probably because of the human religious taboo against it) but less fear of linebreeding.  So there's an old saying that if it fails call it inbreeding but if it works call it linebreeding!

The future working dog

The dog like the human is a very adaptable species and it has a great future. It can reproduce rapidly and responds well to natural or man-made selection.  As a result there is plenty of opportunity for man to change the working dog - for better or for worse.

The working dog is by no means perfect - despite what some enthusiasts would argue.  For example some people on today's farms with the range of pressures that did not exist in the old days, say it takes too long to train.  Today's shepherds don't want to spend hours after work and at weekends training dogs.  They want a quick learner - to save time, money and food.  And they want fewer failures, which there are despite all the breeding wisdom.  So there’s an interesting challenge for breeders, geneticists and behaviourists in the future.

Some people are concerned that the genetic base of our working dogs may be getting too narrow with the influence of too few top animals.  They fear some inbreeding depression which can be expressed in less robust animals for the hard life on the farm, as opposed to the short run at the trials.  This fear has come to pass recently with a rapid increase in the incidence of hip dysplasia (HD).  It has clearly been spread by the popularity of some top trial dogs, through linebreeding to them.

There's certainly plenty of technology waiting to be used in future dog breeding if the breeders or the market demands it.  It has been here for some time.  Examples are artificial insemination (AI) to allow more people cheap access to top genes, multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET), egg splitting to produce clones of identical animals, and embryo storage and transfer. 

We are now on the threshold of using genetic engineering to move individual genes around.  There has been little discussion on how genetic engineering could be used in the working dog but the opportunity is there.  Indeed the scientific community in the past has shown little interest in the working dog in relation to its importance to the economy. 

New Zealand has a very high health status in the world and could become a genetic reservoir and storage repository for the world's top working dog genes - and that includes all dogs classed as "workers".    There is no reason why New Zealand could not become the Mecca for working dogs like we are for shearing. 

NZ Farm working dogs. Dog Trials. Straight Hunt

By Dr Clive Dalton

The Straight Hunt
This is where the dog has to drive three sheep up a steep slope in as straight a line as possible. These pictures were taken at the Karioi Dog Trial grounds near Raglan in the North Island of New Zealand

Picture 1: The sheep have to be driven straight up the gully on the hill which is about a 45 degree slope. The bottom and middle markers are easy to see on this picture, but the top markers are almost out of sight. The middle of the two top markers is marked with a white peg as the target for the sheep pass to receive top marks.




Picture 2: The competitor is waiting for his three sheep to be released from the pen at the bottom of the hill by 'the releaser', who has his own dog handy to make sure they head in the right direction up the hill. The string on the left is to give a visual barrier to help direct the sheep up the hill. Only when the judge is satisfied that all is in order, does he give the order to start.

The start is always with the dog kept back off the sheep and barking until the handler sees which direction they are going to take. After this, the handler will start to direct the dog to move and direct the sheep straight up the slope. This is not their preferred route as they would rather move off to right or left along the many sheep tracks on a steep slope which is their normal way of grazing hills.




Picture 3: The dog has the sheep moving nicely up the hill aiming for the middle of the first two markers. The handler is now allowed to move from the start position to get a better vision of events as the sheep get further up the hill.




Picture 4: Sheep moving well through the middle markers and the dog nicely placed to cut them off to right or left if needed.



Picture 5: Here the sheep and dog behind them on the right are heading nicely for the peg in the middle of the top markers.


After the judge is sure the sheep are through the top markers the competitor is told to stop. Hopefully this is always before the allocated time is up.

NZ farm working dogs. Dog Trials. Zig Zag Hunt

By Dr Clive Dalton

Picture 1. This picture shows markers 'zig-zagging' up the hill on the course. The sheep start at the bottom and are moved to the left, then they move to the right, and complete the course by moving to the left again. The competitor is waiting for the sheep to be released on the left at the bottom of the hill.



Picture 2. Here the sheep have been released, and the competitor waits with his dog for the order to start. Note how the dog stands between the handler's legs - this is a very common bit of behaviour, and shows the great bond between dog and handler. Dogs will often go up and lean on their owner.




Picture 3. The sheep are on their way in this picture and a course assistant is pulling on a rope to shake flags and stop the sheep escaping to the right, and to help direct them up the hill ready for the competitor to get the order to start.



