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Brood bitches past, present and future

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Campaspe Ugly (Campaspe King x Campaspe Stripe)

Only 8 months old at the time of writing (January 2020), but showing enormous potential.

Extremely intelligent, great temperament, very tough, very loyal. Reminds me a great deal of her great-grandmother Campaspe Tammy in that respect. And shows a lot of similarity to Moorlands Tomie, the main foundation sire of the Campaspe line (she has 16 crosses of Tomie in her pedigree, and Tomie had 3 crosses of Yulong Russ… so that’s 48 crosses of Russ), and also reminds me a lot of her namesake, Moorlands Ugly (who was very closely related to Tomie).

Lovely natural casting ability, great balance and short cover, good quick clean heading and breakaway break when needed, and looks after the tail while managing the lead. A bit shorter in the leg and heavier in build than I would ideally like.

 

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Campaspe Joan (Campaspe King x Campaspe Maggie)

Litter sister to Campaspe Tammy, Joan is another very brainy, natural mustering bitch, with a great natural cast with a great deal of depth, which is quite rare.

Very similar to Tammy in work, a very high quality bitch in her own right. For a while I did wonder whether they were identical twins, as they are so similar in work, temperament and looks, not the same but very similar. Joan isn’t as strong a bitch as Tammy.

Joan has bred a number of litters and is proving a very good brood bitch. Some high quality offspring including Campaspe Sandy (by Campaspe Bounce), and Campaspe Scar (by the Kelpie outcross Roustabout Gus).

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Campaspe Tammy (Campaspe King x Campaspe Maggie)

Tammy is one of my favourites. Exceptionally intelligent, biddable and loyal (a real “one man” dog), and yet also strong and independant, with loads of heart and stamina.

It has often been said of Yulong Russ that you could “see him thinking” and that is exactly how I would describe Tammy. It is uncanny how fast she figures out what I am trying to get her to do, when I haven’t really taken the time I should to teach it to her properly. All the Campaspe dogs are generally highly intelligent, but Tammy is in a whole other class, up there with Boho Misty in the outright intelligence/speed of learning department, and with Moorlands Tomie in the ‘brains’ department – Tammy has it all. And as outstanding as Tomie and Misty were, I think Tammy trumps them both for the outright ability to sum up a situation and decide on a course of action, rather than just reacting. You really can “see her thinking”.

Tammy has many of the “opposing traits” I look for in a top working dog. She will work very wide and break very wide on really wild sheep; out in the scrub sometimes she will be a good fifty or even a hundred metres back off her stock when they are wild and runny, and you might be forgiven for thinking she is a pure mustering/casting dog that might lack a little on the forcing side. But when force is needed she can put a great amount of pressure on stock; there is no shortage of force with Tammy.

That is the difficult thing in breeding – producing that combination of these seeming opposites (in fact there are experienced breeders who will tell you it simply isn’t possible). It is easy to breed a pure “yard dog” (lacking in much casting ability or tact or holding ability) or a pure casting/heading dog (generally lacking in force and drive), but breeding an all-round dog that understands both heading and driving, breaking and forcing, casting and working close, is vastly more difficult. Definitely not easy, but it certainly is possible. After 5 generations of Campaspe breeding, what I like so much about Tammy is her combination of exceptional natural casting ability and yet it comes with strong force; her fantastic heading instinct combined with natural driving ability; wide break yet naturally also will work close and force; very keen with great heart and yet very calm; biddable yet independant; and exceptionally intelligent. That is the type of dog for me.

She is without doubt one of the most natural casting dogs I have owned or seen – she is every bit as good as Moorlands Georgie or Moorlands Tomie or Campaspe Bounce, and could well be better than all of them. She also has (and has had from a young age) a very natural inclination to really understand (when out in the scrub and I am trying to direct her to where the sheep might be), which way I am suggesting. A wave of the arm and she is off in the right direction, and she amazed me when only a 6 month old pup by doing this without any real training in it. This is a valuable asset when mustering in rough, broken country, to be able to readily redirect a dog to various pockets of sheep. In all of the dogs I have had over the years I have never had another dog with this sort of uncanny understanding of what I am trying to communicate.

Of course, she is not perfect. As Sid used to say “there is no such thing as the perfect dog”. She could do with a bit more tact when forcing, as when she decides to force she tends to come in like a steam train, and would be better with a bit more leg under her. She does tend to force a bit too strongly and quickly.

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Campaspe Stripe (Campaspe Ring x Campaspe Nellie)

Full sister to Campaspe Rust and Annie. Stripe is a nice type black and white, very smooth short coat. Steady (perhaps a bit too steady, could do with being a bit more free moving) but with unhesitating calm force like her mother Nellie.

