The Australian cattle dog, also known as the Blue Heeler, are popular working dogs and pets and are easily picked out by their high-energy enthusiasm and intelligence. This breed of dog is known to be muscular and active, making the ideal for herding and obedience trials, and if given enough room to run and enough exercise are excellent pets for the right owners.
The breed first emerged as an independent entity a little over a hundred years ago, when a breed of dog known as Smithfields were used in Australia to herd cattle. Because these dogs were too noisy and too rough with the cattle, they were crossbred with the Australian wild dog known as the dingo.
This resulted in a dog that was quieter, but still had a tendency to bite too hard, so at that point, collies, who were used to herd sheep and therefore were a bit gentler were bred into the mix, with some bull terrier bred into to give the breed a little more aggression.
The Australian cattle dog was born and became almost instantly popular as sporting and guard dogs at the turn of the century.
“Australian cattle dogs have cool heads under pressure and is absolutely fearless when it comes to cattle”
They were bred to move the herds where they were indicated and did so by weaving through recalcitrant animals and nipping lightly at their heels to get the moving.
This is problematic when the same behavior gets transferred over to humans and other animals like horses. If you decide to adopt an Australian cattle dog, this is a behavior that you might have to spend some time curbing.
Australian cattle dogs, due to the fact that they were originally bred to be working dogs, have a high energy level and require a great deal of exercise. They are most happy when they are at work, whether that means herding cattle or participating in obedience trials or competitions.
To keep their active minds interested, the owners of Australian cattle dogs should make sure that their training routines do not turn dull or repetitive.
These dogs are naturally wary of strangers and tend to bond early in life with an individual or an older dog. When adopting an Australian cattle dog, make sure that you quickly impress upon it that you are the pack leader.
While they can be excellent guard dogs due to a combination of the their strength, speed and intense distrust of strangers, they are not really good family dogs.
Although this breed does work well with Kelpies and collies as well as with other members of their breed, they can be quite aggressive when it comes to unknown dogs. Ideally, they are kept in a situation where they have a job and can do it every day.
In terms of health, the Australian cattle dog is quite hardy. They can be prone to musculoskeletal disorders as well as to infertility.
These are dogs that will become bored and frustrated quite easily and therefore should be kept entertained and exercised.
“Australian cattle dogs can be excellent pets, but only in the right conditions”
