Produced by Ambience Entertainment and Essential Media, the first season premiered on ABC TV and ABC iview on 23 January 2022.[2][1] This was despite the ABC originally announcing the program in late 2020, as part of its slate of programming scheduled to air in 2021.[3]
The first season showcases the journey of five Australian Kelpiepuppies as they are trained to become muster dogs on farms across Australia under the guidance of expert dog trainers Neil and Helen McDonald. The first season was met with positive reviews.[4][5]
The first series was won by "Annie", trained by Queensland grazier Frank Finger.[6][7]
Season 2 and beyond
Following the positive reception of the first season, production of a second season featuring Border Collie puppies was announced released and premiered on 14 January 2024.[8][9]
The second season was won by "Buddy", trained by Zoe Miller of the Northern Territory.[10]
In March 2024, it was announced that Muster Dogs had been renewed for a third season, with six episodes scheduled to air in 2025 with both kelpies and border collies to be featured.[11] In July 2024, auditions were opened for dog training for the third season.[12]
In October 2024, the third season was confirmed by the ABC, alongside a four-part special Muster Dogs: Where Are They Now, presented by series narrator Lisa Millar and debuting on 1 December 2024 on ABC TV. The special will feature 5 previous human and canine participants from Muster Dogs: season 1 winners Frank and Annie, Joni and Chet, Cilla and Ash, season 2 winner Zoe and Buddy, and Russ and his Border Collie Molly.[13]
Two companion books to the series have been published. Muster Dogs by Aticia Grey was published in November 2021.[14]Muster Dogs: From Pups to Pros written by series narrator Lisa Millar was published in January 2024.[15]
Millar has spoken at length about the surprising success of the show and how it has become the highlight of her career.[16]
In a positive review, Graeme Blundell of The Australian wrote, "Muster Dogs is simply delightful TV as well as being thoughtful, engaged and cast with a bunch of wonderful characters from the land, their laid-back humour coloured with a hard, sceptical and sombre undertone. ... They are the five farming families, on properties ranging from the red earth of the Top End to the green pastures of regional Victoria, who take on the challenge of training new kelpie pups and testing their worth on the properties they run."[4] In a 2022 review, Melinda Houston of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, "It's sort of a competition to see who can best train a working dog pup in just 12 months, but the more interesting face of the show is the insight into the dogs themselves, the people who breed and train them, and the farmers who work them."[2] David Knox of TV Tonight wrote, "These pups all come from the same litter, a lineage of trained dogs, but can they all be trained when they are split up and given to new owners?".[17] Margaret Lyons of The New York Times wrote "you need some inspiration for naming a new dog in your life, look no further than this unscripted Australian series, which includes dogs named Jumpy, Lucifer, Gossip and Trunk. “Muster” follows five kelpie puppies given to five ranchers, reconvening after one year to see which dog’s herding skills are the most advanced. But the show is much more about the journey than the destination".[5]
Awards
In 2022, Muster Dogs editors John Unwin, Orly Danon, Fiona Strain, Brendan Cain were nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Editing in Television at the 12th AACTA Awards but lost to Nicholas Holmes from Mystery Road: Origin.[18][19] The 2022 series was also nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Factual Entertainment Program but lost to Old People's Home for Teenagers.[18][19]
Note: From 28 January 2024, OzTAM ratings changed from Total Reach reporting to National Reach reporting. Muster Dogs reached a national audience of 1,110,000 viewers.[30]
^Grey, Aticia (17 November 2021). Muster Dogs: An outback story of red dirt, kelpies and the future of a family farm. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN9780733341588.
^Millar, Lisa (17 January 2024). Muster Dogs - From Pups to Pros: How ten dogs stole hearts and changed lives forever. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN9780733343094.
