A Dogs Life - Woodford Jack

from Australian Working Stock Dog Magazine - Issue 17, December 2021

by Australian Working Stock Dog Magazine

Women In Trialling - Nicola Morris

Article by Daniel Camilleri

Now a semi-retired mate, the ever-reliable Woodford Jack, a tri-coloured collie, bred and trained by Mitchum Davis, was born on the 1st of February 2010. These days only used for smaller jobs in those tricky situations where reliability is a must, he is a proven popular sire within the cattle trial circuit, leaving his stamp on his offspring.

A product of Crowsdale Rip and Woodford Lucy, Jack started on ducks at 10 weeks of age, showing it was obvious he had the desired traits Mitchum was breeding for early on. Those being strength and style, together with the aim of creating a consistent gene pool. Mitchum quickly realised Jack was too strong for ducks and moved onto sheep in a round yard, followed by weaner calves. As time went by and he matured, Jack proved to be a natural type and extremely easy to train, so Mitchum put him in the ute at 10 months of age, and off he went mustering as Mitchum’s main work dog. Jack could always be relied upon, consistently showing his strength on cattle, blocking up and standing his ground, with the ability to easily pull up a single runaway beast whenever required.

With some age and experience, Mitchum identified that he had something special with his now two-year-old dog, and took an interest to cattle trialling. The pair went on to make an early impression, with Jack becoming an open cattle trial dog after winning the maiden and novice at Tenterfield, also placing third in the open that weekend, followed by going on to win the novice at the NSW championship at McClean in 2014. Being so easy to handle at work and in the trial ring, Mitchum had no hesitation to lend Jack to those who were close to him. His son, Ethan competed with Jack and won the open at the Grafton in 2017. Jack also went on to win an open trial at Bonalbo with Ben Gould as his handler, and continued to be successful in countless other open events in the years to follow, with alternating handlers.

Mitchum strongly believes that throughout their partnership, Jack trained him as a handler just as much. He also wondered if a more advanced or experienced handler held the reins, Jack may have a longer list of achievements to his name, and that he himself may have even held his exceptional dog back just a little.

Having a reputation for breeding-on strength, brains and temperament, many people have used Jack as a sire in the hope to breed themselves a solid station or trial dog. Many of his progeny continue to carry his class and ability, proving themselves on farm and winning trials across Eastern Australia. Mitchum’s son, Ethan won the Australian Novice Championship at Grafton in 2018 with a bitch called Jess, who is sired by Jack, which he bred and trained himself. Ben Gould successfully utilises Jack’s progeny in his camp, with Cabra Glebe Sky winning NSW maiden dog of the year in 2018-2019. Another handy open bitch by Jack, owned by Phil Brown and called Magpie trialled by his eight year old sister Ellisa, has won 8 of 11 trials over the last 18 months. His line has proven to be so successful that in a trial at Ulmarra in 2018, thirteen of the dogs in the maiden, novice and open finals were all from Jack’s lineage. This alone is a testament to the extraordinary dog that he has been.

It is true what they say, that every man has ‘that one dog’ in a life time. Woodford Jack is this dog to Mitchum.

HEAT STRESS IN

Dr Jasmin Hyatt BVSc (Hons) DipACT MANZCVS (reproduction) Registered Specialist in Veterinary Reproduction (02) 6301 9550, Orange, NSW

WORKING DOGS

Unlike ourselves who can eliminate excess heat through sweating, our canine counterparts only have a few small sweat glands in their feet and rely on panting for elimination of excess heat. Because of this they are very susceptible to heat stress.

What is Heat Stress?

Heat stress is inability of the body to regulate its body temperature. In a dog it occurs when the core body temperature is more than 41˚C (normal body temperature for a dog is 37.8˚C-39.2˚C). Heat stress is very serious. In a study looking at 54 cases of heat stress in dogs, the overall mortality (death) rate was 50%. Death was not due to the heat stress itself, but secondary brain damage and kidney failure.

