Aussie Cattle Dogs/Blue Heelers?

[Foxtrot_s]

While there are a lot of ‘difficult’ dogs out there, in general these are considered the smartest of breeds. If she checks out mentally, you will have the most wonderful dog.

The best dog I ever knew was our farrier’s dog. A border collie/Australian Cattle Dog mix. She was the sharpest, quickest and most obedient dog I have ever known. But - she was always with her owner, had lots of exercise, supervision and discipline. Her owner just had to look at her and she understood. Her owner would just whisper a request (followed by “please”!) and it was done. Just loved this combo.

This dog did not have high drive, although I’m sure she would have worked all day if that had been her job - I thought she was perfect. I’m sure there are better breeds suited to hanging around doing nothing.

[allintexas]

We have a heeler mix. Very smart and intense and loyal. Very trainable and obedient. But a bit neurotic and not always good around other dogs. Friendly with all people. HE is not super high in energy or drive, although he does like to have things to do and a bit of exercise

I have heard from others that they have a tendency toward dog aggression and sometimes prefer to be only dogs.

[Murphy_s_Mom]

@Nes;5758564

I find them aggressive to people who aren’t their family, very loud, high energy, difficult to train!! very stubborn and independent.

Yes, they can be all of the above. This is a breed of dog that takes TRAINING. I can bring all four of mine to the vet at the same time. No issues. They are easy to train but get bored easily. They do not like repetition. Do not drill an ACD over and over. They will either shut down or go mental.

They often get dumped at the pound between 6-9 months because that is when they become challenging and royally obnoxious. Sometimes it takes a “tough love” program to whip them back into shape. Sometimes they just need attention. They also often shut down in the pound and may be quieter and less affectionate than in a home environment.

[Lisa_Preston]

Romany,
Maybe a second try with Bruno would be worthwhile. Current dog may get over her silly self.
Anyhoo, www.petfinder.com
is where I found our shelter pooch.

[scotchie]

Have known a few ACD and have to say I would not own one. I know there are exceptions and there are wonderful ones out there, just as in any breed, but the MAJORITY I know can NEVER be trusted around cats, have bit/nipped multiple horses, children and people, and are yappy. They are very athletic and jump on ANYTHING they want- furniture, tables, etc. Once they get excited by something (a loose horse, horses running in a field, etc) all training goes out the window and they are ON IT! Running, barking, chasing, nipping, you name it. Soooo, not a fan, sorry. I hope you find your perfect pooch, though! :yes:

[bdj]

[QUOTE=Romany;5758604]
Roger is beautiful, isn’t he, but they reckoned he’d be too timid for life on a fairly rambunctious farm.

Did you see Bruno? He’s the XL Lab/GD x we liked. LOTS.[/QUOTE]

He’s got such a great smile! I wonder if your girl was weirded out by the shelter situation more than she was by him? Might be worth a second intro if he really is that nice…

[Romany]

Good point, bdj, however she seemed to think the pound (actually, it’s the nation’s capital’s Humane Society, new facility, and considerably more elegant and comfortable than most 5* hotels :)) was an OK place, so we were quite surprised at her reaction, which didn’t improve even after a good 40 minutes of lazing around in the garden there with the 2 dogs.

I reckon there’s no such thing as the Perfect Dog, on the other hand, every dog is a Perfect Dog! Horses for courses, is another way of putting it.

Glad I asked about Heelers - they do sound like fabulous dogs, just probably not a great fit for our lifestyle (lots of heels, no cattle, no frisbees).

[Burbank]

just wanted to add my 0.02, I have a blue heeler X german shorthair pointer, he is almost 9 now and until he got sick and had to be put on meds he has always been:
energetic, needs playtime, a tired heeler is a good heeler, his job has been walks and playing with the tennis ball, he would bark at the ball if he missed it and would jump 3+ feet in the air to catch it

loves our horses, he has been around horses since puppyhood going to the barn with us and learning the expectations, only once did he nip, and it was as and adult and he learned that was a big no no, he does like to lay in the ring and watch and likes to go on trails with us and sometimes trot next to us in the ring thinking he is “working”, not chasing or nipping just trotting next to us

he is an indoor dog that lives with a cat, and visits family with us and has never hurt any of their cats, he might chase a new one that runs, but he always calls off and then ignores them the rest of the time, outside cats he is more interested in but has never hurt one

we use to have chickens and he would try to play with them, and we had a young rooster that would attack our dog and the dog thought it was a game and never hurt the chickens, but a few did loose some feathers…

with visting cousins and kids he has always been great, we taught him as a puppy if someone says oww to back away, when he steps on your bare feet, it hurts and he would need supervision with the younger ones due to eargerness in playing witht he ball, but I feel all young kids should be watched with kids, we did live in an apartment with some small kids that would run up to him and almost tackle him and he just looked at them like really

yes he does bark, he feels his job is to protect his people and barks at anyone that comes to the door, or your car, or that passes by, he also watches new people but has never been aggressive, but as a puppy he went everywhere with us and met lots of new people all the time, he also likes to be able to see his family at all times and when we are at seperate areas of the house he puts himself in the middle so that he can keep and eye on both of us

overall a great breed, but not for everyone

[didgery]

