Dogs suiting multiple disciplines becoming more sought after

The experienced all-rounder was offered by Matt and Rachel Adams, Frontier Kelpies, Mendooran, sired by Macelbri Kenny, with her dam being Frontier Jazz, a home bred dam for the Adams family.

Purchased for $12,000 by an undisclosed buyer in the Northern Rivers, Shine was one of 22 dogs sold at the auction of the 33 offered, with another four sold post-auction.

Frontier stud principal Matt Adams said everyone was looking for an all-round dog that could work sheep and cattle. He said Shine had a lot of strength on both sheep and cattle as well as goats.

Mr Adams said he started the dogs off in small controlled areas when they were pups and slowly built the dog's skill set over time.

"I am also a big believer in not trying to much pressure on them to early, I really think that the dogs shouldn't be, as far a backing a race and putting them in a situation where they've really got to hold cattle, I'm a big believer in not doing that until they're after two year old," Mr Adams said.

"I know that's a big thing for breeders to keep them for that long and not doing a great deal with them but at the end of the day they're only children until they're two years old.

"Once again I'm a big believer in letting them mature, so then they'll cop the knocks and cop the work, no different to a man or a women in a workplace, once you've matured a bit you'll cop it, whereas when you were a kid you'd get sick of it pretty quick and you'll turn them off."

The dogs learn to think for themselves as the family manage different properties, where the terrain ranges from river flats to hilly country that are inaccessible for vehicles, meaning the dogs have to think for themselves and be ready to adapt to ant situation that's given to them.

"It's not the one routine where you go into the same set of yards all the time, or they're often in situations where we've had agistment or lease country and they don't even know where the yards are or home is and that's a big thing."