NZ farm working dogs. A Heading pup's first year

By Dr Clive Dalton

Meg tied up at her kennel but 'on alert' - a good sign.
What would she turn out to be?
Her genetics were right - would her training complete the job?

MEG
Around the mid 1980s, Kevin Meredith, a farm manager and keen dog trialist got a new heading bitch pup, and I was keen to document her first year - the formative time in the making of a top working dog.

Kevin called her "Meg" and she had all the right genes from top ancestors, that had not only won trials, but had also come from hard working dogs on commercial farms.

These pictures I took of Meg's first year show the important stages of how Kevin provided the correct environment and training, so the dog's genes get every chance of full expression. It was all about getting the right balance between 'nature' and 'nurture' as the old saying goes.

Hello - what's that? A good sign of pup with a sharp eye.

Housing - cage or kennel?
This is an interesting question - is it better to keep a pup in a cage up off the ground, or tie it up at a kennel on the soil?

Most veterinary advice, for hygienic reasons, would go for the cage with slatted floor and no contact with soil, as in areas where there have been dog kennels for may years, there could be all sorts of infections around.

And of course dogs love to dig holes with a favourite spot being under the kennel. Some of these holes get so big that the kennel eventually falls into the hole, or in heavy rain it floats on the little lake like a boat!

Kevin's argument was simple - he always liked to tie a pup up at free-standing kennels as it gave him the opportunity to handle it more, and especially at the important time when you put dogs away after running loose. It was an opportunity to keep reinforcing the human-animal bond which is vital in successful dog training.

Dogs spend a lot of their time being tied up in their daily lives when out working so the sooner they learn to be comfortable with it the better. All working dogs have a short chain and snap hook on their collars to fasten them to a fence when they are temporarily not needed. Many dog handlers reckon it teaches them patience when they have to sit and watch other dogs working and not being allowed to join in until commanded.

The main thing it that it teaches the dog that going to be tied up is a pleasant positive experience, and not one to be avoided in case they get a reprimand. It's too easy to open a cage door and the dog runs in with no contact with the owner. Kevin's practice always seemed to make a lot of sense from the animal psychology point of view.

Make sure the pup's collar fits well so she doesn't learn to slip it.

Dominance of the 'pack leader'
An important part of this human-animal bond is to sort out right from the start who is the boss - who is going to be the 'top dog' in the hierarchy. Dogs and humans love boundaries, because they know that if they stay within them they'll be safe.

So having the pup on a chain, you can start regular lessons in dominance from an early age.

In the picture below you see Keven holding the pup's head up and holding his gaze into its eyes. It's a simple exercise once the pup has been tied up, petted and reassured with low voice tones. A few minutes each day is all that's needed. You can see from the pup's pose that it's a new experience for her and she's not liking it all that much.

Laying prone
This Kevin showed to be a very simple but very effective way to dominate a pup. He even used to to sort out a mature dog that was playing up.

All you do in this exercise is to lie the pup on it's side and calm it. If it struggles to get free - press down firmly with both your hands and calm it with low voice tones and a gentle massage. It's very effective and there's no physical violence involved anywhere. In the initial stages if the pup struggles, giving a low growl to imitate its mother's reactions can be effective.




Remove its food
Another trick used by Kevin and other dog handlers is to wait till the pup gets really stuck into a bit of meat, which it clearly considered its private property, and take if from it. If it gets nasty - give it the 'prone' treatment again and hold its meat in front of it before handing it over on your terms.





Teach 'Sit'
On the chain at the kennel, Kevin started to teach the first early lesson of 'Sit'. It was also part of the bonding/dominating experience for the pup and was a simple exercise of holding up the pup's head while pressing down it's back end on the command 'sit'.

This was done when the opportunity arose, e.g. when passing the kennels or after the dogs were let off for a run. Older dogs don't enjoy the overenthusiastic youngsters being let off at the same time but it is good for the pups to keep in social contact with the oldies who they could be working with in future.





The result seen in the picture, is a happy little fast-growing confident pup doing what dogs do - digging holes around their dens as they would in the wild. It means moving kennels now and again.

Hydatids
In the 1980s, to combat Hydatids which was also a threat to human health, dogs were dosed regularly by an officer from the local District Council. It was not a nice experience for the dog and they all knew when his van arrived - and what they were going to get.

The oral dose made the dog purge and the faeces were collected and sent to a veterinary laboratory to check what parasites were present.

Thankfully Hydatids has been eliminated and dogs are given pills every six weeks containing an anthelmintic to control the other main internal parasites of dogs.

Meg getting her first 'purge' dose - nobody liked this system

Vaccinations
Meg then had to have her injections for distemper and parvo virus - both killers of dogs. This was not as traumatic for her as it was a subcutaneous injection in the loose skin of her scruff. The veterinarian was my former colleague at the Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre - the late Tony Day.

Serious interest in work
There's often debate about the order in which you do things with a young dog. Do you put some commands on her before you let her loose with sheep, or do you just let her run free to develop her natural instincts and then teach the commands?

Kevin Meredith believed that the better option was to let the pup run free and then teach the commands. A good pup will quickly learn what the commands are, and almost understand why they're needed.

