New Zealand Shepherd ( eng. New zealand huntaway ) - a shepherd dog bred by farmers in New Zealand to help in grazing and driving cattle [1] . Another name for the shepherd is huntway ( eng. Huntaway ) - it comes from the English word “huntaways”, literally meaning “driving along the road” . The breed is relatively new, has about 100 years old, bred around the end of the XIX century. A dog that knows how to control flocks with the help of a bark. They are used only for grazing, and not for protection, in view of their loyal character, even to strangers.
| New Zealand Shepherd | |||||
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| Other name | huntway | ||||
| Origin | |||||
| A place |  New Zealand | ||||
| Time | XX century | ||||
| Specifications | |||||
| Growth |
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| Weight |
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| Color | black, black with a red tan, black with a brown tan | ||||
| Life span | 12-14 years old | ||||
| Other | |||||
| Using | shepherd dog, companion dog | ||||
The average life expectancy is 12-14 years. They are distinguished by great endurance and ability to work. These dogs are able to work all day in the hilly regions of a typical New Zealand sheep farm. They are especially suitable where the terrain is too hilly for horses or motorbikes. A good hunt can work quietly all day in the herd of the herd, traveling long distances, barking all day if necessary. They have good eyesight, thanks to which they perfectly track the stray sheep from the herd.
New Zealand Shepherd dogs are not recognized by dog clubs as a “real” breed, only as working dogs. Until 2013, not a single dog club recognized it, even in New Zealand. Despite this, they are quite popular in the UK , and in Australia , and in Japan .
Content
Breed History
The true history of the origin of the New Zealand Shepherd is unknown, but many theories exist. These dogs are used throughout New Zealand to control and collect large flocks of sheep. These shepherds are now regarded as part of New Zealand's heritage.
Sheep breeding in New Zealand began in the 30s of the XIX century. Soon it turned into a leading branch of the economy. Four-legged shepherds helped to cope with the herd of herds; they replaced two or three people each. Initially, in New Zealand, English shepherd dogs were used for this, which were brought here in the XVII-XIX centuries. Small flocks of sheep could be controlled with a collie .
Over time, the herds became very large and the collies ceased to cope with their work. At the beginning of the 20th century, the stock of sheep in New Zealand reached 20 million. The long collie coat, warm climate, and silent work of dogs were no longer suitable for this work. It should be noted that most shepherds brought to New Zealand from the UK worked with cattle in silence, and most farmers recognized the fact that when moving cattle and grazing, a barking shepherd is needed. Also, the collies did not have much stamina and quickly tired, the shepherd never knew where his dogs were. What was needed was a short-haired dog with great stamina, which could be heard. Farmers had to start breeding a suitable optimal breed with the necessary qualities. In the end, such dogs were found, and they were massively propagated. So, in the XX century, the breed of the New Zealand Shepherd was bred: a calm, hardworking dog, with excellent health, who knew how to collect loudly barked sheep in a loud bark [2] . Moreover, these dogs are taught to bark loudly rationally: only when working with the herd. The rest of the time they remained calm. It is believed that when the hunts were introduced, a Beauceron or French Shepherd, Bloodhound , German Shepherd , Labrador , Collie and Rottweiler were involved [3] . But this is only an assumption, according to dog handlers and specialists in this field.
Breed Recognition
As of August 2013, the Huntway breed was recognized by the New Zealand Cynological Club (NZKC) [4] . This is the first ever dog breed of New Zealand origin. So the NZKC introduced the standard parameters for the breed Huntaway [5] , but it includes notes:
According to the New Zealand Association of Hunting Dogs, the huntway breed can never be registered due to large differences in the color, type and size of dogs and because of the inability to prove at the exhibition its main (and only) task of the breed - as a working stock. According to the New Zealand Association of Hunting Dogs, the huntway should not be used solely as a pet. No changes to the official New Zealand breed standard will be made without the approval of the New Zealand Judicial Association.
Character
The New Zealand Shepherd is calm and conflict-free. She is friendly, calm and loyal even to strangers. It is considered too affectionate and sociable dog, so it is not used as a guard dog, exclusively for grazing.
Huntway is an unusually smart, highly trained dog. Dogs of this breed consider only one member of the family to be their owner, while at the same time they love everyone else. Representatives of the breed are very affectionate for children, even if the child during the game hurts the dog, the hunt will never offend the baby and will not growl. Therefore, it is increasingly being used as a companion dog.
