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00:00At 10 months of age, the herding instincts about quality collie and kelpie pups are on full display.
00:09But are the skills of their six rookie handlers and graziers keeping up?
00:14I feel like I'm a bit of a passenger sometimes.
00:17I don't see myself as supporting her as much as just getting out of her way.
00:21I've learnt a lot along the way as to how things should be going as opposed to how I was
00:27doing things before.
00:28The deadline is looming and alarm bells are ringing.
00:33For a mark, start.
00:36Mr here needs to be paying a bit more attention.
00:39Some of our pups still aren't following just the very basic commands, so I've got no idea how they're going
00:45to go.
00:46And if the handler and pups don't pass the 10-month milestone assessment,
00:52it will be unsafe for them to continue to the grand final showdown.
00:58We have to remember that these handlers have very little experience.
01:01And this 10-month assessment could go real pear-shaped.
01:04So I'm just hoping that they're going okay.
01:09Who will make it through?
01:11As everyone knows from season one, me and Chet actually failed the 10-month assessment.
01:15So yeah, good luck to them. That's what I could say.
01:20And which pup will beat the odds to be crowned champion muster dog?
01:26Come on. Here. Good boy.
01:29Good boy.
01:33Oh dear, what are we going to do with you?
01:38Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
01:44Go, go, go, go, go, go.
01:55Go, go, go, go.
02:09Like all teenagers, our three Collie and three Kelpie pups are testing limits.
02:16Captain still loves chasing the cat.
02:19Captain.
02:20The cat.
02:22Alfie doesn't quite do what she's told.
02:26Alfie, sit.
02:28Sit.
02:29Sit.
02:31Busy Blossom's curiosity often gets the best of her.
02:35Blossom.
02:37Blossom.
02:38The very serious Roxy refuses to crack a smile.
02:42Where the bloody hell have you been, Roxy?
02:45Bloody hell.
02:46Turner continues to charm Shady Jane.
02:49Good boy.
02:51And Burruma has now expanded his war on water to include just about everything else.
02:59Ah, Burruma.
03:01Right, go get that.
03:04Right, you're making that too hard.
03:07Ram. Ram.
03:10Good boy, Ram.
03:11Thankfully, once inside the stockyard, play gives way to purpose.
03:18Our rookie handlers are still learning how to direct their pup's instincts.
03:23All have been left with training drills by their mentors.
03:27Hey y'all. Hey y'all. Over.
03:29And this assessment will reveal who's put in the work and who's found life getting in the way.
03:37It's peak season now at the caravan park, so it's very busy and it's only going to get busier as
03:43we get into the school holidays.
03:45I've realised that I can't do it all, especially when Adam was off seeding and I was single parenting and
03:53trying to do all the homeschooling and the toddler and training the dogs.
03:57That's awesome.
03:59But the dog ate my homework trophy goes to Sam and his foot surgery gone wrong.
04:06I ended up in and out of hospital for two weeks and I was on bed rest and crutches for
04:13six weeks and another two weeks hopping around before I felt comfortable to get back into full work and dog
04:21training and that.
04:22That'll do.
04:23Good boy.
04:27Whether or not our participants have had time to train their pups.
04:32They must achieve a majority of passes in the 10 month milestone assessment.
04:39If not, they won't be moving on to compete in the final muster dog challenge.
04:45The five tasks include
04:48Task one, no lead walk past livestock.
04:53Run.
04:55Task two, jump on command to a hay bale or a ute.
05:00Over.
05:01Task three, complete a 30 metre cast.
05:08Here.
05:10Task four, move stock with flow and balance.
05:15Four.
05:15And task five, work correct distance respecting flight zone.
05:23As Mick demonstrated previously, flight zone describes an animal's personal space.
05:31These sheep, I go up till I touch them.
05:33There it is there.
05:34When a handler enters this zone, the animal will move away to a more comfortable distance.
05:54If you hit double digits in winter on King Island, Tasmania, it's a good day.
06:03Roxy!
06:04And that's not the only reason 30 year old farm hand Max has been feeling a bit low.
06:10Okay.
06:12Thirsty work, isn't it Roxy?
06:14I think I'm having one of those little rough patches in life where you feel like everything goes wrong.
06:20You know, you're trying to paddle and keep your neck above water, but then you just keep getting pulled down,
06:24so...
06:26Fetch some ducks.
06:27Even though he passed the handler-focused stock assessment, Max is aware his earlier six-month milestone assessment run with
06:36Kelpie pup Roxy was anything but smooth.
06:40Get it! Get it! Fetch!
06:43With the first assessment, I was a bit of a mess and I'll think back on it now and I've
06:47seen her, watched a few videos, I'm like, what was I thinking?
06:51Right, get him!
06:52I was just all over the place and she didn't know what her job was because I wasn't giving her
06:58clear directions.
07:00Block her, block her.
07:01You know, you start getting in that mindset where you're going, oh, this dog's crazy, you know, she's just doing
07:05whatever she wants.
07:09Since then, using methods mentor Joe showed him, Max is trying to establish himself as boss with every training session.
07:18Hey, where you going, hey?
07:19I think I just earned her respect through giving clear directions.
07:22Oh, I'd like to hear you, hey?
07:24Being more assertive and, you know, a little bit more dominant.
07:29That dog definitely appreciates it because it wants guidance, it wants to know what to do.
07:36Sit.
07:39Sit.
07:42Sit.
07:43Come on.
07:46Good girl.
07:50I go in there with the plan and I stick to that plan and I stop trying to wing it.
07:57Yeah, when I'm not winning I just kind of end it and, you know, what kind of result can I
08:01get that's the smallest positive and then just end it.
08:04I think where I used to just kind of keep digging myself a hole.
08:07Max has established himself as the leader.
08:10I'd finish a session and, you know, we'd walk out of the yard and she'd turn around and look at
08:14me and just, you know, go, did I do alright?
08:16Did I do alright?
