Do you think your working dog works harder than the rest? Put it to the test and nominate it for the 2018 Cobber Working Dog Challenge.
Nominations are now open for the competition to crown Australia’s hardest working dog. No matter the breed or the work they do, owners of working dogs are encouraged to nominate their canine workmates. Two dogs from each Australian state will be selected from the nominations to compete in the third annual Cobber Challenge.
The competition will run for three weeks from Monday, 13th August to Sunday, 2nd September. Each of the 12 competing dogs will wear a GPS collar to track how hard they work in their natural environment. The competitors will be scored based on distance, speed and duration of work per day. Their data will be uploaded daily, so people can follow the performance of individual dogs, as well as the best performing state. Points will be calculated based on this information to determine the winner of the Cobber Challenge trophy.
Last year’s winner was Tasmanian sheep and beef farmer, Brad McDonald, with his six-year-old Kelpie, Flow. During the 21-day competition Flow clocked up a total of 716 kilometres or an average of 37.7km every day, which astounded her owner.
"I didn't come into the competition wanting to win, but the best bit has really been seeing Flow give 100% every day. She's a little dog with a big heart and she doesn't want to let anyone down," Brad said.
A year on from winning the national title, Flow went from Cobber Champion to champion parent after giving birth to a litter of six handsome black-and-tan pups. In honour of Flow’s performance in the Challenge, Brad even named one of the youngsters ‘Cobber’.
Cobber Working Dog Food provided the fuel for these dogs, as it does for thousands of working dogs every day around the country.
To nominate your working dog, sign up through this online form: www.surveymonkey.com/r/CobberChallenge
Cobber Brand Manager Marika O'Leary said her team was excited to open the nominations for another year and they couldn’t wait to see the entries.
"The Cobber Challenge is a great celebration of Australian working dogs that are tough, smart and loyal," Marika said. "Working dogs are invaluable members of farming teams thanks to their natural instincts to herd and work hard. Farmers have told me a good dog can do the work of at least two or three people. They’re an essential part of rural life." ---
Nominations will be open for three weeks from Monday, 18th June to Sunday, 8th July. F
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s).