So here's Meg now about 9 months old with some of her first meetings with sheep in a confined space. The confined space is critical, as you don't want sheep to get the better of the pup. When you move to a larger area such as a small paddock, dog trainers always have an old experience dog handy to prevent any disasters such as sheep escaping and the pup not being able to get head them off. You don't want a pup to become a simple chaser of sheep.

You can clearly see Meg's genetics showing through. These rams are not going anywhere, as she keeps increasing pressure on them by moving in closer, and anticipating their every move.

Meg's further training
Kevin further developed Meg's skills by using her for light work on the farm as part of his team of dogs made up of older heading dogs and huntaways. So things were always under control and the sheep never won the day to shake a young dog's confidence. Top dog men like Kevin make sure a young dog is never over-worked and situations never get out of control.

Picture shows Meg off to work with a Huntaway team member on the right and the picture below shows the end of a working day where Meg has been part of the team.

Once a young dog starts to work it's important to keep them at it without overdoing it. A good stockman like Kevin Meredith knows exactly how to keep this fine balance, of avoiding both overwork and boredom. A heading dog is born to work - not watch others doing it.

Off to work

Time to knock off

Meg's first dog trial
Kevin was pleased with the young Meg and entered her for the 'Short Head and Yard' competition at the Waingaro dog trials near Raglan in New Zealand's North Island. She did well on the cast, the gather and the drive and as you can see on the picture below penned the sheep with no bother with plenty of force.


Kevin told me she was probably in too much of a hurry to get the job done to win, but he was delighted with her first outing. After the sheep were penned - Meg got a wee pat, and she was quite happy with that.

Top dog 'Meg' and top dog trainer and stockman - Kevin Meredith.
It's all about the animal-human bond and a dog trial is where you see this best.

A hard working life
In 2009 it was wonderful to catch up with Kevin again. He told me he had Meg for about 8 years before passing her on for an easier life. He reckoned she lived to about age 12.

What a great contribution she made to farming - one of the many unsung heroes of her kind. Loving her boss, always wanting to get off the chain to work, hating day's off, and happy with a pat or scratch behind the ear after a hard day's work.

Imagine how many man-hours she saved in her 12 years of work, and what financial value you could put on it. Imagine how many kilometers she had run too in that time?

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.

NZ farm working dogs. Dog trials. The Long Head

By Dr Clive Dalton


The Long Head
This is a trial for Heading Dogs, where the dog has to 'sight' the sheep at a long distance, move them and then bring them to the handler in a straight line. Three sheep are always used in trials in New Zealand as this is the most difficult combination - it's not a flock, and the sheep will always split into two and one - and in unpredictable ways. The handler's skill is to predict this - to be able to 'read' the sheep.

Picture 1. The release and cast. In the picture the three sheep are on the top of the hill on the left and have just been released from a holding pen by the 'releaser'. After the judge has given the start signal, the competitor or handler at the bottom of the hill has sent his dog away to find the sheep. Timing starts from then. The dog is at 11 o'clock from handler at the bottom of the hill on a right hand cast, and then go around them for 'the hold'.



Here's a picture of the releaser at the top of the hill, with his dog holding the sheep in the corner of a bit of fence until they are sighted by the competitor's dog. The releaser's dog is part hidden by a tuft of long of grass.



Picture 2. The dog (the tiny black dot) is now up the hill on the right nearly on a level with the sheep, 'keeping out' on command, so it goes above the sheep and comes around on to them for the 'hold'.


Picture 3. The hold. It's hard to see at this distance, but the dog has arrived at the sheep and is lying down above them in the 'hold' position. The sheep are looking at the dog anticipating its next move. You can now appreciate the importance of the dog's colour, to be able to see it and direct it at these distances.



Picture 4. The Lift then the Drive. Here the dog has completed 'the lift' and the sheep are starting to move from their release point. The dog is working on the sheep's left and directed by the handler has to move the sheep in a straight line down the middle of steep slope of the course.

Points are lost if the sheep veer off this line. The course is completed when the sheep pass through two peg markers at the base of the hill.



Here's a picture of a competitor whose dog has done a great job in driving the sheep down the slope. At this stage the competitor is allowed to move to the marked circle that the sheep have to end up in to complete the course.




Picture 5. The finish. The sheep have been driven passed the final markers to complete the course.



If the allocated time is used up before the course is completed, then the judge shouts 'Time' and the handler calls off his dog. Other helpers and their dogs retrieve and remove the sheep from the course for the next competitor, or the competitor will do this.

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.

New Zealand farm working dogs. Heading or Eye Dogs

By Dr Clive Dalton

In New Zealand the term 'heading dog' or 'eye dog' is used to describe dogs bred to go around sheep and gather them into a group, and then keep a close watch or watch on them to stop them escaping.

Origins
New Zealand heading dogs have been bred mainly from the 'Border Collie' which was the main type of dog used by shepherds on both sides of the Scottish Border. The early shepherds who came to New Zealand from the Borders brought their dogs with them, the most famous being James Lillico.

