Big scores at Molong's first day of NSW Dogpro Plus State Championships on Tuesday

"She's got plenty of force and she reads the sheep pretty well herself, so she's alright for a starter," Mr Elliott said, while Gundagai Tiffany's eyes stayed fixed on her owner.

"She's got what you want, she's just inexperienced, so I'll give her a run around to break her in."

Mr Elliott said it's essentially both a physical and mental game when working with sheep dogs and other animals, with the process considered somewhat of a fine art.

"[Sheep] are intelligent, but you've got to be ahead of them all the time - read them and be ahead of what they might do next," he explained.

"It's the same with cattle and sheep - if you go past that bloody shoulder, you've buggered it up and they won't go where you tell them to, so you've got to stay behind the shoulder, you know; watch their head, their eyes ... you read them."

Having trialed dogs for several decades, Mr Elliott also agreed that working canines are vital tools in the farmers kits, at times proving themselves more reliable than machinery.

"Oh definitely, some farmers can't do without them and dogs are most important to have with you, it's amazing what they can do," he said.

"It depends on the country, as well - bikes are good, but you can't take a quad bike up a rocky hill, whereas you can send your dog up."

Toowoomba handler with Tuesday's top score of 93 under his hat, Barry Knight said the companions take the stress off of farmers, and the best ones "don't knock stock about."

"Oh certainly, dogs certainly make the whole job a lot easier," Mr Knight said.

"Good dogs, you don't knock stock about with good dogs and they can get up to places you can't on a bike or a horse."

NSW stockman and dog trainer, Mick Hudson also echoed this, saying his 12 dogs to trial in Molong are part of a pack that keeps his stock in line across 30,000 acres on his station out west.

"It's about keeping your stock quiet and calm. Good working dogs keep stock settled and calm so they're not stressed out or losing weight or running from one paddock to another," Mr Hudson said.

"We need dogs to muster the goats, cattle and sheep, so we're the dogs' teachers and good working dogs educate the animals to behave in turn.

"But it's about repetition and reward - you've got to have a good bond with your dogs to get the best out of them and the more you look after them, the more they'll look after you."

One to keep on the radar, though, Mr Hudson has a string of championship titles already, who has a large pack of working dogs under his guidance at the station.

"We rotate and spell them if they get tired, that's why we need 20 dogs," he explained.

"We might have 10 dogs in work, four or five retired dogs, four or five young dogs, but you're not going to work the same dogs day in day out, week in week out - you're going to give them a rest when they show signs of tiredness for a day or so, because we want them sharp, we don't want them tired."

The stockman also noted sheep dogs' willingness and loyalty throughout their careers, which he says has undoubtedly earned their keep for the long haul.

"The old dogs that have given you their life, they get the opportunity to retire and be looked after" Mr Hudson said.

"We don't just say 'oh thanks for eight to 10 years of hard service, see ya later Jack' - they're looked after in their retirement years as well, until the day they die."

The five-day NSW Dogpro Plus State Championships will continue through to Saturday, March 26 at Molong's Dr. Ross Memorial 'The Rec' Recreation Ground.'