But increasing cross-breeding between dingoes and dogs introduced by European settlers is accelerating reproduction of wild dogs, creating large packs.
This is being accompanied by a decline of Australia's sheep flock to less than 100 million from its peak of 173 million in 1990 because of a collapse in wool prices and severe drought.
Farmers have less area to defend and less to spend on their half-share of the annual fence cost.
Meanwhile, the battle between dogs, sheep and fence is fought mostly out of sight around a construction which grew from rabbit fences built in the 1880s.
"We don't see a lot of dogs on the fence. We probably shoot 20 or 30 dogs a year. That's not a lot when you're doing three quarters of a million kilometers a year," said Stanley, whose 22 men and 12 Landcruisers cover the 2,500km fence every week.
"Dogs aren't stupid," he said.
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