FURminator Dog deShedding Tool Competition

Do you have a shaggy pooch, a hairy hound or a tangled terrier? Thanks to Spectrum Brands Australia, you could win a life-changing FURminator grooming pack to get you and your dog through this Autumn shedding season and many more to come! 

Each winner's prize pack (6 in total to be won) will include:

1. 1 x FURminator deShedding Tool
It decreases shedding by up to 90% and stimulates natural oil production, which protects skin and promotes a healthy shiny coat. Choose one model for either short-hair or long-hair dogs and from one of 3 sizes: Small/Medium/Large) PLUS

2. 1 x Shed Control Cloths (12-Pack) AND
3 times thicker than traditional wipes, the cloths catch and collect loose surface hair. They're reusable for up to 3 times.

3. 1 x deShedding Ultra Premium Shampoo (473ml)
Enriched with Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids, Calendula Extract and Papaya Leaf Extract, the shampoo helps control shedding and also promotes a healthy skin and coat.

To enter, you must like our page and simply tell us in the comments "What colour is the Large FURminator deShedding Tool? & which model you'd like to win (short OR long hair and S/M/L" via Facebook or Instagram (post 31/03/2017). 

You will find the answer in our review here.

Please feel free to also show us images of your shaggy dog(s) via Facebook!

Want to find out more about the FURminator range of grooming solutions for your pets? You will find them on the Spectrum Brands stand No. 240 at the Melbourne Dog Lovers Show between May 5-7.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. This Competition is open until 12/04/17. Entry is open to Australian residents only. 
The winners will be announced on this page on 13/04/2017.
2. To enter, you need the correct answer to "what colour is the large FURminator deShedding tool"? at
http://www.australiandoglover.com/2016/07/furminator-deshedding-tools-for-dogs.html
3. Please note you MUST LIKE our Facebook page  OR FOLLOW our Instagram page @australiandoglover to be eligible.
4. You can only enter once (not both via Facebook and Instagram) or you will be disqualified.

5. Each extra person tagged in the Comments will earn the entrant an additional entry (maximum of  3 extra entries)

Mad Paws Easter Hunt for Dogs - April 9

Sydney pooches and their two-legged plus ones are invited to Australia’s largest ever Easter hunt designed especially for dogs. 

On Sunday 9th April at Blenheim Park (Sydney), Australia’s leading pet-sitting network Mad Paws, will be hosting an Easter Hunt party with hours of fun-filled games and treats to make your dog’s dreams come true.

Reward your loyal best friend by bringing them along to this event, where they can be unleashed to run free in a specially closed off area. Kick off by letting your lovable furry friend go on an exciting doggie egg hunt before some much needed ‘me time’ with a relaxing doggie pedicure in the ‘Pooch Pedi Parlour’.

Once relaxed and looking their best, your pup can go to the pooch ‘pawtrait’ corner - to pout a pose for a picture to take home. 

If your dog is more of an adrenaline junkie, they can let loose with other like minded dogs, in the specially designed agility course.

This adorable event is hosted by Mad Paws, Australia’s largest pet sharing network, connecting pet sitters and dog walkers with busy, local pet ‘parents’.

Mad Paws has also teamed up with the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home and vet-supported retailer PETstock to ensure that this day is something that canines and their humans won’t forget in a pooch-long lifetime. All donations raised at the day will go towards the efforts Sydney Dogs and Cats Home puts into saving precious pups.

The day will finish off with a human-friendly BBQ, a massive dog Easter cake and cupcakes.

When: Sunday 9th April 2017, from 11:00am to 3:00pm

Where: Blenheim Park, North Ryde, NSW, 2113

Cost: Free

AWLQ Stray Animals Day Challenge - April 4

AWLQ’s Stray Animals’ Day – a chance to make a $124,000 difference

Ambassador NRL Titan Chris McQueen has launched AWLQ’s inaugural Stray Animals’ Day April 4 challenge with a target of $124,000, to cover the cost of running its vital foster house program.

“An incredible 6,200 animals, or more than 71% of all animals in AWLQ’s care, spend time in foster care each year,” Chris McQueen said.

Oliver, the Staffy cross - what a difference a month makes!

Animals, just like Oliver. The Staffy cross had a severe skin condition and has so far spent a month with foster carer Amelia and was at the challenge launch.

