Australian Cattle Dog

The Australian cattle dog was bred for droving by the early settlers in Australia. The first dog probably saw the imported ancestors of Old English sheepdogs doing similar work. These animals, however, were not adapted to the hot climate, and their long hair was totally unsuitable for the Australian vegetation.

In 1830 Thomas Hall, one of the large landowners and a cattleman, imported blue speckled drover dogs (a type of collie) from northern England. He then crossed the drover dog with the native dingo. Approximately ten years later it became an established breed known as the Hall’s heeler.

These tough, frugal, working dogs could drive half-wild herds of cattle, under harsh climatic conditions, hundreds of miles through the most difficult terrain. They were also good guards, and so valuable that the Hall family did not sell the dogs until the death of Thomas Hall in 1870.

There are many oral traditions regarding the subsequent crosses into the Hall’s heeler, but virtually no documents. At that time, the ultimate breeding goal was work, not beauty. From most listed sources, the heeler was bred to work with sheep using the Australian kelpie. The Dalmatian is also a possible ancestor because of findings on the inheritance of color. Congenital deafness occurring in the breed could be due to a white bull terrier or to the drover dogs.

In 1903, the journalist and dog breeder Robert Kaleski wrote the first standard for the Australian cattle dog, in which he describes its appearance as that of a blue, small, stocky dingo. The standard was twice amended.

Currently, the description in the FCI standard is:

“The general appearance is that of 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.”

Description

The Australian Cattle Dog is a compact, robust, very agile dog. He is 43 to 51 cm tall and 16 to 25 kg in weight. Its color can be red speckled (or red dotted), blue, blue mottled or blue speckled, and always with tan markings. Partial markings are present on the head and tail.

The Australian cattle dog is a tough, tireless and intelligent working dog. It is sometimes rather reserved with strangers. The settlers bred the original breed with the best driving dogs and guards. These traits are characteristic of the breed today.

The Australian Cattle Dog shows, like many other breeds, a very broad spectrum of behavior. While some animals are easily executable, for others one should have a good knowledge of breed-specific behaviors to attend to their needs.

Dogs can be very rank conscious; uncertain and inconsistent people should not keep a cattle dog. A special responsibility is required when dealing with other dogs, mainly because males like to respond to a fight call.

Heredity

The Australian cattle dog is robust, easy to care for, and a generally healthy dog. There is now a meaningful genetic test for the detection of progressive retinal atrophy (progressive death of the retina), which occurs in this breed. Reputable breeders test their breeding dogs, and breed their animals so that no blind puppies are born.

Animals with white fur are increasingly affected by deafness. Congenital deafness is associated with the white color gene, and their complex mode of inheritance is not yet decoded. The hair cells in the cochlea become stunted, and affected animals can not absorb noise and transmit to the brain. There are unilaterally or bilaterally deaf dogs.

The occurrence of other diseases such as epilepsy, patellar dislocation, spondylosis, von Willebrand’s disease and cataracts are very rare in the cattle dog. Even hip dysplasia (HD) is rare in the cattle dog. Even so, it is useful to breed only X-rayed HD-free animals, so that this hereditary disease can not be expanded.

Use

Today the cattle dog is still educated in the herd and used to help in cattle or dairy farming. A required behavior for the Australian cattle dog still exists. As a family dog, it is demanding and should be taken out on daily walks, for example, or provided with other exercise. Some Australian cattle dogs are now being used successfully as rescue dogs.