Picture 4. The dog is working here - keeping well back and moving slowly behind sheep using its bark on command. The dog must always look directly at the sheep (called 'facing up'), and never look at the handler or points will be lost.



Picture 5. The classical stance of a good strong Huntaway, facing up to sheep and hunting them up the hill. The dog here is 'putting pressure' on the sheep - using its bark and dominant presence. He's a big dog and to a sheep will look a formidable predator.


Picture 6. Again, here's a great example of a Huntaway getting the command to move left to turn the sheep in the other direction. Note how well it's facing up to the sheep, listening to commands, from the handler at the bottom of the hill.



Picture 7. Here the sheep are going through the first pair of markers with dog well below on the left of them. It will now be directed to go left, to drive the sheep right so they head for the second pair of markers.


Picture 8. Here the move described above is completed. The dog did this by keeping back off the sheep and using its presence and bark.

The hunt continues up the hill until the sheep are driven through the last pair of markers at the top of the hill, and the judge tells the competitor to stop. Assistants out of sight at the top of the hill then collect the sheep.



If the allocated time has been taken up without completing the course, the judge will shout 'Time' and the competitor will call off the dog. Other course assistants will then remove the sheep for the next competitor to start their run.

No matter how good or badly the dog has done, the competitor always gives the dog a pat to reinforce their bond.

New Zealand farm working dogs. The NZ Huntaway

By Dr Clive Dalton

The monument to the New Zealand Huntaway at Hunterville.
Farmers can buy a paving stone around the bronze sculptor to record their own huntaway's name and dates of its loyal working career.
(Photo by Molly Dalton 2012)

History

Nobody knows the true history of the New Zealand Huntaway - it was never written down. The early shepherds had imported 'eye dogs' to go around sheep to gather (muster) them, but very soon they found they needed to move sheep off steep hill country and mountainous High Country runs where a dog with a lot more 'force' or 'punch' and with a good bark (noise) was needed. Shepherds wanted a dog that could 'hunt sheep away' from the handler, while the heading dog could go around them to stop them escaping.

But the Huntaway also had to 'head' sheep but without any 'eye' like the heading dog. The Huntaway's bark and dominant presence 'facing up' to the sheep was the secret in controlling and moving them. A Huntaway's bark can be switched on and off by command which is very important, as noise at the wrong time and in the wrong place, can lead to disasters such as a smothering of sheep where they pile up on top of each other and suffocate.

Bred solely for performance
The NZ Huntaway is one of the few animals that has been selected solely on the basis of 'performance'. Human 'fancy' and silly notions were never involved. If the pups from a mating didn't show any working instinct by about 6 months of age, they were euthanased as nobody wanted them for pets.

Also fortunately, there was no enthusiasts, breed society or Kennel Club to lay down rules about what a Huntaway should look like. Looks were the very last feature breeders were concerned about in a Huntaway as long as it did its job.

This is changing, (sadly in my view) as the Huntaway has been discovered to be a very loyal companion dog, and if we are not careful, their working genes will be weakened by selecting for 'pet' gens and diluting the working genes. This has happened with the Corgi, the Long-haired Collie (Lassie type) and the Sheltie. These were all working dogs before breeders started breeding them for the show ring and as companion animals.

This is happening at great pace in the Border Collie in New Zealand which is now a very popular companion dog for active people, and is now winning obedience competitions.

Functional traits
Huntaways have a hard life and on big farms they must easily cover up to 100km on a busy day, mustering and working sheep in yards and woolsheds. They need a great 'constitution', however that's measured. It involves a physique and physiology that doesn't break down under heavy load. The working dog is an athlete, and it's nutritional needs are similar to those identified by researchers studying sled dogs.

Legs, joint's, ligaments, and feet joints and pads are particularly vital parts. In recent years, hip dysplasia has been identified in the 'breed', if we dare call it a breed in the classical sense, which thankfully it is not. This weakness is being eliminated by X-ray idenitificaton, selection and culling. Twisted bowel also caused trouble in Huntaways for a number of years but breeders reckon it's been eliminated by honest pedigree recording and culling.