“It’s amazing to see the difference in Oliver’s condition in that time,” Chris said. “This is clearly a happy dog that is enjoying a home environment while he recuperates.  “In the off-season Nicole and I would be looking to foster for AWLQ – as it’s so rewarding and makes such a difference.”

Animal Welfare League Queensland continues to be a leader in animal rehoming. 

In July last year AWLQ included treatable conditions to the list of reasons an animal will never be euthanised.
“Our promise to you is that we will never euthanise a healthy, sociable animal with a treatable condition, whatever its age,” AWLQ State Rehoming Manager Melinda Phipps said.

“This pledge to you saves many lives, but is expensive with so many animals in need and is only possible with public support. “We are asking the community to rise to the challenge and help us make a difference.”

It costs at least $20 to foster each animal in a private home and AWLQ’s foster carers are critical in the care of newborns, the elderly, sick and abused animals. “Without that one-on-one time with our dedicated foster carers, many of these animals, particularly the kittens and puppies, would die,” Chris McQueen said.

“Thousands of stray and abandoned animals owe their lives to the Foster House program, so what better day than International Stray Animals’ Day to make a difference.

“This $124,000 will cover one year of Foster House’s medical bills so please give what you can to make this target a reality.”

Purina, which provides AWLQ with dog and cat food, kicked off the inaugural AWLQ Stray Animals’ Day campaign today, donating $5,000.

“While our Foster House is old, we feel that it’s more important to channel the funds into the animals that need foster and their foster carers – who frankly, make this lifesaving work possible,” Ms Phipps said.

International Stray Animals’ Day is on Tuesday, April 4. 
Donations can be made at awlqld.com.au/sad

Note: funds raised will go directly toward the cost of care for these animals and are tax deductible.

Excessive Dog Barking: Tips & Advice

Barking is a common, frustrating problem for many dog owners. It can cause anything from mild annoyance to neighbourly disputes to formal disciplinary council action. 

In addition to being hugely stressful to owners, nuisance barking is potentially very dangerous for the dog. Barking can sadly lead to harsh unnecessary punishment, erosion of the human-animal bond and a higher risk of surrender and premature euthanasia. In some extreme cases, barking can lead to dogs being maliciously poisoned. 

For all these reasons, barking is an issue warranting solid understanding and appropriate intervention. Barking has previously received little exploration among the scientific community, despite being one of the most conspicuous features of dog behaviour.

What does barking mean?

Barking is a vocal form of communication, used for both dog-to-dog and dog-to-people communication. However barking comes in many forms, has more nuances and carries far more information than we think. 

Emerging research has shown that barking can vary greatly in frequency, tonality, pitch and rhythmicity. Barking also varies depending on context, which can mean internal (physiological) or external (environment) of the dog. The challenge for us is in trying to work out what the dog is trying to say. 

So why dog dogs bark?

The first answer is: always for a reason! Dogs do not expend energy barking unless it is for good cause. Barking simply serves to get his wants and needs met. However, in some cases it is normal, in others it is not.

#1. Communicating a State of Mind 

A key point is that barking provides information about the inner state of the dog. Dogs bark in many different emotional states and for different reasons. 

They may bark when they are startled, fearful, anxious, insecure, conflicted or confused such as when encountering an unfamiliar person or object. 
Or when they are feeling quite confident and secure, such as when they are patrolling a perimeter fence on their familiar property. 

They may bark when they are feeling excited and joyful, such as when playing chasey with their human. 

Interestingly, dogs may employ barking both as a distance increasing and a distance decreasing signal. Just like for us humans, a hand could be waved in an enticing way that says "come over here" or could be waved in a dismissive way that says "go away I'm busy". 
Similarly, a frightened dog may bark in a defensively aggressive manner at a threat in an attempt to make it go away. Meanwhile, a dog feeling optimistic and playful may bark provocatively to solicit play from another individual.

#2. Attention-seeking or Asking for Help 

Some studies have shown that dogs use barking as a means of getting our attention or showing us something to enlist our help. They might want to alert us to the presence of something of relevance to them in the hope that we help them. For example, when a toy rolls under a couch and the dog can't reach it, it may bark and make eye contact with us and then the toy in an attempt to communicate. This might seem fairly simple but if we break it down, this is actually super clever and complicated behaviour! 

