The Australian Cattle Dog breed originally originated in Australia. A herding dog who helped drive herds across the harsh lands. Medium in size and short-haired, they come in two colors - blue and red.
Abstracts
- Australian Cattle Dogs are extremely active, both physically and mentally. They need constant work, fatigue, to protect them from behavior problems.
- Bites and bites are part of their natural instinct. Proper parenting, socialization, and supervision reduce these manifestations but do not remove them at all.
- Very attached to the owner, they do not want to separate from him for a moment.
- They get along poorly with small children and pets. The only way to make them friends is to grow them together. But it doesn't always work.
- For maintenance, you need a very large yard, no apartments. And they can escape from it in search of adventure.
History of the breed
The history of the Australian Kettle Dogs began in 1802 when George Hall and his family emigrated from England to Australia. The family settled in newly colonized New South Wales with the aim of raising livestock for sale in Sydney, then Australia's largest city.
The difficulty was that the climate was hot and dry, in no way comparable to the green and humid fields of the British Isles. In addition, livestock had to graze on vast and unprotected plains, where danger awaited them. Plus the problem of collecting and transporting livestock through hundreds of kilometers of harsh lands.
The brought shepherd dogs were poorly adapted to work in such conditions, and there were simply no local dogs. Livestock farming was located near large cities, where livestock grazed under the supervision of children in the daytime. Accordingly, the entire service of the dogs was reduced to guarding and protecting from wild dingoes.
Despite the difficulties, the family remains determined, courageous and demonstrates the strength of character. The seventeen-year-old Thomas Simpson Hall (1808-1870) showed himself the most, he is exploring new lands and pastures, laying routes to the north of the country.
While moving north promises great benefits, there is one problem that needs to be addressed to get to millions of acres of land. At the time, there was no way to get livestock from there to Sydney. There are no railways and the only way is to navigate the herd's hundreds of miles.
However, these animals are different from those that grow in paddocks, they are semi-wild, scattered. Thomas realizes that in order to get livestock to market, he needs hardy and intelligent dogs that can work under the scorching sun and manage bulls.
In addition, they are horned bulls, which creates problems for both the herders, the dogs, and the bulls themselves. A large number of them die on the way.
To solve these problems, Thomas starts two breeding programs: the first line of dogs for working with horned animals, the second for hornless ones. Europe is famous for its herding dogs, and the Smithfield Collies come to Australia. Externally very similar to the bobtail, these collies are widely used in England for herding livestock.
However, Thomas Hall finds them unsuitable for use, since in England they work at much shorter distances and hauls and they simply do not have enough endurance for hundreds of miles. In addition, they do not tolerate heat well, because the climate in England is completely different. For these reasons, Thomas Hall decides to create a dog for his needs and begins the program.
It is worth noting that he is not the first to try to create such a breed. James "Jack" Timmins (1757-1837), before him, crosses dogs with wild dingos. The resulting mestizos were called “Red Bobtails”, and inherited the dingo's hardiness and heat tolerance, but remained semi-wild, afraid of people.
Thomas Hall shows more patience and endurance, and in 1800 he has many puppies. It is not known for certain what kind of breed was the basis, but it is almost certainly some kind of collie.
At that time, collies were not yet standardized as they are today, but rather a mix of native breeds valued for their working qualities. He also starts by crossing them with each other and with Smithfield's new collies.
But, no success, dogs still cannot stand the heat. He then solves the problem by crossing a collie with a domesticated dingo. Wild dogs, the dingo, are incredibly adaptable to their climate, but most farmers hate them because dingos hunt livestock.
However, Thomas finds that mestizos show remarkable intelligence, endurance, and good working qualities.
Hall's experiment succeeds, his dogs can control the herd, and become known as Hall's Heelers since he only uses them for his own needs.
He understands that these dogs are an incredible competitive advantage and, despite the demand, refuses to sell puppies to everyone except family members and close friends.
It will remain so until 1870 when Hall dies, the business of the farm will not fall into disrepair and it will be sold. Dogs become available and other breeds are mixed with their blood, the number of which is still debated.
In the early 1870s, Sydney butcher Fred Davis crossed them with Bull Terriers to add tenacity. But, as a result, stamina decreases, and the dogs begin to hold the bulls instead of guiding them.
Although the Davis lineage would eventually be supplanted from the blood of Australian healers, some dogs will still inherit its traits.
At the same time, two brothers, Jack and Harry Bagust, are crossing their Australian shepherds with Dalmatians imported from England. The goal is to increase their compatibility with horses and soften the character a little.
But again, working qualities suffer. By the late 1880s, the term Hall healers were largely abandoned, with dogs being called blue healers and red healers, depending on their color.
In 1890, a group of breeders and hobbyists form the Cattle Dog Club. They focus on breeding these dogs, calling the breed the Australian Healer or Australian Shepherd Dog. Blue healers are valued much higher than red ones since it is believed that red ones still have a lot of dingoes. In 1902 the breed was already sufficiently strengthened and the first breed standard was being written.
During World War II, many units of the troops keep these dogs as talismans, sometimes in violation of the regulations. But, they get real popularity after they get to America. The US military travels to Australia and brings puppies home, as there are many farmers and ranchers among them. And the working ability of the Australian Shepherd Dog amazes them.
