15/10/2026
Adding Huntaways to a Kelpie Team: Are we reading the room right?
Having worked with mainly Kelpies (some collies and some Kelpie X huntaways) for our entire working lives, adding pure Huntaways into our working team has been a whole new experience.
Mayhem has been a handy addition in the yards—backing herself with that big, booming bark and doing the heavy grunt work, while letting the nimble Kelpies handle the tidying.
And now, our not-so-little upcomer, Boss, is now stepping into training.
Coming from a full team of working Kelpies—who rely heavily on natural instinct and read stock almost on autopilot—our takeaway with Huntaways so far is:
1️⃣ Stock Sense: They don't seem to be as naturally in tune with reading stock right out of the box compared to a Kelpie. The hunt seem to be designed for force and noise.
2️⃣ Trainability & Mindset: They are incredibly handler-focused. They take to direct commands exceptionally well and look for a whole lot of human praise and partnership.
We’re curious to hear from other stock handlers... Are we on the right track with how Huntaways think and behave, or are we missing a bigger piece of the picture?
❓ For the seasoned Huntaway handlers out there:
Does this line up with your experience, or is there a lightbulb moment in their training we haven't hit yet?
What’s your top tip for working Huntaways alongside a team of Kelpies?
Pictured: Mayhem (female) 2yr old NZ import and 5month old Boss (son of Mayhem)
We’d love to hear your thoughts, tips, and tricks in the comments! 👇👇
TuffRock Australia Team TuffRock True Blue Aussie Pet Food
