Top 5 Deal breakers about the Australian Cattle Dog 101
I love my Australian Cattle Dog, but they aren’t for everyone. These are the top 5 deal breakers in my opinion about the breed. If you have thoughts… leave me a comment below.
Yep. All the things. I'm retired, and I always wanted an ACD. I waited until I would be home all the time. Maggie is a rescue (adopted at 1-2 years old), and is my best friend. We live in the foothills below Yosemite, and we spend 2-3 hours daily jogging and walking. We live on acreage, and can be outside all day, everyday. I can't imagine trying to deal with this breed if you aren't home all the time or can exercise with it. Her kennel intake form at animal control listed her as, "needy." Oh, yeah. Don't get this breed unless you are really into interacting with your dog constantly. If you are, best dog ever!
I'm on #8 over a span of 40 plus years and your observations about this breed are very honest realistic and spot on .I would never even consider having another breed of dog as a companion after cohabitating with these super intelligent Beasties! If you notice I don't use the word "OWN" simply because on a mental plane that fact isn't ever a reality! The fact that monetary Transaction has taken place for the acquisition of the said animal by no means suggest ownership of any kind.these dogs have a pack mentality.and if you don't assert your dominance as alpha in your relationship with them they have no problem filling that roll themselves very Quickly! Lol in past years before there popularity took off most people had no knowledge of the breed aside from the fact that they were part Dingo , and "DUDE ! That's like the dog Mad Max had!( yep! He is! And if you keep yelling and gesturing like that in his and my space your gonna think Mad Max when he rips your face off !) But these days with there current surge in popularity as house pets??.. It's like the post Easter situation with Bunny's and Ducks but 50 plus pound Bunny's with super intelligence that's used for having a form of mental warfare bent on imposing there will, and bending the will of Bovines with horns 20 times there size ! and the teeth and bite of a bull terrier to send the message home in the form of hard Nips to any thing that dangles or lags behind the horns of there subject.and the dogs intended destination for it! Don't get me wrong they love there humans! I would trust my healers over a human babysitter any day! As long as my kids or grandkids were under there watchful eye you can bet no harm would come to them! But not so much can be guaranteed to anyone outside that close knit group.anyone or anything they feel suspect of harming or pose a threat to there pups or peers take the chance of a swift and painful reminder of what and where there place is on the Turf they've staked as there's.sadly its that sort of OHHH look at there cute pointy ears and look how smart and alert he is for a puppy attitude as it licks them and crawls all over them at first contact.and sends that tug at there heartstrings.( Not realizing that those are already forms of executing there dominance and setting behavioral boundaries of just how far they can push the envelope! )can be a death sentence later on.once locked up in an appartment all day. and the destructive behaviors through no fault of the dog from lack of exercise ,mental stimulation , job or sense of purpose and bordem.all things you cover on your list. start to manifest .or even worse the road to madness from mistreatment and constant attempts at imposing there human will trying to break there spirit! Which isn't that hard to do with this breeds fragile and suspicious nature!! But on the other hand if these dogs sense signs of weakness lol I've seen these dogs go into a household situation and within a week literally take the place over! Claiming the humans yards ,favorite chairs ,there beds and kids toys as there own, because they can!, while the people and other pets just huddle together wondering WTF just happened! And any attempt to get near the dogs new found plunder is met with a toothy snarl! These things need to be brought to the public's attention not as a negative put down or label of the breed as bad seeds. but to educate would be owners just what there in for and the basic but sometimes complex needs these dogs have. so both dog and human can have a full happy existence together. Sorry for the long winded rant. Just love these creatures and am happy to see posts like yours.keep up the good work.
We got a heeler a month ago and I can vouch embodies all of what you're talking about haha. Love her though. She definitely has a sweet side to her but yeah, some days can be fairly exhausting.
If you can't stop your heeler from nipping, you don't know how to train your dog. You can ABSOLUTELY have a cattle dog that doesn't bite! Not all heelers get destructive either, they do all have tons of energy and require lots of play.
This video is great and right on! I just adopted a cattle dog mix (unknowingly) as the rescue didn’t tell me. I’m a first time dog owner. Ha! The neediness is insane. I thought that was normal for any dog but I guess it’s a heeler thing. It’s almost unhealthy! Lol.
Do they bite? Lololololololols! To the point that it's annoying. They don't bite hard, it's not intentional, but when they're pups, their small thin fangs can scrape you. Always be on the lookout for them jumping to bite your hands.
My first cattle dog made it over 21 years. He was smart as hell and figured out my children were delicate so he would herd them by gently putting his nose on them and didn’t nip.He did more parenting of my kids than my spouse did. We bought this house with this yard for him. Our second cattle dog is oddly lazy, not that smart, but nips like crazy. They can have very different personalities.
