Kiwi Legends: the humble Farm Dog

The humble farm dog is the true backbone of the farming community, and has been ever since their ancestors were brought to New Zealand alongside their colonial human counterparts, offering essential help when farmers began pastoralising the land.

image source
New Zealand's unique geography demanded that adaptation was necessary in order to produce the best working-dog helpers the farmers realised they'd need to have.

These farm dogs can be found in two main breeds, and although they are officially recognised as such, they don't breed 'true to type' in the same sense that a show dog does. These dogs are bred for their working qualities, which includes the necessity of physical soundness. Dog trials are held each year, up and down the country, and top dogs can fetch high prices (often more than any show dog), and their offspring are in popular demand too.

The New Zealand Huntaway

image source
A description on their Wikipedia page says:

Huntaways are large, deep-chested dogs that generally weigh in the region of 25–45 kilograms (55–99 lb). Their coats can vary in colour; colours include black, black and tan (usually) with some white or brindle. Their coats can also come in different textures; they can be smooth, rough, or grizzly and they are generally floppy eared. A huntaway’s height is usually in the range of 56–66 centimetres (22–26 in).

They have a deep bark, and their inclination is to drive the sheep along by using their voice. This is especially handy up in the High Country, where the geography is challenging, and rounding up sheep by normal means is difficult. The dogs are commanded by both human voice and whistle.

As you can see, it would be extremely difficult for a person to be up on a hill that steep, trying to herd the sheep down successfully. The dog has to both keep the flock together and get them to travel in the right direction.

The ancestry of the Huntaway is difficult to prove, but shepherds, used to their collies who went about their jobs silently, needed something a little different.

Those shepherds looked for dogs with the potential to produce the attributes they needed and began to cross border collie and bearded collie with labrador, rottweiler, harrier, gordon setter and smithfield collie. (source)

The New Zealand Heading Dog

image source
The description on their Wikipedia page says:

... are very aware of their surroundings and are able to adapt to quick movements that are in their line of sight, suiting their shepherding requirements. These types of dogs are specifically bred and trained to work in farms to circle sheep. They are medium to large dogs with long, smooth, straight hair ... are often black and white, but some may be tan or other colours ... are extremely intelligent, active dogs with instinct to herd animals ...

You can very easily see their Border collie ancestry (although many, in fact, look more similar in shape to the Smooth-coat collie) not only in their looks but in their working-dog drive. They are silent, quick, and tireless workers. They are also known as 'eye dogs' because this is how they drive the sheep, rather than by using their voice.

These New Zealand working dogs are really not bred for town life, and often pick up some really bad habits when their natural instincts to work drive them to find alternative outlets. The Heading dog, especially, has a high-energy drive and needs a lot of exercise. Even living on a lifestyle block may not give them enough daily work to keep them fulfilled and out of mischief.

---

If you ever get a chance to visit NZ and are near Rotorua, you might like to stop in at the Agrodome and watch a live show.

---