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For more information about the Australian Cattle Dog from the country of origin Popular Country of Origin site on the Australian Cattle Dog and the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog
Short History of the Breed
Australians owe a great debt to all the persons involved in the development of the Australian Cattle Dog, for without it the beef industry of Australia would undoubtedly have had great difficulty in developing into the important industry that it has become.In the year 1840, George Elliott, in Queensland, was experimenting with Dingo-blue merle Collie crosses. Elliott's dogs produced some excellent workers. Cattle men were impressed with the working ability of these dogs, and purchased pups from them as they became available. Two brothers, Jack and Harry Bagust, of Canterbury in Sydney, purchased some of these dogs and set about improving on them. Their first step was to cross a bitch with a fine imported Dalmatian dog. This cross changed the merle to red or blue speckle. The Bagusts' purpose in this cross was to instill the love of horses and faithfulness to master into their dogs. These characteristics were obtained and made these Bagust dogs useful for minding the drover's horse and gear, but some of the working ability was lost. Admiring the working ability of the Black and Tan Kelpie, which is a sheepdog, the Bagusts experimented in crossing them with their speckle dogs. The result was a compact active dog, identical in type and build to the Dingo, only thicker set and with peculiar markings found on no other dog in the world. The blue dogs had black patches around the eyes, with black ears and brown eyes, with a small white patch in the middle of the forehead. The body was dark blue, evenly speckled with a lighter blue, having the same tan markings on legs, chest, and head as the Black and Tan Kelpie. The red dogs had dark red markings instead of black, with an all-over even red speckle.
Only the pups closest to the ideal were kept, and these became the forebears of the present-day Australian Cattle Dog. The working ability of the Bagusts' dogs was outstanding, retaining the quiet heeling ability and stamina of the Dingo with the faithful protectiveness of the Dalmatian. As the word spread of the ability of these dogs to work cattle, they became keenly sought after by property owners and drovers. The blue-colored dogs proved to be more popular, and became known as Blue Heelers. These cattle dogs became indispensable to the owners of the huge cattle runs in Queensland, where they were given the name tag of Queensland Heelers or Queensland Blue Heelers.
After the Black and Tan Kelpie cross, no other infusion of breeds was practiced with any success. The breeders of the day concentrated on breeding for working ability, type, and color. In 1893 Robert Kaleski took up breeding the Blue Heelers, and started showing them in 1897.
Mr. Kaleski drew up his standard for the Cattle Dog and also for the Kelpie and Barb in 1902. He based the Cattle Dog standard around the Dingo type, believing that this was the type naturally evolved to suit the conditions of this country. Even today the resemblance to the Dingo is evident, except for the color of the blues and the speckle in the reds. After much opposition from careless breeders, Kaleski finally had his standard endorsed by them and all the leading breeders of the time. He then submitted his standard to the Cattle and Sheep Dog Club of Australia, and the original Kennel Club of New South Wales for their approval. The standard was approved in 1903.
The breed became known as the Australian Heeler, then later the Australian Cattle Dog, which is now accepted throughout Australia as the official name for this breed. However, even today, some people can be heard calling them Blue Heelers or Queensland Heelers.
After a period as a Miscellaneous breed, the Australian Cattle Dog was accepted for registration by the American Kennel Club as of May 1, 1980, and became eligible to be shown in the Working Group as of September 1, 1980. It was transferred to the Herding Group when that was formed, effective January 1, 1983.
Physical Description & Size
General Appearance The general appearance is that of a strong compact, symmetrically built working dog, with the ability and willingness to carry out his allotted task however arduous. Its combination of substance, power, balance and hard muscular condition must convey the impression of great agility, strength and endurance. Any tendency to grossness or weediness is a serious fault.
Characteristics
As the name implies the dog's prime function, and one in which he has no peer, is the control and movement of cattle in both wide open and confined areas. Always alert, extremely intelligent, watchful, courageous and trustworthy, with an implicit devotion to duty making it an ideal dog.
