Australian Cattle Dog (or Blue Heeler)

M

martineden

Joined
Jun 26, 2007
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621
Hello,

since a week, a puppy of ACD is part of our family, his name is Charlie
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This will be Charlie’s look when he will be adult
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Any other fellows owners of an ACD here on BF? I would like to know your experiences with this breed.

Many thanks from me and Charlie!

AD
 
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Hey congratulations. That's one fine looking dog! Never had one of these but pretty much all dogs are awesome.
 
Already keeping an eye on the world and looking after you! Welcome little cutie pie, Charlie.
 
We have had three and raised one litter from the female we have now. The main problem with Blue Heelers is that they are smarter than most people, including me at times. They have terrific energy levels, both physical and mental. They love to work and once they understand the job their focus is incredible; they get serious.
Mine helps me feed the horses, keeping them away from the feed dishes so I don't get crowded or kicked. If I am slow or break the routine she looks at me and says "lets GO, lets GO!".
Of course I am speaking from my own experience, but from that perspective I'd say anyone who has a blue heeler has a friend and is a lucky person. I'm not sure if they speak Italian though?

Tom
 
Smart, very loyal and protective. I've seen them used for cattle and hogs. Just all around awesome dogs.
 
Thanks fellows. Hope Charlie will be happy with me and my wife, I have not horses or cows, anyway we do a lot of hiking here in the Italian Alps so I hope he will be busy enough. Charlie is also learning some italian words like "bravo!", "fermo" (stay), "vieni" (come here) ecc. He's a good schoolboy :-) In one week he learned to do his pee and poo out of the house, in the garden.

I feed him 3 times per day, this way: 50% meat (cow, hog), 25% vegetables, 25% rice or pasta or barley. I also 1 egg and some olive oil. Do you think is a good diet for a growing ACD?
 
Charlie is a beautiful puppy! Congrats!

I never owned that breed of dog but I do know some people who have owned them.

They are extremely smart, high energy dogs and they should be kept busy.

They LOVE to work, they are loyal and they are extremely good guard dogs.

Cate
 
They're bred for driving cattle, like their ancestor the corgi, by biting at the cattle's heels, thus the name. Too aggressive for sheep,for which the Australian farmers use Kelpies.
Be careful with children around them. Pictured unprovoked attack on adult jogger. You've been warned.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nce-Editor-jog-terrifying-horrific-wound.html
Like a farmer I feed my dog once daily. In my case 1/3 pet roll & 2/3 chopped & microwaved sheep/pig bones for my little terrier. No raw egg, farts too bad.
If I was an Italian hiker I would've got a Maremma
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Fantastic dogs. I've had three. Keep him busy or he'll tear up stuff out of boredom! Extremely intelligent and loyal.
 
We had to rehome ours. He was food aggressive and would attack children without provocation. The final straw was when he attacked our Great Dane leaving his nose and mouth a bloody mess, and my Llewellyn setter tearing his ears and legs. He was aggressive with adults as well when corrected for bad behavior.
 
Good luck with your new puppy, I've never had a Heeler but do see therm quite a bit here in Utah. I do have a distant cousin, a Border Collie, many of the same traits as mentioned. Mine is totally docile, though, never has she been aggressive to children or other animals. In a lot of cases it's how they're raised.

A great hiker for sure, you're going to love Charlie!
 
Heelers're bred to bite cattle, border collies're bred to herd sheep from the front with "eye", hypnotically glaring at the sheep to control their movements. If a collie bit sheep as a heeler bit cattle, the farmer would kill it.
 
You'll love the blue. They're a loyal family dog, but as others have said they can be fiercely loyal. We've had red and blue healers for ever. As a young fella I grew up with a red that was like a big teddy, but was also a guardian to me. The latest blue that my parents have is too aggressive to others, but gentle as a lamb to our family.
In saying that I've seen collies be put down for biting children too.
 
Aussies are a common sight here in Colorado and while aggression is in their DNA, they respond well to training and constant attention from their masters. There are also breeding lines that are perfectly suited for domestic life. It's not too late to inquire about yours. It will ease your mind and give you an idea of what to expect.

As for intelligence, as a group, Aus cattle dogs, blue heelers, Aus shepherds, and border collies, when grown and well trained, are estimated to have the intelligence (I.Q., understanding, or cognition, depending on how you choose to define it) of a six-year-old child.

Have fun with your new friend! Buon Natale, Charlie!

Zieg

P.S., the best packaged foods are grain-free. If you are making his food from scratch, which is an excellent practice, I would avoid grains in Charlie's diet. Rice is OK, but like with people, brown rice is better. White rice can bind them up in the gut, which is good for the occasional bout of diarrhea. Stay away from corn (maize) altogether. Limit wheat products and pasta to an occasional treat. AND NEVER GRAPES AND RAISINS! THEY ARE DEADLY! Of course, you know about chocolate. Be careful, too, because Charlie will be convinced that he needs a shoe or two in his diet. :)

My wife says your recipe for Charlie is very good but to exchange the pasta with brown rice. Our greyhounds want to meet Charlie!

Z
 
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My first post, is on a cool thread. I love heelers. I had a 1/2 blue half G. Shep mutt for 15 yrs. What a smart loyal interested dog.

Charlie looks awesome!
 
I have a female blue we rescued at 5 years old. She is ten now. She is always trying to be Alpha. Have to stay on her or she can get aggressive. Even still she doesn't want to let our other dog eat. But incredibly loyal, protective, and tough. Jesus that dog has taken some licks and always is up for more.

Also incredibly bright and quick to pick up on things, but that doesn't mean she always listens well. She has her own ideas.

I can't wait to get another one.
 
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