The UK Border Collie is a small dog with long coat and very strong instincts to lie down or 'swat', then crawl up to sheep at close quarters almost to mesmerise them. These traits have been bred out of the New Zealand heading dog which has much shorter hair for our warmer conditions, and stands up on its legs so it can be seen more easily at a distance.

'Coop'. Classical 2010 model Border Collie. Photo by kind permission
of Northumbrian shepherd Helen Brown

This is why the long coat is needed!
Winter 2010

Some of the UK Border Collies bark when they get excited in close contact with sheep, and this also has been bred out of NZ heading dogs. Barking or 'noise' is provided by the NZ Huntaway (See blog).

So to stop a dog in New Zealand the command is to 'Stand' or 'Stand there' and not 'Lie Down' as in UK. Kiwi shepherds believe that a dog moving on to sheep from a standing position causes less panic than a dog that gets up from lying flat.

'Queen'.
Queen was a classical UK Border Collie, and did nearly a decade of loyal service at the Hott farm and Dally Castle in the 1950s for Matthew Dagg. She wouldn't work for anyone else - in fact nobody could even get her out of her box in the byre, even for the tastiest of tidbits.

She was very strong eyed, had the speed of a rocket when set away to gather sheep, and was kind on sheep once she had found them, but very strong in control. She could be sent away to gather sheep that were out of sight and would never miss one. She showed the classical trait of top Border Collies of when on the outrun she'd come across a sheep, she'd then take another wider cast, assuming there could be more . She would do this on her own without needing to be commanded to 'go back' or 'keep out'.

She was fearless on recalcitrent cattle. She could 'heel and nose' a cattle beast so quick that it didn't know what had happened. Being expert in this art, she would move in low, bite the heel and then 'swat' flat on the ground while the beast's kicking let flew clear above her head. Her timing was perfect. She almost had a smile on her face at the beast's antics.

She bred a few great pups and it was a very sad day when she left for her final gather.


Heading dog traits
Heading dogs go around sheep (head them off) to stop them escaping, and in the wild, the next step would be to move in for the kill.

This is made easier for the dog as once sheep see a dog, (which is their natural predator), they naturally flock for protection and either run or turn around to face the threat.

The natural instinct of the dog it to take a wide 'cast' to either right or left when it sees sheep, and this can be modified in training, so it can be directed to go wider to find more sheep which may be out of sight.

A major part of this 'heading' behaviour is for the dog to 'eye' the sheep when the dog is in close contact. The dog uses it's strong gaze to almost mesmerise the sheep and move up to them very slowly, being ready to stop any making a dash for freedom.

Some strong-eyed dogs will move up nose-to-nose with the sheep and good trainers can teach their dogs to nip the sheep if they won't move, but they have to make sure this is a nip and not a bite.

This instinct can be used to train a dog to catch and hold a sheep, where it grabs wool around the neck and not flesh, and holds the sheep down on the ground till the shepherd can get to it. This is a very useful skill at lambing time or at docking when lambs are older and very speedy if the dog will catch and hold them.

Good example of strong-eye slowly moving in closer to the sheep

Some very strong eyed dogs can be real biters and in the past it was very hard to cure this. Once they'd moved in close the next move was the sheep's jugular. All you could do was to have a handful of stones handy or threaten the dog with noise and a raised stick. However, today correction can be done much easier with the electric collar that gives the dog a mild shock when it transgresses and this is not associated with the handler.

The 'stalk' when a good dog will only move one foot at a time
while moving up on sheep. The command used to direct this is 'Walk Up'.

Types of New Zealand heading dogs

Colours
The most common and popular colours of NZ heading dogs are black and white, which were the main coloured genes that came to NZ in the Border Collie. This colour combination is ideal for seeing the dog at long distances, especially in the tan shades of dry hills and the NZ High Country tussock.

But with the dominant black colour also comes the recessive red which is not popular as it's not as easy to see at long distances, even on green grassy hills.

All-white dogs are not liked as they look too much like sheep for the shepherd to see at a long distance, and they also really scare the sheep when the sheep realise that a 'predator in camouflage' is confronting them.

The 'Blue Merle' gene also came to New Zealand with the Border Collie and these dogs also can show the 'wall eye' (blue eyes) gene in either one of both eyes.


Examples of NZ heading dogs

NZ Heading dog - Border Collie type

Classical Border Collie colours but short coat


NZ Heading dog - with some black & tan and a bit of blue merle

Predominant black and tan colours

Another nice black and tan combination


NZ Heading dog - long legs, short hair and fine-boned.
You would suspect some Whippet genes in its ancestry?


Another good example of a fine-boned type


NZ Heading dog - 'Meg' a classical example of popular colours


NZ Heading dog - with the recessive red gene (not popular)


Origins of colour unknown. Half the litter were black and white and half this colour. Easy to see at a distance but not a popular colour among breeders.

A good colour combination for distance viewing


Shepherds would be starting to think this dog had a bit too much white on it

The 'wall eye' gene
This a recessive allele of a gene that produces a light blue eye. Either one or both eyes may be affected. It has no negative effect on the dog's vision. The dog below has one wall eye. Dogs with the 'merle' colouring often have wall eyes.