by Dennis Lingane
ABC Muster Dog TV series was a smash hit for dog lovers Australia-wide, but WA now has its own Muster Dog man who is becoming a tourism attraction in the South-West, James Carr used to run 70,000 head of sheep a year with Cruiser, his kelpie. But he has now opted out of farming to focus on breeding and training working dogs for farmers. He has also been persuaded to do public demonstrations for tourists on training working dogs on his 100-acre property, Shimmy Downs near Busselton.
His success in this new career has seen him dubbed the kelpie dog-whisperer by many who he has helped train their own working dogs.
James spent all his school holidays travelling with his shearer father, haunting shearing sheds and farms watching how sheep were rounded up and processed. He also always had a kelpie by his side and set about training it.
Cruiser could drive a mob of 3000 sheep at a time. James was not one for charging around on a quad bike driving sheep; he trained Cruiser to bring the sheep to him.
“I stood holding the gate open,” he said. “Cruiser did all the work.”
He eventually opened his own kelpie breeding and training facility in Yalyalup close to Busselton. He says his former boss had to hire three workers to replace him and Cruiser.
“Cruiser didn’t get wages, or contributions to a super fund. Yet he worked flat-out all day, every day in 40-degree heat, pouring rain and on freezing cold mornings, and loved doing it.”
James breeds and trains working kelpies for farmers, but he also helps people with difficult dogs of all working breeds. And he enjoys doing public demonstrations for groups showing how he trains working dogs.
These demonstrations range from showing young pups of a few months old in the early stages of training to older and well-trained dogs rounding up and controlling larger mobs.
All these dogs have their own personalities. James seems to communicate with them telepathically – hence his reputation as the kelpie whisperer.
James says his training is as much about training owners as their dogs. He demonstrates this by calling any one of his dogs to him and the dog then stays by his side; the leash is never stretched.
“This is how dogs should behave in public, not pulling on leads, sniffing and exploring when you are walking them,” he says.
When he takes the leash off the dog runs free and does all its sniffing and exploring. But even then, when he calls out a command they obey instantly, which includes dropping and staying put where they are.
Training dogs and owners is done in one-on-one hour can sessions on his farm Shimmy Downs, but he also runs one and two-day clinics a number of times a year. Owners are very much a part of lessons so that the owner’s dog is responding to their commands.
Trained working dogs are one of the answers to cut farm costs. He says trained working kelpies sell for up to between $15,000 to $20,000.
“It sounds a lot until you work out a farm worker costs around $80,000 a year compared to a dog that costs you $20,000 for 10 years.
“The dogs don’t take holidays, complain about 40-degree heat, will run all day, and besides a healthy meal seek nothing but the chance to work and a thank-you pat on the head,” he says.
That is why he has set up his kelpie breeding and training facility. He now has 100 acres and 130 head of ‘trained’ sheep. He says his sheep know what to do and this helps the pups to develop their confidence.
He rotates the sheep in groups, so they don’t get tired. He uses only three or four for young pups and larger mobs for more experienced dogs. For the ultimate challenge he has a herd of untrained goats to round off the dogs’ training.
He says most working breeds like kelpies and collies need mental stimulation, and owners must be able to give them that to keep them happy and attentive.
For one-on-one sessions he charges $88 for an hour and repeats them a week apart.
For further information and booking group visits you can contact James or his wife Michelle at Shimmy Downs on 0407 465 352, email Shimmydowns@hotmail.com; www.shimmydownskelpies.com.au.
