Sky Blue, a young kelpie in early training with Paul Macphail at Beloka Kelpie Stud Training School in southern New South Wales. Paul says she has a natural stalk and the ability to hold her ground.

Responsibitily is the skill Zap, a kelpie, is practicing. “You need them to be resposible for the livestock when you aren’t watching them” says his owner Rob Tuncks of Edenhope, Victoria.

Calling for attention at shearing time, Wyvern station, Carathool, New South Wales. 

Rowdy, a kelpie, at Kalka Woolshed, Calca, South Australia. Kelpies were bred in Victoria and New South Wales in the 19th century. Some kelpies were mated with dingos to add to the hardiness of the breed. Kelpies are usually medium sized (41 to 51cm) with prick ears and a wide range of colourings. 

Gibber, a border collie, demonstrates the pressure-and-release technique to tell the bull to submit. This instinctive technique is not intended to harm the cattle but rather to bluff them. Gibber is working on Hat Creek station near Baralaba, Queensland.

Lucy was rescued by Susan Purves in Queensland. Her farmer owner didn’t want her and she was due to be shot. Since she discovered sheep herding she has been a different dog. Sue thinks it’s because she realised she had a purpose in life. “Her eyes changed,” says Sue. She now lives in Gisborne, Victoria as a companion dog on a small acreage.

Driver and Daisy. Roughly 200km north-west of Melbourne in Victoria two eight-week-old red heelers bred by Vicki Duncan play in a wheat fields near the tiny country town of Willaura. Heelers are also known as Australian cattle dogs, an Australian breed that spring from imported highland collies. According to the Australian National Kennel Council, in 2012 Australian cattle dogs were Australia’s third most popular working dog, after German shepards and border collies.  

Dogs working sheep prior to shearing at Tarana woolshed, New South Wales. Working dogs bred for farm work have an inherent ability to herd animals that is an adaptation from their original hunting skills. 

John Terry holds young kelpie pups at Beloka Kelpie Stud, Welshpool, Victoria.

Fence climbing’s a breeze for an active sheep dog. This agile canine helps out at Tarana woolshed roughly 80km north-west of Wagga Wagga near One Tree, NSW.

It’s good to have a pack of dogs of a variety of ages, as the older ones will teach the younger ones the ropes. These are Anita Martin’s kelpies in the back of her truck at Mundubbera, Queensland.

Tom, a red working dog in Tasmania, was sold in June 2012 for a hefty $12,000. Sheep farmers Paul and Jean Weeding say he was worth every cent and more.

Nancy, a koolie working stock in Mareeba, Queensland. Koolies are another Australian bred working breed. They stem mostly from rough coated collies and border collies. 

Three-year-old collie My Girl yawns during Working Dog Trials at North Ballarat Showgrounds.

Chipper learns the ropes at Tottington, roughtly 100km north-west of Bendigo, Vic. 

Jackie Hunter with Flynn (merle colour) and Tango (chocolate). Jackie breeds dogs, but to her the Aussie koolie breed are much more than just a business. These two pups will grow to a medium-sized 40 to 60cm high. 

The tail end of blue heeler, Missy.

11-month-old Pepper Maconochie and his pet red heeler, Benji at the drovers camp of David and Libby Maconochie, near Hillston, New South Wales.