Southland Siblings Win Innovation Award with Good Dog Work Watch

The pair recently took out the Primary School Section of the Innovation Awards at the Southern Field Days with their inventive idea designed to support New Zealand’s working farm dogs.

The inspiration came after a chat with their grandfather, Bazza, a Silver Fern stock agent, whose job recently required him to write a report about a valued farm dog that had sadly been killed in an accident.

Familiar with smart watches worn by family and friends to record steps and heart rates, Grace and Archer wondered if similar technology could be used to track a working dog’s activities. Their concept — the Good Dog Work Watch — involves fitting a device to the dog’s collar or a purpose-built harness, equipped with sensors and potentially an on-board camera.

The device would allow handlers to monitor a dog’s performance in real time, providing information such as heart rate, temperature, distance covered, and GPS location. A live camera feed could even let owners see what their dog sees while working in the paddock.

Beyond the day-to-day use, the data could indicate when a dog might need rest or veterinary attention, while also building a detailed health and performance profile. This could help farmers and breeders assess the stamina, fitness, and true value of their animals effectively offering a “warrant of fitness” for working dogs.

Proud mum Jenna says her budding inventors were “pretty stoked” to win the award and thrilled by the interest their idea attracted at the field days.

“We were already heading there with our Southbuild ITM business, so the kids decided
to enter the Primary School Innovation Competition. It’s great
to see young minds thinking creatively about rural life,” she said.

Not done yet, Grace and Archer are already planning their next project for Southern Field Days in two years’ time.