Karmala Merino and Working Kelpie Studs

The Karmala Working Kelpie Stud was relocated to Queensland from Western Victoria in 2001. It is now situated at Nobby, about 40 km south of Toowoomba.

Only a small nucleus of bitches" is retained for breeding so that a high standard can be maintained. The foundation bitches have done a great job and in 2010 are making way for the ‘next gen’ girls who have been carefully selected from the many bitch pups born. This year Lily, Finesse and Peggysue will be bred for the first time and I am excited by the potential they represent. The plethora of cooking shows on TV make it very plain that even the finest ingredients can be reduced to a mess unless combined carefully, and the same applies to breeding animals. Each mating here is thought out very carefully with one aim in mind…to breed pups that work better than their parents.

My aim is to breed sensible dogs who can work naturally and cause their owners as few headaches as possible. I have no time for very excitable, stock-crazy animals. They must value their relationship with their handler to a high degree and want to please in their work. Highly respected Kelpie breeder, John White, wrote recently in the WKC newsletter:
“I always select a dog that is friendly, wants to be with you, to work as a team with you. You can tell those characteristics at a fairly young age.” I couldn’t agree more.

I like dogs that can work with a little distance off their stock when young, and are happy to hold when they have them balanced. They should also be capable of firing up when required for yard work… I don’t guarantee that every pup will comply exactly with this description, but some do, judging by this email received recently entitled ‘Zen and the art of sheepdog handling’…..
“The experience of working her is exactly the opposite of any other I have had with kelpies. It is veritably tranquil; I can hear the wind blowing and the birds chirping instead of myself yelling and screaming obscenities…. it is akin to zen!”

I know just how he feels. It was many years before I owned a really good, well bred dog. Once your stock work becomes a pleasure and you start looking forward to taking your dogs out, you’ll never settle for second best again.

In the last few decades, with the increasing use of bikes for mustering, some old kelpie traits are starting to disappear. Many dogs are now used mainly for yard work, and backing, barking, full-on kelpies are in the majority. I prefer an all-round dog that retains its heading instinct, has some eye, and is capable of mustering difficult country. With this in mind, I have sought sires with bloodlines that have been proven in hard conditions where brains and stamina are essential.
With the decline of the Merino in Queensland I have found that most clients need a dog that can work cattle as well as sheep, and that is my aim.

I have accessed old Kelpie families through the Karrawarra and Riana studs and I am very grateful for the help I have received from these experienced stud masters. Tony Parsons (Karrawarra) was responsible for seeking out and preserving Kelpie bloodlines after the fiasco of two World Wars, during which many ‘studs’ disappeared. His books on the Working Kelpie are an invaluable record of these dogs and are collectively known as ‘The Kelpie Bible’. Tony has always selected dogs with eye, style and distance.

Arthur Hazlett (Riana) founded his stud on Karrwarra dogs and is one of the few Kelpie breeders of recent years who has finessed the fine art of line breeding. Outside dogs are rarely introduced, and as a result his dogs are defined in type and prepotent. The Riana dogs still retain that stock minding ability that was required by all drovers; they were bred for many years in very tough country and selected for their brains and ability.

It is the relentless culling by these old studmasters, and their singleminded search for their perfect dog that has improved the breed over the years. No breeder of stock will achieve what these two have unless they have a very clear mental picture of exactly what they want to breed and pursue their ideal relentlessly.

Because I have little real work for my dogs these days, I try to ensure that any young dogs kept for breeding are tested in the real world. I have been most fortunate in finding some very kind, like minded stockmen to help me do this, and can’t thank them enough for their efforts. It surely proves their dedication to the Kelpie breed. With cooperation like this, and by working with a loose group of breeders who are looking for the same type of dog, I hope to preserve those Kelpie traits that originally made the breed such an invaluable asset.

Three brood bitches(left) Karrawarra Gift, Woorivale Spice and Riana Delta Dawn.

Spice whelped on Anzac day to Barru Zac and has a nice litter of five, two red/tan dogs, two red/tan bitches, and black/tan bitch. These are just leaving for their new homes.

