Farmers are finally starting to pick up the pieces from a devastating drought, but now those on the land say they have an even bigger issue facing them — wild dogs.

Warning: this story contains graphic images.

Key points: Farmers fear the threat of wild dog attacks as they rebuild herds after years of drought

Farmers fear the threat of wild dog attacks as they rebuild herds after years of drought They say the Government needs to intervene to control the problem

They say the Government needs to intervene to control the problem This summer's bushfires have displaced many feral animals, moving the problem across the state

Ian MacCallum runs a sheep property in the New South Wales Upper Hunter region and says the threat of wild dogs keeps him up at night.

"I find the dog problem just as hard, or harder, than the drought," he said.

"You make decisions in the drought, you've got your stock in reasonable condition, and you're feeding and that's not too bad.

"But when you lie awake at night wondering whether you've got dogs amongst your sheep or not, that's what I find hard."

Mr MacCallum has spent 50 years improving the bloodlines of his sheep and footing the costs of skyrocketing feed bills through the drought to hold onto as many breeders as he could.

He estimated a "conservative" dollar figure for his 1,300 sheep would be about $200 a head and closer to $350 a head for ewes in lamb.

"Our ewes are all joined now, and it would be absolutely gut-wrenching to see two or three dogs amongst those ewes and kill 20 or 30, which could happen," Mr MacCallum said.

"It's a fair bit of money, and to think that we've got an endless supply of dogs coming out of the forest and national park waiting there to have a go at the sheep … it's pretty hard to take."

Ian MacCallum says the thought of wild dogs getting in with his recently joined ewes keeps him up at night. ( Supplied: Ian MacCallum )

'Hounds of the Baskervilles'

It is not only sheep producers enlisting the help of trappers, contract shooters and laying their own dog baits.

The wild dog population is becoming an increasing problem among cattle producers due to a parasite dogs and foxes can carry, called Neospora caninum.

Contract trappers and farmers are kept busy attempting to control wild dog populations on their farms. ( Supplied: Ian MacCallum )

"It has been causing increasing numbers of spontaneous abortion in cattle," said NSW Farmers Association (NSWFA) president, James Jackson.

"So the idea that wild dogs only impact on the sheep industry by direct predation is incorrect."

Mr Jackson said the genetic mix of wild dogs was expanding.

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"Some of these dogs are like the hounds of the Baskervilles," he said.

"They are immense animals, they've obviously bred with pig dogs, some of these hunting dogs, and they've increased in size.

Mr MacCallum recalled when a contract trapper caught nine dogs near Armidale, on the NSW Northern Tablelands, recently.

"He caught one big dog there that was well over 30 kilos and he said, 'By jeez, I wouldn't like to take him on'," he said.

Fires force ferals from scrub

In the state's central-west region, bushfires at Gospers Mountain and Palmers Oaky in January saw large numbers of wild dogs and other pest animals displaced, spreading the problem further across the state.

"It's meant more dog attacks on both livestock and wildlife in areas around Bathurst, Lithgow and Mudgee, while wild dogs are also repopulating around the Wolgan Valley," said senior biosecurity officer, Kristy Bennetts.

"Farmers are reporting dogs moving around in packs of eight or nine, with not just sheep being attacked but also calves and even horses."

An aerial and ground-baiting program will begin in May with 170 landholders giving approval for aerial bates to be dropped on their properties.

The NSWFA hopes landholders invest in exclusion fencing, particularly on fences that border public lands, such as national parks, as they rebuild following the state's devastating bushfire season.

Sheep farmers have long suffered significant losses due to wild dogs. Dogs can also carry a disease that, if transmitted to cows, can result in spontaneous abortions. ( Supplied: Ken Wright )

The time to act is now

Mr MacCallum said he would like to see more action from the state Government to address the issue.

"It's most important for everyone to co-operate, well, that's not happening," he said.

"I just live in hope that someone in authority would really step up to the plate and say, 'Look, we've got to fix this'.

"If you go back to the old [tuberculosis] and brucellosis eradication, you had to put your cattle in the yard to have them tested, or else.

"The Government stepped up to the plate then and said, 'Right, we've got to get rid of these two diseases', and no-one could step back and say, 'No, I'm not going to test my cattle', everybody had to.

"Why can't we have a similar principle with dogs?"

Mr Jackson said the farming community have been helping each other out to address the issue.

"Farmers generally are very good neighbours and, even when they are not directly affected, they are aware of the neighbour's situation," he said.

"We do need a great lambing and a great calving [season] here in the New England, and a lot of the state, to restock … to make sure that we get an effective and a productive livestock sector.

The NSW Agriculture Minister, Adam Marshall, has been contacted for comment.