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Australian Cattle Dog
Breed photo provided by Wikipedia




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The Australian Cattle Dog, also known as the Queensland Heeler, Blue Heeler and Red Heeler is a breed of herding dog developed in Australia for controlling cattle. It is a medium-sized short-coated dog with a lot of energy, intelligence and an independent streak.

The Australian Cattle Dog should be muscular, athletic and substantial in appearance, without any trace of weakness or fragility. However, excessively heavy or cumbersome build is also undesirable as it limits agility, a necessity for any good cattle herder. Along with athleticism, symmetry and balance are also essential, and no individual part of the dog should be exaggerated or draw excessive attention. Even when bred for companion or show purposes, it should have well-conditioned, hard muscles.

A female Australian Cattle Dog should measure about 17 to 19 inches (43 to 48 cm) at the withers. A male Australian Cattle Dog should measure about 18 to 20 inches (46 to 51 cm) at the withers. An Australian Cattle Dog is a well-muscled, compact dog with a dense coat of coarse, rather oily hair with a slight ruff and fine, almost woolly, winter undercoat. It has a naturally long tail, generally carried low, with a slight white tip. An Australian Cattle Dog in good condition should weigh roughly 35 to 50 pounds (16 to 23 kg).

Australian Cattle Dogs exhibit two primary coat colors: blue and red. In both cases the coloration is not solid. The distinctive coloration of the Australian cattle dog is the result of white and grey hairs closely interspersed with red or black hairs. This is not a roan or merle coloration but rather the result of the ticking gene, the same gene found in Dalmatians. In addition to the primary coloration Australian cattle Dogs also display some patches of solid or near-solid color, most notably a mask over one or both eyes.

Red is the genetically dominant color in Australian Cattle Dogs and is comprised of a mix of red and white hairs leading to a ginger coloration. The mask of red cattle dogs is solid or nearly solid red. Any has patches on the body should be red also, with an ideal red dog having no blue or black markings whatsoever. However a strongly disfavored marking occasionally appears wherein a red animal exhibits black 'saddles'.

The more common color of the Cattle Dog is blue, where the coat has a bluish appearance, caused by the mottling of black, gray and white hairs all over the dog's body. Blue dogs may have either blue coats with black spots or blue coats with black spots and some red markings. Acceptable red markings on blue dogs include ginger feet, ginger spots on the legs, and some of the ginger color on the face and underparts. The ginger coloration should not extend up the face, or high above the legs; when it does it is called a "creeping tan." This is not accepted in the breed standard.

The coat of a cattle dog should show an even disposition of color, save in the coat patterns of 'speckle' and 'mottle'. These two patterns show in dogs with both both red and blue coats and are less common than even coat coloration. A 'speckle' is a dark coat with a heavy mix of white speckles or small spots. A 'mottle' is a light or white coat with regularly-placed denser areas of dark color showing up as spots. Both of these coat variations are considered unusual and uncommon, but acceptable, by breeders.

The mask is one of the most distinctive features of an Australian Cattle Dog. This mask consists of a blue-black patch over one or both eyes (for the blue coat color) or a red patch over one or both eyes (for the red coat color). The blue variety may also show some red on the face. Depending on whether one eye or both have a patch, these are called, respectively, single (or 'half') mask and double (or 'full') mask. Australian Cattle Dogs without a mask are called plain-faced and may have small red "eyebrows". Any of these is correct according to the breed standard, and the only limitation is the owner's preference.

Most Australian Cattle Dogs have a stripe or spot of white hair in the center of the forehead, usually 1/2 inch to 1 inch by 2 inches to 3 inches (about 2 cm by 7 cm) called the Bentley Mark. This is similar in appearance to the blaze or star markings sometimes found on horses. This mark can be traced to a purebred dog owned by Thomas Bentley. According to legend, a popular dog owned by Tom Bentley passed on this distinctive mark to all Australian Cattle Dogs. They also frequently have a white tip to the tail and a small white patch on the chest.

Cattle Dog pups are born white (save for any solid colored body or face markings) and grow darker as they mature. This characteristic is believed to be inherited from a posited Dalmatian ancestry.

For dog owners whose interest is primarily in their qualification for conformation shows, even markings are preferred over uneven markings, and large solid-color marks on the body are undesirable. For owners who are more interested in their dogs' performance in activities such as herding or dog sports, the breed's strong work ethic and intelligence are of more importance than the exact coat markings.

Some breeders dock Australian Cattle Dog's tails. This is a controversial practice, and, in some countries, is illegal. The AKC breed standard for Australian Cattle Dogs calls for an intact tail, and Australian Cattle Dog owners are working hard in the U.S. to educate and discourage the practice of docking.

Docking Australian Cattle Dogs' tails is a practice peculiar to the United States, and is most often found in mixed- or pet-bred dogs. It is widely believed the tails are docked because of the mistaken notion that the dog will get its tail caught in doors or mouths of irate livestock.

The Australian Cattle Dog is not to be confused with the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, a square dog which is born with a naturally 'bobbed' tail. The Stumpy strongly resembles the Australian Cattle Dog, but the ASTCD has a taller, leaner conformation.

Like many herding dogs, Cattle Dogs have high energy levels and active minds. They need plenty of exercise and a job to do, so non-working dogs need to participate in dog sports, learning tricks, or other activities that engage their body and mind. Some individuals find repetitive training frustrating and dull, so owners should aim to make training sessions varied and more exciting in order to keep their dog interested. Cattle Dogs who do not receive the appropriate exercise and entertainment will invent their own, often destructive, activities. These dogs are, by nature, wary. They are naturally cautious, and grow more so as they age. Their cautious nature towards strangers makes them perfect guard dogs, when trained for this task.

Cattle Dogs drive cattle by nipping at their heels or tails, but they have also been known to herd other animals, such as ducks, chickens, humans, pigeons, and even cars without instruction when left to their own devices.

To relieve the urge to nip, the Australian Cattle Dog can be encouraged to pick up and chew a toy or stick that is thrown for them. Any toy left with the Australian Cattle Dog needs to be extremely robust if it is to last.

The Australian Cattle Dog is gregarious to other dogs with whom it is familiar, working well in combination with other Cattle Dogs, Australian Kelpies, and Border Collies. Because of their plucky nature, the establishing of a pecking order can result in a few scuffles and bites.

It is important for an owner to quickly establish a hierarchy in which they are the dog's pack leader, otherwise the young Australian Cattle Dog may bond to a senior dog, rather than to its owner. If put in any situation where the dog feels threatened, and/or uncomfortable, it will usually resort to aggressiveness towards other, unknown dogs.



 
 
 


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