Dirranbandi kelpie in the running to be crowned Australia’s hardest working dog

Some working dogs can run over 600km in a week while helping out on the farm, and this Outback Queensland grazier’s kelpie Bear is mustering up points to be crowned Australia’s hardest working dog.

On a farm just south of Dirranbandi in South West Queensland, a dog named Bear is vying for the title of Australia’s hardest working dog.

His owner and best mate, grazier Tom Perkins, said Bear is an invaluable asset to his livestock operation - about 600km west of Brisbane where he and his family run cattle, sheep and goats.

For the next few weeks, while Bear is going about his work, he will wear a GPS tracker collar to collect his statistics as part of the Cobber Challenge.

Tom Perkins and his kelpie, Bear, are in the running for the coveted title of Australia's hardest working dog.

Based on how Bear’s statistics stack up against the seven other competitors, he could be up for the prestigious title of Australia’s hardest working dog.

Mr Perkins said he’s not sure Bear will win the competition, but to him, Bear is already “number one”.

While he said his livestock operation is on the smaller side, he has multiple dogs on the go, with more puppies in training.

“Bear has been my main dog for three or four years,” he said.

“He’s my main man.

“I’ve got 10 dogs, but my main working crew is six with some pups coming through.”

He said he has always had a passion for training dogs, and having grown up around stock dogs, understands their vital role in stock operations in Australia.

The 2023 Cobber Challenge champion, Earl, led by his owner Alex, ran over 1260km in the two week period of the competition.

His average speed was 11.84km/h, and he worked more than 106 hours.

For Mr Perkins, Bear and his crew relish in being put to work.

“I love just seeing and knowing what they can do,” Mr Perkins said said.

“They’re just so enthusiastic to work.

“In most cases with the right dog, you work your stock a lot more calmly.”

Keeping the stock calm is important, he said, because “quiet stock are heavy stock”.

He said there was a while where the industry began to rely more heavily on helicopters and motorbikes to muster and move stock, but more recently, dogs are back on top.

Tom Perkins and his kelpie, Bear, are in the running for the coveted title of Australia's hardest working dog.

Mr Perkins said this has come about because of how hard it has been to find trained staff with good stock sense.

“It’s hard to get good staff or skilled staff,” he said.

If the alternative is paying a young stockman $40,000 per year as well as providing food and accommodation, he said he’d much rather make the investment in a team of dogs.

Especially if all the dogs will ask for in return is a bowl of food and a pat at the end of the day.

The Cobber Challenge is in its ninth year, and each year showcases the incredible work the dogs do every day.

Marketing manager for the Cobber Challenge, Kellie Savage, said the competition is a means by which to quantify the work dogs do in the Australian livestock industry.

“Dogs really are invaluable,” Ms Savage said.

“Dog do the work of at least two or three people.”

She said during the competition, each dog will be fitted with a GPS tracker, which measures how far the dogs run, how fast they run, and for how long they are working.

“Each dog is a serious contender,” she said.

“Every single dog hails from a top pedigree, with a number of this year’s competitors having either previously competed in the Cobber Challenge or are relatives of former Cobber Challenge competitors.

“These dogs are ultimate pros when it comes to working the land. A number of them are state and national trail champions, they know how to work smart.

“Behind each pup is a highly experienced farmer, with decades of agricultural experience.

“I’m so excited to see what these seasoned professionals can bring to the 2024 Cobber Challenge.”