In the late 1960s, the Queensland Heeler Club of America is formed, which would later become the Australian Cattle Dog Club of America (ACDCA). The club promotes healers in the United States and in 1979 the American Kennel Club recognizes the breed. In 1985 the United Kennel Club (UKC) joins it.
Since its introduction in the United States, the Australian Cattle Dog has become quite popular and is ranked 64th out of 167 breeds according to AKC statistics. At the same time, these statistics reflect the dogs that have been registered with the AKC and not all.
As with other fashionable breeds, the Australian Kettle Dog is becoming a pet, especially in the countryside. However, they retained their working abilities, and in their homeland, they became legendary dogs.
Description of the breed
Australian Cattle Dogs resemble but differ from, collies. This is a medium-sized dog, a male at the withers reaches 46-51 cm, a bitch 43-48 cm. Most of them weigh from 15 to 22 kg.
They are rather short in length and noticeably taller. This is primarily a working dog and everything in its appearance should speak of endurance and athleticism.
They look very natural and balanced and don't get overweight if they get enough activity. The tail of the healers is short, but rather thick, for some they are docked, but they rarely do this, since when running they use the tail like a rudder.
The head and muzzle resemble a dingo. The stop is soft, the muzzle flows smoothly out of the skull. It is of medium length but wide. Lip and nose color should always be black, regardless of coat color.
The eyes are oval in shape, medium in size, brown or dark brown. The expression of the eyes is unique - it is a combination of intelligence, mischief, and savagery. Ears are straight, erect, set wide on the head. In the show ring, small to medium-sized ears are preferred, but in practice, they can be very large.
Wool is designed to protect them from harsh conditions. Double, with a short, dense undercoat and an all-weather top.
On the head and forepaws, it is slightly shorter.
Australian healers come in two colors: blue and red speckled. In blue, black, and white hairs are arranged so that the dog looks blue. They may be tan, but not required.
Red speckled, as the name implies, are covered with specks all over the body. Ginger markings are usually found on the head, especially on the ears and around the eyes. Australian healers are born white or cream in color and darken over time, a trait inherited from the dingo.
Scientists observed 11 dogs, the average life expectancy of which was 11.7 years, a maximum of 16 years.
Owners report that when properly maintained, a shepherd's healer has a lifespan of 11 to 13 years.
Character
As one of the most resilient and hardy of all dog breeds, healers have a matching personality. They are very loyal and will follow their master wherever they go.
Dogs are very family-friendly and do not tolerate extended periods of loneliness extremely well. At the same time, they are unobtrusive and would rather lie at their feet than try to climb onto their knees.
Usually, they are more attached to one person than to the whole family, but with another, they are friendly and accommodating. But with those whom they love, they form such a strong friendship that the owners adore them. That does not prevent them from being dominant and poorly suited for inexperienced dog breeders.
They are usually unfriendly to strangers. They are naturally suspicious of strangers and can be quite aggressive. With proper socialization, they will become polite, but almost never friendly.
They accept new family members well but need some time to get to know each other. Dogs that have not been socialized can be too reserved and aggressive towards strangers.
They are excellent guard dogs, sensitive and attentive. However, they are ready to bite anyone and do not understand well where strength is needed and where not.
Usually, they find a common language better with older children (from 8 years old). They have a very strong hierarchical instinct that makes them pinch everything that moves (including people) by the legs, and small children can provoke this instinct with their actions. At the same time, they are also suspicious of other people's children, especially when they scream, rush, and do not respect the healer's space.
Australian healers always want to dominate and this often leads to problems with other dogs. They are incredibly dominant, territorial, and have a strong sense of ownership.
While they are not looking for a fight, they will not avoid it either. Usually, they are kept alone, or with one individual of the opposite sex. It is very important for the owner to take a leading, dominant position in the house.
Although they are designed to work with other animals, Australian healers must be trained to avoid problems. They have a strong hunting instinct and chase small animals such as cats, hamsters, weasels, and squirrels. They can tolerate being at home if they grew up together, but not all of them.
But they are very smart, and often fall into the ten smartest dog breeds. Except for tasks requiring special strength or a sense of smell, there is nothing that a herding dog could not learn. However, training may not be so easy. They do not live to serve a person, they only serve the one they respect.
Many healers are stubborn and harmful in training and listen only to the owner who controls them as more dominant. The biggest challenge is keeping the dog interested in learning. They get bored quickly, especially with repetitive tasks, and just stop obeying.
They need a lot of work or walking. For most, the absolute minimum is 2-3 hours a day and running, not walking. And that's the minimum. For Australian herding dogs, a very large yard is needed, in which they can run all day and its size should be at least 20-30 acres.
However, they also love to run away. Being very territorial, they like to dig and have a lot of curiosity. Almost everyone loves to study the world around them and just give them a chance in the form of an open gate or a wicket. The yard must be very reliable since they are not only able to undermine the fence, but also climb over it. And yes, they can also open the door.
Owners who are unable to provide them with activity or work should not have such a dog. Otherwise, she will develop serious behavioral and psychological problems.
Destructive behavior, aggression, barking, hyperactivity, and other pleasant things.
Care
No professional grooming. Sometimes combing, but in principle, they are able to do without it. What do you want? Dingo…