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Australian Cattle Dogs
Thinking about
Australian Cattle Dogs (blue heelers) as a companion?
Height: Males: 46-51 cm (18-20 inches);
Females: 43-48 cm (17-19 inches) Group Lifespan: 14-15 years Who is the blue heeler?Blue heelers or red heelers - informal names for the Cattle Dog breed - are energetic, loyal and intelligent dogs, and superb herders of cattle. Breed HistoryAustralian Cattle Dogs (ACDs) were developed in Australia around 1840. A New South Wales cattle farmer, Thomas Hall, had become frustrated at the lack of a useful dog to herd or drive cattle large numbers of cattle to market. There were some sheep-herding dogs that had been imported from England in the country, but they were unable to cope with herding (or ‘droving’) huge herds of cattle long distances. Hall imported some cattle dogs from England and crossed these animals with the local wild dog, the Dingo. After many years of experiment, he arrived at a breed he was satisfied with. This new dog breed, called ‘Halls Heelers’, was only used on the Hall properties until around 1870, when Hall died, his properties were sold and the dogs became widely available. The Australian Cattle Dog (blue heeler) was called a ‘heeler’ because of its habit of nipping at the heels of uncooperative cattle. The blue merle colour of most ACDs’ coats comes from the original English blue merle cattle dogs. Some Australian Cattle Dog puppies pick up more of the colour of the dingo and have red-mottled coats instead. This has led to the names Blue Heeler and Red Heeler, though they are really both the same breed of dog. The name Queensland Heeler is also sometimes used because a slightly different line was developed by breeders in Queensland. Some people believe that ACDs were crossed with Dalmatians and Kelpies to get the mottled, different-coloured coats but there is no genetic evidence to support this. Blue heelers have become one of the world’s more popular medium sized dogs in recent years because of their intelligence, loyalty and willingness to work hard. When not used for droving, they enjoy agility, obedience and hiking. Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle DogThe Stumpy Tail is a separate dog breed that is related to Australian Cattle Dogs. It is born with a short or bobbed tail. It looks similar to an ACD but is generally a little lighter and has longer legs. The Stumpy Tail and the ACD seem to have diverged in the late 19th century, when crossing with Scottish smooth collies sometimes produced dogs with no tail or very short tails. The Stumpy Tail is now recognised as an official breed in Australia and has been provisionally accepted as a breed by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. It is not recognised as a breed by any other national kennel councils. Personality of Australian Cattle Dogs
Good with children?Yes – blue heelers love the children in their family and will be protective of them. As with other strong dogs, however, small children should not be left unsupervised in their company. Exercise needsThe Australian Cattle Dog breed is an energetic, active one and needs a good amount of daily exercise. He will love to go for a run or hike with his owner. Once he has finished his exercise, however, he loves to lie near his owner and is not inclined to stray. The ACD can become easily bored and, if kept as a pet instead of as a working dog, should be given plenty of opportunities to exercise both his muscles and his mind. ACDs excel at agility sports, rally obedience and flyball. HealthIn general, blue heelers are a strong, robust breed of dog, usually living to around 14 years. An Australian Cattle Dog called Blue may have been the longest lived dog in the world (he is believed to have died at the age of 29 in the 1930s). Possible health problemsHereditary deafness Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) (a retinal disease that can affect all breeds of dogs, leading to night blindness and gradual loss of day vision) Hip dysplasia (a disease that can cause lameness and arthritis in the hips or elbows) GroomingThe ACD has a short double coat, with an outer coat of straight hairs and an undercoat of finer, dense hair. They generally shed heavily once or twice a year but are otherwise easy to groom, requiring nothing more than a light wipe down. In active dogs, check paws and ears for grass seeds regularly. More information for new puppy owners:Want to know more about buying, raising and caring for a puppy? Check out these PuppyPrimer.com pages: Ideal ownerThe ideal ACD owner will give their dog plenty of attention and companionship, as blue heelers love to be with their owner. You should also be prepared to provide a good deal of exercise and problem-solving activities for your ACD. Remember that Australian Cattle Dogs are a working dogs and, like many of this type, they can get into trouble if they don’t have something to occupy their minds. Return to the top of Australian Cattle Dogs Go back to Puppy Breeds |
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