IS THIS AUSTRALIA’S HARDEST WORKING DOG?

The annual Working Dog Cobber Challenge is celebrating its 10th year, and Mirboo North’s own Caroline Houston and her kelpie pup, Vaila, are ready to take it on.

This unique competition puts Australia’s top working dogs to the test, equipping each with a GPS tracker to record their daily efforts over a three-week period starting in early October. Dogs earn points based on distance covered, speed, and time spent working.

“This will be my first year,” Houston told Express. “You actually have to be selected to compete. This year, there are 12 participants, so I’m stoked to be one of them.”

“I think it’s such a fun opportunity—and I’m incredibly proud of the work my dog does on the farm. It’s a great way to highlight that and give these dogs the recognition they truly deserve.”

Houston first entered the dairy world around a decade ago after meeting her partner. In April 2023, the couple purchased their own dairy farm in Mirboo North. Although she doesn’t come from a dairy background, Houston is a qualified veterinarian with experience working with horses, cattle, and other livestock.

Owning a farm has come with its fair share of hurdles.

“They say the first two years are the toughest, and I’d agree—they’ve definitely been challenging,” she said.

“Our property is quite hilly and had been run as a beef farm for about 20 years before we bought it,” Houston explained. “So, there was a lot of work needed to bring it up to standard and get it functioning properly as a dairy.”

“And on top of that, we had a major storm during our first year that knocked out the power for five days. We could only milk the cows once a day instead of twice, which really set us back. Then came the drought. So, there have definitely been a few hurdles to get through.”

One thing that’s helped ease the load, especially on such steep terrain, has been the dogs. Houston said they’ve been invaluable in rounding up cows for milking from the far paddocks—work that would be much harder without them.

Caroline Houston’s kelpie pup, Vaila, hails from Beloka, a respected working dog stud and training school in Welshpool. Beloka is well known in the farming community, regularly hosting trials to test and showcase the skills of working dogs from across the country.

To prepare for the upcoming Cobber Challenge, Houston and Vaila have mostly stuck to their usual routine.

“I haven’t really changed anything from what we normally do,” Houston said. “The dogs here are part of the daily farm operation, helping manage stock on the dairy. We aim to have them well-trained for that anyway. You don’t want a dog that chases or stresses the cattle—it’s essential to get the training right so everything runs smoothly and calmly for everyone involved.”

Houston credits much of Vaila’s progress to support from Paul MacPhail at Beloka Kelpies, who also bred Vaila.

“Paul’s been a great help,” she said. “He’s got years of experience, and we regularly go down to Beloka for formal training. It’s made a big difference in keeping us on track.”

“This is actually my third kelpie,” Houston added. “There’s always more to learn, and I’m doing my best to keep learning every day—how to work better with my dogs and improve our routine.”

Houston is one of two competitors representing Gippsland in this year’s national Cobber Challenge. The other is Jess Zammit from Wonthaggi, competing with her dog Bundaberg.

The Cobber Challenge winner will receive $3,000 and a year’s supply of Cobber Working Dog feed.

Cobber Marketing Manager Kellie Savage said this year’s competition promises to be as intense as ever.

“So far, the record distance logged by a working dog in the Cobber Challenge is over 1,260 kilometers,” Savage said. “That’s a tough mark to beat, but we believe one of this year’s dogs just might set a new record.”

“All but one year, a kelpie has taken the title—so we’ll see if another breed can finally unseat them, or if the kelpies will continue their reign.”

Savage also noted the strong representation of women in this year’s lineup.

“It’s fantastic to see so many women making it to this stage of the competition. While I don’t play favorites, I’m really excited to see how the girls go this time around!”

For more information on the challenge, visit: https://www.cobberdogfood.com.au/cobber-challenge.