Peg whelped 7-6-2010, to Riana Finch. She managed the seven pups like an old mum, not a maiden bitch…amazingly they are all dog pups! This a very nice litter, pups still available.

Delta whelped 15-6-10 to Merlin, also 7 pups, all doing well. This is a most precocious litter which is very alert and active; when they were just 3 weeks old a visitor walked over to their pen and they went totally crazy, barking and growling…. he was wearing thongs and shorts and sporting some truly remarkable tattoo work on his legs. Of course they were only used to my boring boots and jeans!

The Kelpie, Tony Parsons’ new Kelpie book, will come out on Sept.1; it is one of the biggest books Penguin has published and will have a price to match(about $150), so start saving up! I called on Tony on my way home from town this week and was lucky enough to have a sneak preview as he was showing his first copy to Jim Busiko, an old client. It’s a beautifully produced book and will most certainly become a collector’s item in the future.

Kim Bates has K. Leroy Brown at Eungai Creek; when I visited in March she had him going nicely, but I was amazed that he managed to complete his first yard trial a month later. Kim and family stayed here overnight last week and enjoyed meeting Roy’s mum, Delta, and her new litter. Kim has also taken on Karmala Ebony(K.GlenXK.Lyddy).

Karmala Lily(R.GlideXKarra.Gift) returned home recently; she has been at Tenterfield with Grant Hutchins for a year or so and has worked cattle and Dorpers.
Thanks to Grant for his efforts with her. She came on heat quickly and has been mated to Arthur Crumblin’s Tracker.

I bought back a nice red bitch this week, K.Brandi(Glendon BennyXW.Spice) due to her owners no longer having work for her. She really enjoyed working my young rams and impressed me a lot. Tony Parsons later saw Brandi work and considers her the best pup he’s seen start here.

Another redhead not called Julia (must be a good year for them!) is Karrawarra Quince who switched on this week. After working my show sheep and having a good look at the big woolly show rams in the shed she was quite convinced that this wooden ram had no right being up on the wall and told him so! She’s the first of many pups who have seen him to recognise him as a sheep!

K. Peggysue enjoys her first run after rearing a very even first litter. These pups have her nice easy going nature and are great pups to handle.

'I said sit!' Peg takes after her mother Delta as a strict disciplinarian with her pups! Here she has six of her seven boys well under control. A lovely sensible litter, friendly and calm.

Tony Parsons gives his old friend Jim Busiko a preview of The Kelpie, Tony's new book.

Karmala Brandi (Glendon BennyXWoorivale Spice) works sheep for the first time at 9 months.

Whitehead's Tracker(Tubbo BoomerXWhitehead's Spice) winning a utility trial in Toowoomba, 2009.

Karrawarra Quince(Paddy's ShadowXKarmala Quizz) switches on!

These are big, productive sheep with quality wool, and can reduce the micron in stronger flocks without loss of cut… and increase production in finer flocks without increasing micron. This is stated with confidence based on the results in clients’ flocks over many years.

At Karmala micron, quality and production are the chief selection criteria. The infusion of finer genetics from Rockbank has given a finer ewe base and more elite-woolled young sheep.

The State Sheep Show at Goondiwindi, May, 2010, proved a bonanza for Karmala, Harry and Liz, the Queensland Pair from 2009 are now Queensland Ram and Ewe for 2010, and Harry was Grand Champion Ram! The second time for Liz, who has a big ram lamb as well…she’s certainly not just a pretty face… but it certainly did nothing to improve her underline, which cost her in the judging.
There was good competition from New England studs in the finer sections, and congrats to Shalimar Park who won Supreme; their young ewe beat Liz for Superfine ewe.
Harry has to go to Dubbo in August for the National Ram Comp, which has put paid to my plan to shear him off and mate him after Goondi. I’m now bringing some ewes in for him each night, hoping to get at least a sample of lambs this year; by the time we returned from Bendigo last year it was too late to mate him.

These lambs from an AI programme using Nerstane 43 in 2004 provided ewes that suited 'NB'. The cross produced the Queensland Pair in 2009.