The champion farm dogs saving Aussie producers hours of work

One of the most valuable tools on the farm

On sheep and cattle properties across the country, a good working dog is one of the most valuable things on site, saving hours of labour and taking the heat out of moving stock.

At the farm dog championship at Sheepvention, in Hamilton in Victoria's Western District, the best of them are put to the test. One of the toughest trials in the state, its course squeezes a full day's work into a single run: penning sheep, boxing two mobs together, pushing them up a race as if to drench them, drafting off a set number, then loading them onto a truck and easing them back through a gap in a fence.

Every run starts on a perfect 100, and the judge docks points for each mistake along the way.

Joe Spicer, who describes himself as one of the country's biggest working dog breeders, bristles at the idea that trial dogs are a breed apart.

"A trial dog is just a farm dog tried to a high degree. It's exactly the same," said Spicer. "All these dogs are doing work day to day on farm, so they're all farm dogs."