IAN O’Connell trains his kelpies with fairness, firmness and understanding, without fear, pain or cruelty.
At the weekend his formula of good genetics with thorough training and careful handling paid off again when he sold a kelpie dog for a new Australian record price of $9000 at the Casterton Pedigree Working Dog Auction.
As he handed over 17-month-old Wymbimbie Ted to new owners, New South Wales Merino stud breeders, Nigel and Kate Kerin, Mr O’Connell, who has now sold the top price dog at Casterton six times since 1997, issued a tip to prospective dog trainers.
“Don’t contemplate using electric shock collars – they are cruel and they should be banned,” he said.
“I would urge people to save their money and spend it learning proper training techniques.”
Mr O’Connell said prices paid for top dogs at Casterton were a measure of the genetics, training and handling in each dog.
“If one of them is missing the dog does not reach its potential; the triangle is just not complete.
“It was good to see good dogs being valued and it means they will be well looked after,” he said.
“They are a valuable resource to the livestock industries, but all too often are underutilised and misunderstood.”
Mr O’Connell was assisted in the training of Wymbimbie Ted by Sunny Cowgirl Celeste Clabburn.
Auctioneer James Tierney and the Elders Casterton team sold 47 working dogs of 51 offered for the highest ever auction clearance and average of $3174 since 1997. Buyers came from all states with six dogs selling for $6000-plus and 12 dogs selling for $4000-plus into Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Most high-priced dogs went to large scale outback and pastoral sheep, goat and cattle operations.
Mr Kerin said he was impressed by Ted’s personality, a necessary trait for a dog to bond with a new owner.
He said the dog had a “bit of larrikin” in him and was confident. He inspected Ted on Mr O’Connell’s farm, where he said the dog showed he was happy to work in real farm situations in yards and with large mobs in the paddock.
The Kerin Poll Merino Stud principal from Yeoval said came prepared to pay more than $9000 for the dog; to replace, Lou, a kelpie he had for 11 years and paid $800 for from David Ford of Hayes Transport.
“I had a fair bit more petrol in the tank,” Mr Kerin said.
The stud breeder and 2008 New South Wales Farmer of the Year said his investment in Ted reflected the state of his business and of livestock prices. The dog’s price tag was equivalent to the return from about 52 full-wool Merino wether lambs sold for $170 or the fleece value of 100 Merino ewes cutting seven kilograms of wool at 1300 cents a kilogram, he said.
Nigel and Kate Kerin’s operation joined and carried through to scanning 26,000 Merino ewes this financial year, all with just two labour units and the essential use of good working dogs. The stud’s first ram sale averaged $1931 for 140 rams last October.
The previous Australian record price for a kelpie sold at auction was $8600 for a dog sold by Ricky Jones of Broken Hill at Casterton last year.
Casterton Kelpie Association president John Houlihan said the strength of the auction showed that Casterton was the best place to buy a working dog for station work.
Other high prices: Joe Spicer’s Go-Getta Core, $8400 to Dwayne Evans, Wilcannia, NSW; Mick McNamara’s Wal, $7100, to Dan Murphy, Tallandoon, Victoria; Peter Allan’s Go-Getta Brawn, $6000 to Greg Lawrence, Nine Mile Station, Broken Hill; Joe Spicers’ Go-Getta Grunt, $6000 to Renae and Royce Hampel, Esperance, WA and Robert Cross’ Mick, $6000 to Graeme Newton, Corrigin, WA.
Successful new sellers at Casterton included Bill Williams from Cudgee who sold nine-month-old Missy for $3000, Steve Sudero from Millgrove who sold three-year-old Ge-Getta Hinky for $3200 and Broadwater’s Helen Wythe sold 10-week-old Chesty for $2000.
The winner of the Rural Press Win A Kelpie competition, Larry McLean from Joel South, Victoria, was presented with his pup Postie by breeder Joe Spicer of Go-Getta Kelpies at Casterton. Mr McLean runs a wool, prime lamb and cropping operation near Stawell and said he came to Casterton to buy a dog.
“This will save me some money,” he said.
