blue heeler, aka Australian Cattle Dog

[gaseousclay]

ok, i've fallen in love with this dog. my in-laws used to have an Australian Cattle Dog on the farm, unfortunately, she was accidentally run over by one of the farmhands .

Anyway, i'm thinking that in the near future when it comes time to get a new pup I might go with a blue heeler. the problem is breeders are hard to come by in-state and I don't want to buy one from one of those puppy mills you hear about in the news.

can anyone shed any light on these dogs? what is their temperment? how much do they generally cost when compared to other dogs? And most importantly, where I can buy one?

 

[red71veloce]

Tough as nails...smart as a whip...want to please. But be warned, they tend to be hard-headed. I had one...hands down the best dog I ever had. Need lots of room/exercise. Much like a terrier, if you don't find them something to do, they will find something to do on their own....and it's never something you want them doing!

Just a great, great dog....one of the best.

 

[elalan]

My family had a couple over the years on our farm. They are awesome farm dogs. By that, I mean they will herd whatever is available, from chickens to large hoofed animals, catch vermin, tirelessly follow you and the tractor or truck everywhere (one would come cross-country to fields that were 3 miles away from the main property to hang out and bale hay) and just generally be there all the time looking to see what they can do to help out. They are very attuned to people and will look to work in a partnership. The ones I knew all had a knack for catching and killing cats which was a little disconcerting. In any case, as others have mentioned, all this high energy and need for stimulation can make them high maintenance and a handful if you don't have the time or energy yourself to devote to them. I have had Jack Russell terriers since I left the farm and they remind me of the blue heelers, but they are half the size or less and I can keep them occupied by giving them the run of my urban yard and occasional long walks or trips to a dog park. I can't really imagine trying to keep up with a blue heeler living in the city. All that free advice aside, if I were going to find a 'real' one, I would go to a livestock auction. No matter where you live, you are probably not more than an hour or two from a livestock auction. Go there and you will see them in pickup trucks or tied to trailers. Talk to a few people and you will find who has or will have litters. I would expect you could get one of these farm puppies for $100-200.

 

[elalan]

After I just posted, I see that you are in the Twin Cities. I am in Minneapolis if that is one of the twin cities to which you refer. Mora has livestock auctions. Quarter horse or beef cattle shows will have a lot of people that have blue heelers. I was just at a poultry swap in Forest Lake and they had a litter of puppies there. Here is the link to the Minnesota Quarter Horse Association, those people love their blue heelers.

http://www.mnqha.com/

 

[davemmevad]

That is the dog I grew up with - and still think is the finest breed ever. That said, they are not for all, and the breed has alot of variation in behavior - some of them are quite possessive/territorial, and not all good with kids or neighbors, and others are like the classic golden retriever. Totally agree with the above, but also would add that they will need to stick to you like velcro, and they need to run, walk, have a job etc. I've had Blue Queenslands, Border Collies and Australian Shepherds (okay, okay, there is a theme here - basically I like dogs that are smarter than some of my neighbors) and I'd rank the amount of work/attention they need in that order. I also favor them in that order.

 

[Hil's Lee]

I have an Aussie Cattle Dog. Scout is about 1.5 yrs old. He learns very quickly. He's very affectionate and playful with us and our other dog (lab + border collie mix). He's also just a mellow dog most of the time. Very low maintenance (YMMV).

If I had one complaint... he runs from me when he's in trouble. I hate that. But, he doesn't get himself into trouble very often. I have him trained to come straight to me when I pat my leg or whistle.

His favorite things? Dinner time (Aussie tornados down the hall and into his "den" (crate)). And tennis balls. He can catch tennis balls like nobody's business.

They do shed, but I have Scout accustomed to being vacuumed with the brush attachment. Strangely enough he loves it!

 

[Geeno]

If you go to the thread about posting our pet pictures you will see my post about Rugby.

We got her as a young puppy. Mom was a Black lab, and dad got over the fence...a traveling man, as it were. We think he had a lot of this bread in him, because that is what Rugby mostly looked like.

She was all the things the other posters mentioned...Tough, strong, and had a mind of her own. Her herding instict was there, but a bit muted. Every Vet who treated her marvelled at her back legs...commenting how large they were for a dog of her size (50 pounds).

We had her 15 years, and while she wasn't keen on car travel she always enjoyed the places we took her to...camping, hiking or even just walking in the neighborhood.

I miss her every day...

 

[Legion]

All the blue healers I've dealt with have been working dogs when I was in the bush. They are great for that, tough as nails, quite smart (most of the time) but willful. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE IT TO OBEDIENCE TRAINING WHEN IT IS A PUPPY! Like a lot of smart breads, if you leave their training too late they don't want to learn. Get them when they're young and you can teach them to play piano.

I would definitely not have one if I had a smaller yard and was not willing to give them a serious amount of exercise. They are working dogs. They are meant to run half the day, get fed half a kangaroo, and then go out and run the rest of the day. If you do not wear them out they WILL destroy your yard, especially when they are young. Not as bad as border collies, but close.