A very good natural bitch without being exceptional, but is showing a lot of promise as a brood bitch as she’s breed two really nice litters. She’s the mother of Campaspe Carbon (by Tundabardi Buster), from her first litter, and of Campaspe Ugly (by Campaspe King). Two high-quality progeny.

Photos and video to come.

Video: Campaspe Stripe.

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Campaspe Caelli (Campaspe Blaze x Campaspe Tammy)

A lovely natured, short-haired, black, white and tan bitch. Out of one of my all-time favourites in Tammy. Only a young bitch, time will tell how she breeds.

Has a double cross of Campaspe Ring (2:3). Also has Doige coming in on both sides (3:3).

She’s a lovely short-covering/balancing bitch who reminds me of Maggie and Doige (and Doiges’ sire Moorlands Blazing) in the smooth way she covers and balances.

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Campaspe Nellie (Campaspe Sam x Campaspe Tammy)

A strong, forceful, determined bitch. Can be a bit too forceful at times, but I’d always prefer too much force rather than not enough, provided they have the cast and break etc. to go with it. Plenty of block and hold. A nice type black and white, reasonably short haired.

One of two Tammy daughters currently in the stud (the other is Campaspe Caelli). Has bred a number of nice dogs including Campaspe Stripe, Campaspe Rust and Campaspe Annie (all by Campaspe Ring), amongst others.

 

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Roustabout Lil (Quia Charlie x Roustabout Darcy)

I purchased Lil from her breeder, Craig Ogier, at 12 months old, with a view to using her as part of the outcross to Kelpie blood I am working on to improve the backing ability of the Campaspe dogs.

When I first saw her work I was very impressed as she showed (along with other dogs of Craig’s) better natural casting ability than is usual in the modern Kelpie, with great depth to her cast, although she does lack a bit of scope (the freedom to just go and go and go). Also she is a lovely type, a nice big bitch with a good strong head (which I also like), and a good natural backing dog. Plus she shows three important qualities I look for in that she is good clean heading dog, a natural driving dog, and has good balance also. Also has lovely old-fashioned “stock sense”.

She is also reasonably linebred. Her father’s mother, Roustabout Ginger, is a full sister to Lil’s mother Roustabout Darcy. And both those bitches are themselves linebred to Robertson’s Digger 2:2, being their grandfather on both sides (see pedigree below). Also on her sire’s side she goes back to Milburn Basil who I liked quite a bit.

A very easy bitch to work, perhaps a bit too easy as she tends to wait for commands a lot. Unfortunately she can be quite sticky in certain situations, but this isn’t something any of the Campaspe dogs suffer from (in fact they could do with a touch more eye), so I doubt it will cause a problem when she is bred into my line. Lil features in the “Driving with the handler” episode on Masterclass Working Sheepdog Training.

	Video: Roustabout Lil – 2yrs cast and bring in small mob
	Video: Roustabout Lil – 2yrs working and yarding small mob
	Video: Quia Charlie – Lil’s sire – AUSDS trial paddock section

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Campaspe Sandy (Campaspe Bounce x Campaspe Joan)

Sandy was from the last litter Bounce sired (or will sire), out of a very good bitch in Campaspe Joan. Sandy inherited the lovely natural cast, natural pull, freedom of movement and driving instinct, along with lovely square break.

She has more eye than Bounce or Joan (Bounce could have done with a little more), without any stickiness, and a very calm strong walk up force combined with very natural distance. Highly intelligent and very brainy in her work, with a nice smooth way of moving.

With some basic training, along with her natural cast, natural square break, natural driving instincts and lovely distance, her work almost gives the appearance of being a highly trained ISDS style dog at a young age, and yet she was doing it naturally. A very easy bitch to work and train, as she was generally always doing the right thing at the right time.

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Campaspe Maggie (Doige x Campaspe Kelly)

After I managed to buy Campaspe Kelly back for breeding, I joined her to Doige, and Maggie is from this joining. Very similar breeding to Bella, only a lot younger; both are by Doige, out of sisters Kelly and Queen.

Maggie has bred some lovely pups to Campaspe King, with five crosses of Tomie, including two daughters I have retained for breeding Campaspe Tammy and Campaspe Joan.

Maggies is very strong and smooth, with unhesitating walk up force. She does remind me a bit of her grandsire Moorlands Blazing in her smooth way of moving and forcing.

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Campaspe Holly (Doige x Campaspe China)

A long, leggy bitch with a double cross of Doige (grandfather x granddaughter). A smooth working, natural driving/balancing bitch with lots of scope about her work. She has a lovely way of working her sheep from behind (with a fantastic “natural pull” reminiscent of her grandsire Campaspe Bounce), and a big natural cast. (And of course she is a natural heading dog also – I won’t keep a dog that isn’t. Despite what some breeders argue, there is no such thing as a good dog that doesn’t head fully and completely. As Syd used to say “they must hit the head”.) Free moving with enough eye when needed.