I have two. Older male, younger female. Yes, you nailed it!! We have 5 dogs. Gracie, the female heeler is the Alfa….period. Keeps the pack in check. Is a velcro dog. Yes, the heeling. I've been brought to my knees from Gracie nipping me in my Achilles!!! Best dogs… Love them. Very, very affectionate. Even after they get you on the heel!!!
My red is very smart with a good work ethic. She responds to the mildest correction but she wants to grab anything in my hands despite constant correction.
We have owned three healers over twenty years and have had no trouble with nipping or biting. It’s all about the owner and training. We have never spent three hours a day exercising the dogs. We had a farm with beef cattle and they were wonderful at collecting the cattle when we wanted them to but would leave them along until it was work time. Extremely smart! Smarter than most people. This guy is generalizing the breed and that’s unfortunate. We have not experienced any of the traits he explains here. Again I believe Australian Cattle dogs have personality differences just as humans do. The traits I have seen in the three we owed is they are very smart, read your body language easily, extremely loyal, fearless, loving, playful and great companions. If these traits don’t appeal to you then don’t get one. However if you do get one then bond with the dog, spend some time very early on training him/her and you will have the best dog you can imagine.
These dogs aren't for everyone, but If you are the right person, they are the only dog. But thank you for bringing up their "faults". I put that in quotes because some of those negatives are what make them so attractive to us. Maybe us humans who are so attached to our heelers have a screw loose. It three. And as for age – our last acd lived to 17. The barn owner where I used to board my horses found a male estimated to be around 4 years old. They had him for 22 years. No joke.
We are heading out this morning to rescue a little 18 month old female whose owner can no longer care for her. She is "different" in that she grew up in an urban setting, so there will be no adjustment to townhouse living, like the other dogs I've had. She also has been socialized with dogs and cats – another plus. These dogs are not naturally friendly with dogs (they are strange dogs as a danger to their "herd") and don't know their own strength, making them potentially deadly to cats they are trying to herd. That said, my last dog had to be left home alone when I had to work long hours, and her "job" was to keep her herd of cats in line. Since she had a job, she was NEVER destructive, even left home alone 80-100 hours a week for a few months at a time. I would not recommend this, but it is possible with the right dog and the right person.
Luckily I am now pretty much retired, and will be with this girl pretty much 100% of the time. She will be my obedience and agility dog, and I will be training her to be my device dog due to some physical disabilities I've acquired over the years.
Best dogs ever!! They do mellow out. Funny no one mentions the sandpaper paws that like to grip your bare lag and then pull at you. Yikes, that’s painful
Yes! I have experienced all of these things with my ACD…. but luckily I learned all of her behaviors and why they were happening and that makes it soooo much easier to correct or detour the behaviors! These were not deal breakers for me I have never had a dog I have fallen in love with so fast, she is so smart and has so much personality….. all it did for me is make me decide it's almost time to get a second one 🙂
This is good stuff- thank you. I have a 12 week old boy, the "heeling/herding" was over in a couple days, stopped nipping at my heels, shoes- but the only prob is when he gets worked up, after dinner say- he Still wants to "fight me"..lol. I've just learned to change the channel, or put him in his crate for a 10 min timeout. Yea the little biting when playing is getting better but is the only issue.
Omg! I have an 8 month old red & EVERYTHING you’ve said is so true! I work outside the house 2 days a week for only a few hours, when I get home she acts like I haven’t seen her for 5 years lol. The only way I’ve found to teach her I don’t like her biting me, is to bite her back! Yep! I growled at her & bit her ear, she hasn’t bitten me since. She is my toilet dog! She’s happy to follow me everywhere & even into the shower 😆 number 6 is… they are so protective it can be annoying! If I’m not around she’s very friendly, but if I’m there she’ll bark & carry on. Great video!!
I am blessed to have a wonderful heeler and bonded well with him as I got him just weaned. He no longer nips , he's no longer a destructive force, but he is my shadow. Needy? I guess.
Ours rarely nips mostly skateboarders. She unties the nots on rope toys before shredding them. Her siblings are 2 red and 2 blue yet Emma looks like a dalmatian. Missing a gene and didn't get her red colors. She has finally learned to play with other dogs at the park. Yup no kidding. She's 2 and Hass chihuahua sister. She doesn't bite, never has and we tell dilevery people to just walk in and some do no problem. Emma loves bringing mail into the house. Lost some but now she's pretty good. Loves opening boxes. They don't last long. Much more
Well I have 3 of them purebred blue Heelers and they never bit me like you describe at all on the biting. Never once bit myself or anyone else. They nose me from behind so from baby on you have to show them your the leader. And awesome dogs
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Yep. All the things. I'm retired, and I always wanted an ACD. I waited until I would be home all the time. Maggie is a rescue (adopted at 1-2 years old), and is my best friend. We live in the foothills below Yosemite, and we spend 2-3 hours daily jogging and walking. We live on acreage, and can be outside all day, everyday. I can't imagine trying to deal with this breed if you aren't home all the time or can exercise with it. Her kennel intake form at animal control listed her as, "needy." Oh, yeah. Don't get this breed unless you are really into interacting with your dog constantly. If you are, best dog ever!
