Herding dogs give farmers great value for money That'll do: One of Paul Darmody's dogs rounds up a flock of sheep. It is a language of commands and whistles sent across paddocks and stockyards. Come by, get back, that'll do, stand. And it's the language farmer Paul Darmody speaks daily to his 13 working dogs on his sheep and cattle property Wynella, near Bungendore in southern NSW. The dogs muster and round up stock faster and more efficiently than any quad or motorbike could manage and new research estimates the value of the canines at $40,000 over their average 10-year working life. Jonathan Early, a PhD researcher from the Farm Dog Project at the University of Sydney, says a herding dog can become five times more valuable than its purchase price. Researchers found the median cost involved in owning a herding dog is $7763 over the period of its working life. And with the average pup sold for about $400, Mr Early says dogs are a sound investment. Naming a figure is important because many farmers are under financial pressure in regards to their staffing and farming costs. If their working dog needs to go to the vet the bills are very expensive so knowing their worth can help farmers justify the expenditure," Mr Early said. Data on 4021 dogs was gathered to determine the costs associated with owning herding dogs and to estimate the work they perform. Mr Darmody, 57, who has lived on his farm his whole life, says farmers take their working dogs a lot more seriously now. He can remember owning at least 20 working dogs. If you're on a bike, chasing sheep and you hit a stump or a big rock then you're a goner. The truth is, you can work with a ute, a truck, a horse, a bike but a dog is going to get there in one-tenth of the time," he said. Working Kelpie Council president Carl Carlon says working dog pups are expensive but they become invaluable. "Once they are trained and broken in, they never leave a farmer's side," Mr Carlon said. I think there will always be a place for farm dogs especially because you can't put a quad bike in a cattle yard and that's when they're extremely helpful. Title-winning sheep dog trainer Laurie Slater says training of the pups begins when they reach five months and usually takes a year until they're ready for real work. "It takes a lot of love and a lot of patience but it's worth it because a two-year-old dog can be valued at $2000," Mr Slater said. With the high rates of depression and suicide in rural communities, Mr Early says that working farm dogs can also help farmers deal with mental health issues. "There's the underlying benefit that farmers have a constant companion and a reliable animal to help them out on their farms," he said.