So says Ray Williams, who speaks from experience - a lifetime working with yard dogs.

Ray, who has been a ‘regular’ on the show and expo circuit with his yard dog demonstrations, featured again at Wool Expo.

“There will always be a need for dogs,” he said.

“With bikes, sheep will break, especially in rougher country, long grass country, timber country . . . bike’s no good to you.

“If you have 600 wethers in a paddock and you have to fetch them over a creek, you want a team of dogs.”

Most farmers have three to five dogs, generally Border collies or Kelpies.

Ray uses Border Collies, at times working 10 dogs, five sheep and five geese in an arena at once.

But his dogs are not just ‘for show’.

“No, they earn their keep back on the farm, they pay their way,” he said.

Ray said that 90 per cent of what the Border Collies do as working dogs is bred in them.

“To do this sort of work, however, there is a lot of training involved, because basically you are going against a dog’s nature,” he said.

A good working dog is invaluable to a farmer - and often this is reflected in what they cost.

“At the Upper Horton sale last year, a working dog brought $2200, and I also know of a chap who paid $2400 for a dog,” Ray said.

“Pups can bring up to $400, although I only ever charge $100 for a pup, because it’s only a sport and a hobby for me.”

Get a good dog and money won’t buy him.

“You take that old white fellow there,” Ray says with a degree of pride, “he’ll work cattle, sheep, yards, paddock . . . and he’s always reliable.”