08:20Where it was always just, she didn't even care about me but, you know, she started wanting to look to
08:26me for guidance and, yeah, so I think we're definitely a lot better than what we were and we're working
08:33as a team for sure.
08:34Come on.
08:37Come on.
08:40With such a positive evolution in their relationship, what happened next was devastating.
08:47One day I was out in the paddock and there was a little wiener in one of the shelter belts
08:51and I thought, oh, this would be a good chance for Roxy to try and, you know, do some work
08:56and help me out here.
08:57A shelter belt is a row of trees that serve as a windbreak.
09:02The wiener went through the fence and she was hot on its tail.
09:08And all the wires came back and hit her.
09:12There was quite a lot of voltage going through this fence and she got a big electric shock.
09:20She was okay but it really got her rattled and I think it set her back a really long way.
09:27It's quite worrying and, yeah, it's, um, yeah, don't know how to kind of fix it at the moment, so.
09:36Following the electric fence incident and Max's stricter training style, the farm hand noticed a personality change in his pup.
09:44Good job, Roxy. Sit.
09:48Want a muster?
09:50Do you want a muster?
09:52No, do you want a muster?
09:54You know, Roxy was a crazy, enthusiastic, you know, little go-getter dog and, you know, we worked through those
10:01problems and I managed to kind of get that under control and we were working really nice and now it's
10:06kind of gone the complete opposite way where now she's kind of afraid and a little bit timid.
10:11Push, push. Good girl. Good girl, Roxy. Good girl. Alright, that'll do.
10:18So now I don't, I don't really have the tools to try and fix that, so now I have to
10:21try and work through all those problems now, so.
10:24Yeah, it's just one extreme to the other I feel like.
10:27Roxy, come on.
10:28So it's the perfect time for Jo to rock up and we'll try and solve its problem and get that
10:34fire back in her belly and, yeah, I hope we can fix it.
10:49Push him up.
10:51Where are you going?
10:53Despite not doing as well as he would have liked in the stock assessment.
10:57Boy.
10:5728-year-old Sam from Wolka, New South Wales, thought he and collie pup captain were tracking well.
11:05Sit down.
11:06Boy.
11:08But foot surgery ended up putting him out of action for weeks.
11:18Come over.
11:19Come over.
11:21Come over.
11:25The slowest you've ever moved.
11:27As a trainer, I probably got a bit panicked after having so long off and I rushed into things a
11:35bit.
11:35No, don't run off. Come here.
11:38Captain, go. Captain, I'm here.
11:41I just wanted to get him back to where he was at the six month assessment.
11:47Push him up.
11:48Good boy.
11:49Especially with the sheep, he's come a long way with his presence and getting them to move.
11:53Push him up.
11:54Good boy.
11:55Sit.
11:56As far as deers and heifers go, he can move them, but if they turn away and get away from
12:03him, he has trouble stopping them.
12:05But he's moving along there too. He's getting more confident with them. He's copped a few little kicks.
12:12Oh, you alright?
12:14That did settle him down and gave him a bit more respect for them.
12:18So, he knows not to get as close, but, yeah, he's working on his presence there with the cattle.
12:26As catch up training with Captain continues, it's also calving season.
12:33A stressful time for graziers, as some calves only survive through intervention.
12:43You hate to see your animals in pain and if you can help them and get them through that, it's
12:49great.
12:50But when you find the ones and you do all that treatment and they just continue to degrade and get
12:57more pain and more stressed and then you've got to put them down, it's rough.
13:08You get the good with the bad, but, yeah, it was a rough one on this one, but next one
13:13will be better.
13:28Brilliant weather along the north coast of Western Australia has brought an influx of tourists to 24-year-old Rex's
13:36family caravan park.
13:40With so many guests to look after, training sessions with Kelpie pup Alfie have been more about quality rather than
13:50quantity.
13:51Good girl.
13:52The biggest thing that Alfie has done so far that has impressed me with her training is just how quickly
13:58she works things out.
14:00On my last assessment when Joanie was here, we worked on putting a solid sit on her.
14:06And after a week, she had her sit nailed and rock solid.
14:11And as soon as I said it, she went down and she didn't get back up until she needed to,
14:16based on what she saw instead of based on me asking her.
14:23What hasn't been perfected is Alfie's cast, which forms the majority of the upcoming 10-month assessment.
14:30Over.
14:33She's going wide.
14:39Good girl.
14:40That's a good spot.
14:41Get them moving.
14:44I'll help you.
14:46The thing I'm a bit nervous about is her ability to bring the wieners back to me.
14:51Over.
14:52Over.
14:53Alfie doesn't quite have the force there at the moment.
14:57Hit him.
14:57Hit him.
14:57And she tends to get stuck in one spot.
15:01Say if I'm at zero and 180's directly opposite.
15:05When she's working over, she'll come over, she'll go past the 180 and she'll sit at about 210, 220 degrees.
15:12And that's kind of her spot of comfort at the moment.
15:15So one thing I would like to work on with Joi is forcing her out of that comfort zone and
15:20forcing her to work every single angle of the mob.
15:26You're getting tight.
15:27Over.
15:29That's all that hard.
15:30You're getting near.
15:31All, I'm getting it.
15:34You're getting closer.
15:36Mo朋友's getting closer.
15:37Life isn't letting up for 32-year old mum and sheep grazier Courtney from Wellstead, Western Australia.
15:46Steady.
15:47Stop, stop, stop.
15:50With hubby Adam away,
15:52Courtney's had no time to train her gifted collie pup, Blossom.
15:57But she has bought three cows
15:59in a bold step to overcome her fear of cattle.
16:03Come here, come here.
16:05Yeah, so the cows have arrived
16:07and they've been here now, I think, about three months.
16:11Bloss, come. Bloss with me.
16:13Bloss with me, with me. Good girl.
16:16Here, here. Here.
16:18I've named them after the three strong agricultural women
16:21that are helping me with cows.
16:23Steady. Stop. Bloss, bloss.
16:25And I think that's actually helped me with the fear.
16:28Like, it's personalised them and I've, you know,
16:31I know their character and their personality
16:33and it's made them not as scary to me.
