Sheep and sheep dogs have been iconic in New Zealand and during the period 1856 to 1987 sheep farming was largely responsible for the prosperity of the country. Since then there has been a shift toward dairy and forestry but recent recovery of the strong wool market will again stimulate this part of the agricultural economy.

Sheep dog trialling has been an integral part of the New Zealand culture with rural folk actively involved and city folk also keen supporters of televised coverage such as A Dog’s Show.

Sheep dogs in New Zealand come in 2 versions. Heading or eye dogs and Huntaways. New Zealand heading dogs were developed from Border collie stock but with longer legs (to be visible in tussock country) and shorter coats for the hot summer conditions. They are quiet and work close to manoeuvre sheep through gates and into yards. Huntaways are larger and louder and use their barking to muster sheep off hillsides as well as working them in yards. The event we attended in Taupo was an indoor event for heading dogs which suit an indoor format.

Selective breeding has favoured traits that suit the work. One of these is ‘Strong eye’ is where a dog approaches sheep in a low crawl like a predator, maintaining intense eye contact with the sheep to control their movement.

It is lovely to watch working dogs at work. They are so focussed and intent on their task and it is lovely to see the teamwork between shepherd and dog to control 3 sheep and hopefully navigate the course to completion. I spent a bit of time using panned slow shutter speeds to try and capture some of the movement as the dog headed off sheep breaking from the group.

It is interesting to see the different working styles with some shepherds quite loud and vocal, others almost inaudible and others simply using whistle commands.

Photos with Nikon Z9 and Z8 with Nikkor Z 100-400mm, 28-400mm or 24-200mm