Nathan Obst ready to inspire new generation of graziers on Muster Dogs

The youngest ever competitor on Muster Dogs is South Burnett teenager Nathan Obst, who had to fit shooting the show and training his happy offsider around his final year of high school, and he loved every minute of it.

Nathan Obst and his dog, Chief, on the set of ABC's Muster Dogs program. January 2025. Source: ABC.

Running a team of dogs with unlimited energy, mustering cattle on his family’s Gordonbrook property, Aussie TV star.

It’s all in a day’s work for 17-year-old Nathan Obst.

The Kingaroy teenager is one of six contestants, and just two Queenslanders, on the third season of the ABC’s Muster Dogs, premiering this Sunday night, February 2, 2025.

While he might be the youngest person on the show, don’t underestimate this passionate grazier and dog trainer, who already has almost five years of training experience.

Nathan’s family have always had kelpies and been involved with dog training for many years, but their passion for the activity was reinvigorated after attending school with veteran trainer, Neil McDonald, in 2020.

This was when Nathan, at just 14-years-old, started taking the pursuit more seriously.

“ … It all kicked off from there,” he said.

“Neil spent a lot of time teaching me, he was up here for about a month and he put a lot of time in on me.

“Between him, mum and pop, I always had them there to practise with and ask questions, and it just kept going from there really.”

Nathan and his family have been fans of Muster Dogs since the first season in 2022, and it wasn’t long before he thought about signing up.

“We watched the first season, as did a lot of people, and got pretty hooked on it,” he said.

“I thought, maybe this might be a good way to promote the industry.

“I thought, we could get along with this and get some young people into the industry, if I was to sign up for a future season perhaps.”

And so he signed up!

As the youngest competitor in the show’s history, it would be expected Nathan might have felt intimidated by the other contestants, who would likely have a lot more experience than him.

But he said he wasn’t worried, and felt supported by the fact that everyone involved was working together towards the similar goal.

“I went in there knowing I knew a bit and knowing that all the other people there were like-minded,” he said.

“So, having that feeling, that everybody’s in it for the industry, sort of got rid of my nerves.

“We were there to support each other and support the industry, really.

“There was no competition, as such, between us.”

Nathan Obst with Chief. Source: ABC.

The show filmed throughout Nathan’s last year in high school, which meant he was balancing his responsibilities at home, on the farm and staying on top of school work ,with Muster Dogs’ filming schedule and his dog’s training program.

However, as someone who already runs a team of dogs, fitting in one more (albeit one who looks and acts a little differently) wasn’t too time consuming and Nathan was able to fit in Chief’s training around his other responsibilities.

“I’d already been running my team of dogs morning and night for the past three years, so having Chief to look after didn’t actually take any more time,” Nathan said.

“Training a young dog involves plenty of short lessons often, so we would do plenty of five minute sessions throughout the year.”

Chief, a black and white border collie, was the odd-one-out in Nathan’s team of kelpies, which caused some hiccups in the beginning.

“The first, probably, month was a little rough.

“I think being the only collie in with all the kelpies, the kelpies were like ‘oh my God, what is this thing we’ve got here?’”

But over time, the dogs have all grown to like each other and to work together successfully.

“They all work good as a team, and they all get along in the camps and that’s all that matters.“

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Nathan said getting to know Chief was one of the highlights of being part of the show, and seeing him grow up and getting to know his quirks were some of the funniest things he’d seen.

“Probably my most memorable moments would just be the time and the things I’ve seen with (Chief).

“He’s a very happy dog.

“You let him out of the cage and he does these big jumps and spins in the air, and comes over for a pat, and his paws are always up on you, and then he runs off.

“He’s always wanting pats, and he’s a very happy dog.”

When asked which breed he prefers, Nathan responded very diplomatically, and said while he had an opinion on both kelpies and collies, he liked them both.

“They both suit different people, and different people get along with different breeds.

“But I like them both.

“I don’t have anything against the other, as long as they get the job done, which they both do, you should be happy with that.”

Nathan Obst spent 12 months training his happy dog, Chief. Will they take out of the top prize and win the title of Champion Muster Dog? Source: ABC.

So, what’s in store for Nathan after the show?

The teenager is undertaking a diesel mechanic apprenticeship and continues to run his team of five dogs, with plans to slowly expand his team in the future.

He hopes to eventually become a weaner educator, someone who specialises in training calves to deal with the stresses of mustering, which results in happier and healthier cattle.

From the outside, the life of a serious dog trainer and grazier can appear challenging and unfeasible for many, but Nathan’s message is that anybody can do it.

“If you’ve got a bit of heart for it or a bit of try and you want to get out there, it’s pretty easy to do … Most people in this industry are willing to give you a go, if you’re willing to give it a go.”

He stressed how important it was for young people to get involved in the agricultural sector, and that even those without any experience have a shot at being successful in the industry.

“ … you just gotta have a want to be there and anybody will take ya,” he said.

“If you’ve got a love for dogs and a love for cattle, you’ll be into the industry and you’ll never be without a job.”