Meet Australia's hardest working dog

Central Queensland farmer Beck Smith and her dog Duke have won the 2025 Cobber Challenge, where working dogs across the country were followed for 21 days measured on speed, distance and duration of being on the clock alongside their owner.

For more, Beck and her champion dog Duke join.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Forget the Comwarf Games or Olympics. Let's turn to a
competition you may not have heard of but definitely will love.
Australia's hardest working dog has been crowned. Central Queensland farmer
Becksmith and her dog Duke have won the twenty twenty
five Cobb Challenge, where working dogs across the country were
followed for twenty one days measured on speed, distance and

(00:23):
duration of being on the clock alongside their owner. As
well and Beck and her champion dog Duke join us
live in Stonehenge in Queensland. Great to have you with us,
talk about the Ned Brockman of dogs. You guys covered
five hundred and fifty six k's to win this comp
Was it easy to do or just in a day's work?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Morning sharebte, Well, I'm glad I wasn't the one covering
the cay's. I can guarantee you that much. No, honestly,
it's just in a day's work. For Duke, he didn't
know any different. He was just doing what he loved.
And yeah, but it was quite interesting to see just
how many ks he does clock up each day for me,
just on an ordinary day's work.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
So yeah, he must absolutely love it, because you can
see the passion and almost he's smiling the whole way
through it. Tell us about Duke and why is your
best sidekick on the farm. Well, Duke, he's a.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Three year old pure bread Border Collie. I've had him
since he was about nine weeks old. He was my
impulse purchase. I went against everything. I'd already purchased a
pup and just a couple of weeks prior to him,
and I usually only have one pupp at a time,
just so you can put the energy into him.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
But he has.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Liftgo bloodlines, which when my dad was right into working dogs,
up was the bloodline that he favored.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
And gets my better judgment.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
I said, what the heck can brought him on a
whim and I haven't looked back. So he's my big hearted,
long legged gold ay dog. I'd almost go to say
that he's probably going to be my once in a lifetime.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Collie.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
There's just something of him, like I mean, we're obviously
not as refined as the other dogs in the competition.
We're very much the mulgarins, but we're in hard country
and we have hard cattle, and you know, he just
loves doing what he does and which makes my life
a lot easier.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
You know what they say, man's best friend, woman's best friend.
Beckett's fantastic to see that bush dogs like this, working
dogs like this are being rewarded and the prize well
you get three thousand bucks and tour bags of copper
working dog feed as well. Congratulations to you and to
Duke enjoy it. Thanks for your time.