16:36Tina! Tina!
16:41Hey.
16:42Perhaps not surprisingly,
16:45Blossom has taken to rounding Tina, Bec and Kerry with ease.
16:51Well, Blossom's such a strong dog
16:52and she's got her own idea of how things should go
16:55and I think I feel like I'm a bit of a passenger sometimes.
16:59She's got really strong instincts
17:00and I'm just acting like I'm the one controlling it
17:05when she's, you know, she's doing all the work.
17:09Busy Blossom is not a fan of ever sitting still.
17:14She has to sniff every smell.
17:16She has to look at every sound
17:17and when she's not working, she's extremely jealous.
17:21She wants to be working all of the time.
17:25She wants a job all of the time.
17:27And she just has this, like, buzzing, constant energy about her
17:31until she's doing a job.
17:35And once she's doing a job, she's smooth and she's on the ball
17:39and you'd never guess with Meek Blossom.
17:42It's why there's one task in the Milestone Assessment.
17:46Courtney feels they have little chance of passing.
17:49Walking with stock and not going to work
17:51and then just sitting and waiting her turn.
17:53But I think the rest, she'll, she'll, the star,
17:56she'll do really good.
18:04School principal and grazier Ian from Nundle, New South Wales,
18:09has made a career out of teaching others.
18:13The 50-year-old expected to be taken down a peg or two
18:16in the mustard dog process.
18:19But it's been a while since Ian has felt so out of his depth.
18:23Steady. Burma. Burma, sit.
18:28I've had a fair bit of contact with Joe,
18:30sending him some videos, calling him and speaking with him.
18:34So we're going to do a little bit of cattle work.
18:37Burma, sit.
18:39It's just practising, staying behind the truck,
18:44not rushing around.
18:46Hello, Burma.
18:48Practising following the truck.
18:50I've learnt a lot along the way
18:53as to, you know, how things should be going
18:56as opposed to how I was doing things before.
18:59With me.
19:01Right.
19:03Mentor Joe will be here soon to judge
19:05if Ian is finally taking charge with his kelpie pup, Burma.
19:10Over.
19:11Boy.
19:12Bye-bye, boy.
19:18Well, I'm all set with my boonie and gloves
19:20because it's freezing here in Nundle at the moment.
19:23But my teeth will probably chatter a bit anyway
19:26because I'm nervous.
19:27I've got Joe watching over my shoulder
19:30and taking a few notes, ready to give me some feedback.
19:36You know, good or bad, but it's necessary for improvement, isn't it?
19:41So, I'm in the student's chair at the moment.
19:44So, there you go, to all the kids at Kurindoe High School.
19:46I'm feeling it right at this point in time.
19:54Ian can't predict if they'll get a pass
19:56on the behaviour elements of the assessment,
19:58but thinks Burma's car should go OK.
20:02He's got a nice wide cast on him
20:04and then we'll get it right out wide around the sheep
20:08before he comes in to move them.
20:10It's just making sure that he stays off the sheep far enough.
20:13Come here to me. Stay, Burma.
20:18I think the cast is pretty good for Burma
20:21and he knows which side to go as to the command that he's given,
20:25which is a positive thing, so he does seem to do that all right.
20:29Come on.
20:31And when Burma is off the clock...
20:33Come here, Burma. Come here.
20:36..there's a new object for his affections.
20:38He still barks a bit at the water bowl now and then
20:41and throws it around, but he's discovered a bucket
20:42that he really loves.
20:44He was just rolling it before, but now it is the go-to.
20:49Right, Burma, where are you?
20:53We've got more important things to do
20:54than roll buckets around at the moment.
20:57Come on.
20:58While playing with water and chewing things
21:00can indicate a health issue...
21:02In the bucket.
21:03..in Burma's case, it's more about his need
21:06for non-stop stimulation.
21:08Oh!
21:08Oh!
21:09Oh, I know.
21:12OK, Burma.
21:14It's time to get to work.
21:17Let's roll!
21:28OK, she's a bit cold, even the mare's feeling it.
21:32What do you reckon, Dana?
21:37Bloody cold, isn't it?
21:40Yeah.
21:40While others in her state have been flooded out,
21:43the land is still parched
21:45on the Taroom, Queensland cattle property
21:47of Shady Jane and her dad, Tommy.
21:51Yeah, we're doing all right.
21:52You know, some days are harder than others,
21:55but there's people out there
21:57that are doing it far worse than us at the moment.
22:01Tell you what, I'm very grateful to go to bed
22:04and wake up in a dry bed, that's for sure,
22:06unlike these poor buggers out west
22:08that have got hit with the floods
22:09and houses have gone under
22:11and lost a heap of their stock.
22:18There's always someone far worse off than us,
22:20and if you can sort of look to the positive
22:22in anything in life, then that'll get you through,
22:26that's for sure.
22:27Come on!
22:29Good boy!
22:30Another positive is the progress
22:32the 29-year-old feels she's made
22:34with her beloved collie pup, Turner.
22:38Mick wanted sides put on him,
22:40which we worked very hard to do.
22:44Putting sides on a dog is making sure
22:47they have the ability to move both ways
22:49around stock.
22:51Put a lot of time into that
22:52and we got to that point where, you know,
22:55we had a round and back and a stop and sit
22:58and worked a little bit on our walk up,
23:01but since then he's progressed really well.
23:06Shady-Jane didn't enjoy using sheep to train Turner,
23:10so he's relieved he's finally started on cattle.
23:14He's only been looking at wieners for three weeks
23:18and then I sort of worked out from there
23:22which would be the quietest for him
23:24and they were sort of a few of the bigger ones,
23:26so I singled them out and got him going on them
23:29and he showed a bit more interest
23:31and started going back to getting a cast
23:34and trying to balance him up a bit on those.
23:36And then when he got that down pat,
23:39I sort of just started adding in a few extra at a time
23:43and it's probably only been the last three days
23:48that I've got him going by himself
23:51and to the point now which I'm going to say
23:56that we are already winners in my eyes at this moment.