It is evidence that the dog has an understanding of several factors such as that we will first respond to the vocal request of the dog by alerting to it and coming over, then be able to follow the gaze of the dog to find the source of the problem, recognise that it is a problem, recognise the dog's intention and then act accordingly (perform the desired task e.g. retrieving the object). Impressive!

#3. Getting more Information / Asking Questions

Barking can be an effective way of asking questions for a dog. Many dogs use barking in an attempt to "provoke the environment" to obtain more information.

If an animal is unsure about a social situation and specifically, whether something constitutes a threat, they will often bark at it to see how it reacts and either confirm or deny whether it is something to be worried about. 

This is overly common among anxious dogs whose brains are wired to feel and perceive threats more than normal. When dogs feel anxious and insecure they will often use aggression as a way of throwing out a behaviour to see what happens in response and help them to determine what they need to do. This is because anxiety scrambles and hampers any ability to rationally process information, especially social cues. 

How are we supposed to know what a dog is saying when it barks? 

Well, recent research has shown that people are intuitively pretty good at deciphering different types of barking and recognising how a dog feels when it barks. 

In one study, subjects were asked to listen to an array of recorded barking sequences and rate them on the basis of five emotional states (aggressiveness, fear, despair, playfulness, happiness). People were generally quite good at differentiating which was which. 

Interestingly, the research found that experience of owning or being around dogs was not associated with better ability to de-code their barking. It seems we are able to (consciously or subconsciously) pick up on differences in pitch, tone, rhythm to roughly get an idea of the state and intention of the dog. This is interesting as it illuminates our shared evolutionary ancestry and the fact that we likely have some degree of innate genetic understanding of dog behaviour in a very basic sense. 

So when is barking normal and when is it not?

When it comes to nuisance barking, of key importance is deciphering whether the barking is normal or abnormal. To diagnose this, we need to establish whether it is excessive in any or all of: frequency, intensity, duration and also if it is appropriate in context.

To know this, we need to first have a good understanding of what normal is. Barking like any behaviour is caused by the overlap and interaction of genes, experience, learning and environment. 

What is that dog barking about again?

Is the dog reacting in a normal and expected manner - a manner appropriate to the dog's genetics, experiences and context (not ours). Is it reacting to stimuli of relevance such as a cat on the fence or an intruder in the garden? Is it barking at a trigger we can't identify (remember dogs have very superior hearing and smell compared to us and sometimes we may be in the dark as to what the dog is barking at but it's certainly not nothing).   

In terms of genetic influences, some breeds generally bark more than others if this has been encoded during their domestication and selection process. Some breeds hardly ever bark at all but may rather howl or sing (e.g. Basenji, Siberian Husky). 

Importantly, we need to remember that during our previous 15,000 years of shared ancestry with our dogs, in many cases we have selected for their barking behaviour as a desirable trait to us. Barking served to warn us of encroaching threats whilst we slept or flushed out prey, hunted or herded our livestock. We have effectively asked dogs to bark and this lingers in their genetics and instincts that we have had a heavy role in shaping.

In this sense it would serve us well to take some conscious responsibility for their barking and remember that once upon a time it was a life-saving skill and perhaps we should be grateful for it rather than frustrated. This perspective helps us approach and address the problem in a more enlightened and compassionate way. 

For example, when my dogs go crazy barking at something, instead of reprimanding them I say "thank you", acknowledge they have done a great job, provide them with the reassurance they need in seeing that I have recognised and responded to their alarm and then ask them to settle. In this way, everyone wins. 

On top of genetics comes the layer of experience and learning. How much and in what contexts a dog barks is affected by all of the relevant learning it has undergone throughout its life. Has it witnessed and joined in with other dogs barking? Has it learned that barking is useful and successful or rather that bad stuff happens when it barks? Has or is the barking being reinforced? 

** If a dog barks at the postman and each time the postman inevitably leaves, then the dog perceives that his behaviour of barking caused the postman to leave – in this way the dog feels the barking behaviour was successful at getting the desired outcome (making the threat go away) and it has been strongly reinforced and will happen again next time.

