Breeds / Large
New Zealand Huntaway puppies
Robust, hard working and intelligent, bred to be difficult to offend and easy to train. Vocal by design, with great stamina and a powerful drive to keep working.
The facts
- Size class Large
- Country of origin New Zealand
- Adult weight 25 to 40 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 55 to 88 lb
- Adult height 56 to 66 cm
- Energy level Very high
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Variable, smooth to rough
- Typical lifespan Not published
- Good with children Usually good
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
- dogsnz.org.nz for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings, coat type, country of origin and health notes
No published figure for life expectancy, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.
About the New Zealand Huntaway
The Huntaway is New Zealand's own working sheepdog, assembled from the early 1900s by crossing Border Collies with Bearded Collies, Labradors, Rottweilers, Harriers, Gordon Setters and Smithfield Collies. The job was to shift big mobs across steep open country by barking them on, the opposite of the silent eye a Border Collie uses. Dogs New Zealand lists the breed in the Working group, and its standard is blunt that colour, coat and size matter far less than working ability.
This is a big, loud, tireless dog, and the New Zealand Sheepdog Trial Association states plainly that it should never be kept solely as a pet. It needs hours of work and a mind kept busy, and it barks because that is the job. Coats run from smooth through to rough and bearded, so grooming is usually simple. It suits a working farm or a genuinely sporty home with space. People buy the athleticism and fail to plan for the voice.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a New Zealand Huntaway puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire it out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia, which working stock can be x-rayed and scored for before breeding
- Cruciate ligament and other soft tissue injuries picked up on rough country, diagnosed by a vet examining the joint after a lameness
- A change of voice or persistent hoarseness in a dog that works by barking, which is worth a veterinary throat examination
- Wide variation in type in a registry that selects on working ability, so buyers should ask what health testing the parents have actually had rather than assume a breed profile
From New Zealand Huntaway breed information at https://www.dogsnz.org.nz/breeds/info/nz-huntaway/535. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your New Zealand Huntaway puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a New Zealand Huntaway.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 25 to 40 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other large breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.