Campaspe Working Dogs are bred as practical, all-round natural workers, suitable for working sheep and cattle, paddock and yard. They are bred for work, not trial. (In my view three sheep trials have largely ruined the collie, and yard trials likewise the kelpie.)

My aim is to continually improve the bloodline to more closely approach the ‘perfect’ working dog with each generation. Quality is never sacrificed for quantity.

The premise I work from is that a dog should not have to be taught how to handle stock—its breeding should tell it that. You shouldn’t have to teach it not to split sheep, or how to cast, etc., but should only have to teach it a system of commands that allows you to communicate your wishes. Otherwise it will never be a top dog. It may be a handy dog, but it will never be a top dog.

The Campaspe line is based on what could best be described as ‘Yulong Russ’ blood, which is becoming very rare. Many people who saw Russ work consider him one of the best dogs they have seen, if not THE best, and his mother one of the best bitches they have seen. He won the 1970 Centenary National Championships at Canberra, and in the years around that time won most of the major Victorian trials and many others also. When he wasn't working trials he was working sheep and cattle in the steep Strezlecki ranges.

However this blood has become scarce, and has been diluted with inferior blood of other lines. I have tried to catch the last trickle of this blood before it disappears for good, and to concentrate and improve what is left before it is too late.

I aim to breed a natural, big casting and mustering dog with the extremely rare ability to muster scattered stock in rough hill-country. The dogs must have exceptional cover and holding ability, and also the ability to drive stock well without overheading continually. They should 'work their sheep from behind', and not take one more step than necessary.

And they must have good force, and hold while they force. They should be forceful but not pushy—
dogs that are always pushing into stock are a nuisance. The good dog forces when required then backs off and takes them quietly—it is steady and has good distance.

I prefer a short-haired dog (long hair is nothing but a nuisance), leggy and of good size, without too much white, but I give no credence to old wives tales about the colour of a dog’s eyes or anything of that nature. They should be steady workers, with just enough eye to get the job done—none on a mob but enough when needed. They should be keen, calm and bold, with good stamina and great heart (I have no time for dogs that must be molly-coddled along - they must be keen).

 Hold, force, drive, cast and distance.

The Campaspe Working Dogs Bloodline

The Campaspe line is based around a dog called Moorlands Tomie, an exceptional worker linebred to Yulong Russ (4:3.4). Moorlands Tomie was bred by renowned sheepdog handler Jack Hiscock. He was by Cavanagh's Esjay (a great grandson of Yulong Russ) who Jack rated as the best alround dog he had ever had, and out of Barravore Jean (a granddaughter of Yulong Russ). Jean was by Sid Cavanagh's dog Miller's Pete 2nd (bred by the great Allan Miller, by Yulong Russ out of a Sinclair's Butch bitch).

There is a lot of the blood of dogs bred or owned by my good friend the late Sid Cavanagh behind the Campaspe dogs. Sid was a very knowledgeable breeder and handler, and without his influence the trickle of good blood still remaining would be gone.

Border Collies or not?

Personally, I don’t see much value in so-called “pure breeds” in the working dog.  In all of the working “breeds” there is a huge variation in every area, including colour, coat length, size, shape, temperament, intelligence and working instincts.  About the only commonality is some degree of shared ancestory, although the modern Kelpie is fairly standardized in colour and type. 

So I see little value in breeds.  The modern “border collie” is far removed from the original dogs bred in the border regions of the UK, and the modern “kelpie” is far removed from the original dogs of that breed, both in generations and in working style and type. 

If someone said to me that a dog was a Kelpie, then that would tell me virtually nothing about what the dog might be like, except perhaps its colour and pricked ears.  It tells me nothing about how it might work, or its temperament, etc., and the same with the Border collie.  But if someone were to say a dog was of a particular bloodline, then that would tell me something about its work, its temperament, its instincts, and its likely usefulness.

So I far prefer to consider ‘strains’ of dogs, or bloodlines. This is what the
original “Border” collie was – just one particular strain of collie which become popular.  
The Kelpie also was one particular strain of collie. 
(“Collie”was a generic term used for working dogs, which means ‘black').

So I don’t consider my dogs to be “Border collies”, although that is the description most people would probably apply, and they are registered as such.  Rather I consider them to be one particular strain or bloodline of collies, which might be described as “Yulong Russ blood collies”, or “Campaspe collies” or “Campaspe Working Dogs”.  There is some “Kelpie” in them (just another strain of collie) if you look far enough back, as there is in most Australian collies (and collie in most kelpies), and I won’t hesitate to outcross to one particular strain of “Kelpie” in the future if the need arises. 

Find me a real dog, bred down
Many lines from the great Yulong Russ

A dog of brains and ability, self-reliant
Of cover, and balance, and the searching cast
Hard dogs and tough
One good line, the last

Unfashionable now
When soft dogs, weak dogs, and brainless
Turn-tailers proliferate
The steady strength and cover despised
In ignorance, inexperience

The good dogs have thinned, died out
Still, a remnant remains, a handful
Natural dogs, and clean

Real sheepdogs not quite yet
A relic of the forgotten past
As a priceless pup demonstrates
The old blood, throbbing in its veins

By Tully Williams