By Carolyn Webb
Occasionally, an urban dweller will peer at their pet pooch and be struck by a thought: “I wonder how my corgi would go at rounding up sheep?”
And for those curious about whether their canine companion could indeed master a muster, there’s a way to find out.
In a rural patch of Kilsyth in Melbourne’s east, Herding Dog Training Melbourne offers city hounds the opportunity to play farm dog for a day.
On Sunday, 10 customers handed over their hard-earned for a four-hour session, during which they and their pooch took turns working in a ring with three sheep.
Most of the hopefuls were kelpies, border collies or related cross-breeds.
Mustering courage: Steph Ho, of St Kilda with her corgi, Edie, who had a go at sheep herding.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
But Steph Ho, of St Kilda, brought her corgi, Edie. At first, she – Edie, that is – growled and appeared scared. Business owner and trainer Charlie Brincat said Edie was probably “too young” and timid.
But when Ho picked Edie up, the dog relaxed and was carried closer to the sheep.
“She was interested. Her ears pricked up and she was looking at them,” said Ho, who signed up because her dog had a high herding drive.
“She tries to herd other dogs at the dog park and she loves it. Corgis, and especially mine, are very active dogs and she needs a lot of mental stimulation.”
Nora Wang’s white Swiss shepherd, Luka, tries sheep herding.Credit: Luis Ascui
Nora Wang, of Box Hill, brought her fluffy white Swiss shepherd dog, Luka – seeking mental enrichment and exercise for the 40 kilogram canine.
“I think if they’re called ‘shepherd’ they should know how to sheep-herd,” Wang said.
In the ring, Luka became excited and wanted to chase the sheep – so he was left on a lead at a distance, for the sheep’s safety.
“Charlie said we wouldn’t want him to attack the sheep,” Wang said.
“Maybe he just wanted to play, but we didn’t want to hurt the sheep. In the end he just sat outside and had a look.”
Charlie Brincat from Herding Dog Training Melbourne.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Brincat said that while another client’s kelpie-collie cross was slow to start, barking at first and running around out of fear, it soon changed.
“After a few turns in the ring, the dog got more confident and was starting to work quite nicely. It actually started herding.”
Brincat said most clients came out of curiosity to see if their dog had the instinct to work with sheep.
While some breeds such as retrievers and heelers are unsuited, some cross-breeds of kelpie or collie could try it.
Wang said Luka was too big and a bit too over-excited to properly participate.Credit: Luis Ascui
“We had a collie-spaniel cross once that did quite a good job,” he said.
One Jack Russell-kelpie cross, however, simply ran around and barked. “It had the Jack Russell instinct, which was to chase. It didn’t really have a herding instinct,” Brincat said.
Dr Gabrielle Carter from RSPCA Victoria said it was important that this activity was something the dog enjoyed and was not adversely affected by.
She said the training and introduction of dogs to the sheep should be managed safely – the livestock should not be “rounded up” all day and closely monitored for stress, agitation or fright.
Steph Ho said she was considering going back for another class.
“It was so interesting,” she said, adding that Edie gained confidence each time she was in the ring.