She also has exceptional distance, which makes her a pleasure to work. She works a long way off her stock mostly, and pretty steadily letting them poke along quietly, but if they stop or need forcing she comes in freely without hesitation and without being asked. She does absolutely nothing more than is needed.

Holly is also a fantastic bitch at finding stock in rough country. She uses her nose extremely well, and will often zig zagaround until she picks up a scent, but generally she finds sheep amazingly quickly and easily. See video clip below.

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Campaspe Bella (Doige x Campaspe Queen)

Bella was a lovely bitch, black and white short haired, very natural with a great temperament, full of character and lots of brains. Shown here in the middle of rearing a litter of pups. Natural cast like her sire. Had two of the best, big casting, brainy, natural working dogs as sire and grandsire – by Les Hall’s exceptional hill country dog Doige, out of a Moorlands Tomie bitch. She was also very strong, with fantastic force. Very calm, deliberate, and intelligent force, with no hesitation.

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Campaspe China (Campaspe Bounce x Campapse Bella)

China is not a pup I would have kept based on looks! She was the runt of the litter, with a white face (which crop up in this line fairly regularly due to the influence of Yulong Russ). Black and white, short haired. However, as I started handling the litter as young pups, I noticed that her temperament was the best in the litter, but due to her smaller size and looks I still didn’t pay much attention. Then when the pups started working I had to sit up and take notice. She was very keen right from the start (which I always like in a dog – they must be keen), and showed lovely force and strength like her mother, with good cast, cover, block and hold, and break. Very natural. Good deliberate walk up force, a fair bit of eye and style. A nice bitch. Only small, but fast and athletic. China is the mother of Holly.

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Campaspe Kelly (Moorlands Tomie x Cullens Kirribilli)

Kelly was a tough, calm, hard-headed bitch (just the way I like them) by Tom. Sister to Chloe, Emma and Queen. Black and tan with very little white, short haired; similar in looks to her mother.

I sold Kelly as a pup but bought her back in 2011 to breed from. She was the mother of Monmore Mist and Gina (see below), and also Campaspe Maggie and Ebby. For her first joining after coming back to me I joined her to Doige, and retained two bitch pups Campaspe Maggie and Campapse Ebby, which are virtually the same breeding as Campaspe Bella. Bella was by Doige out of Campaspe Queen, and Queen was full sister to Kelly.

This is the last litter I will get from Doige (he is quite an old dog now), unless by frozen AI.

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Monmore Mist (Glendaloch Craig x Campaspe Kelly)

By Glendaloch Craig (who was by a UK blood dog out of a Tomie bitch), and out of a Tom bitch, Mist is part of the planned outcross to UK blood, the second generation removed, backcrossing into the Tomie blood. The main things I am looking for through this outcross are the exceptional tempermant traits which are very strong in the UK dogs (learn like lightening and exceptionally intelligent), and their minimal activity, direct walk in, and distance which some of them possess to a high degree.

Unfortunately most UK dogs tend to lack much mob cover and tend to split sheep up rather than hold them together, lack breakaway break, don’t head properly, and often are not natural casters (they will often cast long distances, but have to be taught how to do it properly). Quite often they bite badly also.

The Tomie line (and the Yulong Russ blood dogs in general) are usually exceptional in both their short and mob cover, break, fantastic holding dogs, with great natural casts, but could often do with a bit more minimal activity. I knew that it would take at least until the 3rd generation after the outcross, back crossing into my line, to weed out the faults of the UK blood while trying to retain the good points, and that seems to have been the case. The first two generations were nothing special, producing a lot of fairly ordinary pups with many of the typical UK faults. I simply retained the best to breed back to my blood.

The third generation is now on the ground (in the form of a litter out of Monmore Gina (Mist’s litter sister) by Campaspe Ring), with some promising results, and Mist’s litter also to Campaspe Ring. Mist is very keen and stylish, loyal and faithful, highly intelligent and learns like lightening, although a bit softer in temperament than I like.

I named her after an early yellow-and-white bitch I owned, Boho Misty (Marlowe Clyde x Native Point Gwen). Misty had the most exceptional temperament of any dog I have owned, which I attributed to her imported blood coming in from a number of crosses of Glen 2nd (imported by Vern Sullivan who bred the ‘Lyster’ border collies). Mist also possesses the minimal activity, drive and distance from the UK outcross. In short, she possesses all the things I was looking for from the UK outcross, however she is bit on the soft side, more than I like. Hopefully she will breed some really highly quality pups when bred back into the Tomie blood.

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Monmore Gina (Glendaloch Craig x Campaspe Kelly)

Monmore Mist’s younger sister, and mother of Campaspe King and Campaspe Mandy (photo). Gina was also part of the planned outcross to UK blood, the second generation removed, backcrossing into the Tomie blood. A different type of bitch to her sister, much tougher and more independant. Black and tan with only a touch of white.