**A dog may bark at other dogs when on-lead as it feels anxious and worried that it cannot get away, while off-lead it may not bark as it has more control and feels safer.

** A dog may be fine when walked during the day but will bark at people when out on walks during dusk or dark as it cannot see well (can't identify if someone poses a threat) and feels the need to act defensively and provoke for more information.

** Often when dogs are settling into a new environment they may not bark initially as they are very insecure and inhibited. Then as they gain confidence they may find their voice. 

Important Rule Outs for Barking

1. Medical reasons

Dogs may bark when they are in pain or discomfort or having seizures or if they have cognitive dysfunction and are confused and disorientated.

2. Mental illness

Barking may also be due to mental illness involving emotional and psychological disturbances. Dogs with separation distress who panic when left alone will often deploy persistent long range barks and howls in an attempt to communicate with their owner and request their return. 

Dogs who have generalised anxiety disorder will often be hypervigilant and hyper-reactive, barking at any benign stimuli as if it were a threat because they are suffering abnormalities in stress, arousal and brain processing.

So what should I do if my dog barks excessively?

• Be objective and know what you are dealing with. 
• Get some footage or sound recording (pop up a camera or have your laptop or tablet recording)
• Find out what kind of barking is occurring. Does it sound like an alarm, does it sound playful or perhaps does it sound distressed? 
• Determine the frequency, intensity and duration 
• Identify the triggers (Cat on fence? Planes overhead? Joggers running by?) 
• Establish whether the barking is normal or abnormal. Is this just a problem behaviour (normal for the dog but undesirable for you) or is it a behaviour problem (abnormal and not adaptive for the dog)?
• Seek advice from a qualified vet or a force-free behavioural trainer
• Trial some enrichment to occupy your dog's time with productive activities to reduce the barking. This may help if under-stimulation is a contributing problem but will not assist in cases of medical or psychological abnormalities. 
• Employ management strategies

1. Prevent and avoid triggers. Remove visual and auditory access e.g. if your dog barks when it sees and hears people passing in the street, then close the blinds and put on some music.

2. Try behavioural modification 

✔️ Train a reliable "bark" and "shush" using positive reinforcement methods so that the dog learns to bark on cue when asked and be quiet on cue when asked. 

✔️ Train a reliable "place" cue – lure the dog to a bed or safe place and reward it for stationing and settling there, instead of barking when triggers are imminent or the dog is already barking

✔️ Gently interrupt and redirect any barking into an alternative desirable behaviour, e.g. call the dog and get them to a calming exercise such as sitting and making eye-contact for some treats. 

If your own attempts to stop or reduce the barking via the above methods fail then this is when you need to contact a dog trainer or vet as mentioned above. 

What to do if someone dog's barks excessively?

1. Let them know: preferably in person (door knock) or via letter, call or email. Many people may not know as perhaps the dog only does it when they are not home (e.g. separation distress) or the dog is only outside to bark at triggers when the owner goes out. Some people are very grateful to be made aware that their poor dog has a problem.

2. Be sure to advise people in a compassionate and polite way – try and leave any frustration and emotion out of the situation.  If they fail to believe you or fail to recognise there is a problem, maybe suggest getting footage or you can use sound recording software to make some recordings and get the evidence you need.

3. Some councils provide bark recording collars which record data on how much the dog wearing it barks. If it is a serious problem and they won’t take it seriously, you may need to make a complaint to council. Council may issue a notice giving the person a chance to rectify the problem. If not solved, then a control (barking dog) order may be placed on the dog.
You can find more details via the dog and cat management boards of each state.

What not to do if a dog barks excessively

• Punishment: common examples of aversives include yelling at/striking the dog, placing a citronella or shock collar (illegal) on your dog or using a high-frequency ultrasonic noise. 

Why? Because punishing a dog who barks may suppress the barking but does not address the cause. It will make an anxious dog more anxious and worsens the problem. Dogs are barking for a reason and as a coping strategy in many cases to deal with the stressors in their environment. If we add more stress in the form of punishment this is severely detrimental. It is also unethical and can be abusive.

• Getting emotional, angry or frustrated will never help, it will only serve to make your dog frightened, confused, anxious and frustrated. 
• Become confrontational with your neighbours: this will not help you, your neighbour or the dog and everyone needs to work together for a good outcome. 

