Champion dog trainer killed in tragic farm accident

Crowned three times national champion, and breeder and trainer of two-time Australian dog of the year, Shady Acres Patti, Mr Johnston was a passionate proponent of the sport and offered his time and expertise to help other trainers learn how to work with their canine counterpart.

In recent years he bought a truck and mounted a custom kennel on the back to take his dogs far and wide, north to Rockhampton, west to Claremont and south to Geurie.

Mr Johnston went on to breed and train two more national champions, his latest in 2018 with five year old bitch Shady Acres Tania claiming 91.55 points for the season.

In spite of having many excellent dogs under his command, he always rated Patti as his favourite. In the 2018 NSW open final held at Pinkett the black and white collie scored 98 and 99 points, and it doesn't get much better than that.

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He rated the companionship of fellow trainers as the best part of his experience trialling dogs, while breeding winners came down to working with the right subject.

"If you have a pup that at six months of age follows you around and wants to be with you every inch of the way, and will even be waiting for you at the backdoor when you come out of the house - that's a dog you know is going to do everything it can to please you," he said in a 2018 article published by the working dog association.

Mr Johnston, 71, learned to work with his dogs as a young boy, droving dairy cattle to the Alstonville dip on his own.

At the Rappville trials last year he told how the sport was affected by the pandemic, with 38 dogs in training and 18 broke in.

"I started to wonder who to give them to," he mused, but as soon as borders re-opened the phone started ringing.

Demand was so strong for triallers keen to participate that supply from all the breeders was never going to match demand.

Mr Johnston preferred collie dogs, like his dear Patti, because "kelpies want to get the job done before breakfast. They'll over ride you, where as collies don't care if it takes until lunch time.

"With a collie when I say "push", they have a go. And when I say "that'll do" they won't touch the cattle again. It's not hard to teach pups to jump, then steady and stop, especially in a team learning environment."

In breeding it is the female line that carries weight, and Mr Johnston estimated the lean at about 70 per cent. "It's a waste of time breeding pups without good bitches," He said.

One of his best was Sally, from a New Zealand line, and she came second hand after failing to see eye to eye with her first boss. Mr Johnston got her to work for the team.

He presents his kennel of pups with a diverse menu to keep them interested, with sheep in the morning and cattle in the afternoon.

"Dogs have got to love you and you have to be respectful to the dog. You have to show authority and you can be tough one day, but then you have to drop it altogether."