STANDING beside a stump under the gum trees at Quercus Park, Carrick, King Island beef farmer John Bramich patted his dogs.
Snake, Rattler, Tiger and Snakey, let off their chains for a run around the log heaps, were winding down following the final event
on the Tasmanian Working Sheepdog Association trials calendar at Agfest last weekend.
Dozens of the best working dogs in the state had been thoroughly tested – replicating work on the farm in round four of the CopRice Champion of Champion Series.
“Well we competed,” was all John could say with a wry grin.
“No luck for us this time, but I won the Open two years ago with Jamieson’s Nate and I’m still happy with that.” The variables in trialling means every dog can have its day, and this year that all important finals day went to Lee Jamieson in the Open with Shannandoah Steel (178 pts) and his second dog Glennmurray Toby who was runner up (165) and also runner up in the Novice and Improver sections.
Improver winner was Al Hort with Glennmurray Lucy (82) and Novice winner was Rowan Carter with Karana Leo (154).
Fresh mobs of sheep brought in for the dogs to work proved challenging for allcomers, and some dogs seems to work better in the wet and others in the dry as the typical Agfest weather constantly changed. For John’s Border Collies just working sheep was a good test of versatility, having grown used to cattle.
John’s property at Egg Lagoon is heaven for the herds of Angus, Hereford, Murray Grey, Speckle Park and Red Devon that are fattened on the lush grass ready for market.
After the winter break John will continue to trial his dogs, saying it gives him something to do in his spare time while he’s on the Tassie mainland visiting his dad in Wynyard.
“They’re pretty strong working dogs, they don’t get to work sheep very often, and never a mob,” John said.
“But they do pretty well in the trials, and I think that all comes down to control and their ability to read body language.
“They tend to work off your body language.
As he said the words Snake moved in behind his boss, having picked up on a shift in position.
An eager face just waiting and hoping for a silent command to round something up.