Summary

In summary, barking is a complicated topic. Dogs bark at other dogs, us and other stimuli for many different reasons and have many different types of bark with different meanings in different contexts. Barking can be a part of the normal dog communicative behaviour repertoire or can be a sign of mental illness or poor welfare.

Where barking is excessive or causing a nuisance then in order to address it we need to first understand why it is occurring and treat the underlying issue. If force-free training techniques are not effective in reducing the barking then there may be a medical or mental health problem which needs to be treated by a veterinarian. 

For questions, clarifications or further information, please contact Dr Eleanor Parker at Pawly Understood.

About the writer:

Dr Eleanor Parker 

BSc BVMS (Hons) MANZCVS (Behaviour)

Elle graduated from Murdoch University in 2010. Starting out in emergency and critical care, she quickly found her passion for behaviour and mental health in animals.

Fascinated by this blossoming field, Elle undertook further study through the University of Sydney in 2015 and sat her membership exams in veterinary behaviour in 2016. 

Elle's behavioural mantra is "compassion, communication, co-operation, cohabitation". She offers private veterinary consulting services to people needing assistance with their pets' behaviour through her practice at Pawly Understood.

References:

1) Applied Animal Behaviour Science - Volume 100, Issues 3–4, November 2006, Pages 228–240
Acoustic parameters of dog barks carry emotional information for humans; Péter Pongrácz, Csaba Molnár,  Ádám Miklósi

2) J Comp Psychol. 2005 May;119(2):136-44. Human listeners are able to classify dog (Canis familiaris) barks recorded in different situations, Pongrácz P1, Molnár C, Miklósi A, Csányi V.

3) Animal Cognition, December 2000, Volume 3, Issue 3, pp 159–166 - Intentional behaviour in dog-human communication: an experimental analysis of “showing” behaviour in the dog, A’. Miklósi, R. Polgárdi, J. Topál, V. Csányi

4) The Veterinary Journal ,Volume 183, Issue 2, February 2010, Pages 141–147 - Barking in family dogs: An ethological approach, Péter Pongrácz,  Csaba Molnár,  Ádám Miklósi. 

Houndwave 2017 Doggy Day Out - April 1

Houndwave 2017: it's party time for the pooches of Adelaide!

Adelaide’s Light Square will be letting the dogs out for fun, food and music for dogs and their humans to celebrate all things canine on Saturday 1st April 2017.

The Adelaide West End Association is proud to theme this event around responsible dog ownership with charity partners RSPCA South Australia and the Animal Welfare League (SA).

Dogs and families can enjoy a day out in beautiful Wauwi – Light Square (Adelaide), with a terrific lineup so bring a picnic blanket, relax and enjoy the day! 

People food, dog treat and pet accessory stalls will line the square with a licensed area (not a BYO event) for the over-age owners. 

The family friendly day will be made musical with a great line up of local acts including: Thom Lion, Donnarumma, Paige Court, Sasha March, Todd Sibbin and more.

Free face painting, henna, imagination playground, free doggy gift bags for the first 500 to visit and find the Unison marquee, plus 100 bandanas available to the first 100 at the West Franklin Marquee for a gold coin donation. There’s also a photo booth available for free snaps with your pooch.

Why not pop over to Therapetics Canine Massage & Mobility for a quick “how to” massage or learn some yoga moves with Yoga with Kelly Mittal?

For a chance to win a pet photography photo session and a bonus print with Bitsa Bernard Photography, head over to http://adelaidepetphotography.com.au/houndwave, and follow the instructions – this prize is only available if you have attended Houndwave on Saturday 1st April 2017 so check the terms and conditions.

With best dressed competitions, education, demonstrations and activities for the little ones (both furry and not) we encourage everyone to bring along a picnic blanket and join the fun at Houndwave. The only entry criteria is that you #mustlovedogs and come along with a generous spirit to donate to charity partners.

Houndwave 2017 is presented by the Adelaide Westend Association, and proudly supported by Bendigo Bank, Splash Adelaide, Chihuahua Bar Peel Street, Duografik, Gläshaus, AdelaideVet, Dandelion Vineyards, Renewal SA, Little Acorn Music, West Franklin Apartments, Helen Page Photography, Weva, PETstock ,Unison and UNO, Little Creatures Brewing

When: Saturday 1st April 2017, from 11:00am until 5:00pm

Where: Adelaide Light Square - Wauwi

Cost: Free

For more information, please visit www.houndwave.com.au

Please note that all dogs must be on a leash and you can read the house rules here...

