“Mustering cattle with dogs make the cattle calmer. Working cattle with dogs takes the rattle out of the cattle.”

Seasoned grazier Frank Finger, Queensland

I have started watching the ABC iview TV four-part documentary series ‘Muster Dogs’, which provides a fascinating insight into the training required for a working dog.

The program is all about the progress of five 3-month old Kelpie puppies who are taking part in a 12-month experiment to see how they each develop as muster dogs. This is a remarkable goal of transforming five playful pedigree puppies into “lean, mean mustering machines” considering that training working dogs usually takes 3 years.

What makes this experiment particularly fascinating is that whilst the puppies all come from the same litter they are each taken to very different rural properties spread over 7,000 kms across Australia from NSW, Victoria, Central Queensland, Norther Territory and Western Australia. Their homes, new owners (highly skilled stock handlers), livestock, terrain, climate and environments are all very different. Some have to learn to muster cattle, others sheep; some in green pastures and others red dirt; some are in smaller packs of six or seven, others in packs of twenty!

As we witness the growing up and maturing of these young dogs under the tutelage of their new masters and the guidance of their fellow dogs, I noticed that there were so many parallels about business teams that I felt compelled to write about this.

At the centre of this experiment and the goal of the participants in the experiment is to harness the natural instincts of the dogs to best effect and attempt to do this quicker than is usually the case. For me, this seems a metaphor for what leaders want – to get the most out of their people and for their teams to be and productive as they can be – and how leaders apply their ‘command’ to their natural leader.

So, as I progress through this ABC iview series I propose to write a series of short articles to chart the puppies’ (and their owners’) development and share my learnings about their journey and how their progress relates to getting the best out of teams.

But for now here is what I have noticed and the following insights I got from the first episode:

(i)            Getting the Right Fit

Champion working dog breeder & trainer Joe Spicer gave considerable thought to which puppies he matched to which owners to try ensure the fit was as good as it could be and complemented the existing dogs. This was all about matching their personality, nature, energy, demeanour….and even to the type of work and environment the dog would be facing, which highlights how important culture fit is when hiring and bringing new people into a team. Getting the match right was fundamental to the success of the experiment and so it is when introducing a new staff member to their colleagues and how this impacts the dynamics of the team.

(ii)           Talent doesn’t make for a great Team

Whilst champion blood line puppies are bred for their innate herding instinct they need to learn how to become part of a working team of 3-7 dogs that move stock across vast distances, environments and challenges, which highlights just how vital the right training, induction and orientation is to ensure the best outcome and integration of new staff.

“Working dogs teach you a lot. They teach you to better check your attitude if you want someone to work with you.”

Station owner CJ Scotney, Northern Territory

(iii)         Spending Quality Time Together

Celebrated expert working dog and livestock trainer Neil McDonald stressed that the new dog owners needed to consistently spend time (at least 10-15 minutes a day) with their new puppy is key to success, including out of the typical work environment and more in a social sense. This is known as ‘Bluetooth’ connecting with their owner which in business is all about bonding with your people, which highlights for me the importance of business leaders making the time to get to know their team members socially and personally.

“You need to have boundaries in place and when that happens you get respect from them.”

Station owner CJ Scotney, Northern Territory

(iv)          Setting the Right Tone

Managing stock is all about managing their headspace so they remain as calm and cooperative as possible and for this to be possible it’s vital that muster dogs respectful of the livestock and not scare them and only apply the right amount of pressure at the right time and in the right way should the stock do something wrong. Important to this is for the dog trainer to establish themselves as the ‘pack leader’. If this is not done then the dogs will “run their own show and then things will not work out.” (CJ) This highlights the importance of establishing boundaries to in turn build respect within a team and between the leader and their people.

“The only way you can the best out of animals or people is to show respect and if you like them they’ll like you.”

Frank Finger, Queensland Cattle Grazier

(v)           Motivating your Team

Sheep grazier Rob Tuncks gives his dogs a lot of freedom and on retirement get to move into his house, which highlights to me the importance of trusting your people, empowering them and giving them the space to prove themselves and the importance of carrots and rewards to incentivise your team.

“You gotta love them. They won’t work for you if you don’t.”

Sea change sheep grazier Rob Tuncks, Victoria

(vi)          Building Trust & Authentic Connections

Station owner CJ made the important point that working dogs that work well want to please their owners and bring cattle to them, but that they are at the same time looking “for that pat” so “giving them the love they deserve” is a critical ingredient for success. This highlights the importance of giving praise to your team and acknowledging the hard work of those who “work their butts off for you.”

(vii)        Reciprocity builds Meaningful Relationships

Nomadic cowgirl, livestock trainer and all-round larrikin Joni Hall from the top end of Australia, shared her amazement with the incredible work ethic of her dogs who will work all day and how she believes they have taught her more than she has taught them. This highlights that by investing time in your people, their will be organic and reciprocal growth and that in time the team will mature and develop for the better.

“I believe that there is no such thing as a dog trainer. You are a situation creator. You create a situation where a dog does something based on its natural instinct than label the action the dog is about to take. If you are consistent then the dog will eventually correlate that command with that action. For example if it goes to the right you say go right and if it’s sat you say sit. And if you don’t want the dog to circle the mob what you have to do is walk over and put your arm out…which actually blocks the dog from coming around. So the dogs go opposite to where we block. So we have to learn to put our arm, body and voice where we don’t want the dog so the dog goes opposite.”

Neil McDonald, Dog & Livestock educator

(viii)       Giving Feedback

The teachings by expert dog trainer in the quote above highlight that central to training working dogs is clear and immediate instructions and guidance, which highlights the importance in business for leaders to provide good and timely feedback.

(ix)          Understanding your Team

Neil also outlined that what makes for a good dog trainer is someone who understands how dogs work, how livestock act, have a sense of humour and comradeship with their dogs. For me this highlights the importance of business leaders building true rapport with their team members.

(x)           Integrating your Team

The first step for inducting a puppy into a pack of working dogs is getting them to complete some key tasks which include dragging a 3 meter rope, staying relaxed when held, coping with a loose lead walk, responding to their name, being calm on the chain and joining communal feeding. This highlights the importance of setting tasks, goals and milestones for team members that are designed to help them better integrate and fit into the team. Ultimately, it’s about setting them up for success rather than just hoping for the best!

The first check-in stage set in the program by the experiment mastermind Neil McDonald, as the puppies turn 4 months old, is checking how well they see (and accept) their new owner/trainer as their team leader. This highlights to me the significance in business for Team Leaders to establish their credibility and authority.

The first program highlighted to me that if you get the fit right, provide the right induction and training and provide the right support, encouragement, guidance and leadership, that as with a muster dog, a team member will in time become invaluable and key to success in business.

“You feel like you’ve forgotten to get dressed if you go out into the paddock without a dog.

Seasoned Grazier, Frank Finger, Queensland

If have gotten value from this article then look out for the next article in the series and in the meantime if you’d like to watch the first episode, check it out at https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RF2003H001S00