WHEN Glenthompson kelpie breeder and trainer, Joe Spicer got a call from fellow dog trainer, Neil McDonald asking if he would be interested in filming a national television show showcasing the world of working dogs, he was apprehensive.

The task was huge – train a litter of kelpie puppies to be functional working dogs in just 12 months – most dogs are not ready to work for at least a few years.

Following a subsequent discussion with the show’s producer, Mr Spicer agreed to take part in the experiment and went about finding the right litter of pups for the challenge.

“It was difficult to get a litter that didn't have pups that were booked in it and had pups that would suit the program and suit the participants,” he said.

“I know most of the people … I think CJ was the only one I hadn't met but I knew that they had all been taught by Neil and Helen McDonald … and they were all on the same wavelength of low-stress stock handling or advance stock handling where you’re doing the absolute minimum or applying the minimum amount of pressure to get the maximum result, is what it's all geared around.”

With impeccable genes, committed handlers and the expertise of both Mr Spicer and Mr McDonald on hand, Muster Dogs became a reality. 

When Muster Dogs premiered on ABC TV in late January, households nationwide were captivated by the big personalities of both the pups and their handlers alike.

Close to a million Australians tuned in to see Annie and Frank, Chet and Joni, CJ and Spice, Gossip and Aticia, and Lucifer and Rob embark on the 12-month journey.

Over four episodes we saw the contestants and their puppies develop a Bluetooth connection, work on basic training, and build on the kelpie’s natural herding instincts to efficiently work a mob.

Many city dwellers saw, for perhaps the first time, the inner workings of the relationship between farmers and their canine workforce.

Mr Spicer said he was glad the program managed to capture the mutual respect and bond between the handlers and their pups.

“It just showed how much we love our country, how much we care for our animals and want the best for our animals,” he said.

“It’s made everyone more aware of how much we love our dogs and how much they mean to us, and how big a part of our life they are … it has also resonated with so many different people from all walks of life.

“I thought that was fantastic, I thought it was also great for them to see dogs in raised pens and community-fed and on chains, seeing how happy these dogs were in there and understand, ‘ok these dogs can’t just be roaming around on the farm doing whatever they like all the time’.

“To me, it was reality TV to a tee, there were no airs and graces, there was the feel-good theme to it I guess.”

As an experienced working dog trainer, Mr Spicer said most of the skills the dogs were tested on were basic manners and obedience that all dogs, city or country, should have down pat.

“I think it was great to see the training and the manners, and also there were so many golden moments or chestnuts,” he said.

“Where Frank had Annie down as a pup and he was actually pinning her down and dominating her - it was passive dominance, but it was in a loving gentle way, and she just melted in his arms.

“Seeing that yes, they need discipline, but you can give them discipline in a very non-aggressive and passive way where they don't even know they’re being disciplined.”

It was not all smooth sailing for the contestants who had to juggle the demands of their businesses with training their new pup.

Edenhope sheep grazier, Rob Tuncks struggled to train his dog, Lucifer who was the most outgoing of the puppies.

And the question of what percentage of behaviour is shaped by nature versus nurture came up as the other dogs progressed with their training, while Lucifer, the loveable larrikin, dawdled behind. 

Mr Spicer said watching Mr Tuncks' failed attempts to train Lucifer was frustrating and that the energy you put into training was usually what you got back.

“It was really frustrating to watch … the energy that that aggression and that frustration that quite often a lot of what they're doing (the dog’s behaviour) is out of frustration or spite - it's not from being disciplined, for being a hard-arse, it’s often the opposite,” he said.

“Why won’t my dog listen to me? because you’ve got nothing good to say … you’ve got nothing to offer me mate you’re a fool, so now I’ll just take advantage of you, and I think that’s how Lucifer saw Rob.

“A lot of people saw that what he was putting out he was getting back basically and what Frank was putting out when he goes ‘lovely dog’ … everyone melts, and she melts too.

“Saying ‘you’re the devil, you’re Lucifer’ or ‘you’re Annie’ shapes them and you’re almost wishing that on them.”

Mr Spicer said dogs would do what their handler wanted for three reasons - repetition, because you are physically making them by restricting their movements, and because they want to please you.

He said it was vital to use all three methods when training but that a strong connection between handler and dog meant that when the dog was no longer in range, it would continue to work hard to please you.

“When it’s out the other side of the mob on the hill, the only way you’re going to get it to do what you want is if it wants to please you.

“You're never going to have that dog truly barracking for you when the chips are down … when things get tough at the end of the day, the dog that got to do it because you're intimidating it will give up - it will go and find water in a trough, the one that you’ve built a rapport with you’ll both get in there and barrack for each other and try hard for each other and get the job done,” he said.

While it remains unclear if we can look forward to a second season of Muster Dogs at this stage, Mr Spicer said if there was an opportunity to participate in a second season, he would.

Mr Spicer has also continued to train the experiment’s control dog, Trunk, now known as Mouse, on the usual training schedule for working dogs and continues to work on the bond between them.

GoGetta Kelpie Stud has also had a huge influx of enquiries with people super keen to use working dogs on their properties.

“Obviously we’re always careful of where our dogs go,” Mr Spicer said.

 “We actually offer a service where you can order a pup and we’ll keep it to 12 weeks or three months.

“Usually by then they're starting to show some instinct and personality, and if we don't think it's going to suit you, your stock or the way you work your stock, or your situation, then we let you transfer the order to the next available litter.

“That works really well in that we really work hard to make sure the right dog goes to the right person.”

Mr Spicer said beyond the dogs, he was happy to see the impact the feel-good show has had on the next generation and hoped the show about working dogs would help inspire the next generation.

“Probably the biggest thing I’ve noticed is the children - I’ve had so many kids come up to me and go ‘I know you, I saw you on TV’ - and now they want to be involved in the farm and the rural industry,” he said.

“Hopefully it will mean more people want the lifestyle that comes with being on the land, so I think that in itself apart from dogs is fantastic and hopefully it’s going to help the next generation of stock people, to me that's huge in itself.”