Dog Sports - Herding: the Joy of Working!

Discover how the dog sport of herding delivers fun and fitness for both dogs and handlers.

In the 19th century, farmers and farm workers in many countries developed a competitive sport based on the daily work of dogs on the farm. 

Herding trials involve controlled movement of stock around a standard course that mimics situations which occur on a farm, e.g. gathering in stock grazing in a paddock and putting them through a narrow laneway or into a pen. 

Herding is different from other dog sports because it is not just about the handler and the dog: there is an equally important third party—the stock! The handler must watch the stock as well as the dog, and develop an understanding of their behaviour. 

The dog may have an instinctive knowledge of stock behaviour, but it has to grow in confidence and effectiveness while learning to respond to commands. The reward is that, if the dog has a strong herding instinct, it will love herding more than anything in the world!

The First Trials

Sheep Dog Trials for the Dog Society's Prizes
 (Elsternwick, 1883)

The first herding trials took place in the southern hemisphere, beginning in New Zealand in 1867, followed by Australia (the colony of New South Wales) in 1870 and the United Kingdom (Wales) in 1873. After this, the competitions spread rapidly through the sheep herding countries of the world. 

Trial courses and exercises reflect the agricultural practices of the countries where they originated. For this reason, continental Europe has developed a style of trial different from that of Australia, New Zealand and Britain. 

From the beginning, trials have not only been an enjoyable sport and social event but have also showcased best practice in breeding, training and working stock dogs.

Working Dog Trials

Although there have been changes in the rules and governing bodies over the years, working dog trials have an unbroken history in Australia and remain popular in rural areas. 

Trials and demonstrations at agricultural shows reach out to a wider audience, as do videos on television and the internet. 

Kelpie Gillie enjoys cattle training
Photo: Karen Edwards

In addition to the traditional sheep trials, new forms of competition have been developed, including cattle and duck work, yard dog trials, and competition classes for less advanced handlers. Some rural competitions also offer classes for “city slickers”, that is, non-farm handlers and dogs. 

In Australia, the main organisations offering working dog trials are the Sheep Dog Workers’ Associations. 

These are found in every state, and are listed on the Australian Sheep Dog Workers’ Association (ASDWA) website. The associations maintain registers of working dogs and seek to improve the quality of working bloodlines. 

Each state organisation runs a championship trial every year and the ASDWA runs the national championship, called the Supreme Championship, which is rotated among the states. 

There is also an annual competition with New Zealand called the Trans Tasman Test.

Shelley Donald's Collie Smooth, Ren, sends a stray back to the flock
Photo: Karen Edwards

About 900 people are involved in ASDWA herding nationally, with another 200 associate members who compete at the lower level. There are also specialist herding associations, for yard dog and cattle trials, for example.

A New Breed of Herding

The latter part of the 19th century was a time of growing interest in dogs and dog sports. Around the time that herding trials started, dog shows and kennel clubs were developing. 

In 1873, the (British) Kennel Club was founded to register and oversee the breeding of ‘pure bred’ dogs from a growing number of recognised breeds. Similar organisations soon developed in Australia but were based in the colonies and after the Federation, the States. A federal body, the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC), was not formed until 1958 and has since changed its name to Dogs Australia.

The different priorities of the dog show and working dog communities began to affect the herding breeds by the 20th century. Some breeds remained working dogs exclusively, and were never recognised by the kennel control councils. Others became established as show dogs and were known for that and for their achievements in other fields, so that people forgot that they were originally bred to herd. In a third group of breeds, there were both working and show bloodlines and there began to be a clear and visible demarcation between the two.

Shelley Donald's Collie Smooth, Ren, takes charge of the sheep
Photo: Karen Edwards

Fast forward to the late 1990s, when a group of Kennel Council members, from various states, but mainly Victoria, began to develop a form of competition designed to ”preserve the working instinct and ability of the (purebred) working breeds”.  
The first set of ANKC herding rules was approved in 2000, and took effect on January 1, 2001. In 2002, the Victorian group set up the Victorian Herding Association.

