In Australia, livestock herding dogs are often granted mythical status, and although dedicated handlers and breeders have tried to capture their feats of skill and performance, peer-reviewed literature is limited. This thesis attempts to close the gap between anecdote and empirical evidence. An investigation of terminology in Australian working dog training manuals identified common descriptors of working manoeuvres, working attributes and general attributes. Among the eight texts studied, only two showed a correlation. This inconsistency may fuel the confusion amongst readers. These common terms were used in the Australian Farm Dog Survey which explored livestock herding dog behaviour in four work and competition contexts. Respondents were asked to rate the value of 16 working manoeuvres, 11 working attributes and five general attributes. This revealed generalities across and specialisation within the four contexts. In the first empirical study on the workload of livestock herding dogs in the harsh Australian farming environment, distance and speed data were collected during an 11-day period of peak activity. Extension of this work may identify phenotypic traits of value in herding and related working contexts. To characterise interactions between herding dogs and livestock, an event and time-based lag sequential analysis was conducted in a standardised yard competition. Behavioural software was used to code selected behaviours and interactions. Analysis revealed a range of context-specific associations. This study should assist handlers and breeders to focus on evidence-based breeding selection. This investigation of working dog and livestock interactions has identified valuable phenotypes in working dog-livestock interactions. Extension of this work may identify a set of estimated breeding values for these phenotypes to inform practices in training and breeding programs.