Contributing Factors:

1. Lack of conditioning and acclimatisation: Now that the summer months are upon us, it is important to make sure dogs are gradually (and NOT suddenly) exposed to working in warmer weather, not suddenly. 2. High temperatures: Greatest risk for heat stress when temperatures are over 30˚C. 3. High humidity: Humidity is a very influential factor – even in moderate temperatures, a high level of humidity can cause terrible heat stress. 4. Overwork: It is important not to push your dog over the limits. Dogs, unlike [some] humans, do not know their limits, and will not stop working when they should, especially if they are being encouraged to continue. 5. Obesity: Though not a common problem in working dogs, obesity greatly increases the risk for heat stress (as does being a flat faced breed, but again this is not often an issue for the readers of this magazine!)

Clinical Signs:

• Panting • Extreme hyperventilation (breathing up) • Hypersalivation (excessive salivation, drooling from mouth) • Altered mentation (glassy eyed) • Muscle weakness, collapse • Vomiting or diarrhoea

What should YOU do if your dog is overheating?

Time is of the essence – it is important to cool your dog down GRADUALLY, to a temperature of approximately 39 ˚C. Cooling to below this temperature when the dog is unable to maintain core body temperature will result in severe hypothermia (cold shock).

Getting your dog to the nearest veterinary clinic ASAP is extremely important. They will be able to cool them down quickly and place an intravenous catheter for fluid therapy to help reduce the risk of kidney damage.

How to decrease body temperature?

• Apply ice or cold, wet towels to abdomen, neck, groin: This can be started on journey to veterinary clinic • Cool water: In the field it is ideal to immerse the dog gradually into stream water, beginning with the head and extremities • Vehicle A/C or fan during journey to veterinary clinic

Prevention:

• Let dogs become accustomed to temperature changes naturally and gradually • Do not overwork, especially during the hottest times of the day • Always have extra drinking water available – good idea to freeze overnight prior to a hunting trip so stays cool for 24 hours • Specialised ‘canine cooling vests’ are available – or create your own!

CONTACT: SCOTT WILSON | (M) 049 727 0477

Good Sports

Article by Sally Purbrick-Illek | Photo Tina Dial

Most owners of working breed dogs will agree that their dogs are very intelligent and capable of performing a variety of tasks. In fact, the Border Collie has been shown to have the highest “working intelligence” of most other breeds (see The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Cohen, 2006).

In addition to herding stock, working breed dogs are also suitable to train and compete in a variety of canine sports. I don’t own my own stock and live in an urban environment, so to keep my dogs mentally and physically fit, we participate in a number of dogs sports.

• Being active with a dog is also beneficial for handlers of all ages: • Challenges the mind and body - people are more active when they have dogs • Benefits for humans and dogs include improved cardiovascular fitness, lower blood pressure, stronger muscles and bones and decreased stress • Provides participants with opportunities to bond not only with their canine companions, but with a larger community as well • The non-judgmental companionship and unconditional love offered by dogs is known to have considerable mental health benefits for owners, including increased self-esteem • Regardless of age or fitness level, there’s a sport just right for each person and their canine companion

We are lucky in Australia as there are many competitive dog sports that on offer and are suitable for working breed dogs. In addition to herding, here are a few of the most popular:

Agility requires the dog to go through an obstacle course offleash. The dog’s handler directs the dog through the course by running alongside and giving instructions using their voice or body signals only. The obstacles usually include an A frame, dog walk, seesaw, different types of tunnels, hurdles, tire hoop, long jump and weave poles.

Canine Parkour is a relatively new sport where dogs jump, climb, balance over, crawl under and go around different obstacles in their everyday world. Unlike dog agility courses that are more structured, dog parkour is an informal activity that emphasises fun. Dog owners can submit videos of their dog doing parkour and submit them to International Dog Parkour Association (IDPKA) to earn titles.

Photo Tina Dial

Competition Dog Obedience takes training to a trial level. It is a precision sport where the handler and dog do a series of standard exercises as directed by the judge. Handlers are not allowed to speak to their dogs other than to give a verbal command for the exercise.

