Do you think your working dog works harder than the rest?
Put it to the test and nominate it for the 2018 Cobber Working Dog Challenge.
Nominations are now open for the competition to crown Australia’s hardest working dog.
Owners of working dogs are encouraged to nominate their canine workmates, no matter the breed or work they do.
Two dogs from each Australian state will be selected from the nominations to compete in the third annual Cobber Challenge.
The competition will run for three weeks from August 13 to September 2, which each of the 12 competing dogs to wear a GPS collar to track how hard they work in their natural environment.
The competitors will be scored based on distance, speed and duration of work a day, which is all information that will come from the attached GPS.
Their data will be uploaded daily, so people can follow the performance of individual dogs, as well as the best performing state.
Points will be calculated based on this information to determine the winner of the Cobber Challenge trophy.
Last year’s winner was Tasmanian sheep and beef farmer Brad McDonald’s six year-old Kelpie, Flow.
During the 21-day competition, Flow clocked up a total of 716 kilometres, or an average of 37.7km every day, which astounded her owner.
"I didn't come into the competition wanting to win, but the best bit has really been seeing Flow give 100 per cent every day,” Mr McDonald said.
“She's a little dog with a big heart and she doesn't want to let anyone down.”
A year on from winning the national title, Flow went from Cobber Champion to champion parent after giving birth to a litter of six black-and-tan pups.
In honour of Flow’s performance in the challenge, Mr McDonald named one of the youngsters ‘Cobber’.
Cobber brand manager Marika O'Leary said the team was excited to open the nominations for another year and they couldn’t wait to see the entries.
“The Cobber Challenge is a great celebration of Australian working dogs that are tough, smart and loyal,” Ms O’Leary said.
She said it was important to recognise the hard work Australian working dogs do for farming operations.
“Working dogs are invaluable members of farming teams, thanks to their natural instincts to herd and work hard,” she said.
“Farmers have told me a good dog can do the work of at least two or three people. They’re an essential part of rural life.”
Nominations will be open for three weeks from Monday, June 18 to Sunday, July 8.
To enter the competition, click here.