Temperament
Head and Skull
The head is strong and must be in balance with other proportions of the dog and in keeping with its general conformation. The broad skull is slightly curved between the ears, flattening to a slight but definite stop. The cheeks muscular, neither coarse nor prominent with the underjaw strong, deep and well developed. The foreface is broad and well filled in under the eyes, tapering gradually to form a medium length, deep, powerful muzzle with the skull and muzzle on parallel planes. The lips are tight and clean. Nose black.
Eyes-- The eyes should be of oval shape and medium size, neither prominent nor sunken and must express alertness and intelligence. A warning or suspicious glint is characteristic when approached by strangers. Eye color, dark brown.
Ears-- The ears should be of moderate size, preferably small rather than large, broad at the base, muscular, pricked and moderately pointed neither spoon nor bat eared. The ears are set wide apart on the skull, inclining outwards, sensitive in their use and pricked when alert, the leather should be thick in texture and the inside of the ear fairly well furnished with hair.
Mouth-- The teeth, sound, strong and evenly spaced, gripping with a scissor-bite, the lower incisors close behind and just touching the upper. As the dog is required to move difficult cattle by heeling or biting, teeth which are sound and strong are very important.
Neck
The neck is extremely strong, muscular, and of medium length broadening to blend into the body and free from throatiness.
Forequarters
The shoulders are strong, sloping, muscular and well angulated to the upper arm and should not be too closely set at the point of the withers. The forelegs have strong, round bone, extending to the feet and should be straight and parallel when viewed from the front, but the pasterns should show flexibility with a slight angle to the forearm when viewed from the side. Although the shoulders are muscular and the bone is strong, loaded shoulders and heavy fronts will hamper correct movement and limit working ability.
Body
The length of the body from the point of the breast bone, in a straight line to the buttocks, is greater than the height at the withers, as 10 is to 9. The topline is level, back strong with ribs well sprung and carried well back not barrel ribbed. The chest is deep, muscular and moderately broad with the loins broad, strong and muscular and the flanks deep. The dog is strongly coupled.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters are broad, strong and muscular. The croup is rather long and sloping, thighs long, broad and well developed, the stifles well turned and the hocks strong and well let down. When viewed from behind, the hind legs, from the hocks to the feet, are straight and placed parallel, neither close nor too wide apart.
Feet
The feet should be round and the toes short, strong, well arched and held close together. The pads are hard and deep, and the nails must be short and strong.
Tail
The set on of tail is moderately low, following the contours of the sloping croup and of length to reach approximately to the hock. At rest it should hang in a very slight curve. During movement or excitement the tail may be raised, but under no circumstances should any part of the tail be carried past a vertical line drawn through the root. The tail should carry a good brush. Under NO circumstances should the tail ever be docked for asthetic reasons. Docking should ONLY be done in the case of medical reasons. Tail docking is usually done by people that do not know the breed, are back-yard breeders, or are puppy millers.
Gait/Movement
The action is true, free, supple and tireless and the movement of the shoulders and forelegs is in unison with the powerful thrust of the hindquarters. The capability of quick and sudden movement is essential. Soundness is of paramount importance and stiltiness, loaded or slack shoulders, straight shoulder placement, weakness at elbows, pasterns or feet, straight stifles, cow or bow hocks, must be regarded as serious faults. When trotting the feet tend to come closer together at ground level as speed increases, but when the dog comes to rest he should stand four square.
Coat
The coat is smooth, a double coat with a short dense undercoat. The outer-coat is close, each hair straight, hard, and lying flat, so that it is rain-resisting. Under the body, to behind the legs, the coat is longer and forms near the thigh a mild form of breeching. On the head (including the inside of the ears), to the front of the legs and feet, the hair is short. Along the neck it is longer and thicker. A coat either too long or too short is a fault. As an average, the hairs on the body should be from 2.5 to 4 cms (approx. 1-1.5 ins) in length.
Color (Blue)
The color should be blue, blue-mottled or blue speckled with or without other markings. The permissible markings are black, blue or tan markings on the head, evenly distributed for preference. The forelegs tan midway up the legs and extending up the front to breast and throat, with tan on jaws; the hindquarters tan on inside of hindlegs, and inside of thighs, showing down the front of the stifles and broadening out to the outside of the hindlegs from hock to toes. Tan undercoat is permissible on the body providing it does not show through the blue outer coat. Black markings on the body are not desirable.
