Discover Seven Fascinating Facts About the Australian Cattle Dog

Some breeds are incredibly popular despite being riddled with health and behavioral problems. Others are widely unknown even though they are phenomenal dogs and family pets. The Australian Cattle Dog is one of the latter. These unique canines are still used for herding cattle as well as for hunting in Australia, and they also have the makings of a perfect family pet. Yet, they rank outside of the Top 50 of popular dog breeds worldwide by most kennel clubs. Why is that? Should you consider adopting or buying an Australian Cattle Dog? Here are 7 interesting facts about the Australian Cattle Dog.

7 things to consider before buying an Australian Cattle Dog

Also called Australian Heelers, Queensland Heelers, and either Red or Blue Heelers, these dogs are definitely a special package. They were bred specifically for the herding of cattle via playful nibs at their heels. Their high intelligence, as well as speed and obedience also make them good hunting companions too. All this, together with the Australian Cattle Dog’s interesting-looking coat is due to a pretty special history, however.

1. Australian Cattle Dogs have a very curious heritage

The Australian Cattle Dog was originally crossbred between a few European shepherd breeds such as the Collie and Blue Merle together with some Australian flavor in the shape of the wild dingo dog. That’s right, the Australian Cattle Dog is one of the few modern dog breeds to be that closely related to its undomesticated ancestors.

Does this make the Australian Cattle Dog “wild” and dangerous, however? Not at all. The dingo blood in these Heeler dogs certainly adds to their high energy and slight prey drive but this isn’t something you’ll see in any other shepherd and/or sighthound breed. Instead of being dangerous in any way, the Australian Cattle Dog is a near-perfect blend of energy, endurance, intelligence, obedience, and sociability, all thanks to its unique heritage.

2. This is more than just a working dog breed

Shepherd breeds make for some of the most popular, beloved, and well-behaved pet breeds today and for good reasons. As a rule, they are smart, easy to train, energetic and playful, as well as very social. The few exceptions are shepherd/guard dog breeds that were more focused on guarding their flocks against predators but that’s not the case with the Australian Cattle Dog.

As there are no large predators in Australia, the Heeler Cattle Dogs didn’t need to be bred for guarded aggression toward wolves or anything of the sort. Instead, their focus was solely on herding cattle and working with their people. This has made the Australian Cattle Dog an exceptionally intelligent, trainable, and social breed, just like any other popular and beloved pet shepherd breed.

What’s more, Australian Cattle Dogs are also used as hounds for hunting. Even though they aren’t bred for this purpose, their high energy, trainability, and the prey drive for small game leftover from their dingo heritage help them be excellent hunters too. But, if you’re a pet owner, that’s probably more worrying than encouraging. Still, there’s no need to worry about this breed’s prey drive – proper socialization and training can easily prevent accidents with house cats and other pets.

3. As a working breed, however, Australian Cattle Dogs need lots of physical exercise

If you do get such a dog, you should be ready and willing to spend some extra time in the dog park. Australian Cattle Dogs are very energetic working dogs and they need to expel that energy if they are to stay healthy and happy. You should free up enough time for two trips outside of at least 40 minutes each, ideally longer.

This means more than just jogging around the block too. Remember that these are working dogs. Herding cattle involves much more than just jogging in a straight line – it involves following herding patterns, responding to commands, coordinating with other dogs, and more.

So, your Heeler pet will also need some mental complexity in its exercise too. You can do this most easily by playing games, giving your dog “work” tasks such as carrying things, and so on. Having a yard is also great for such an energetic breed, however, you’d do well to make sure your fence is secure. These dogs do have a relatively strong prey drive and can escape if left unattended.

4. Like most shepherd breeds, the Australian Cattle Dog is exceptionally social and friendly

Another key factor that makes these dog such great pets and cattle dogs is their social nature. As we said, some socialization is required if you want your Heeler to get along with cats and other non-canine pets but that’s normal. Besides, such socialization is always needed and it’s important if you want your dog to get along with other dogs and people too. The fact that Australian Cattle Dogs are naturally social doesn’t mean that they don’t need socialization – just that it’s easier to do.

5. This is a highly intelligent and trainable breed

People often equate those two things but they are not always related. There are plenty of highly intelligent dog breeds out there that are often a nightmare to train. Dogs such as Huskies and Dachshunds - as adorable as they both are – are as incredibly smart as they are stubborn, melodramatic, and difficult to train.

That’s why many of the most popular pet breeds are hounds and shepherds like the Australian Cattle Dog – because such breeds are not just smart but also very easy to train. The Heeler is a prime example of that. They still obviously need obedience training but once that’s done you can teach an Australian Cattle Dog to do pretty much anything any other dog breed can.

While most experts still put the Border Collie at the top of the dog intelligence ranking, there’s no denying that the Heeler is close to the top too. That’s hardly a surprise, given that this dog is partly descended from British shepherd and Collie breeds.

6. Red and Blue Heelers have varying but always quite fascinating coats

The Australian Cattle Dog doesn’t just have a lot of names, it also has two distinct sub-breeds – the Red and Blue Heelers. The only real difference between these two are their coats, however – they are virtually the exact same breed in every other aspect.

They do have pretty cool and unique coats, though. Blue Heelers can be speckled blue, mottled blue, or solid blue. Red Heelers can be either red speckled or red mottled. Both types can have additional markings, however, typically tan, red, or a combination of black and tan. All this makes for some of the most eye-catching and memorable looks in the canine world.

As for their grooming needs, All Australian Cattle Dog coat types have short coats that don’t shed too much. In fact, as a double-coated breed, Heelers mostly shed seasonally – in the spring and fall. Extra brushing can help minimize the seasonal coat blowout and a groomer visit can help but isn’t that necessary. Infrequent weekly brushing should be enough to keep their coats in order throughout the rest of the year.

Other grooming needs include the standard stuff – eye and ear cleaning, dental hygiene, and skin maintenance. Nail clipping is nice but shouldn’t be necessary that often as the abundance of outdoor time should help your dog file its own nails while running around.

7. Thanks to a lack of overbreeding, these dogs are quite healthy

Many popular breed suffer from lots of health issues due to overbreeding to meet the demand for more pups. That’s not the case with the Australian Heelers, however. For one, they are not that popular yet so puppy mills haven’t thrown their gene pool out of whack yet. Plus, thanks to their dingo ancestry, they have “fresh blood”, so to speak.

So, while you should still watch out for standard stuff such as hip dysplasia, deafness, and certain eye problems, you can expect these dogs to have a relatively long and healthy life up to 15 years on average or even more with good care.

With all that being said, it ought to be pretty obvious that the Australian Cattle Dogs are truly something special. These dingo-descendant herding canines are excellent for cattle herding, as family pets, and even for hunting. Smart, loyal, loving, and very energetic and playful, Australian Cattle Dogs should be much more popular than they are outside of Australia. Add their unique coats and you shouldn’t hesitate to get a dog from this breed if you’ve got the chance.