The Sport of Herding Today

Today, around 500 people are involved in the sport of herding nationally and there are herding competitions in all states. There is a list of the state kennel councils or canine associations on the Dogs Australia website where you will also find more information about herding generally.

As in other sports, there is a series of levels to advance through. As well as advancing up the levels, competitors choose what type of course they want to compete on and whether they want to herd cattle, sheep and/or ducks. 

Meg Lewis' Rottweiler Seven works ducks during a trial

One interesting feature of ANKC herding is the C Course competition. A and B courses represent common farm situations which may be found in Britain or Australia, but C Course is based on the continental style of herding and is suited to breeds such as German Shepherds or Belgian Shepherds.

State Trials are held every year in all states, with an annual National Trial rotating among the states. 

Which Dog Breeds can take part in Herding?

Herding is not for every breed, but the AKNC Herding Rules list about 40 eligible breeds and sub-breeds and this list is likely to grow in the future. 

Margarite Frost's Samoyed, Tai
 easily controls cattle 

Breeds include Australian Cattle Dogs, Australian Kelpies, Australian Shepherds, Collies (Bearded, Border, Rough and Smooth), German Shepherds, Belgian Shepherds, Rottweilers, Samoyeds and many others.

Crossbred dogs which are “a mix or apparent mix of herding breeds” may be registered via the Associate Register of the ANKC but are required to be de-sexed. 

The ANKC also recognises dogs which are registered with an approved working dog organization, these dogs can be placed on the Sporting Register of the ANKC and are not required to be desexed. 

Australian Top Dogs 

For the top dogs in ANKC herding, there are four championship titles available and these are not awarded at single event, but are based on trial scores received in the period after the dog has won an Advanced title. 

The titles are: Herding Champion, Grand Herding Champion, Versatile Herding Champion and Versatile Herding Champion Excellent. There are specific and demanding criteria for each.

Koolie Snip shows off her skills -
Photo (and top photo): Karen Edwards

One of the champions is Margaret Widelock’s Koolie, TCH HCH Allambie Snippetts ADX JD SD SPD HXAs HXBd HIBs ET. 

(titles beginning with “H” refer to herding titles.)

Snip is both a Herding Champion and Tracking Champion and has won titles in a variety of other dog sports. 

"I was asked to ‘take on’ this little unassuming dog when she was just under one year. The owner hoped I could ‘showcase’ a bobtail Koolie, demonstrating that they were as valuable as Koolies with full tails. Obviously, tails have no effect on performance!" says Margaret.

Another star is Australian Shepherd, Rozate Kennels’ Rozate Jackhammer, who holds Herding Champion, Grand Herding Champion and Versatile Herding Champion titles, among others.
 

Rozate Kennels' Rozate Jackhammer (Thor) in action - Photo: Karen Edwards

How can you get started?

Before you start herding, teach your dog a stop and a solid recall (short distance off lead). The best "stop" to begin with is probably a drop, but you can use a sit or stand instead. Then you need to find someone who will let your dog work sheep or other stock. This may be a friend with a farm or a person who offers herding lessons.

A good way to find a teacher is through a breed club or organisation. The teacher will provide the stock and the guidance you need. As with other training, some dogs 'switch on' straight away, others take longer. You will discover that it is not necessary to take food or toy rewards, praise and the joy of working are enough!

If you're interested in learning the definitions of command words and terms used by shepherds, farmers and handlers when working or training dogs for herding, we found an excellent resource of stock herding terms here.

Health & Safety Precautions

Herding trials are well regulated and supervised. The health and safety of people, dogs and livestock are top priorities.

Finally, herding is a great spectator sport, so even if you are not ready to participate, please come and watch these amazing dogs in action!

We extend our thanks to Jocelyn Clarke and the members of the Victorian Herding Association for their contribution to this story.

Suggestions for Further Reading

* Vergil S. Holland, Herding Dogs: Progressive Training, Howell Book House, 1994.
* Scott Lithgow, Training and Working Dogs For Quiet Confident Control Of Stock, University of Queensland Press, 1987.
* Bob Vest with Kathleen Freeman Kelly, The Travelling Herding Teacher, Rowe Publishing, 2014.