Karmala Merino and Working Kelpie Studs: News

As in any business, and even more importantly in animal breeding, feedback is essential for success.

It is only by learning the outcome of particular matings that I can assess results and plan future matings.

I really appreciate the updates on pups I have sold, both good and bad. Sometimes I feel I’m only hearing the good news, and remind past buyers of pups that they are guaranteed to be useful workers…provided they are well cared for and given the right opportunities.

This page is designed to show how pups develop and what their owners think of them. It should help prospective clients.

A dog pup from the first Riana GlideXKarrwarra Gift litter went to Santa Rosa, California nearly 2 years ago.
Dr. Bill Davis on Karmala Gungaroo, also known as Bosun.
“Bosun is a very talented, natural working dog. I am very pleased with his work and his progress.” Bill has recently let Bosun go to work with a local shepherd who thinks he’s ‘an awesome dog’!

Bonny is a good brood prospect due to the good “natural” work she has in
her. It’s getting harder and harder to find dogs who have the natural break,
heading and cover that we need without having to train it in the dogs.
Bonny is now doing miles behind the horse and is becoming much more biddable, she is doing some good work too. She has great stamina and a huge desire to work which is good, hasn’t grown much, only a small bitch. I’ll keep you posted…

and on a sister from a subsequent litter, K.Gleam: Gleam’s going ok, a different bitch to Bonny, her natural work is not as
good as Bonny’s. She tends to over work her stock and bullies them a lot but
should settle down with work and age. She could be ok on cattle, I have
worked her on a few quiet ones and she went well.

Mark Wendelborn bought a bitch pup, Karmala Wish, from the Riana RaddleXWoorivale Spice litter, b.10/06. He recently wrote in an email to me:

“….a few pics of Wish, going very,very well, all the things you want in a paddock/ mustering dog. Very intelligent, nice break and looks at the whole mob not just a bit of the mob. Knows where the front of the mob is and actually wants to pull the mob up, has lovely cover and anticipation, will be there before they go, not chasing after them. I think she is a great young dog and I will be breeding her at the first chance I get next year to make sure I don’t lose this work, impossible to find down here.”

Peter Telford from East Gippsland has a bitch from the Paddy’s ShadowXRiana Delta Dawn litter, b.1/2007, Karmala Shiner:

Attached are a few pics of Shiner, who is progressing really well, as much natural ability as I have seen in a dog of this age. Excellent holding, with exceptional position on the head. Works wide yet has plenty of presence and isn’t afraid of anything. Stock really move away from her, and she isn’t constantly annoying them once she has them undercontrol. Shows good stamina and is easily taught.
And in late 2009, when I purchased a pup from her:
Shiner’s come on leaps and bounds. Good cast with extra breakout when more stock are spotted. Very good positioning on the head. Happy to cast around, gather, and hold, or on command can come in and bustle. Will push through in the yards and is developing a handy bark on command. Pups should be wide correct with a strong desire to work. That said they are not work mad, just keen.

Nix is going really well, I’m very happy with his work at the moment is still a bit excitable first off but settles down quite quickly into a good solid stock dog (nothing too amazing just good neat work).
Simon bought Karmala Gem in June,2008. Pics below of Gem just starting. She shows the calm, classy work that is typical of the GlideXGift pups.

Yesterday we moved a big mob of weaners, straight off the board, back to their paddock thru 3 other paddocks with sheep in them. And it was foggy, so a bit tricky. The front of the mob were mad and just kept heading, the back of the mob were crook and couldn’t keep up. So 2 of us on bikes worked either side of the front of the mob and just steered them in the right direction, and cleared a path thru foreign sheep. The old Pup worked at the back, on his own, in the fog. When I could see him he would be 50 or 60 meters off the sheep just watching, and if one slowed he would move up and tickle it along. We only left one sheep behind (out of 900) and that was my decision, at the first gate we went thru. And he is only just over 2 years old, a real credit to you Jan, and it would be a tragedy if his specific bloodline isn’t continued on. (Thanks Phil, but all credit goes to Arthur Hazlett, who bred Delta and Nap!)

Patrick Stubbe in Belgium wrote recently about * Karmala Bindi* (SpikeXGift), who is now about 2. He grazes his small mobs of sheep on areas of State owned ‘wilderness’, similar to our National Parks.

Bindi is a bit harder to control at the moment. Not that she is disobedient, but she is so convinced about what she thinks has to be done, that she forgets about me being in charge… A trait you surely must know !
She is at her best when working the head of a flock. F.ex. I use her to shepherd a flock of 40 mums+ lambs walking through a lane where there is lots to eat. Here she works exactly how A.Hazlett decribes his breeding aims on his website… She keeps the group together at the other side of where I am. But she gives well room for grazing. She can lay down for half an hour and guarantee the sheep don’t go further than where she is. When after a time I want her to move the sheep back to me, it takes a bit extra to get her out of her concentration on stock and to move as I ask her. But she does. On strong sheep, she uses bark when necessary.

I received an email today(11/4/09) from Nicole Weate, she and Jason have Karmala Ranger (Rowdy) whom they got from Michael Johnston. Rowdy has settled down a lot and is doing some nice paddock work. Unfortunately Acacia was put down after an accident but left a litter of pups.