Color (Red Speckle)
The color should be of good even red speckle all over, including the undercoat, (neither white nor cream), with or without darker red markings on the head. Even head markings are desirable. Red markings on the body are permissible but not desirable.
Size
Height:
Dogs 46-51 cms (approx. 18-20 ins) at withers
Bitches 43-48 cms (approx. 17-19 ins) at withers
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
Dog Care (exercise, grooming, diet)
Exercise often, too much is never enough; The unofficial motto of Cattle Dog owners is "A tired Cattle Dog is a good Cattle Dog." Cattle Dogs participate and excel at dog-related events like agility, herding, flyball, weight-pulling, tracking, dock-diving, Shutzhund, obedience, rally, and even Search and Rescue. While Cattle Dogs do tend to be quite energetic, there are quite a few ACDs who are registered Therapy dogs.
Health Issues & Life Expectancy
The Australian Cattle Dog is a relatively healthy and long-lived breed. However, as with other breeds, they are susceptible to some health problems, some of a genetic nature, others viral. The following is a brief listing of some of the known health issues that affect the Australian Cattle Dog breed. For more indepth information, references are listed at the end of this article. Please note that this section is intended as a source of information only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional care. Always consult with your Veterinarian about health related matters. The information provided here is a brief outline only of some of the health issues which may be of concern for the Australian Cattle Dog breed and should not be considered as a complete listing.
Deafness
The Australian Cattle Dog as a breed is known to have occasional problems with deafness. The exact genetic mode of inheritance of deafness in the Australian Cattle Dog to date is not known.
It should be noted, that as in other genetic anomalies, but especially in the case of deafness (as so little is understood about the inheritance), the clear testing of the sire and dam of a litter does not mean that the puppies will be full hearing.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia (HD) occurs when the ball and socket of the hip joints just don't fit properly together. HD can afflict just one joint or both joints of a dog and is a serious problem in Australian Cattle Dogs.
Through selective breeding strategies, veterinarians and breeders are attempting to eliminate Canine Hip Dysplasia. All breeding dogs should be x-rayed and certified clear by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and/or by the University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program (PennHIP).
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
PRA is an inherited disorder that affects the retina of the eye. Recent research has shown that there are two types of PRA in the Australian Cattle Dog breed. One form is the late-onset Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration (PRCD) and is an autosomal recessive form of PRA. The second type is known to be caused by another gene causing PRA or a PRA-like disorder in the breed and research is continuing to try to isolate the gene.
Registration
American Kennel Club (AKC) United Kennel Club (UKC)
Animal Research Foundation (ARF)
Working Cow Dog Registry (WCDR)
American Stock Dog Registry (ASDR)
The National Stock Dog Registry (NSDR)
References
~ Health & Nutrition Section of Canada's Guide to Dogs ~ Deafness in Dogs and Cats
~ Canine Inherited Disorders Database
Breed Clubs:
The Australian Cattle Dog Club of America. www.acdca.org Australian Cattle Dog Club of Canada. www.acdcc.ca
Additional Resources:
- Australian Cattle Dog - Online Community
- www.australiancattledog.com
- www.cattledog.com
Breed Rescue:
Unfortunately, many Cattle Dogs across the United States find themselves in shelters or placed with animal rescues. While ACDs make great companions and family pets, they are not for everyone. They require a lot of exercise and , if left to their own devices, can be quite destructive when bored. It's important that you provide your cattle dog with plenty of opportunities to burn off energy and that you provide them with mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. If you are interested in adopting a Cattle Dog, please do your research and make sure you can dedicate the time and energy necessary to exercise and train your Cattle Dog.
Tennessee Valley Cattle Dog Rescue. www.tvcdr.petfinder.org
ACD Rescue Association http://www.acdrescueassociation.com/
Australian Cattle Dog Rescue Inc.® http://www.acdrescueinc.com/
New Hope Cattle Dogs. http://www.newhopecattledogs.com
Desert Hills Heelers K-9 Rescue http://www.DesertHillsHeelers.org
AuCaDo Rescue Forums http://www.aucado.us/forums