24:01I don't really care about the finale
24:03because I always said that I just wanted to be able
24:07to go up the paddock, send him around
24:09and have him bring the wieners back to me
24:11and he's started to slowly do that the past three days
24:16which I'm ecstatic about.
24:18Sit.
24:20Stay.
24:24Shady-Jane is keen for Mick to see her progress with Turner
24:27in today's assessment.
24:30Sit.
24:32It'll be good for him just to sit back
24:34and see where we're at
24:37and just tell me what we're doing wrong,
24:39if there's anything we need fixing
24:41or if I need to kick up the backside with anything.
24:45Are you ready? Are you pretty ready? Are you pretty ready?
24:49Are you pretty ready?
24:50And will any sneaky tricks be deployed to get passes?
24:54See, loose lead walk gets my assessment done.
24:58My sneaky little tricks, we'll see.
25:01He'll probably pick up on that one, yeah, too.
25:04There's a few there but all in good fun.
25:07Got to test the old bugger every now and then, don't we?
25:17Not much escapes the eagle eyes of our experts
25:22as they arrive to judge the crucial ten-month assessment.
25:31How many, Sam? How are you going?
25:33Good to see you, mate.
25:33Good to see you, too.
25:35If ever a bond between dog and handler is tested,
25:39it's with task one, walking off lead past stock.
25:45For the dog's safety, the handler needs to know the dog is by their side
25:49without having to look that they've run off.
25:56Good boy.
25:57Sam and Collie captain, with the stock a lesser temptation contained in the yard,
26:06it's a pass.
26:10By contrast, Max shows how far he and Roxy have come,
26:15with the kelpie almost taunted by the sheep and chickens so close by.
26:21Good girl, Roxy, eh?
26:24Big tick right there.
26:26Awesome. Going well.
26:28Hey, Boroma.
26:30Good boy, with me.
26:32Ian with Kelpie Boroma.
26:34Can I come? That'll do.
26:35And Shady Jane with Collie Turner.
26:38Right here, Boroma. Oh, nearly.
26:41The pups are tempted but toe the line, gaining a green tick each.
26:47Alfie to me.
26:49Alfie to me.
26:51Alfie to me.
26:52Good girl.
26:53It's a close call for Rex with Kelpie Alfie.
26:57Alfie to me.
26:58Good girl.
26:59Likewise, Courtney with Blossom.
27:01Blossom, leave her.
27:02Come.
27:03Leave it.
27:05Alfie.
27:05But the bond is strong enough to stifle the pups' desire to herd.
27:11Good job.
27:12Moving forward, the pups will be expected to walk beside or behind their handler.
27:18But today, it's a pass.
27:23Next, jumping on command.
27:26Onto a hay bale, bike or ute.
27:29It is a bit of fun, but with serious purpose behind it.
27:33For safety, it's really important that you can get your dog out of the way quickly and get it on
27:39the ute or on the bike really, really quickly and that it happens on the first command and that it
27:44stays there too.
27:44For experienced contract musterer Joni, who often runs a team of 20 dogs, it's a must in her operation.
27:54It also creates efficiency in yourself and your job.
27:58It takes time to train your dogs up and sometimes you just need to call your dog.
28:03And if you've got your dog sitting there waiting patiently on a hay bale, you don't have to run over
28:09and chain them up and unchain them.
28:12And it looks like our puppies are all happy to jump on board.
28:16Up.
28:17Up up.
28:22Up.
28:27Up.
28:28Up.
28:28Up.
28:28On the back.
28:28Six hurdles easily overcome.
28:31Good.
28:31Good.
28:33Ew, kisses.
28:34Yummy.
28:35So gross.
28:37Now she's eating that goat shit.
28:43Task number three is to complete a basic 20 to 30 metre cast.
28:49And as Mick demonstrates on a much longer distance with seasoned dog Foss,
28:55the next two tasks will be assessed as the dog brings the stock back to the handler.
29:01Foss!
29:11So once they've completed the cast, it's important that the dog understands where the handler is
29:17and brings the stock back to the handler.
29:24So the dog's got to read the room, and when the dog first introduces itself to the cattle,
29:31it must be able to apply the correct amount of pressure
29:35for how fast or slow them cattle need to go to get back to the handler.
29:41To succeed, the pups must now be responding swiftly to their handler's commands.
29:47The young dog should have a good stop on it.
29:49It'll do.
29:50It should be able to stay with the handler.
29:52Good boy.
29:53And have a very good recall on it.
29:55It'll do.
29:58Come on.
29:59Let's go and work some sheep.
30:02Come on.
30:04Even a month ago, Max wouldn't have wanted to attempt a 30-metre cast with his wayward pup, Roxy.
30:13But a lot has changed.
30:15Yeah, I think my role as a leader to Roxy, I think I'm going to excel in it, I think.
30:23Roxy.
30:25Come on.
30:26Good girl.
30:27We've got a trainer mob that's pretty well broken in now, so I think it's going to make
30:32the job a bit easier as well.
30:34Here goes.
30:36Round.
30:38Round.
30:42Roxy casts beautifully.
30:44Good girl.
30:45But once around the sheep applies a little too much pressure, not respecting the flight
30:51zone.
30:51That's it.
30:54Good girl.
30:56Walk in.
31:03Good girl, mate.
31:05The newly simpatico pair have earned passes on tasks three and four, but it's a fail on
31:11task five.
31:13Still, overall, a stunning turnaround result for the Tasmanians.
31:19That'll do.
31:19That'll do.
31:22Roxy's still coming in and not respecting the flight zone and coming too hard on her
31:26stock, and that's reflected in her cast.
31:31So we're going to look at the cast, which in effect works on the dog getting out around
31:36them, not coming in too hard, and then balancing and bringing to the handler.
31:45Nothing beats tackling an issue while it's still fresh.
31:50So we want this scent to be our best.
31:54At first, we're working a line between the dog and the sheep, and we're using the fence
31:59so the dog can only go one way.
