Huntaway in Hunterville - Roadside stories

[Sheepdogs barking (10 secs)] [Kiwi farmer's voice] The statue of a Huntaway dog recognises the immense contribution this dog has made to the farming district of Hunterville, and is a memorial to Sam, Ruff, Luke, Bob, Glen, Scott, Paul, Gus, Quin, Tahi, Rua, Flo, Maude, Bess, Queen and all the other Huntaways who have worked so faithfully and tirelessly wherever and whenever required. [Narrator] The gruff, almost indecipherable commands a New Zealand farmer yells out to his dogs may suggest little affection, but a farmer and his dog can form a very strong bond. This is apparent at Hunterville, a small town on State Highway One, where a monument of a Huntaway sheep dog stands beside the road. It bears the inscription 'A tribute to the New Zealand Huntaway dog, a farmer's best friend'. Hunterville lies in the heart of hill country -- an appropriate place to commemorate the contribution of working dogs to farming. The bronze statue, erected in 1999, recognises the immense contribution that Huntaway dogs have made to the Hunterville district. There are about 200,000 working farm dogs in New Zealand. Without them, the costs of livestock farming would be much higher, as it would be difficult to muster extensive areas of hill and high country. On a New Zealand farm you will find different types of dogs who have different jobs. A heading or eye dog, is bred from the border collie and is usually black and white. It is a long-legged, fast-running dog that goes around and heads stock, and eyeballs them at close quarters to hold them. An eye dog is discouraged from barking. This dog is at its best with quick-reaction, close-quarters work such as catching or separating sheep. A dog that barks as it gathers and moves sheep is called a Huntaway. This dog can chase or hunt stock away, hence the name hunt away. Huntaways are big, strongly-built dogs. They are an all-purpose dog and the most common type of sheepdog in New Zealand. They are used for everything -- heading, hunting, forcing sheep into pens and backing, which is jumping on the backs of sheep packed in a yard or race, and walking over them. There are very few livestock farmers who don't own a Huntaway. All Huntaways are bred to bark, and are selected for a loud, deep bark rather than light yapping. They must bark naturally on the command of 'Speak up'. The shape and size of Huntaways varies widely. Coats may be long and shaggy or smooth-haired, and are usually black and tan. Huntaways are generally good-natured and anxious to please. Today Huntaways are a recognised type of dog, though the breeds of Labrador, Setter and Bloodhound are known to be infused into the Huntaway. This adds barking ability to the natural herding instinct of the original sheepdogs. The most famous sheepdog in New Zealand is probably the star of cartoonist Murray Ball's comic strip Footrot Flats. He is simply known as Dog. More colourful real-life names include Ajax, Bloke, Baldy, Cobber, Crafty, Diesel, Dodger, Girlie, Friday, Grizz, Hobo, Jock, Kiwi, Plod, Smoke, Spud, Socks, Thug, Toff, Topsy, Witch, Yappy and Zac. Names with one or two syllables are preferred, because they are easy for handlers to call, and for dogs to hear. Farmers have a set of commands they use on their dogs. 'Away' or 'Come away' means move to the right; while 'Bye' or 'Come bye' means move to the left. 'Go back' means to gather more sheep while 'Wayleggo' means to leave the sheep and return to the handler. Whistle commands are used by farmers as well as voice commands. Perhaps the most famous sheepdog command in New Zealand is 'Get in behind', which means to move beside the handler and wait. It was a famous catchphrase of 1970s TV character Fred Dagg, played by New Zealand comedian John Clarke. [Sounds of a farmer's dog whistle (12 secs)]