Australian Cattle Dog
Narrated from: Dog Breeds
The Australian Cattle dog is known by many different names, including the Australian Heeler, the Queensland Heeler or the Blue Heeler. If you are looking for a tireless and robust breed of dog you have found your newest family member! This dog is strong, powerful, agile and courageous. Once he is on a task he is a very determined dog. His oval shaped dark eyes are captivating. He appears so graceful as he runs with his smooth, medium length coat but be aware that this a double coated breed. His undercoat is short and very dense. As a puppy you may only be able to tell his true color by examining the pads on his feet. They are all white when they are born. They are usually spotted either blue or red or sometimes mottled. He is a very hard working dog and was originally bred for herding.
Since he herds instinctually he may try and herd groups of people or children in the family and this may mean a little nipping. He needs a firm, calm teacher who is not afraid to be the alpha. Start very young with his training and socialization. They are very lively dogs and will need physical and mental stimulation daily. Your Australian Cattle Dog will require a lot of your time so make sure you are up to the challenge before you bring one home. If you are sure you can devote the time and energy the dog requires you will find him to be extremely intelligent. He seems to behave better when he has a job to do. You will not have a hard time finding something he likes to get involved in and he excels at almost everything he likes. Try fly-ball, obedience trials, Frisbee or disc training and herding trials. They also make excellent agility dogs. They key here is keeping him busy physically and mentally.
He craves interaction with people and takes very well to leadership. Raised correctly and being well socialized will make him a wonderful family pet. He is very loyal and obedient but he possesses a dominant side and will happily take over the house and family if he is allowed. He needs a calm, assertive leader and tons of praise for a job done well. The Australian Cattle Dog is wonderfully trustworthy with children. They do well with a lot of space that allows them to run and burn off excess energy at the end of the day. They are very easy to fall in love with, but they are so energetic they can be difficult to keep. You must be a very devoted, strong willed pack leader to provide this dog with everything he needs. If he is left to get bored he can be very destructive.
When he is full grown you can expect him to be approximately 17 to 20 inches tall and a healthy weight for them is between 30 and 35 pounds. There are two specific health issues you need to be aware of and they are hip dysplasia and deafness. The merles are more likely to be hearing deficient. You can expect nearly 15 years of love and faithful companionship from the Australian Cattle Dog.
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