My best dog ever was an ACD and my recent failed adoption was an ACD, too . . . it was a life lesson for me. This breed does best with training, mondo exercise, and abundant socialization, and adopting a submissive/fearful adolescent ACD into a bustling family with children was a bad idea! That dog is now living in a childless, dog-centric family where she’s getting a lot of one-on-one confidence building work.

My childhood dog (lived with me from the time I was 11 through 25) had the benefit of my mom’s help with training and exercise, my doting affection, loads of social opportunities, and regular obedience work. She practically spoke English, she adored me, and she welcomed my husband and children into our lives when that time came. She saved me from a rape attempt once! Sent the guy to the ER for stitches.

I wouldn’t get a cattle dog if you like an under-the-radar dog—a dog to be seen and not heard, or a dog to stay home 8 hours a day and then go out to pee once after work. That type of situation will implode quickly on you with this breed!

[Nes]

[QUOTE=Romany;5758794]
Three cats??? Pffft - amateur [/QUOTE]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Foxtrot_s]

An example of an under-the-radar dog is a greyhound. We have had two, and the dearest, quietest, sweetest dogs imaginable. A plug for greyhound rescue…

[BoysNightOut]

I have a 4y/o Australian Cattle Dog/Border Collie Mix.

Love her to death, she’s a great farm dog. Very loyal, and very protective. I always know when somebody shows up, because her bark sounds more fierce than our Husky/Lab, and our Pitt/Lab. :lol: And that’s a good thing, since we live in the country.

That said, they NEED a job. They seem to have endless energy. My fiance & I live on a small farm, but work during the day away from home. Therefore, my dog gets out a couple of hours before work (she comes to do morning chores with me), then is outside most of the evening when we get home. We hike, play fetch, etc.

Also, you need to be aware they are a herding animal. My dog used to chase horses. It took a lot of training, but now she knows not to go in the paddock & nip at my horses heels. But the instinct is still in her, and I wouldn’t put past her to chase them if they started running, and I wasn’t around (I always make sure I’m outside with her if the horses are out).

But honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better dog! She’s a total sweetheart, is extremely smart, loves people, and a blast to play with. I wouldn’t trade her for anything.

Couple pics of my girl.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/261823_534322527120_90900349_30988414_7200315_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/261698_534320860460_90900349_30988293_543654_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/155197_525079315590_90900349_30891889_1373568_n.jpg

[threedogpack]

BoysNightOut, she’s really cute!

[Wilko1917]

May I chime in on this debate?

ACDs were developed in Australia, and have some of Australia’s wild dog, the Dingo in them. They were developed for driving cattle, and nipping the heels is an inbuilt trait within the breed.

Yes, they are (usually) very intelligent
Yes, they do need a job.
Yes, they are off-hand with strangers
Yes, they are fiercely protective of their family, and their property

It has been said that a Cattle Dog might let you in, but you won’t get out again. He’ll bail you up till his owner comes home.

The dingo is thought to be descended from the Indian wild dog, the Dhole, and was brought to Australia by the early Australian Aboriginal people.

How do I know all this, you ask?
I have owned a cattle (many years ago now) and I’m Australian.

[Romany]

This has developed into an interesting discussion - thanks, all!

And thanks for the background, Wilko.

Confidence has been re-established in the lonely only dog; she was able to impress a visiting dog with her howling skills at the neighbours’ lowly curs (safely locked up) last night; the pair of them barked together, then resident dog started to howl (bit of beagle in there, probably), and visiting dog turned and stared at her, transfixed, as if to say “how on EARTH do you do that???” And tried to copy her, most unsuccessfully.

[Kaytaz86]

[QUOTE=bdj;5758599]

Don’t think I’ve ever known a female ACD, so maybe the girls aren’t as tough as the boys - in your situation, though, I’d be looking for a boy, as I think mixed sex pairs are MUCH easier to deal with.[/QUOTE]
Oh, trust me, they’re tough Tough and scrappy- we have a few too many girls in the group right now and I have to be on top of Libby about appropriate manners! I think mixed sex (or all male) is the way to go for sanity’s sake, but hey, if you find a good female, try it!