32:00So what we're going to do now is step out this way as much as we possibly can to try
32:07and get
32:07the dog to arc out around us.
32:09So give that a go.
32:11Round.
32:12Lovely.
32:12We don't move until the dog gets past us.
32:14Round.
32:15Once it gets past us, we've just put a little bit of pressure on behind it to get it going.
32:19That's it.
32:20That's lovely.
32:21Beautiful.
32:22Beautiful.
32:22So that was pretty good.
32:23She just came in a little bit hard at the end, so we're going to work on that next time
32:27by just throwing the polly in between her and the sheep so that she learns that she's going
32:34to run into polly if she comes in too hard.
32:37Round.
32:38The polly is not a threat to the pup, it is a block and boundary.
32:42Round.
32:42Just like a fence, signalling to the dog that is far enough for now.
32:48OK, so let her off.
32:51Lovely.
32:52She looks really keen, mate.
32:53Nice and composed.
32:55Nice and steady.
32:56That's lovely.
32:57Next, a little pep-up session for Roxy to regain confidence with cattle after the electric
33:03fence incident chasing a wiener.
33:06Dogs are so resilient and all you've got to do is create a situation where they can win
33:12and they can regain some confidence and then we'll build from there.
33:16Roxy is paired with experienced dog Daisy to assist getting her a win, rounding up a
33:22small mob of wieners.
33:24We'll come in here and we'll just get her to come around behind us, let Daisy take the
33:29pressure there.
33:30Good boy, Daisy.
33:31Good boy.
33:32And we'll just stop her from coming in and squeezing them out.
33:36Lovely.
33:37Good girl.
33:37That's good.
33:38OK, so we'll let Daisy take the pressure there and that way Roxy thinks she's super dog.
33:45She thinks she did that and they moved off her and this will slowly just build up her
33:49confidence.
33:51Good girl.
33:52Good girl.
33:53Good boy.
33:55Good boy.
33:57No, it's not bad for her, Collee mate.
33:59Right?
34:03You know, a few months ago I thought, jeez, is this ever going to be possible but I think
34:07through this whole journey I've kind of been doubting myself and just questioning my own
34:11and, yeah, I think I just have, you know, really high expectations
34:15and, yeah, when things don't go my way,
34:18I find it easy to kind of beat myself up.
34:21So I think I just need to try and keep positive
34:23and just believe in the process.
34:25That's amazing for a 10-month-old pup, mate.
34:27That's awesome. Good girl.
34:29Yeah, just realise that everything's going to be all right, so...
34:32Yeah.
34:35The 30-metre cast is where the lack of training time
34:39between Sam and Captain is likely to show.
34:43Sit. Sit. Sit.
34:47Go back. Back. Back.
34:50There's no hesitation as Captain charges out and around the mob.
34:57Sit down. Sit.
34:59It's a promising start, but soon the mob grind to a halt
35:04and Captain's lack of presence means
35:07he's slow to get them started again.
35:10Push them out.
35:12Push them out.
35:18Things finally get moving,
35:21but then stall again right at the finish line.
35:26Push them out. Push them out.
35:29Push them out.
35:32Get over.
35:34That's it.
35:34The sheep finally move towards the gate,
35:37but it's a fail on task four.
35:42Considering the lack of training,
35:44Sam and Captain have scored four passes and one fail.
35:48Stay.
35:52Three.
35:53Boy.
35:56The cast's pretty direct,
35:58which is not a bad thing for a 10-month-old,
36:00but we need to fix that up now and extend it out
36:03and get a bit of depth and a bit of width.
36:04Sit down.
36:06Sit.
36:06The dog's probably not stopping exactly when he says stop
36:09and he probably needs to improve his sides on the dog
36:12just so he can place the dog exactly where he wants him.
36:15Over.
36:16Over.
36:17Away.
36:17To develop a wider cast,
36:20Mick wants Sam to change his start position
36:22so he's halfway between Captain and the stop.
36:26Watch your dog, mate, and start walking up,
36:28but keep an eye on that dog.
36:29If he breaks away on you,
36:31you've got to go back and reposition him.
36:34If he breaks away on you,
36:36go back and put him back where he was
36:38until he learns to wait back there.
36:41Sit.
36:42Stay.
36:43That's it.
36:43Just watch that dog the whole time.
36:45Once he gets used to it, he'll stay there for you,
36:47but we've got to teach him.
36:48Using his body position and training aid,
36:51Sam can now direct the pup to go wider than he usually does.
36:56So you turn into him as he comes.
36:58Do you understand what I'm saying?
37:00Move that way a little bit and turn into him as he comes.
37:02That's it.
37:03When you are ready, you send him and you put pressure on him.
37:06You follow him around as he comes around
37:07and stop him at the end of his cast.
37:10Over.
37:11Over.
37:11Step into him.
37:13Over.
37:14Get over.
37:15That's it.
37:16Get over.
37:17Get over.
37:19Over.
37:20Get over.
37:22Get over.
37:22Get over.
37:25Sit.
37:27Well done.
37:28Good boy.
37:28Push him up.
37:30See how he wants to go the other way?
37:32Yeah.
37:33Because that's his favourite way.
37:34That's why I've been trying to force him to go that way.
37:36That's how you're trying to get him to go that way.
37:37We can teach him both ways,
37:38but we'll work on the worst way today.
37:40Yeah.
37:41Come here, Captain.
37:42Come here.
37:42Good boy.
37:43That'll do.
37:45That'll do.
37:46Good boy.
37:49Good boy.
37:50Push him up.
37:50Definitely a room for improvement.
37:51He needs to get wider and I don't know what he was doing today.
37:54He wasn't sitting very well.
37:55Usually he's really good with his sitting.
37:57Sit.
37:59Just not on his A game as he usually is.
38:01Go back.
38:02Go back.
38:03Sit.
38:05The dog's got to be under control.
38:08Because the moment your dog's out of control,
38:10you're going to fail.
38:12Whistle.
38:14Whistle.
