Working Kelpie Demo At Teebar Rodeo Qld

[Boronia]

http://www.gympietim...tonish/1904812/

Dogs set to astonish

IN CONTROL: Sean Barrett works with his dogs during a demonstration. SPECTATORS at the Teebar Rodeo will be delighted and educated by the antics of Sean and Evonne Barrett's working kelpie dogs.

The couple has been training working dogs for more than 16 years.

They will demonstrate their skills and knowledge when they bring several of their dogs to the rodeo on Saturday.

The couple has a registered Australian Working Kelpie Stud and also runs clinics for farmers wanting to learn how to train dogs.

Mrs Barrett said she was looking forward to taking the dogs to Teebar.

"We are very pleased that the rural community sees a necessity to keep using the working dog to its advantage," she said.

"In our demonstrations we promote the use of good working dogs to calmly move stock in which ever path we choose to take."

The acquired skills have taken Sean to America to teach and he plans make a trip to Europe in the future.

The couple has done some extraordinary things, including training the cattle for Baz Luhrmann's movie, Australia.

Mr Barrett was asked to train wild rangy cleanskin shorthorns at Bowen before they were trucked to the movie set. To make things more difficult and for authenticity, Baz required cattle to be sourced straight from the scrub.

Their dogs are not only a very effective tool in the handling of all types of livestock but are also family pets.

Mrs Barrett said the proposed law to ban working dogs from farms due to cattle stress was ill-informed.

"If you have the correct type of dog and train them right it's quite a calming job," she said.

"If your dogs are calm and controlled so are the livestock and that is what every stock producer is aiming for."

Fore more information on the clinics visit theblackdog.com.au.

( June 15 all-day event. Teebar is located 40km west of Maryborough Qld)

[gwp4me]

Lovely to read, their dogs are also valued as family pets. :) Oldtimers used to say, if they are pets - they don't want to work anymore.