Welcome to the Home of Real World Champions!

Donna Logan & Tony Padgett

(Updated  05/26/08)

Tony has been training stockdogs and competing in different venues for over 20 years.  He is an ASCA Stockdog judge, however, his experience is not limited to just Australian Shepherds.  He has trained several other breeds of stockdogs to work sheep, cattle and ducks.  His experience has been primarily starting young dogs, giving handler lessons, and training for competition. Tony has WTCHs on Jill (Border Collie), Tux (Kelpie), Doc (Aussie) and most recently Cap (Kelpie, look for his page soon).  He has also bred, started and finished Aussies, Border Collies, and Kelpies for other stockmen in the area and all have become real world champions in their own right.

My dad and I have always had stockdogs to help us manage our livestock, even helping us with our pigs.  Most were cross bred shepherds but in 1990 I got my first NSDR registered red merle Australian Shepherd, Yank.  He was my dad's right hand and was lost during the prime of his life, when a truck hit him as he was racing my dad to the barn.  The search for a true working Aussie began and it has been an enlightening experience.

Through the past 20 years we have come to appreciate first hand the true meaning of a working bred stockdog and also recognize the challenges working Aussie breeders have before them. The versatility and eye appeal of this breed may very well be its downfall. Our personal goal is to do our part to keep Australian Shepherds in the elite group of working cowdogs, doing what they were born to do.  If you are a Aussies breeder, please join us in our efforts by putting working instinct and ability at the forefront of your breeding criteria.

Contact Tony (tonypadgettstockdogs@yahoo.com) for references and more information if you are in the Southeast and interested in stockdog training, handling or just wanting your working dog as part of your real world operation.

THE WORKING DESCRIPTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD

Adopted by the Stockdog Committee of the Australian Shepherd Club of America on March 12, 2006

Introduction

The Australian Shepherd was developed in the 19th and 20th centuries as a general purpose ranch and farm dog in the American West, where a tough, enduring, versatile stockdog with an honest work ethic was required. His usual work included moving very large herds of sheep and cattle from summer to winter grazing grounds and back, flushing range cattle out of heavy brush, and moving livestock in tight quarters such as chutes and alleys. These kinds of jobs are still where Australian Shepherds excel and are most valued.

The Australian Shepherd is categorized as one of the Loose-Eyed breeds of stockdogs. He is a confident, authoritative worker with a unique style that differs from Strong-Eyed breeds. He is agile, upright and close-working, and exhibits these distinctive traits while maintaining the ability and versatility to control all types of livestock in an efficient and deliberate manner. The Australian Shepherd excels at controlling large and/or slow-moving flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, and is highly regarded for his superior ability to effectively manage livestock in tightly confined spaces. The Australian Shepherd is powerful and intense by nature, easily learning the appropriate force and distance needed for the type of livestock being worked. Using a loose-eyed approach to stock, a working Australian Shepherd will often display wear, grip, and/or an authoritative bark, as well as eye when necessary, to handle his stock.

Wear

The Australian Shepherd's wear in smooth, balanced, and ground-covering as the dog moves easily from side to side at the back of the stock, keeping his herd or flock together and moving forward. This is a very natural movement for an Australian Shepherd, and one that he can continue doing for hours at a time.

Grip

The Australian Shepherd will only use grip to move reluctant or challenging stock. The ideal Australian Shepherd naturally grips at both the head and heel, coming in low and hard on the heels to move cattle, or going to the head and gripping the nose or poll to turn an animal back to the herd.

Bark

The Australian Shepherd may bark to move stock or to face a challenge. His bark is conservative and should be authoritative when used. While the Australian Shepherd's grip typically affects a single animal, his bark can influence a whole herd, and is most effective when stock has come to a standstill such as in crowded alleyways. The Australian Shepherd's bark is particularly useful when gathering cattle from thick brush.

Eye

Since the Australian Shepherd is a loose-eyed working dog, he prefers to use his authority and presence to move livestock. However, if challenged, he may use eye in a direct and deliberate way until the challenge is over.

© Australian Shepherd Club of America

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