The New Zealand Huntaway (also called New Zealand Sheepdog) is a large herding dog originating in New Zealand some 100 years back. This strongly built dog was developed in 20th century by crossing relatively quiet British Sheepdogs with Black Labradors, Hound, Border Collies and German Shepherds to develop barking trait when the dog herded the sheep. The resulting New Zealand Huntaways have loud, deep bark that they so effectively use to herd small to large flock of sheep. The need for a herding dog with a loud bark arose when the flock of sheep grew to massive sizes due to favorable conditions for sheep. As the flocks grew bigger and bigger, the imported English Sheepdogs began to tire in warm weather, lacked stamina and their silent nature meant that the shepherd never knew where its dogs were. So the need for a stronger dog with loud bark grew stronger. Thus the New Zealand Huntaway was born with lots of stamina, excellent herding skills and most importantly, a loud bark. This excellent herding dog has now become an integral part of New Zealand herding heritage.
Since it is bred for its herding skills and not for its appearance, this breed appears in varied sizes, shapes and colours. This dog stands between 20-24 inches and weighs between 40-85 lbs. It has orange-brown, blue, brown or one brown and one blue eye. Ears are half folded and set wide apart. Thick and long tail is held erect. There are two coat varieties, long haired is often referred to as "Beardies", the other is short haired that is more commonly seen. Any colour and pattern is acceptable for this dog.
This breed is NOT recognized by AKC or any other major kennel club.