Some of the dogs we had I would not trust around children, but they were working dogs so YMMV on that one. I'm sure if they were raised around kids they might be better.

In short, if I was to choose one of these guys as a pet I would want a decent sized property and lots of time to spend with them, to train them and also keep them company so they don't get bored and get into trouble.

 

[Cole19]

I have one, and he is the best dog we've ever had. He such a good boy, so smart and so loyal. We can open the door and he will not walk out until you do, once they learn you and you learn them its a great partnership. Will post pics later.

 

[atomb]

Thats a real cool dog.

 

[gaseousclay]

thanks for the feedback everyone. it'll be awhile before I get another dog but rest assured, the blue heeler is first on my list.

 

[Space]

awesome dogs. Just before I started working on a farm in the outback two dogs had just had a big litters of puppies. It was the absolute best. It was like I had just arrived at a puppy farm! there were around 15-17 puppies just a few weeks old! I have a bunch of pictures I'll have to get them up.

But yeah definitely good working dogs. sometimes they were too good and they would just get in front of the cattle and not want to move. that being said they got into all kinds of trouble. they had essentially unlimited land to run around on and two of them would just get into fights with each other constantly. They just tore each other up one day, it was tough to look at them but then a couple days later they were all healed up. they never went to a vet or anything, they just licked there wounds.

 

[NBT]

Smart dog's, was extremely impressed with Skidboot... a blue heeler...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2BfzUIBy9A&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYczb_I7QKk

 

[johnmrson]

They are fiercely loyal. I've read many stories where they have saved their owners from snakes and even one a few years ago had a go at a crocodile.
They are a working dog so make sure you've got a good sized garden and the dog gets plenty of walks and things to amuse it.

 

[echelon3]

They are working dogs. They are meant to run half the day, get fed half a kangaroo, and then go out and run the rest of the day. If you do not wear them out they WILL destroy your yard, especially when they are young. Not as bad as border collies, but close.

This is an important point often overlooked. They were not bred to be pets. A little jog around the neighborhood is not going to begin to be adequate exercise.

It borders on cruelty to put a working-bred heeler, border collie, or Aussie in an environment that essentially guarantees neurosis.

 

[HilaLee]

This is Scout when he was a puppy and how he looks now. He's a wonderful dog! Lee (hilslee) was right. he's wonderful. He's the biggest snuggle bunny I have ever seen in a dog. He likes to sit in my lap and have me pet him and rub his tummy. One of the best dogs I've ever had!

 

[Legion]

It borders on cruelty to put a working-bred heeler, border collie, or Aussie in an environment that essentially guarantees neurosis.

We are usually born with the neurosis.

SWMBO recently agreed to mind her bosses border collie pup for a few weeks. She does not have a huge yard so I would take it for a 1 hour run, kick a ball for it at the park, let it chase and herd the other dogs. All that served to do was get it excited and it was so full of energy it literally raced around the backyard for several more hours when it got home. As a human you CANNOT do enough to wear these dogs out.

Her backyard looked like the Somme battle field when she gave the dog back.

 

[Space]

We are usually born with the neurosis.

SWMBO recently agreed to mind her bosses border collie pup for a few weeks. She does not have a huge yard so I would take it for a 1 hour run, kick a ball for it at the park, let it chase and herd the other dogs. All that served to do was get it excited and it was so full of energy it literally raced around the backyard for several more hours when it got home. As a human you CANNOT do enough to wear these dogs out.

Her backyard looked like the Somme battle field when she gave the dog back.

yeah there really isn't. The dogs I saw on the farm would get involved in everything. and that was after a day of mustering cattle or after a day of just following you everywhere you went. though they did get to have a quick nap or two during the day.

 

[c0ry]

This was Mad Max's dog in The Road Warrior. Ever since seeing that movie, I want one also.

 

[Kenno]

All the blue healers I've dealt with have been working dogs when I was in the bush. They are great for that, tough as nails, quite smart (most of the time) but willful. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE IT TO OBEDIENCE TRAINING WHEN IT IS A PUPPY! Like a lot of smart breads, if you leave their training too late they don't want to learn. Get them when they're young and you can teach them to play piano.

I would definitely not have one if I had a smaller yard and was not willing to give them a serious amount of exercise. They are working dogs. They are meant to run half the day, get fed half a kangaroo, and then go out and run the rest of the day. If you do not wear them out they WILL destroy your yard, especially when they are young. Not as bad as border collies, but close.

Some of the dogs we had I would not trust around children, but they were working dogs so YMMV on that one. I'm sure if they were raised around kids they might be better.

In short, if I was to choose one of these guys as a pet I would want a decent sized property and lots of time to spend with them, to train them and also keep them company so they don't get bored and get into trouble.

+1

especially the children bit and training them young or they will stand up to you as they can be very hard headed and stuburn and want their way. if ya got a bunch of kids around they will want to herd them and might nip at the kids when they run around (it's in their blood to herd)so proper training at a young age is vital.

very strong dog for its size and quick to work things out. bugger will even outsmart you if ya not careful.

they will work hard and give their life for you.