Mr Graham has brought his dog trick and obedience training to Rankins Springs for the Birds of the Bush Festival.

His techniques see dogs want to do what they’re told rather than having to do what their told in fear of being hit.

“I throw away old aversive methods of training and use more modern science-based techniques,” Mr Graham said.

“(It’s about) seeing your dog as a colleague, something not to be dominated.

“It’s a bond that’s going to be built on trust.

“You learn so much more and communicate more effectively through positive reinforcement and quadrant learning.”

Dogs have always been part of Dave Graham’s life.

Growing up in Queensland on a huge cattle station made them integral to not only the station but also the people they worked alongside.

“When you've got a 100,000 acre property, you can’t run it without close cooperation with dogs,” Mr Graham said.

“Be it getting the cattle in during muster or droving livestock.

“But also getting through life.

“Through the drought, the floods, dogs are there. They’re your best mate.

“They got me through a lot of hard times.”

One of the hardest times for Mr Graham was after an accident during his time with Urban Search and Rescue.

A parachute mishap during training and left Mr Graham confined to a wheelchair for months.

The extended period not being able to walk helped him better appreciate how much dogs had helped him during his life.

“It ended my abilities to work on the station but at the same time I trained one of my dogs to assist me in every way until I was out of the wheelchair,” he said.

“Literally she was my lifeline. At that point she kept me going.

“I realised how many dogs have helped me get through life and I’m going to repay those dogs.”

From there the Farmer Dave Dog Centre was born.

The centre is based in Western Sydney but Mr Graham travels the country to teach people about his obedience techniques.

Mr Graham held classes on Thursday and will do displays on Saturday.

He will also give a talk on Saturday night about his life.