Brad Cavanagh has Karmala Win (R.GlideXKarra. Gift), this was her first look at cattle:

Young Rye Stevenson has K. Toffee (K.SpikeXR.DeltaD) and her mum wrote last Dec. :

Here are a couple of photos of Toffee. She is doing really well. Rye, our daughter is working her on the cattle now. She has plenty of natural ability and nous, and is a lovely natured dog.

A little red bitch from the Glendon BennyXW.Spice litter Karmala Brandi started early for Beck and Sean Boon of Leyburn.

The FinchXPaddy’s Elkie litter(9/09) have all started to work quite early and with nice distance and ability. Below is Karmala Fern with the McCrabbs.

A dog from the Karmala ClydeXRiana Quill litter, K. Quando, had a rocky start and got no work or much attention in his first year; I bought him back and really liked his temperament and attitude to life, also his basic work on sheep. Luckily for him Darryl Mills took a punt on him, gave him a new name, and after a lot of patience reported 2 years later:

Tuff is going great, he is so loyal and so obedient. He is really fitting in with the other dogs. He is a different dog to where he started. We put him to the bitch and we got two pups which want to work already. Will cross them again if you
would like a pup. He is so loyal he won’t leave my side unless asked even when other people are around. He backs and barks at sheep and will block and bite cattle. Will get some photos
of him working and send them. I was wondering if I can get tuff’s registration papers so I can register the pups.
Thanks for everything, I really am pleased with tuff.

I had a great email from Stewy Oates, Jimargil, Menindee, recently. He has Karmala Rook (Riana FinchXWoorivale Spice), but has bred Stumpy Cattle dogs for many years. Stewy’s a very modest bloke and reluctantly agreed to share this story. This is what he had to say:
“Just thought I would let you know that “Rook a Neighbour and Myself “ mustered 3 paddocks which totalled around 15,000 acres. The fellow next door doesn’t go much on dogs for some reason but rang up and asked if we would help him muster his paddocks. The creek has cut us both off stranding 2,800 of his mixed sheep on the river side where there is not enough feed to keep them going . After mustering we needed to get them out over the one and only small timber bridge on his property. Rook was amazing and he was casting out and searching better than any dog I’ve ever seen. The job was made real easy having Rook. It may sound like I’m praising him up too much, but this dog is on his own in large paddocks. I always knew that he was good at pulling cattle and sheep when I’m moving non stop, but never thought he would be that good.
He covered the ground like a greyhound and always had his neck stretched out and searching for stock .The neighbour told me to put my own price on him and even rang back tonight to see if I had changed my mind. ( Not bad for a bloke that doesn’t like dogs). Anyway I’m as pleased as punch and think you should put him over one of your bitches. I do think he is best suited to large properties as a paddock dog which is a rare thing theses days with all the Utility dogs and Yard dog out there. I would be surprised if there was a dog as good as Rook for this one job alone. I can’t tell you how far his cast is, as it was continual until he picked them all up. You breed a top dog Jan, all they need is some time and patience as Rook was a timid type as you know. You could still stuff Rook up in the wrong hands, so its something that’s in them, but when you have their trust they will work until they drop just to please you.”

Now that’s what a lot of the old Kelpies did every day; it’s because studs like Riana have persevered in breeding ‘thinking’ dogs that they are still around….and all credit to Stewy for his handling of Rook, who’s very different from the dogs he was used to. A Riana QuillII bitch by Karmala Clyde(K.Pride) that Stewy also owns will be mated to Rook this year. Clyde proved himself a good mustering dog out at Quilpie with Peter Whiteman on Mt Margaret, so that litter will be worth watching. Stewy’s just bought a nice bay Choisir colt at the Melbourne Yearling Sales, so Rook will have to speed up a bit!

Karmala Sheila(R.FinchXW.Spice) enjoying agility work in Slovakia.

Karmala Bonny(Riana GlideXKarrawarra Gift)

Karmala Wish

Karmala Shiner blocks up...

... and is happy to hold.

Karmala Phoenix, (R.RaddleXW.Spice) has his first look at sheep...

Karmala Gem(Riana GlideXKarrawarra Gift) 5 mths

Karmala Gem is developing into a classy bitch for Simon Hartwich, I took these pics in July 2009.

Karmala Phoenix(R.RaddleXW.Spice) lacks a little strength but is a handy dog in Simon's team.

Phil Roche's dogs Karmala Taffy(Riana RaddleXW. Spice) and Karmala Pup(Riana NapXRiana Delta Dawn) on the right. Phil musters large mobs of sheep for Clive McEachern on his properties near Geelong, Vic.

Karmala Gleam(Riana GlideXKarra. Gift), 1year, owned by John Halsted.

Karmala Ranger(Riana RaddleXWoorivale Spice) also known as Rowdy by his owners Nicole and Jason Weate.

Karmala Toffee(K.SpikeXR.DeltaD) with her proud owner, Rye Stevenson from Roma.

Karmala Brandi( Glendon BennyXW.Spice) started working at 7 weeks.

Karmala Fern(Riana FinchXPaddy's Elkie) at Avenel, Wanganella.