Like most years, the crowds flocked to see the dogs and their owners go to work and get scored on their efforts.

One of the organisers Neil Taylor, who runs a kelpie stud near Holbrook, said he was impressed with the turn out.

"We always get a fair few entries at this event each year so it is really encouraging to see more than 200 runs plus finals across the three days of trials," he said.

"A lot of families come and watch the trials which is really nice to see.

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"Even if they don't know much about dog trials or what goes into the training of these dogs they always appreciate the skill involved."

For Mr Taylor, who sat down to talk to The Border Mail with his dog Daisy, the "bond between dog and owner is the most important thing".

"Daisy is 16 months old and just starting out with trials but we get our pups out with the sheep from as young as two to three months old," he said.

"And once you start working with them the training involved is quite important.

"But the bond you have is definitely something that makes working with them much easier."

Mr Taylor said getting a dog trained early can prolong their working life.

"If they are fully trained at about 12 months old they can be a very good dog for a lot of years and can reach 10 before slowing down," he said.