Liz's pups may become Australia's most expensive working dogs

A border collie named Liz, who holds the record for being Australia's most expensive working dog, recently became a mother. Liz was purchased for $40,000 by the Parker family from a cattle farm in Queensland. She is now caring for her nine puppies, who are two weeks old. The Parker family broke records when they bought Liz at an auction. She has adjusted well to her new role as a working dog at their Wagyu cattle station, about 500 kilometers northwest of Brisbane. Mr. Parker, the owner, expressed relief now that Liz has had puppies, as he felt nervous about the investment. Liz was bred with her half-brother Sid, whom the family bought for $33,000. This type of breeding, called line breeding, aims to enhance desirable traits in the pups. Mr. Parker commented on the potential advantages and disadvantages of this practice but feels confident about Liz and Sid's qualities. The Parker’s children have already named two of the puppies Arrow and Guinness. Although the pups are still very young, Mr. Parker believes they have the right genetic background to become effective working dogs. Frank Finger, a dog handler and winner of the show Muster Dogs, shared that herding dog pups begin to learn early on. He explained that short training sessions help develop their instincts. Mr. Parker plans to start introducing the puppies to sheep when they are 12 weeks old and to cows around 8 to 10 months old. The Parker family is hopeful about the future of these puppies as they follow in Liz’s footsteps as potential working dogs on the farm.