Every Dog Has Its Day: Kelpie A Class Apart

WAYNE Glennie's interest in dogs has grown over the years, so much so that almost three years ago he started running his own kelpie stud in Clunes.

"Some people like going to the pub, some like going to the footy, some like spending time with dogs. It just so happens that I like spending time with my dogs," Mr Glennie said.

One of his most dedicated workers right now is Flick. At only 10 months of age, she's already competent and able to focus in busy environments like the sale yards.

"Her mother is a fantastic dog and her father is a good dog from Bathurst, so she's well bred," Mr Glennie said.

"She's come into the sale yards with me since she was a pup. I'd keep her tied up to the rails so she could get used to that environment and it's that exposure that helps her to be so good now.

"She's sensible. If things are going pear shaped a dog's got to be able to stop. And I can get her to stop anytime."

Now training kelpies as working dogs, Mr Glennie has also worked with other breeds.

"I used to live in Melbourne and I trained some guard dogs and security dogs down there."

With all the time Mr Glennie spends with dogs, he said that it's not only people that know a lot about their dogs, but dogs also know a lot about their masters.

"When you spend time around dogs, they get to know your moods," he said.

"You can guarantee that 99 per cent of the time they'll be watching you. It's really impressive to see how much they listen.

"If the wind is blowing the right way and you are at the yards with lots of men, dogs and stock in between you and you think the dog is out of ear shot, you can call commands and they'll respond, even if they can't see you."

Mr Glennie said that he can sometimes fall into the category of spending too much time with his dogs. "The dogs are there every day of my life. On the rare occasion where I've got to go down to Melbourne, my other half then helps out."