One of the things I liked about her as a pup was her combination of keeness yet calmness, which was one of the great qualities of Moorlands Tomie. Keen, with great heart, yet very calm, thinking work.

Very keen dogs are often excitable and highly strung, while on the other hand quite a few calm workers can be a bit lacking in real keeness and heart. It is difficult to get, and to maintain, that combination of keeness, great heart, and calmness like Tom had, and this is what I really liked about Gina when she first started working.

Also had the same high level of anticipation that Kirribilli had and bred into many of her descendants. Gina threw a bit more to the Yulong Russ side of things, whereas her sister Mist was more to the UK. Gina does possess the great speed of learning and intelligence also.

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Campaspe Chloe (Moorlands Tomie x Cullens Kirribilli)

Chloe reminded me a lot of Moorlands Georgie in her working style. Natural cast, plenty of balance, enough eye, good drive, steady but fast when needed, a high level of cover, good break, calm and intelligent.

One of her sons by Campaspe Bounce was doing all the work on a large cattle stud in NSW, including working mobs of cows and calves at 10 months of age after the owner lost his older dog. I don’t recommend working young dogs on cows and calves, but he was exceptionally strong. Another pup from that same litter is Campaspe Ring.

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Campaspe Emma (Moorlands Tomie x Cullens Kirribilli)

Emma was a bitch I had a lot of time for. She had good natural casting ability, plenty of ‘cover’, ‘width’ and ‘hold together’ (which help in the ability to muster cleanly). Her faults were that she had virtually no ‘eye’ and lacked a bit of ‘balance’. Good stamina. Tough physically.

Unforunately after I injured my back and was forced to sell off nearly all my dogs at the time, Emma was one of the ones to go and I never managed to get any pups out of her after that. I have a nice pup now (2014) I call Campaspe Jane (Campaspe King x Campaspe Ebby) who reminds me a lot of Emma.

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Campaspe Queen (Moorlands Tomie x Cullens Kirribilli)

Queen was a handy bitch, with good holding ability, break, eye, and heading instinct. Black tan and white, short haired, very similar markings to her mother. Full sister to Chloe, Emma and Kelly. Very fast and keen. Worked by Les Hall. Unfortunately died young through accident. Good stamina and fantastic physically.

Her influence will live on through her daughter, Campaspe Bella.

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Cullens Kirribilli (Castleton Birri x Lachlanvale Tip Toe)

Kirri was a big, leggy, black and tan collie bitch with exceptional stamina. I bred Kirri, even though she didn’t have the Campaspe prefix.

Her father Birri was a lovely big, strong, black and white, short haired dog with a great temperament, and very natural.

Kirri had great holding ability and ‘short cover’, a natural cast, and exceptional anticipation and intelligence. She was a steady worker, but fast when needed. She threw to her father, Castleton Birri, who was by a Russ blood dog. She lacked enough force on a big mob or in the yards (although she tended to breed stronger, more forceful pups), but was used for her exceptional holding ability (amongst other things).

Joined for every litter to Moorlands Tomie while I had her (and sold in pup to Campaspe Bounce), Kirri is the mother of such dogs as Campaspe Chloe, Emma, Queen and Kelly, all by Moorlands Tomie.

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Cullens Kiara (Kiz) (Bailey’s Harry x Cullens Gael)

Bred by Pam Vickery of Mansfield, Kiz was a bitch I did a fair bit of work with on a 5,000 acre property in rocky, granite hill country, with sheep (merino and crossbred) and beef cattle (the property ran about 1,200 Angus cattle).

She was a handy dog on sheep or cattle, and a natural backing dog. She would also use bark very intelligently. She is included in the DVD “A few good dogs”. She was a good natural casting bitch, although she lacked a bit of ‘scope’ and half-a-kilometre was about her limit. She didn’t like working out of sight on her own, and lacked the real natural mustering ability I look for.

I have seen her do some exceptional work handling mobs of about 150 weaner cattle, on her own, working them in timber and scrub along the bank of a creek, with the weaners trying to cross the creek. This was the first time the young cattle were let out of the yards after weaning.

The main interest here lies in her being the mother of Campaspe Bounce (by Moorlands Tomie). Her mother Gael was by a very good dog called Cavanagh’s Mick, who was by Bos by Sid Cavanagh’s dog Miller’s Pete 2nd. Mick was out of Alan’s Kim, who was by Moorlands Lou 2nd (brother to Moorlands Snow and Ugly). Kiz’s father was out of a bitch by Sid Cavanagh’s Barravore Jim, who was also by Millers Pete 2nd. Jim was from the same litter as Moorlands Tomie’s mother, Barravore Jean.