I'm on #8 over a span of 40 plus years and your observations about this breed are very honest realistic and spot on .I would never even consider having another breed of dog as a companion after cohabitating with these super intelligent Beasties! If you notice I don't use the word "OWN" simply because
on a mental plane that fact isn't ever a reality! The fact that monetary Transaction has taken place for the acquisition of the said animal by no means suggest ownership of any kind.these dogs have a pack mentality.and if you don't assert your dominance as alpha in your relationship with them they have no problem filling that roll themselves very Quickly! Lol in past years before there popularity took off most people had no knowledge of the breed aside from the fact that they were part Dingo , and "DUDE ! That's like the dog Mad Max had!( yep! He is! And if you keep yelling and gesturing like that in his and my space your gonna think Mad Max when he rips your face off !) But these days with there current surge in popularity as house pets??.. It's like the post Easter situation with Bunny's and Ducks but 50 plus pound Bunny's with super intelligence that's used for having a form of mental warfare bent on imposing there will, and bending the will of Bovines with horns 20 times there size ! and the teeth and bite of a bull terrier to send the message home in the form of hard Nips to any thing that dangles or lags behind the horns of there subject.and the dogs intended destination for it! Don't get me wrong they love there humans! I would trust my healers over a human babysitter any day! As long as my kids or grandkids were under there watchful eye you can bet no harm would come to them! But not so much can be guaranteed to anyone outside that close knit group.anyone or anything they feel suspect of harming or pose a threat to there pups or peers take the chance of a swift and painful reminder of what and where there place is on the Turf they've staked as there's.sadly its that sort of OHHH look at there cute pointy ears and look how smart and alert he is for a puppy attitude as it licks them and crawls all over them at first contact.and sends that tug at there heartstrings.( Not realizing that those are already forms of executing there dominance and setting behavioral boundaries of just how far they can push the envelope! )can be a death sentence later on.once locked up in an appartment all day. and the destructive behaviors through no fault of the dog from lack of exercise ,mental stimulation , job or sense of purpose and bordem.all things you cover on your list. start to manifest .or even worse the road to madness from mistreatment and constant attempts at imposing there human will trying to break there spirit! Which isn't that hard to do with this breeds fragile and suspicious nature!! But on the other hand if these dogs sense signs of weakness lol I've seen these dogs go into a household situation and within a week literally take the place over! Claiming the humans yards ,favorite chairs ,there beds and kids toys as there own, because they can!, while the people and other pets just huddle together wondering WTF just happened! And any attempt to get near the dogs new found plunder is met with a toothy snarl! These things need to be brought to the public's attention not as a negative put down or label of the breed as bad seeds. but to educate would be owners just what there in for and the basic but sometimes complex needs these dogs have. so both dog and human can have a full happy existence together. Sorry for the long winded rant. Just love these creatures and am happy to see posts like yours.keep up the good work.
We got a heeler a month ago and I can vouch embodies all of what you're talking about haha. Love her though. She definitely has a sweet side to her but yeah, some days can be fairly exhausting.
If you can't stop your heeler from nipping, you don't know how to train your dog. You can ABSOLUTELY have a cattle dog that doesn't bite! Not all heelers get destructive either, they do all have tons of energy and require lots of play.
If a turn off is long jevody then you shouldn’t get a dog or any other animal
This video is great and right on! I just adopted a cattle dog mix (unknowingly) as the rescue didn’t tell me. I’m a first time dog owner. Ha! The neediness is insane. I thought that was normal for any dog but I guess it’s a heeler thing. It’s almost unhealthy! Lol.
I had 2 blue healers and never never have they ever bitten me
I had a Kelpie
Smartest dog I've had
Best dog I've had
you need a lap dog dude.. i will take that busybee off of you anytime
Do they bite? Lololololololols! To the point that it's annoying. They don't bite hard, it's not intentional, but when they're pups, their small thin fangs can scrape you. Always be on the lookout for them jumping to bite your hands.
My first cattle dog made it over 21 years. He was smart as hell and figured out my children were delicate so he would herd them by gently putting his nose on them and didn’t nip.He did more parenting of my kids than my spouse did. We bought this house with this yard for him. Our second cattle dog is oddly lazy, not that smart, but nips like crazy. They can have very different personalities.
I'm on my third healer m loveing this breed!! They helped stay alert..
You always have 2 dogs so they keep each other company and play with each other until they tire.