38:14Good boy.
38:17Whistle.
38:17Whistle.
38:18Whistle.
38:18Whistle.
38:18Whistle.
38:21I see it.
38:24Rex isn't confident,
38:26but Alfie is keen to get going on the 30 metre cast.
38:32Over.
38:33Over.
38:34Over.
38:35The Kelpie crosses Rex and arcs around the mob,
38:39getting to her comfort zone at 210 degrees
38:43and would really like to stay there.
38:51Get back, get back.
38:55After some repositioning and prompting on Rex's part,
39:00Alfie finally gets the stock moving.
39:03Good girl.
39:04Good girl.
39:08So it's a pass on task three,
39:11a fail on task four
39:13and pass on task five
39:15for the West Australians
39:16on this 10-month assessment.
39:19Good girl.
39:20Hey, good work.
39:21Good work.
39:23Alfie is definitely pulling a little bit over to one side,
39:26but hopefully we'll be able to fix that.
39:28You're never going to fully fix it.
39:30Sometimes you've just got to accept that's who they are,
39:31but we might be able to manage it.
39:35I think she's addressing the flight zone well.
39:37I just think she's taking too long
39:40because she did a bit more sideways pressure.
39:43You know, she would actually create that flow.
39:46Yep.
39:46When she goes to the right spot,
39:48I think we really need to reward her
39:50and just ignore her
39:52or call her out and resend her
39:54and just ignore her when she's in that spot
39:57so she's getting over-the-top reward for the other side.
40:01Yep.
40:02Yeah, I like it.
40:03Let's see if we can get her there.
40:04Better than sitting here and talking about it.
40:06That's right, let's go.
40:11Once again, a good cast starts with clear instruction
40:14and body positioning from Rex on the send.
40:18Sid.
40:21Alfie, over.
40:23Over.
40:24There.
40:24Do you see how she had to kick off a little bit?
40:26Yeah.
40:27Started out a bit wider.
40:28Call her name to get her nose to you.
40:31To me.
40:32To me.
40:32Alfie, to me.
40:33To me.
40:33To me.
40:33Reach across in front of her
40:35and tell her to go O-V-E-R when you're there.
40:39Over.
40:39Over.
40:40Look at that.
40:43Good girl.
40:44Now sit her if you can.
40:46Sit.
40:48Now is that 180?
40:49Yeah.
40:50Okay, just leave her be and let her work it out herself.
40:56There.
40:57Now sit her.
40:58Sit.
41:00Cooler now.
41:02Alfie, to me.
41:02Alfie, to me.
41:03To me.
41:03Now send her.
41:04Over.
41:05Over.
41:05Yeah, beautiful.
41:08Now sit her.
41:09Sit.
41:10Excellent.
41:11Now she's on that side, isn't she?
41:13Yeah.
41:13She's a quick learner.
41:16Alfie, back.
41:18Back.
41:18I feel pretty good about the assessment overall.
41:21There are a few things to work on, but that's always a good thing.
41:24A good way to improve is realising where there is a deficiency
41:27and then putting in play steps to fix that.
41:32Alfie, back.
41:33Back.
41:34She's trying very hard for him.
41:37She's not dogging it.
41:38She's not playing hard to get.
41:40Like, she's giving her 100%, I feel, four wrecks.
41:44And so it's a beautiful relationship that they have with each other.
41:48Poor.
41:49Now, there we go.
41:50Now, that was a good job.
41:52He did that one really good.
41:55Further south, on the Western Australian coastline...
41:58It's the glamour of filming, sitting in the rain.
42:03Stop.
42:04Joanie's not surprised to find a collie pup raring to go
42:08on her 30-metre cast.
42:10Over.
42:11Get off.
42:12Over.
42:18Blossom gets around with ease.
42:21Steady.
42:21Moving the stock with flow.
42:23Stop.
42:26Since the sheep are cooperating,
42:29Blossom doesn't need to get too close.
42:31Good dog.
42:32Walking.
42:33Walking.
42:34Walking.
42:34Good dog.
42:36Through the gate.
42:37Good girl.
42:38Good dog.
42:39There.
42:39Good girl.
42:40And to prove the point, back again.
42:44No problem.
42:45Stop.
42:46Stop.
42:49Three passes right there and a clean sweep for Courtney and Blossom.
42:58Despite an impressive cast,
43:01Courtney wants Joanie to show her how to get a lift
43:04or push up from Blossom
43:06when she feels the stock aren't moving as quickly as she would like.
43:11So we'll go around and see what happens.
43:13All right.
43:14All righty.
43:15Hit it, Toots.
43:15Stop.
43:19Bloss, come.
43:19Over.
43:20Psh, psh, psh, psh.
43:30So she's not sure what to do here.
43:32Would I try and move her or just let her wait and see if she figures it out?
43:37I would just let her see what happens.
43:43See?
43:44Here we go.
43:46Patience.
43:47See that?
43:48I've got to learn patience.
43:51That's okay.
43:51I'll just change my whole character in order to train the talk.
43:58So she's really thinking what she's doing and she's reading her stock.
44:02As she's coming in there, there's two of them.
44:05So once they turn, she'll either freeze or she'll move past them.
44:10Do you see that?
44:10Yeah, yeah.
44:11So now she's back on this one here that flicked its head back here.
44:17See, this is amazing because I'd never give her the time to do this.
44:20Yeah.
44:21I've never given any of my dogs.
44:22But I just played it play-by-play for you.
44:24Yeah, that's cool.
44:25Bloss, that's enough.
44:27Blossom, with me.
44:28Good girl.
44:31Sometimes going slow is going fast.
44:34Hmm.
44:35I was always told as a kid, if you go out there with attitude to catch a horse, in 10
44:40minutes it'll take you a minute.
44:42If you have the attitude that it's going to take you a minute, it'll take you 10 minutes.
44:47Yeah, yeah.
44:47She collected them, she held them, then she didn't even have to use force, they just flowed off her.
44:55Yeah, yeah.
