Lawgirl Posted June 14, 2021 Report Share Posted June 14, 2021 https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-06-14/hoover-the-kelpie-working-dog-sael-record/100213124 Not far from where I live is the town considered the birthplace of the Australian Kelpie, and each year they have the Casterton Kelpie Festival, which includes a kelpie working dog auction. It would have taken place this weekend, but due to COVID and lockdowns in Victoria, they had to cancel the festival, and move the auction online, with videos of the trained dogs working rather than being able to watch them live. Still, they reached a new record for the top dog at the auction, a 2 year, 4 month old trained kelpie called Hoover who sold for AU$35,200 (USD$27, 147, GBP19,233). He can work sheep and cattle, and in paddocks or yards. There is a longish video of him working sheep in a paddock in the above news article, and a couple more videos on YouTube of him in yards and working cattle. The previous record was AU$25,000 or so. I know it is not a BC but it is a working dog, so I thought people might be interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amc Posted June 14, 2021 Report Share Posted June 14, 2021 Wow, nice dog! Thanks for sharing, Lawgirl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgirl Posted June 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2021 I am absolutely unable to judge a working dog's skill, but figured he must be good if the video was enough to get that sort of a price. One thing that struck me is that in videos I have seen from the UK, a flock of sheep that size would have at least two or more dogs working it, and he was working it alone, and the guy on horseback did not seem to be doing anything much to help him move them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amc Posted June 15, 2021 Report Share Posted June 15, 2021 Agree, Lawgirl, it was a pretty good-sized flock for one dog to manage. The sheep were pretty flighty as well, maybe yearlings? He did a good job covering a lot of ground as well. It would be very interesting to see his yard work. Very nice Kelpie! Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amc Posted June 15, 2021 Report Share Posted June 15, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMOI_AOy6Pg I found this on YouTube, wow. Hoover clearly understands and loves his job, and he shows patience along with power. Just the right type of bite as well, and he's fearless. Really a great dog! The music amps the videos up for sure, but I would like to have just heard the handler's commands in both videos. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted June 19, 2021 Report Share Posted June 19, 2021 Thanks for posting. Working dogs are so impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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