The New Zealand dog gets along well with various domestic animals, including cats. The exception is only her relatives - the same hantway. Two New Zealand Shepherd dogs do not get along together. Huntway is considered a fairly intellectual dog, able to make decisions independently. Dog handlers claim that every step of the hunt is deliberate.
Exterior
Until 2013, the parameters of the dogs were very arbitrary, since the standard of the breed of the hunt was not adopted until that time. Only those dogs that win the test can be registered in the pedigree book in the New Zealand Association of Hunting Dogs.
Dogs of this breed come in different sizes, shapes and colors. There are two well-known types of hunts: long-haired and short-haired. Some of these dogs are very large, and some are very small. Although any size is acceptable, the standard displays the average value: usually the height of the dogs at the withers is from 61 to 66 cm, the bitches are from 56 to 61 cm [5] . Weight in the range from 30 to 40 kg in males and from 25 to 35 kg in females [6] .
The head of the New Zealand Shepherd Dog is small, the muzzle is elongated, slightly narrowed to the nose, the nose is black, rather large [5] . The eyes are small, brown. Ears hanging, set high, half-erect [ what? ] . The shepherd has a wide, muscular neck of medium length. The body of the dog is proportional, the back is long, muscular. The limbs are smooth, long, parallel, with well-developed muscles and pronounced hock joints, which allows her to develop a fairly high speed. The tail is medium long, thick, as a rule, either hangs down freely or is held upright. The coat is usually short and dense, but long-haired ones are also known (often called “Beardies”). The color is most often black, with a red tan, and black with a brown tan.
Care and education
In general, this dog is designed to work, but you can keep a huntway in an apartment or in a country house. The main condition for detention is regular exercise. The lack of such can lead to the fact that the dog will begin to naughty in the apartment, thereby spoiling the property. The huntway is very energetic, active dogs, they like to walk, run, therefore, having such a dog, you need to be prepared for walks.
Huntway is generally easy to train, but the individuality of each individual dog should be considered. Training requires respect and patience with the dog. In no case should you apply physical punishment, give stupid rash commands.
If we talk about the education of the New Zealand Shepherd for work, then she does not need any special exercises that go beyond her usual duties. They were bred to work with the herd in the hills and in the mountains of New Zealand, where movement is difficult, so the formulated teams and whistles are used to transmit commands to these dogs when they are at a distance.
Caring for a New Zealand Shepherd dog is very straightforward. The hair should be combed periodically with a brush (preferably twice a week), in case of severe contamination the animal must be bathed. Normal eye and ear care is required [7] .
Nutrition
For the New Zealand Shepherd it is extremely important to make the right diet. Most farmers feed their dogs fresh meat. The dog can be fed with natural products and high quality dry feed. If natural feeding is chosen, then the following must be present in the diet of the dog:
- Offal and lean meat
- Various cereals: wheat, oat, barley
- Dairy products
- Boiled sea fish
- Fruits and vegetables
- Eggs
Drinking clean water should always be available to the dog. It is not recommended to feed from the table, as salt, sweets, condiments, smoked products, pickled, tubular bones, and pastries are prohibited. During pregnancy, it is necessary to include dietary supplements with minerals in the dog’s nutrition, and include a vitamin complex in the diet.
Notes
- ↑ Korshunov A. New Zealand (Russian) // Vyacheslav Tekoev Perm Airport: Journal / Editor-in-Chief Yulia Vorozhtsova. - Perm: Trajectory, 2012 .-- March 3 ( issue 3 ( No. 2 ). - P. 38 .
- ↑ Heading dogs, huntaways and all-purpose dogs (English) . https://teara.govt.nz .
- ↑ History of the Huntaway . http://www.huntawayclub.co.uk/index.html (2007).
- ↑ Dogs New Zealand . https://www.dogsnz.org.nz (2013).
- ↑ 1 2 3 Breed Standard - Nz Huntaway (English) . http://www.dogsnz.org.nz .
- ↑ HUNTAWAY - THE BARKING WORKER . http://www.petpaw.com.au/ .
- ↑ HUNTAWAY DOGS . http://www.shearing.co.uk .
Links
- The magazine "Perm Airport" . http://magazine-aeroport.ru/ (2012).
- New Zealand huntaway
- Huntaway q's movie
- HUNTAWAY - THE BARKING WORKER . http://www.petpaw.com.au/ .
- History of the Huntaway . http://www.huntawayclub.co.uk/index.html (2007).
- New Zealand Shepherd. Description and characteristics of the breed . http://sobakainfo.ru// .
- huntaway dogs . http://www.shearing.co.uk .