Cobber challenge: New Zealand farmers urged to enter dogs in transtasman competition

The 2023 Cobber Challenge is looking for New Zealand's hardest-working farm dog. File photo / RNZ / Nate McKinnon

RNZ

Entries are now open for the 2023 Cobber Challenge - with organisers keen to have good representation from New Zealand.

Run across the ditch, this is the third year New Zealand dogs have been able to enter the competition.

Farmers have until 25 June to enter their dog after which organisers will pick a dozen dogs to take part.

The dogs will be fitted with a GPS tracker that will record the distance they’ve travelled on-farm and their speed.

Three months of data will be collected and the three best weeks will be used to see who comes out top dog.

Cobber Challenge wanted a good range of dogs from different landscapes to take part, competition spokesperson Kellie Savage said

“It’s great to get entries from different terrains to really showcase the work some of these dogs do, we love having New Zealand dogs involved because they vary so much to what some of the Australian working dogs do.

“There’s a particular video that sticks out to me from last year of one of the Kiwi dogs who was trying to get himself through waist-deep snow to get to the sheep, you don’t really see that here in Australia.”

A New Zealand dog has never won the title, but if one did this year, it would create some good transtasman rivalry, Savage said.

Any Kiwi farmers interested in entering should check out the 2023 Cobber Challenge website.

- RNZ