Ringway Kennels

In the rugged terrain west of Invercargill, Jack Clifford has dedicated most of his life to understanding the relationship between farmer, dog, and livestock. With 55 years of shepherding experience and three decades of dog breeding under his belt, Jack and his wife Anne represent a hardworking group of farmers who see working dogs not just as tools, but as partners. We caught up with the couple at Ringway Kennels and chatted about the world of working dogs.

At their 15-acre Otautau property, Jack and Anne breed Huntaways and heading dogs and run Working Dogs New Zealand, an online platform where people can buy and sell working dogs. At the peak of their shepherding and dog breeding careers, the couple ran 10 dogs each shepherding with the Alliance Group and on farms around Southland. While their shepherding days may be rounding off , the Cliffords are not yet done with breeding excellent-quality working dogs. The kennels currently have six breeding females, a few working dogs, and two litters of puppies being raised and trained for work.

Most of Ringway Kennels’ pups have lived successful lives working on various production farms across New Zealand with sheep and cattle. However, some Ringway-bred dogs have landed beyond Kiwi shores.

Jack and Anne have sent dogs across the globe - to Japan for agility competitions; to Australia, where one of their dogs competed in a sheep mustering competition in a Melbourne show; two to Italy, where a young boy uses them to herd goats; and to Hawaii, where a Huntaway proved unexpectedly effective with cattle. There is still a waiting list for the well-bred and trained puppies at Ringway, Jack said.

“We have a good selection of clients that have been with us for many years. They let us know their needs and we give them a dog that we think would suit them,” Jack laughed. “We sent a big fella into Hawaii, and our client called me a few weeks later; he said, ‘Jack, I’ve never used a Huntaway on cattle before, and from now on I’ll never use anything but a Huntaway on them. They’ve got them under control’, so that was good. This was a big, strong dog we sent over, and he’s bought a couple more since,” he said. “We like to hear from our clients. Many of them send us video clips, which we put on the Working Dogs New Zealand Facebook Page, so other people can see how the dogs are doing at five to six months.”

The breeding process is far from random. Jack meticulously selects his breeding females and matches them with complementary studs, always with an eye toward improving the breed’s working capabilities. “You look and think, ‘yeah, that would make a nice breeder,’ and you put a dog over her that you think will strengthen the breed,” he said. “You’re going from strength to strength and getting a stronger breed.”

Jack and Anne’s long history of shepherding - with over 40 lambing beats under their belt - have given them an eye for knowing which dogs would be best for certain jobs. Jack said he likes to cross a good paddock dog with a hyper-yard dog to “give a good mix” of Huntaway genetics. With a heading dog, Jack looks for a medium to strong eye dog who is capable of bringing sheep back to the shepherd, but also capable of putting sheep in the trailer at lambing time - which Jack said is “very important, as you get older”.

The dogs are sold at about four to five months old, so the first few months of their lives are important for Jack and Anne to determine which lifestyle they are best suited for. This careful selection process begins early. Puppies are raised in dedicated pupping pens and monitored closely as they develop. They are introduced to sheep in small paddocks by 12 weeks old, where their natural instincts and individual characteristics emerge.

Some show an immediate aptitude for work, while others develop their skills more gradually.

“In terms of instinct versus training, with this breed, the dog has got it in him or her to start with. You pick up what traits the dog has, and you work on them and improve them,” Jack explained.

“We start them out in a small paddock with half a dozen sheep, and we just see who’s going to work. There are some who will be ahead of others, and we usually have a waiting list of clients that have ordered. If they are looking for a yard dog, we look for something that will move in closer to the sheep, nose to nose. If they’re looking for a paddock dog, something that’ll stand off and bark at a distance. That’s where we steer them towards before we give them to our clients at about four to five months, and let them put the finishing touches,” Jack explained.

It is hard work, training young dogs - as like all young animals, it takes patience and repetition. “The biggest challenge training dogs is they’re a little bit like kids. Some can be naughty. Some just do it straight away to please you. Others will try and defy you, so you have to work a wee bit harder to bring them into line, just with that repetition, but they always catch up eventually,” he explained. They use a long stick - or “Claddy”- to guide the young dog around the livestock without using force or aggression.

The changing face of farming has presented challenges. The rise of dairy farming and the widespread adoption of motorbikes have reduced the traditional role of working dogs. “Once you would open the gate and set the dog loose, and they would bring the sheep back to you,” Jack said. “Now you tend to do a lot of the work on a motorbike.”

Despite these changes, there remains a robust market for well-trained working dogs, and the two litters of Huntaway puppies currently being raised at the kennels are in high demand. The future of working dog breeding, according to Jack, looks stable. “People still need dogs,” he said. “There’s still that need there for rounding up livestock, working in yards, and helping during lambing time. The dogs do the job, especially if the farmer is getting older or can’t do it on a motorbike.”

Each dog has its own story. Jack’s favourite, a dog named Jude, has been with him for 12 years. “She’s been our mainstay,” he told us. “As soon as the motorbike starts up, she’s on it. Nothing ever stops her. She can handle any size mob and put a sheep in the trailer at lambing time.” Jack has bred several litters from Jude, all of which have gone on to be excellent farm dogs with great temperaments, he said.

After decades of breeding, training, and working alongside dogs, Jack and Anne’s passion for raising top-tier working dogs continues to shape farms across New Zealand and beyond. As long as there’s stock to move, skilled dogs will be needed - and the Cliffords will be there to provide them.