THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD'S ORIGIN AND HISTORY
PART SIX

by Gwen Stevenson

(Working Aussie Source editor's note: Gwen Stevenson was a founding member of ASCA, who lived in Oak Run, California. This is a collection of her own and other people's stories and correspondence, some of which was first published in the newsletter of the Animal Research Foundation, one of the earliest organizations to recognize the Aussie. It was eventually assembled into a small book, published by Dorrance & Co. in 1972, now out of print. The following are excerpts of the larger work.

For easier online reading, the excerpts have been divided into several sections. They have been edited slightly for purposes of clarity only; some headings have been added. The text is original.)

Part Six contents:
• Training Hints, by Walter Lamar (pp 105-106)
• Thayer's Padrick King: "16 Year-Old Shepherd Dog Saves Woman From Mad Cow" (p 84)
• Schmutz Turkey Ranch: "The Aussies Save the Day Again" (p 96)
• Can We Set Up Working Stockdog Trials?, by Mrs. Gary Tuck (p 97)

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TRAINING HINTS
by Walter Lamar

Walter Lamar of Okeene, Oklahoma, has contributed the following information in response to a request for hints about training the Australian Shepherd as a worker. Mr. Lamar has used Aussies for many years and is thoroughly familiar with the working ability of the true old type of Australian Shepherd.

"We don't actually have a training method. The pups grow up around the other dogs and learn as they grow. We teach them to come when they are small pups by rewarding them with food and petting.

"They learn to go to cattle by being around the older dogs when they are working. We give the older dog a command ('get 'em' or 'ssst') and the pup sees how the older dog responds and learns by watching.

"The command to quit a cow is the same as the command to come (a whistle and the dog's name). The dogs are natural herders and drive a herd of cattle with very little assistance; but if we want a dog to chase a certain cow, we call the dog's name, point to the cow and say 'get her' or 'ssst'. These dogs are exceptionally intelligent and need very little training as they are natural herders and natural heelers. They learn quickly by just being around people or other dogs.

"Some examples of the learning ability of the Aussie follow: My Dad has an old pony mare that is wild and will not come to the barn to be fed. She runs in a seven acre field south of the house and every evening someone had to walk down to the south end of the field and run her in. Dad got to taking Bo with him and then siccing the pup on the old mare to make her go to the barn. Now all he has to do is step out of the house and tell Bo to go get the old mare and she will be at the barn by the time Dad gets there.

"I gave a black female pup (daughter of Bo) to some friends who have a dairy. They always went after the cows in a pick-up, but by showing the pup what they wanted, after a while they just told her to go get the cows and shortly every cow was at the barn.

"What I am trying to say is that Aussies need very little training. Anyone with one eye and half sense can work an Aussie if he will only use a little patience, understanding and common sense."

We hope this information helps the members who have asked for training suggestions.

THAYER'S PADRICK KING:
"16-YEAR-OLD SHEPHERD DOG SAVES WOMAN FROM MAD COW"

Missoula, Montana July 6, 1948

Paddy, a sixteen-year-old dog, said to be too old to get around much. lately got around enough Monday morning to save the life of his mistress when she was charged by a mad cow. Paddy is an Australian Shepherd owned by Mr. and Mrs. Kenward N. Thayer of Lola, Montana. Mrs. Thayer, now at St. Patrick's Hospital recovering from a broken shoulder and other injuries incurring when the cow charged, said she had taken Paddy to their farm's pasture with her Monday morning when she went to get a cow and its newborn calf.

"It was more or less out of habit that I took him," she said. "He hadn't been too quick for the last few years, besides, it isn't a very good practice to take dogs near cows when they are calving. The dogs make them nervous. Paddy wasn't near at the time the cow charged. He had disappeared temporarily."

When Mrs. Thayer entered the pasture to lead the cow and its calf out, the cow which she described as always having been more or less mean, attacked her, catching her shoulder with its horn.

Paddy, hearing his mistress' frantic cries, must have remembered the days when he was nimble and charged with herding cattle, because he dashed from a grove of trees to the spot where Mrs. Thayer was about to be trampled to death and drove the cow to a far corner.