44:57So, I don't know much about the trolling world, but sometimes them sheep might need 30 seconds.
45:04Yeah.
45:04And that's exactly how long it was.
45:06Yeah, it feels like longer to me, but you're right, it's just so quick.
45:12Blossom didn't need to be taught to lift, Courtney needed to learn to be patient.
45:19She's up the back going, oh, I'm really, really sorry, I don't know what's up her ass today, like, everything's
45:25got to be done in five seconds.
45:27And also, it'll probably stop her from getting numb to your excitement whistle.
45:33Mm, yeah.
45:35Found out that my personality may be a little bit controlling, and I'm not as patient as I thought, because
45:42she's lifting the stock fine, it's just that she's reading them and responding to them, and I'm sitting there, you
45:49know, being antsy and thinking that things need to move faster when they don't, so.
45:54I just am not giving her the time she needs.
46:05Back in Nundal, Ian prepares to send Burruma across an ambitious distance.
46:14Twice what has been asked for to complete the casting part of the assessment.
46:19Bye.
46:21Can the busy pup focus and get the job done?
46:26Put him in. Good boy.
46:32The sheep are on the fence, which is not ideal.
46:36Burruma.
46:38Burruma.
46:39But in almost textbook fashion, the little kelpie moves them back towards Ian with lovely flow and balance.
46:47Steady.
46:49Good boy.
46:51Put him in.
46:52Good dog.
46:54Steady.
46:54Steady.
46:57Good boy.
46:59It's a resounding three ticks on the cast, with a perfect overall score for Ian and Burruma.
47:06Sit.
47:09Wow, that's awesome, mate.
47:10Well done.
47:11Thanks, Joe.
47:12He just broke out beautifully, kept going, didn't pull up too soon, went around, tucked the wing in.
47:20Yeah, some beautiful natural work there, brought them down a little bit quickly, but you can't expect that a young
47:26dog won't do that.
47:27If he's the type of dog that has a little bit of grunt about him.
47:31So that's where we'll work on a little bit more control and a little bit of a slop and a
47:35steady and we'll start teaching that next.
47:40Over.
47:40No.
47:41Burruma.
47:41Come here.
47:42Burruma.
47:44Burruma.
47:45Come here.
47:46Over.
47:49Burruma.
47:50With Ian's children, Jackson and Ella, watching, the sheep are lined up along a fence, and Joe asks Ian to
47:56send Burruma to each side of the mob, enforcing a stop before the kilpie can come back the other way.
48:04Oi.
48:04Sit.
48:05Stay.
48:06Lovely.
48:07So you just send him around there and then just try and pull him up off him.
48:12Steady.
48:12That's better.
48:13Stay.
48:17Lovely.
48:17So we need to impose ourselves more with our block and go and really block him.
48:23So see if you can do that.
48:26And just sit him.
48:27Burruma.
48:28Sit.
48:29Later on what we're going to do is use the sit.
48:32So it's really important that we've got it so that every time he disobeys us, we can just stop him
48:38and recommand him.
48:40So he learns that he's got to comply or he'll be stopped.
48:44Yep.
48:44Okay.
48:45So you walk down one end.
48:47Yep.
48:48Come here.
48:49And now sit him around the other side.
48:52Over.
48:52Sit him when he gets to the fence.
48:55Burruma.
48:55Sit.
48:56Stay.
48:57So you can see now he's far less excitable and he's not trying to double back the other way straight
49:04away.
49:05He's now waiting a little bit more.
49:07So let's just do it another couple of times and that'll be the exercise.
49:10Bye.
49:12Burruma.
49:13Sit.
49:14Burruma's made a huge amount of progress but I think I've made a fair bit of progress too in terms
49:18of the learning and understanding that dog psychology a lot more.
49:23Steady.
49:25Good boy.
49:25Stay.
49:26Don't go.
49:28That'll do.
49:29Oi.
49:29Good lock up there mate.
49:31That's good.
49:32Good boy.
49:32Burruma.
49:33Stay.
49:35A big thing I think I have learned about myself is that I'm still open to learning things and I
49:39think that's a real positive and I enjoy learning.
49:46Loving it.
49:47So this is how we'll teach them to bark on command.
49:51You know when you've been through universities and done degrees and other bits and pieces you think I've had enough
49:57of this but I think maybe I haven't.
49:59Maybe I'm happy to go and start on my doctorate next and be Dr Ian.
50:05too.
50:07I don't know.
50:07I'm happy to be there.
50:09I can't.
50:10I can't.
50:12I can't.
50:19I can't.
50:20Back. Right back. Back.
50:23He gets around the back okay.
50:25Walk up.
50:26But has trouble getting them moving.
50:28Walk up.
50:30What? What?
50:33Shady Jane has trained her cattle to follow her when she makes this noise.
50:38What?
50:40Good boy.
50:44Good boy.
50:46Once they're going, going is smooth.
50:52So it's three passes and a perfect score for the Queensland pair.
50:58But mentor Mick is not completely happy.
51:02I just felt that Shady's dog wasn't able to move them dead quiet cattle.
51:08And it is hard on a 10 month old dog.
51:11She's been talking to them cattle to make them follow her.
51:14What?
51:14And when they don't move she's talking to them saying come on follow me.
51:17What?
51:18Well we can't do that.
51:19The dog's got to do it.
51:21We're going to try and get you better for the grand final.
51:23And you're going exceptionally well.
51:25But there's a few little things I want to talk to you about.
51:27Yeah.
51:28The first thing I want to talk to you about is your little tricks.
51:31The first thing.
51:34I was waiting for that.
51:36I was waiting for it.
51:38Like it is very smart what you do but I can see it.
51:44Like when you've got cattle following you and you know they're going to follow you it makes
51:49it easier on your dog.
51:50Yeah.
51:51So what I want to do is go that is good but I've got to make you better.
51:57I've got to make your dog be able to do it.
51:58Yeah.
52:00As the saying goes it's best to tackle things head on.
52:06So I want you to bring your dog up there and walk him onto the head of cattle.
