The dogs of Cornwall Park Farm are some of our hardest workers running hundreds of kilometres every week!

We have two main types of dogs working on the farm with our three farmers: 

1. ‘Heading’ dogs – ‘heading’ means going around a flock of sheep. Our heading dogs are super quick and gather our sheep into tidy groups, stopping them from escaping. They eyeball the sheep at close-quarters to hold them.

Did you know:

-New Zealand heading dogs were bred from Scottish Border Collies. They were crossed with other short-haired breeds which would suit the NZ hot summers better!

-They are often black and white with smooth short hair and long legs.

-New Zealand heading dogs have been an important part of sheepdog trials which began here as early as 1867.

2. Huntaway dogs - which are big and strong with loud deep barks which help to move the sheep and cattle to where they need to go.

Did you know:

-This breed is distinctly NZ-bred, developed by farmers emerging from crosses of breeds like the Border Collie, Labrador and Rottweiler.

-They are usually black and tan.

-Huntaways are known to have great intelligence, agility and stamina. The national Kennel Club has acknowledged them as the only dog breed unique to New Zealand.

Get to know some of our pups! 

Gin

This five year old heading dogloves to work, is very driven and our farmers think she prefers being around livestock than people! She enjoys the wind in her ears as she rides on the back of our RTV – four-wheeler farm vehicle or our UBCO – electric bike.

Scout

Scout is a three years old Huntaway. She’s the pup of the pack and loves to bark and play with the other farm dogs. There is still much to learn for the young grasshopper.

Blue:

Blue is newly retired having reached the stately age of 11. This Huntaway loves getting her ears scratched and drinking milk. She enjoys a daily drive through and walk around the farm 🚜.

You can meet some of our farmers and farm dogs on our Farm Guided Walks. 

Next time your visit the park you might get to see our farm dogs working in the paddocks or riding on the back of our vehicles. Enjoy…it’s fascinating to watch them working.