AUSTRALIAN TERRIER: READY, WILLING & ABLE!
From the farmers’ perspective, the more tasks the dog could do, the more valuable the dog. A small dog required less mainte- nance. Clearing the farm of rodents and removing other animals that competed for resources was a necessary requirement, and one at which the Aussie excelled. Warning the farmers of intrud- ers and larger predators was a part of every day and they were expected to bring the sheep in at night. While all these jobs were important, none was more crucial than clearing the farm of ven- omous snakes. To achieve this, the dog needed to be intelligent, courageous, agile, and self-confident as well as possess the abil- ity to work within a pack to achieve a common goal. Without cooperation and teamwork, the result could be fatal. The Aussie’s expertise in snake killing was so great that the farm children were taught to send the dogs into the bushes to retrieve toys instead of reaching into the shade where the snakes were likely to be. Close, daily teamwork with children, coupled with this breed’s small size, led to these dogs being welcomed into houses to sleep on the hearth at night. Through these inter- actions, the Aussie became a dog that bonded very closely with his humans—particularly children. Today, we find a self-confident, agile, and intelligent dog with a strong desire to work with humans to achieve a common goal. As the AKC continues to expand the performance titles available, we find the Aussie involved in many different activities. Most common are Obedience and Rally, Agility, and Barn Hunt. In addition, we often find them excelling in Tracking, Scent Work, and Earthdog. Today, we celebrate and find “Finn,” a master detective Scent Work dog, “Reggie,” an endurance Earthdog (six times!), and “Penny,” a double platinum Crazy 8 Barn Hunt dog. Additionally, we have MACH Aussies, OTCH Aussies,
To understand why Aussies are excellent performance dogs, we need to go back in history to the development of the breed. Farmers needed a dog to match the difficult conditions of the Australian out- back. Hot weather and dry, barren conditions required a small, hard- scrabble dog with versatility—one able to do many jobs that included the need to clear a farm of vermin, warn of intruders, bring the sheep in at night, and most importantly, dispatch the all-too-common venomous snakes.
286 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2023
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