FIVE dogs, a few veteran jumpers and one novice, jumped an ever-increasing timber wall in the popular dog high-jump on Saturday.

First-time entrant Toohey became the underdog in the truest sense – he appeared to have a few kilograms on his opposition.

But Toohey became a crowd favourite and earned a round of applause when he dodged the wall and climbed up the hay bales behind it, posing triumphantly at the top.

He was first to be eliminated.

The wall then reached 2.4 metres, which master-of-ceremonies John Tyrrell said was the highest ever jumped at the Berwick Show.

In the end it was Casper the lemon Border collie that out-jumped the rest, enticed by a branch of gum leaves dangled over the wall by his owner, Maryknoll’s Narelle Boardman.

“They used to dong the lemon (collies) on the head because they thought they were mutants,” Ms Boardman said.

“But Casper’s done alright.”