Photo Natalie Vanadzins

Dances with Dogs has two streams, freestyle and heelwork to music, both of which require the dog and handler to work as a team. This sport combines obedience, tricks and dancing with music. Routines typically involve the dog performing twists and turns, weaving through the handler’s legs, walking backwards, jumping and moving in sync with the handler.

Disc Dog is similar to the human game of Frisbee, but instead the dog catches the disc. In disc dog competitions, dogs and their human flying disc throwers compete in events such as distance catching and choreographed freestyle catching.

Dock Diving is a dog sport in which dogs compete in jumping for distance or height from a dock into a body of water. Endurance can be either a person riding a bike while controlling their dog on the end of a loose two metre lead, or running with their dog. The distance required for the endurance test is 20 kilometres, which is split into three sections, with short breaks between each section.

Photo Sally Purbrick Flyball consists of a relay race between two teams of four dogs. Each dog must jump over four hurdles, retrieve a tennis ball by triggering a flyball box pedal and jump back over the hurdles to complete their lap. As soon as the first dog’s nose returns across the start/finish line the next dog is off. The first team to have all four of their racing dogs complete their run cleanly wins the heat.

Lure Coursing is a safe and controlled alternative to open field coursing originally used to hunt jackrabbits. The dogs chase plastic bags on a course laid out to simulate escaping game. The plastic bags are pulled around on a nylon string course, propelled by a hand-controlled motor. The course must have a minimum number of turns in order to simulate prey such as the jack-rabbit or hare changing direction in a chase.

Scent Work is an activity where a dog uses its nose to locate a hidden target scent or odour. It is designed to be accessible to virtually any dog, including dogs who are unable to enjoy other dog activities due to age, physical limitations, lack of obedience, fear or reactivity issues. There are different levels of competition, different types of searches and different environments involved in the sport.

Rally Obedience was developed for the pet dog owner who is not interested in the precision required for the traditional competition dog obedience. Handlers are allowed to speak to encourage their dogs during the course in the rally, that includes 10 to 20 stations, depending on the level.

Sledding involves the timed competition of teams of dogs that pull a sled with the dog driver (musher) standing on the back of the sled. The team completing the marked course in the least time is judged the winner. Bikejor is conducted on a track with the dog running on harness in front of a person riding a bicycle, and Canicross is the dog running in front of a person on foot. The majority of sledding events in Australia are conducted in bushland on dirt tracks with one- and two-dog teams pulling scooters. Larger teams pull a three-wheeled cart.

Tracking demonstrates a dog’s natural ability to recognise and follow a scent. The objective is for the dog to find deliberately “lost” personal items that have been dropped along the track and find the tracklayer who is hiding at the end of the track. The dog is usually worked on a long lead. Judges design the track, instruct track layers how to walk the track, prepare charts that accurately depict the track’s design and approve the items used.

Track and Search assesses the dog’s natural ability and willingness to follow a trail left by human footsteps. The test is meant to mimic a real-life situation where a dog is asked to find a missing person in varying terrain. Higher level tracks are laid in streets where cars, pedestrians and other distractions must be negotiated, and the highest level is held in the streets at night. Treibball is a positive-reinforcement, competitive dog sport which originated in Germany. The handler directs the dog to ‘herd’ eight large balls using their nose or shoulder into a pen/ goal as quickly as possible. This sport uses a combination of classic obedience and herding cues.

Trick Dog trials encourage handlers to teach their dogs skills and to display various behaviours in a positive and fun environment. The rules are designed in such a way that handlers and dogs of all abilities are able to compete on an equal footing. Trick Dog training and competition allows the dog and handler to perform a selection of tricks at various levels.

If you are interested on learning more about how to become involved in these sports, contact your local dog training club, the Australian National Kennel Club (https://ankc.org.au/ AboutUs/?id=1253), your ANKC State Member Body or email me on cityworkingdogs@gmail.com Sally Purbrick-Illek lives on the Gold Coast with her working border collies. She advises urban dog owners about the health and training of their working breed dogs via her Facebook page DogWorks@cityworkingdogs,

www.facebook.com/cityworkingdogs