I have two. Older male, younger female. Yes, you nailed it!! We have 5 dogs. Gracie, the female heeler is the Alfa….period. Keeps the pack in check. Is a velcro dog. Yes, the heeling. I've been brought to my knees from Gracie nipping me in my Achilles!!!
Best dogs… Love them. Very, very affectionate. Even after they get you on the heel!!!
My red is very smart with a good work ethic. She responds to the mildest correction but she wants to grab anything in my hands despite constant correction.
We have owned three healers over twenty years and have had no trouble with nipping or biting. It’s all about the owner and training. We have never spent three hours a day exercising the dogs. We had a farm with beef cattle and they were wonderful at collecting the cattle when we wanted them to but would leave them along until it was work time. Extremely smart! Smarter than most people. This guy is generalizing the breed and that’s unfortunate. We have not experienced any of the traits he explains here. Again I believe Australian Cattle dogs have personality differences just as humans do. The traits I have seen in the three we owed is they are very smart, read your body language easily, extremely loyal, fearless, loving, playful and great companions. If these traits don’t appeal to you then don’t get one. However if you do get one then bond with the dog, spend some time very early on training him/her and you will have the best dog you can imagine.
These dogs aren't for everyone, but If you are the right person, they are the only dog. But thank you for bringing up their "faults". I put that in quotes because some of those negatives are what make them so attractive to us. Maybe us humans who are so attached to our heelers have a screw loose. It three. And as for age – our last acd lived to 17. The barn owner where I used to board my horses found a male estimated to be around 4 years old. They had him for 22 years. No joke.
We are heading out this morning to rescue a little 18 month old female whose owner can no longer care for her. She is "different" in that she grew up in an urban setting, so there will be no adjustment to townhouse living, like the other dogs I've had. She also has been socialized with dogs and cats – another plus. These dogs are not naturally friendly with dogs (they are strange dogs as a danger to their "herd") and don't know their own strength, making them potentially deadly to cats they are trying to herd. That said, my last dog had to be left home alone when I had to work long hours, and her "job" was to keep her herd of cats in line. Since she had a job, she was NEVER destructive, even left home alone 80-100 hours a week for a few months at a time. I would not recommend this, but it is possible with the right dog and the right person.
Luckily I am now pretty much retired, and will be with this girl pretty much 100% of the time. She will be my obedience and agility dog, and I will be training her to be my device dog due to some physical disabilities I've acquired over the years.
Best dogs ever!!
They do mellow out.
Funny no one mentions the sandpaper paws that like to grip your bare lag and then pull at you. Yikes, that’s painful
Yes! I have experienced all of these things with my ACD…. but luckily I learned all of her behaviors and why they were happening and that makes it soooo much easier to correct or detour the behaviors! These were not deal breakers for me I have never had a dog I have fallen in love with so fast, she is so smart and has so much personality….. all it did for me is make me decide it's almost time to get a second one 🙂
This is good stuff- thank you. I have a 12 week old boy, the "heeling/herding" was over in a couple days, stopped nipping at my heels, shoes- but the only prob is when he gets worked up, after dinner say- he Still wants to "fight me"..lol. I've just learned to change the channel, or put him in his crate for a 10 min timeout. Yea the little biting when playing is getting better but is the only issue.
Omg! I have an 8 month old red & EVERYTHING you’ve said is so true! I work outside the house 2 days a week for only a few hours, when I get home she acts like I haven’t seen her for 5 years lol.
The only way I’ve found to teach her I don’t like her biting me, is to bite her back! Yep! I growled at her & bit her ear, she hasn’t bitten me since. She is my toilet dog! She’s happy to follow me everywhere & even into the shower 😆 number 6 is… they are so protective it can be annoying! If I’m not around she’s very friendly, but if I’m there she’ll bark & carry on.
Great video!!
I am blessed to have a wonderful heeler and bonded well with him as I got him just weaned. He no longer nips , he's no longer a destructive force, but he is my shadow. Needy? I guess.
Ours rarely nips mostly skateboarders. She unties the nots on rope toys before shredding them. Her siblings are 2 red and 2 blue yet Emma looks like a dalmatian. Missing a gene and didn't get her red colors. She has finally learned to play with other dogs at the park. Yup no kidding. She's 2 and Hass chihuahua sister. She doesn't bite, never has and we tell dilevery people to just walk in and some do no problem. Emma loves bringing mail into the house. Lost some but now she's pretty good. Loves opening boxes. They don't last long. Much more
An ACD is quite possibly the ultimate "velcro" dog today. They make good family pets but they WILL have that one human that is THEIRS! 🙂
Well I have 3 of them purebred blue Heelers and they never bit me like you describe at all on the biting. Never once bit myself or anyone else. They nose me from behind so from baby on you have to show them your the leader. And awesome dogs
I’ve been bitten in places that I didn’t know could be bit.