Australian Cattle Dog Breed

Below are the characteristics and traits of the Australian cattle dog breed.Australian Cattle Dogs were produced to fulfill the need of driving massive herds of unruly cattle through harsh, open ranges. They are not for first-time dog owners, and even fairly experienced dog people might find them difficult to control. Blue Heeler behavior problems tend to be not so much with the dog but not having proper authority to oversee them. They can be good companions so long as they are exercised at length on a daily basis. They won't do for apartment lifestyles, and they are not recommended for households with cats, very young kids, and sometimes even other dogs. Learning as much Australian cattle dog information as possible is key to managing these dogs properly.

Here are some Blue Heeler facts that are good to know:

PROS

• Sturdy
• Very loyal
• Bonds strongly
• Highly intelligent
• Loves agility tasks
• Exceedingly active
• Superior herding dog
• Great at canine sports
• Protective of family members

CONS

• Can be jealous
• May bark a lot
• Might nip at kids
• Wary of outsiders
• Tendency to roam
• Separation anxiety
• Rigorous exercise needs

On average, the Australian cattle dog stands 18 inches tall (from ground to shoulder) and weighs 40 pounds. As a medium sized dog breed, the Australian Cattle Dog may seem a bit small to be able to cattle animals weighing 50 times their weight, but what the breed lacks in size they make up for in intelligence and agility.

Australian cattle dogs are a very intelligent dog breed. It is important that owners meet the breed's intellectual needs, otherwise the dog may develop unwanted habits for mental stimulation. The breed is devoted to their family, but isn't necessarily the best choice for younger children or other pets. It is common for Australian Cattle Dogs to become attached to a single person in the household and the introduction of new pets can make the breed jealous. If properly socialized, the breed does well with children, but since they have a strong urge to nip and bite there is a risk that the Australian Cattle Dog may be too mouthy for smaller kids.

Australian Cattle Dogs require a bit more maintenance than other breeds. Their coat is easy to care for, as it is weather resistant, but the breed blows their coat twice per year and will need frequent brushing during these times. Australian Cattle Dogs have a lot of energy and will need an environment where they can meet their exercise needs. They do not do well in apartments or condos and besides needed a large area to run and play they also need adequate mental stimulation. A lack of mental and physical exercise often leads to destructive behavior and stubbornness which can make the dog unmanageable for inexperienced owners.

Australian Cattle Dog history was developed carefully over several decades in the 19th century and proved to be as harsh as the outback for which the dogs were conceived. Sheepdogs called Smithfields, exported from Britain, didn't work out. They were crossed with Dingoes, but the hybrids proved to be unreliable. Then a rancher named George Hall saw to crossing Dingoes with Blue Heelers.

For about 30 years, Hall worked to perfect a quiet, nonbiting, energetic, resilient and tireless dog. By 1840, his dogs became known locally as Halls Heelers. They worked very well, but as they were a proprietary thing that helped his business, only he had them. It was not until after he died in 1870 that they became widely available.

In the 1890s, the Cattle Dog Club of Sydney took an interest in the breed and re-named them the Australian Cattle Dog. Around 1897, a man named Robert Kaleski drafted a standard that was accepted in 1903 by the Kennel Club of New South Wales. The breed's name had been shortened to Australian Heeler, but the Club later went back to Australian Cattle Dog. Still, most people called them Queensland Heelers or Blue Heelers, which is why you might hear about Blue Heeler origins being the same as Aussie Cattle Dogs.

During WW2, an American soldier and California cattle rancher named Greg Lougher met a Sydney veterinarian named Alan McNiven who had further crossed a number of other breeds into Cattle Dog blood. The Royal Agricultural Society Kennel Club (RASKC) had refused to recognize those hybrids, and some controversy ensued when McNiven tried to "paper-walk" his way around the Club's refusal. Lougher exported several of the dogs to the United States where efforts continued to formally recognize the dog.

A few decades later, after the establishment of the Australian Cattle Dog Club of America and further possible controversy, the AKC took over the club and formally recognized the breed in 1980.

The Australian Cattle Dog is medium in size but highly athletic and built for speed. They aren't stocky or muscly, however, nor are they tall and thin for just racing. Overall, they are extremely sturdy.

The head of the Heeler is broad but tapers to a pointed muzzle where the teeth are in a scissor bite. The triangular ears are small and set on the sides of the head. The dog's oval eyes are medium to darkly colored, and they have an alert face. Although this breed's eyes are brown, there are instances where some puppies have blue eyes. (Likewise, there are some blue-nose Heelers to be found too.) The muscular neck leads down to a solid body. The forelegs are straight and strong, and the rear legs are extremely strong for running, leaping and holding their own against unruly cattle that react badly to being nipped back into the herd. The paws are small and compact yet sturdy and long. The Australian Cattle Dog tail should be of medium length and broad.

The typical Red or Blue Heeler coat is short-haired with two layers. The inner coat is dense, and the outer coat is stiff, harsh and water-resistant.

There are no formal varieties of Australian Cattle Dogs save for the coat colors. There are breeders who claim to have miniature, teacup or toy Heelers, and there are also people who claim that such dogs don't exist and that these very small dogs are either runts, crossbreeds or happenstance. There are also emergent hybrids (such as the Texas Heeler) but as they are not purebred dogs nor recognized by the big kennel clubs (AKC, etc.), they are not formally considered variations.

While there may be different types of Queensland Heelers due to the two periods of cross-breeding (one in the early 1800s and another in the mid-20th century), they aren't so much varieties as perhaps bloodlines. If you are looking for a long-haired Australian Cattle Dog, those may not exist. As for short-haired Heelers, the standard Heeler (no matter which name it is known by) has short hair. There may be the occasional big Blue Heeler, however, but as these cattle dogs work best by being able to move about underneath cattle, the bigger dogs are not desired.

Australian Cattle Dogs have a great attitude so long as they are properly trained and socialized by someone who is as alert and careful as these dogs. The typical Blue Heeler personality is one that will take command in the absence of authority. This behavior can appear as willful or even stubborn to those who lack that ability to control these dogs.

Most of the traits common among Queensland Heelers are based on the dog's work: they are territorial, highly suspicious and able to assess a threat as well as how to respond to it, and they often have to do this alone. This requires intelligence, and these dogs have it in droves.

The basic breed personality is one that, once they bond, they never break — and they demand the same. They won't want to be alone, bored or inactive for very long, and to be so will quickly end in them being anxious, destructive and to start nipping.

Australian Cattle Dogs have fewer health concerns than most dog breeds. As they are dogs that were relatively recently conceived, and there was a lot of hybridization early on and again just a century ago, this has helped their health profile. Still, they are susceptible to some problems, and if you are going to adopt a Red Heeler, be sure to get all the health tests. You should make sure those tests are verified too. These dogs may have been exported, or they may have been bred with feral animals.

Some of the health issues of which you should be aware in Aussie Cattle Dogs are:

• Cataracts
• Deafness
• Work injuries
• Lens luxation
• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• von Willebrand's Disease
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

The average life span f Blue Heelers is 12 to 14 years.