52:10Okay.
52:11Walk up.
52:12Now see how he's coming in very steady.
52:14Mm-hmm.
52:15Walk up.
52:17Walk up.
52:18Good boy and reward it.
52:20Good boy.
52:21Go in with him.
52:21Walk up.
52:22Give him some confidence.
52:23Walk up with him.
52:24Walk up.
52:26And reward him.
52:26Walk up.
52:27Good boy.
52:28Stop.
52:28It's on that head of that beast.
52:29Walk up.
52:31Walk up.
52:33Good boy.
52:34Good boy.
52:35Good boy.
52:36Good boy.
52:36Push him up.
52:37Good boy.
52:38So when he has a little bit of a go, get him.
52:40Good boy.
52:41Get him and make him learn that we want you to win.
52:44Mm-hmm.
52:46Righto.
52:47Righto.
52:48After a small victory on his own, Turner is paired with experienced dog Try to give the
52:54pup belief that he can do this.
52:57Come behind.
53:00Good boy.
53:00Hit, hit, hit, hit, hit.
53:01Good boy.
53:02Good boy.
53:05Good boy.
53:05Call him off.
53:06Turn off.
53:07That'll look.
53:07Can we try the look?
53:08Turn off.
53:08Stop.
53:09That'll look.
53:09Give him a pat.
53:11The reason I'm putting that other dog there, because he's only 10 months old and those cattle
53:15are going to put a lot of pressure on him going towards him, if this dog turns him
53:19and gives him some confidence to turn them with him, he learns.
53:23Yeah.
53:23If we run the cattle over the top of him, he gets weaker.
53:26Yeah.
53:28Shh, shh, shh, shh.
53:28Good boy.
53:29Right now.
53:29Shh, shh, shh.
53:30Good boy.
53:30Stop.
53:31I'm just going to focus on a bit more of his strength, as in, you know, applying a pressure
53:37to a cow's nose and not put too much pressure on myself coming into the finale and just keep
53:44having a good bond with him and just be grateful every day that I've got him in particular,
53:49because he's a pretty bloody cool dog and I think I'd be lost without him now.
53:54Hey, mate.
53:58A stunning turnaround for most of our novice trainers.
54:02Blossoms.
54:03Over.
54:04Get off.
54:05Proving that with a quality working dog, if you do the work, then results will come.
54:11All passes for Ian, Shady Jane and Courtney, with a few blemishes next to Max, Sam and Rex.
54:20The good news is the mentors have agreed.
54:24All participants can progress to the grand final, with some fine tuning needed over the
54:32next two months.
54:34At some point, Elfie is going to have challenges with the cattle or with stock and she's going
54:43to have to apply pressure that she particularly doesn't want to.
54:46So Rex is going to have to find a way where he can, has got some sort of control over
54:51that
54:51pressure.
54:51Go back.
54:52So going forward, there's a lot of work to be done between now and the finale.
54:56Probably the main one is the cattle and we'll look at how Roxy respects the sheep more.
55:01But I'm sure I've got a lot of faith in Max and Roxy.
55:05I'm sure they're going to kill her.
55:07Yeah, I think Sam just needs to make sure that dog, he's a good, clean, strong dog, but
55:11he just needs to learn how to move cattle.
55:13We just need to tidy that cast up a bit more.
55:15He's getting around, but I'd like to see a bit more distance and depth.
55:19And their picks for a grand final victory?
55:22I'm really happy with the way that Blossom's casting and her identifying the cattle.
55:29So I feel Courtney's going to be a tough competitor to beat.
55:34I haven't seen the others, but I think Ian's going really well.
55:38You couldn't ask for anything more at this stage of a young dog.
55:40And all dogs mature at different rates.
55:44You've got to forget the tricks and have the dog being capable of doing it.
55:48But all jokes aside, Shady Jane and Turner went pretty well.
55:53Good boy!
55:55I think she's quite a chance in this grand final.
56:01With all that grand final pressure ahead, Ian wants to let off some steam with Booramah
56:07at the local fundraiser, the Great Nundle Dog Race.
56:11It's always good to be here at the Great Nundle Dog Race, ladies and gentlemen.
56:17The school principal hopes Booramah can win the main race and be named the fastest working
56:23dog in the area.
56:24Booramah!
56:25To me!
56:27Take your marks!
56:29Get set, go!
56:31Here, Booramah!
56:32Heel!
56:33To me!
56:34Here, Booramah!
56:36Come here!
56:36Push, push, push, push, push, push!
56:39Here!
56:39Here!
56:40Come here!
56:40Come here!
56:42Good boy!
56:44Here, Booramah!
56:45Hey!
56:45Here, Booramah!
56:47Here!
56:48Come here!
56:49Here, Booramah!
56:50He finished last, but he raised $550 for the school.
56:56Good boy!
56:57Well done!
56:58So you're not designed for racing, you're designed for mustering sheep.
57:01That's the thing.
57:03Next time, after a year of frustration...
57:07The finale just crept up on me and I'm like, oh, jeez, I don't think I'm ready for this,
57:10actually.
57:11...and determination.
57:12Oh, it's looking right at me.
57:14My headache's back.
57:14I need some Panadol.
57:16It all comes down to this, the muster dog's grand finale.
57:21In this final test, a former champ returns.
57:24It's so much more stressful being a judge than it is a participant.
57:29Here he is.
57:30Look at you go.
57:31And our novice trainers reunite.
57:33You know how people say they are quietly confident?
57:35I'm quietly crapping myself.
57:37As they make one last push for working dog glory.
57:41I'll be sit, sit.
57:42Oh my God.
57:43Don't send her, just sitting.
57:45Sit, bye, sit!
57:48Because when it's all over, one of these six pups will be crowned.
57:53So I'm pleased to hand over the baton of champion muster dog and handler to...
58:04What a journey it's been.
58:06Next week, see how far these beautiful and smart pups have come in the final episode of
58:11Muster Dogs.
58:12Or stay where you are for Dog Pie.
58:14Dog Pie.
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