As Huntaway breeders bred larger dogs for more force and power, hip dysplasia developed more rapidly, and inbreeding to particular dogs that were regular winners at dog trials made things worse. It's both a genetic and an environmental (nutritional) problem and is being successfully managed from both these angles.

Mongrels or 'designer dogs'

A stockman's dog team
(L to R). NZ Huntaway, Australian Blue Heeler cattle dog, NZ Heading Dog

In the world of classical dog breeding, a Huntaway would be described as a 'mongel' (of unknown parentage). But in modern genetic terms, it's a wonderful example of using a 'gene pool' and throwing into the mix all the dog genes from around the place that have shown any ability to do the job required.

The story goes that farmers started with the Border Collie, mixed in some Beardie (Sheep dog from Northern Scotland), Old English sheepdog (from the English Downs), the Smithfield (working dogs from Smithfield market in London), Labrador, Fox hound, Retriever and goodness knows what else. German Shepherd was not involved.

A bit of Australian Kelpie could also have gone into the mix. The Kelpie was bred in Australia from Border Collies and breeders are adamant that no Dingo was used in their ancestry, though many don't believe this!

The Keplie and Queensland Blue Heeler in New Zealand are kept as breeds on their own, and you never let a Blue Heeler (also called the Australian Cattle dog) near sheep! The history of this dog has been well documented and is a fascinating story. There's Dalmation in its ancestry and the Dingo was used to remove its bark.

Both Kelpies and Blue Heelers are now popular companion dogs, so their working genes could be under threat over time, unless farmers protect their genetic working stock.

Stirring the pot
The next stage in Huntaway breeding was to give the pot a good stir, and select out ( solely on performance) pups that showed potential. These had to have a kind nature and show keen interest in sheep and/or cattle, and be keen to bark at stock with a good deep 'voice' when excited.

They have to do this by six months old as most farmers believe that feeding them beyond that is not economical. There are pups that are late starters, but they seldom get the chance to show potential.

This 'mixing pot' approach used by the early breeders - using Darwin's 'survival of the fittest', is in fact a very modern approach. It's what geneticists would recommend today if a new 'breed' or type of working dog had to be bred. The result would now be called a 'composite' or 'designer dog'.

Huntaway types
Look at the colours of the dogs in these pictures and guess what genes are in their ancestry. You can't be wrong as nobody really knows which is wonderful, and nobody is the least concerned as long as they do their job.

NZ Huntaway - classical black and tan colours. This is a young dog about
a year old and just starting full work. Note the solid body and legs, and great heart girth.
A dog trial veteran - black and tan classical Huntaway

NZ Huntaway with Beardie genes. Beardies are tough dogs and despite their
long hair, hot weather doesn't seem to slow them down.
Another example of Beardie ancestry


NZ Huntaway with Labrador genes or just a black dominant gene ?

Another example of way back Black Labrador ancestry ?

NZ Huntaway with red genes from Retriever (?) origins


NZ Huntaway with Beardie genes and possibly hound ancestry.
Who knows? Who cares?
Another couple with similar ancestry?

The 'Handy Dog'
Talking about 'handy dogs' can be controversial. These dogs are certainly not purposely bred any more, and farmers say that there are none around although they are needed. A handy dog will do everything - head sheep, hunt them away, catch ewes and lambs at lambing, work cattle and some farmers joke - they'll bring the paper from the gate.

Their main value is in working sheep in yards and the woolshed. They are sometimes called 'yard dogs'. They are generally the dog that will work for any member of staff which is a great advantage.

There's nothing worse than the one-man-dog who will only work for it's master, especially if someone else needs to use it in an emergency, such as when stock have escaped and you need a dog - badly! I speak from experience here as you end up having to run yourself!

Handy dogs apparently were common in the past but not any more as breeders are influenced by the requirements of dog trials. There used to be trials for handy dogs, and there have been recent attempts to revive them by running 'yarding trials' where dogs have to do general work moving sheep around yards. A good huntaway will of course do such work.

Heading - Huntaway crossing
No respectable breeder crosses a heading dog with a Hunatway to get a combination of both working skills to produce a 'handy dog'. But these dogs do exist on farms and probably happen by accidental matings, and with appropriate training, some turn out to be good for general farm work.

A Handy Dog - with both Heading and Huntaway genes which will do most
things and bark on command. This dog also has the Blue Merle recessive gene.