Mr. Thayer also heard his wife's cries for help and got to the fight in time to bring his wife to Missoula for medical aid.

"If it hadn't been for Paddy I would not be lying in this bed alive and talking like I am now," she said. Paddy received a silver medal from Red Heart Dog Food Co. pictures in the papers and quite a bit of publicity.

SCHMUTZ TURKEY RANCH:
"THE AUSSIES SAVED THE DAY—AGAIN"

Hank and Carol Schmutz own a turkey ranch, consisting of over 1200 prime breeding birds, near Molalla, Oregon. They also own, or are owned by, three Australian Shepherds: the "old man," Schmutz' Michael of Poverty Ridge, Mike's daughter, Schmutz' Liz of Poverty Ridge, and a young male, Schmutz' Dr. Ben's Freedie. The several acres surrounding the house, turkey-lot and its buildings are planted yearly with grain.

On August tenth, the combine was in threshing the grain; it was a hot, dry and windy day. Hank and Carol were in the house resting between the chores. At 3:00 P.M., Mike began to bark and his weird, high, most unusually imperative bark was quickly backed by Liz. Knowing that something had to be wrong, Carol ran out to check. The grain field was blazing and the strong wind was pushing it into an inferno of flame.

They phoned the Fire Department and then began soaking down the house, turkey-lot and buildings. But, in spite of prompt help from the Fire Department, a major portion of the grain and of the timber surrounding the lake below was destroyed.

And had it not been for the prompt alarm given by the Aussies, Carol is positive that they would have been totally "burned-out"-house, turkeys and all. Tonight we know of some Aussies who will dine well and undergo much praise.

However, this most recent incident is only one of the many in which Mike and Liz have "saved the day, again," and have once again proven the value of the Aussie on ranches and in the cities and suburbs. And we are sure that, with full maturity, "Freddie, the Free-Loader" will prove his value, too. Today, with typical juvenile attitude, Freddie thought that the whole day was unusually interesting and a real blast!

(Working Aussie Source ed.note: Schmutz's Michael of Poverty Ridge is also ASCA registered as Casa Decarillo Michael of Poverty Ridge.

CAN WE SET UP WORKING STOCKDOG TRIALS?
by Mrs. Gary (Diane) Tuck
Route 4, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701

Your Editor received a long, most carefully thought-out and interesting letter from Mrs. Tuck in August. We have her permission to quote it and we do hope that it will lead to something constructive in showing our Aussies in Working Stockdog Trials. Please do contact Mrs. Tuck if you have other ideas on this subject and can help her develop this. Rest assured that the ASCofA will give everyone all possible help in furthering this. Now, to quote the letter in part:

The working Aussie is what everyone should be breeding for. If we breed strictly for desired coloring and conformation (though conformation is important in working), we'll end up with show dogs like the poodle or Collie or German Shepherd—all these dogs were once useful, but look at them now. I have heard from various places that many Aussies are undesirable for workers and have "weedy" conformation and that this type is more prevalent where the dogs are being shown in conformation classes.

I know that many people who have Aussies do not live on ranches; but perhaps there could be ways to make working programs available for all Aussies and require that all Aussies pass a working test before being eligible to show in conformation and breeding classes. I know, as cattle owners, we tell all our puppy buyers locally that we will be happy to help start their pups working when they are old enough. We offer to do this free of charge.

So far, no one has needed this service. That is because they mostly have their own cattle and the pups work so naturally that they train the people in how to work Aussies! I'll bet a cattle pattern could be set up the same as a sheep pattern for show purposes, and I'll bet that requirements could be set up for a test for dogs to be eligible to show. Certain honest breeders in each area of the country could be "inspectors" that would officially pass dogs on working ability. The dogs could be given a certificate proving that they can do what the breed is supposed to do and this certificate should be required at the conformation shows.

Many ranchers who know how to train Aussies could offer services for training Aussie owners. It does not take very long, really, and then the charge could be slight, yet these people would not have to feel that they were out of time and money by receiving a small fee. How proud the owners of the dogs would be to be able to show proof that their dogs were truly Working Australian Shepherds.

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