Toughest dogs face toughest challenge

Nominations are open for the 2025 Cobber Challenge Cobber and the call is out for Australia’s toughest, stock-chasing, hard-running working dogs to battle it out for the title of the hardest working dog.

 The Cobber Challenge is an annual showdown where the country’s best working dogs go paw-to-paw in a tribute to the unsung heroes of our farms, the four-legged legends behind Australia’s billion-dollar agriculture industry.

 Over the last decade, Cobber Challenge competitors have clocked up enough distance to lap Australia two and a half times, moving at a pace that would take a human nearly half a year to keep up with.

From wrangling wayward steers to guarding flocks and dominating the nation’s top trial circuit, Cobber is calling for farmers across to country to shine a light on their favourite trusted companion to give them the recognition they deserve.

Taking out the coveted title in 2023 was Tasmanian farmer Alex Johns and his 3-year-old Kelpie Earl who covered a total distance of 1343 kilometres in 21 days, reclaiming the title for the Island state.

Alex and Earl were also the speediest duo in the competition, hitting an average top speed of 14.1 kilometres an hour, making Earl the fastest ever Cobber Challenge competitor.  

Former Cobber Challenge Champion, Brad McDonald, was working on the same farm as Alex when he took out the title in 2017 with his dog Flo.

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, the Cobber Challenge is turning up the heat, introducing video submissions for four-legged legends for the first time ever.

Cobber’s marketing manager Kellie Savage said that every year, Australia’s working dogs put in a massive 232 million hours on the job.

 “Now it’s time to see which one really puts in the hard yards,” she said.

 “If lucky enough to be selected as a competitor in the Cobber Challenge, each dog will be fitted with a GPS tracker to log how far, how fast, and how long they work each day over a three-week period.”

 “Points are scored based on distance, speed, and duration - it’s three weeks of grit, grind, and good old fashioned Aussie hustle.”

 At the end of the competition, one top dog will rise above the rest to claim bragging rights, $3000 cash, the legendary Cobber Challenge trophy, and a year’s supply of Cobber Working Dog feed.

It’s not just the winner walking away wagging, second and third place also score cash prizes and feed.