IT’S the big Beloka Kelpies’ 26th Annual State Cattle, Sheep and Duck Dog Championships weekend, this Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20.
And if you ever wanted to see some of these smart, beautiful and seemingly tireless farm dogs at their very best, then Paul Macphail’s Beloka Working Dog Training Centre, 5845 South Gippsland Highway Welshpool is the place to be.
“We kick off both days at around 7am. There’s food vans and full catering and plenty going on,” said Paul.
For those fascinated with Duck Trials, Saturday afternoon is the time to be there with the Open Duck Trial set to kick off at 2.30pm.
“We had the vet out yesterday to take a look at the ducks and they’re ready to go. I think they like the challenge too,” said Paul.
“There’s the yard trials, cattle trial, utility trial and we also have some fun events too like the dog high jump, fastest dog, puppy trial and instinct testing as well.”
A personal favourite of Paul’s is the ‘City Slicker Sheep Dog Trial’ where town-based dogs get a chance to strut their stuff, more on instinct than training.
“We get a lot of people come down from the city, with their kelpies, to give them some training and on-farm experience. We’ll also take dogs for behaviour training as well,” said Paul.
There’s a dinner on Saturday night and presentations on Sunday at the end of a really big weekend.
“This is our 26th championships, so I must be getting old. We’ve been here since 1990, that’s 32 years now.”
Best known as a training centre, Beloka Kelpies is also one of the state’s best breeders of working kelpies and a great place to see some great looking dogs that are expertly trained for work, or as active pets.
It’s also Yarram Show Day on Saturday, November 19 so why not make a weekend of it! For more information go to https://belokakelpies.com.au/