[Snapdragon]

We’ve had our ACD for 10 years–he’ll be 13 in Sept.–and I think he must be the exception. He belonged to the son of one of our Aussie friends; the family moved back to Australia from the States, and we adopted him. He was bred here, but is the very typical Aussie-type cattle dog.

He has absolutely zero interest in the horses, unless hoof scraps and poop count. He does like to chase one of our cats, but he’s pretty low key about it. He loves going for drives in the truck and swimming/wading in our creek.

He and our coonhound mix are the bestest of friends–they can eat from the same bowl and our ACD regular gives the coonhound a good face licking. And he loves everybody who comes to our farm. If you play fetch with him, you have a friend for life.

We love him so much that I’ve been looking on Australian breeders’ websites to try to find another similar to him. He is such a joy and perfect in every way–f I could clone him, I would!

[Donella]

We got one from a rescue about five years ago…he was about three they figure. We don’t know much about his history, but we were mostly concerned that he would want to herd/chase the horses ect but my mom was a top Schutzhund trainer years ago and is more than capable of training basic stuff like that so we opted to give it a go (he came from the east coast and we are up in western Canada, so we didn’t get to meet him prior to getting him).

Anyways, when he gets super excited he can get nippy…with the odd stranger that comes onto our property (and sometimes even with me…just out of pure excitement) but never with the horses. He does like to follow behind when we are bringing the mares and foals in ect in sort of a herding manner, but he knows not to get close to them.

The difficult thing is that he has an extremely high prey drive…cats, chickens, birds, mice…anything. The problem is that he learned very quickly not to go after anything when we are around, but if we turn our backs he is after the barn cats in a second (and I have no doubt he would kill them if he had the chance). If he is in our presence and the cats are down from the loft…he won’t even look at them. He is smart enough to “act” like he doesn’t care. It’s doesn’t sound like this is a breed issue listening to others here, but that is how he is, fwiw.

He is super loyal and wants nothing more than to sit at your feet and gaze at you all day. He is really cute and usually charms everyone who comes out here…so while he loves “his” people most, he definately is an affectionate dog and is great with kids too.

I think if you want a really loyal (and protective), intelligent and high energy dog they are a great breed.

[Cody]

Fantastic dogs! I won’t have another breed of dog EVER! You must give them some kind of job, they must understand that you are their leader of their pack. And yes they are truly one person dogs. I have socialized mine a great deal, so he thinks everyone at the horse shows is his friend. He stays at home when I travel with my boyfriend who tells me that when he gets home from work at night that Blue runs right past him to see if my truck is back.

All that being said, I also won’t get one unless I know the breeder and they are reputable.

Cody

[Kyzteke]

@bdj;5758599

Don’t think I’ve ever known a female ACD, so maybe the girls aren’t as tough as the boys -

Trust me, they are! The 3 PB heelers I’ve owned were females (2 red, 1 blue), while the male was 1/2 blue heeler and half Rottie.

All of them were/are fearsome herding dogs with incredibly strong instincts to “heel”.

Although none of them would ever chase the horses when I’m not out there, they simply cannot stand it when I’m out feeding and the horses don’t move promptly enough for them. They MUST “help”.

It fact, the females were worse than the male about this…perhaps because they were/are 100% heeler.

Either way, I’ve seen them knocked cold by a kick, bowled over, etc. and it barely slows them down. Right now I have a “miniature” red heeler who weighs about 25 lbs and she “heels” me, the Pit Bull, the cats and any neighbor that wanders over. When it comes to the horses, she will “assist” me with chores even though she has been kicked in the shoulder, run over, knocked unconscious AND kicked in the head once so hard she lost an eye…and I STILL have to watch her to make sure she doesn’t over do it and get kicked again. And she’s only 4 yrs old…

I think now she has developed alittle discretion, but man, does she want to herd!! Oh, and she is a better mouser/vermin killer than my cats! Quick, no messing around. One snap and rat-no-more!

Believe me, these are tough, tough dogs…most definitely NOT “under the radar” types.

Get a Goldie or Shep. mix if you want that…

All that being said, she is a total sweetheart, very affectionate, my constant shadow where ever I go (right now she’s got her head resting on my foot while I type, while the Pit Bull just takes advantage of my absence to claim the sofa for his nap…) and sleeps on my bed.

But under the radar? Not even close…