Does your farm dog work harder than the rest? Now is your chance to put it to the test.
The Cobber Challenge is again offering Australian farmers the opportunity to measure just how hard their dog works. It has become a national celebration of the unsung hero of Australian agriculture – working dogs.
“The Cobber Challenge provides hard data to prove what most Australian farmers already know; a good working dog can do the work of at least two or three people,” says Kellie Savage, Cobber’s Marketing Manager.
“In previous years, dogs have regularly clocked over 50km in a day, highlighting their contribution to the farm team.”
Dogs from each state will be fitted with a GPS collar to track their distance, working duration and speed over a three-week period. Points are awarded, the dogs ranked, and by the end of the challenge, a new Cobber Champion is crowned.
Now in its fifth year, the 2020 Cobber Challenge is shaking up its format, with six favourite competitors from previous years to compete against six new contenders.
The 2020 Cobber Challenge: All Stars Vs Contenders will run from 17 August to 6 September.
Each day of the competition, data is uploaded to the Cobber Challenge website so fans can follow the performance of individual dogs, as well as the best performing team, the experienced All Stars or the fresh new Contenders.
South Australian farmer Peta Bauer won last year’s challenge with Border Collie, Jed, who clocked a record 717km over the three weeks.
“I found competing in the 2019 Cobber Challenge with Jed very rewarding. It gave me a better insight to how much our dogs actually do in one day. And it gave me a new appreciation for Jed’s dedication to work and his drive to please me.”
Jed had a week off after the Cobber Challenge before returning to help with lambing, crutching, shearing and calving. Unfortunately, Jed has had to have an unscheduled break after a run in with a heifer two weeks ago that saw him break his leg. He is out of action for about eight weeks.
As well as the glory of being a Cobber Champion and a year’s supply of Cobber Working Dog feed for the winning dog, this year’s winner will receive $3000 to be spent on a working dog breeding program, training for your working dog or participation in working dog trials.
Cobber will provide the fuel for these dogs, as it does for thousands of working dogs every day around the country.
Want to throw your hat in the ring? Fill out the nomination form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020cobberchallenge
Nominations close at 5pm on Friday, 26 June.
Media contact
Laura Griffin: laura@curriecommunications.com.au, 0400 170 663