By KATRINA BRANDON
THE annual Working Dog Cobber Challenge is in its 10th year, and Mirboo North locals Caroline Houston and kelpie pup Vaila are up for the challenge.
The Cobber Challenge is an annual showdown where the country’s best working dogs are fitted with GPS trackers to log their daily work over a three-week period that commences at the start of October. Points are scored based on distance, speed and duration.
“This will be my first year,” Ms Houson told Express.
“You have to be selected to take part. This year, they’ve got 12 participants taking part.
“I’m stoked (to have been chosen). I think it’s really fun to take part in it, and I’m really proud of the work that my dog does at home on the farm. It’s a great chance to celebrate that and shine some light and give these dogs the recognition that they deserve.”
Ms Houston was introduced to the dairy industry about 10 years ago when she met her partner. In April 2023, the couple bought their current dairy farm in Mirboo North. While Ms Houston doesn’t come from a dairy background, she is a vet by trade, and has worked with horses, cattle and other livestock over the years.
Since moving to her farm, Ms Houston said that it has brought many challenges.
“I’m told the first two years are the hardest, and they certainly have been fairly challenging,” she said of starting a farm.
“We have quite a hilly property, which was previously a beef farm for 20 years. There was quite a lot of work to be done to get it up to scratch and functioning as a dairy.
“In addition to all of that, we had that storm here in our first year, which knocked out power for five days, and we could only milk the cows once a day, instead of twice. Then we’ve just had the drought. There have been a few little hurdles to try and overcome.”
Easing part of the challenge of living on a hilly farm, she also noted that the dogs have been a great help in bringing in cows for milking from different paddocks, where the terrain is quite challenging otherwise.
Ms Houston’s pup, Vaila, originally came from the kelpie stud, Beloka in Welshpool. Beloka is a well-known working dog training school that also holds trials throughout the year to test the skills of working dogs from far and wide.
Other than the usual training, Ms Houston said that to prepare for the Cobber Challenge, the duo have continued to do every day work as usual.
“For me, I haven’t really done anything different to what I normally do,” she said.
“The dogs here work the stock on the dairy farm, and we want them well trained to do that, anyway. We certainly don’t want a dog that chases, harasses or causes stress to cattle. It’s really important to get the training down pat, so you can basically go about your day-to-day job in a calm and relaxed manner that everyone enjoys.
“I’ve had a lot of help from Paul MacPhail from Beloka kelpies down at Welshpool. He bred the dog that’s in the Cobber Challenge. He has many years of dog training experience, so we go there regularly for formal training, and that’s been really helpful in trying to keep things on track.
“This (Vaila) is my third kelpie. There’s definitely a lot to learn and I’m continuing to try and learn every day how I can do things better.”
Ms Houston is one of two Gippslanders who will be flying the local flag at the national Cobber challenge. The other is Jess Zammit and pup Bundaberg from Wonthaggi.
The winner of the Cobber Challenge receives $3000 and a year’s supply of Cobber Working Dog feed.
Cobber Marketing Manager, Kellie Savage, is looking forward to seeing how this year’s finalists can set new records.
“To date, the record distance that a working dog has completed in the Cobber Challenge is over 1260km! While it’s a high bar to compete with, we’re confident that there’s a working dog in this year’s competition that’s going to break this record and take things to the next level,” Ms Savage said.
“All but one year, a kelpie has taken the crown – so we’re keen to see if another breed can rise to the challenge, or if the kelpies will keep their throne.
“It’s also fantastic to see that a lot of women have made it through to this stage of the competition. While I’m not one to have favourites, I’m looking forward to seeing how our girls go this time round!”
For more information, go to https://www.cobberdogfood.com.au/cobber-challenge/
