Australian Cattle Dog Picture Gallery

Australian Cattle Dog Breeders

Australian Cattle Dog Clubs/Associations

The Full Australian Cattle Dog Description

Australian Cattle Dogs are hard workers today on farms throughout the world. They need to run, to chase, to herd, and to play with their owners. They are sometimes suspicious of people and dogs they don't know. They are obedient, but training takes patience because they're also independent.

Did you know?

In the show ring, they are called the "wash and wear" dog as the only grooming required is a bath and a good brushing to keep the coat clean and healthy.

The Australian Cattle Dog is sometimes known as the Blue Heeler, Queensland Heeler, Queensland Blue Heeler, and was originally known as the Australian Heeler.

So you want to own an Australian Cattle Dog?

Australian Cattle Dogs are sturdy, alert, and watchful. The Australian Cattle Dog was originally bred to work cattle in the rough inland terrain of Australia.

The coat is easy to care for, a good bathing and brushing will keep the coat clean and healthy.

Bred to herd all day, Australian Cattle Dogs have a lot of energy.

Australian Cattle Dog's love their owners and especially love to play with children.

Indicative Breed Standard

General Appearance

Strong, compact, symmetrical, with substance, power and balance. Hard muscular condition conveys agility, strength and endurance. Grossness or weediness undesirable.

Characteristics

Ability to control and move cattle in all environments. Loyal, protective. Guardian of stockman, herd and property. Naturally suspicious of strangers, but amenable to handling. Biddable.

Temperament

Alert, intelligent, watchful, courageous, trustworthy, devoted to its work.

Head and Skull

Strong, in balance with body and general conformation. Skull broad and slightly curved between ears, flattening to slight but definite stop. Cheeks muscular but not coarse or prominent. Strong under-jaw, deep and well developed. Broad foreface, well filled in under eyes, tapers gradually down medium length muzzle which is parallel to skull. Nose always black.

Eyes

Medium, oval, alert and intelligent, dark brown. Neither prominent nor sunken. Warning suspicious glint is characteristic.

Ears

Moderate, small rather than large. Broad at base, muscular, pricked and moderately pointed. Oval or bat-eared undesirable. Set wide apart inclining outwards. Sensitive, pricked when alert. Leather thick in texture and inside ear well furnished with hair.

Mouth

Lips tight and clean. Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck

Exceptionally strong, muscular, of medium length blending into body. Free from throatiness.

Forequarters

Strong, sloping shoulders well laid back, not too closely set at withers. Strong, round bone, legs straight when viewed from front, pasterns flexible and slightly sloping when viewed from side. Loaded shoulder and heavy front undesirable.

Body

Slightly longer from point of shoulder to buttocks than height at withers, as 10 is to 9. Level topline, strong back and couplings. Well sprung ribs, carried well back, but not barrel ribbed. Chest deep, muscular and moderately broad.

Hindquarters

Broad, strong and muscular. Croup rather long and sloping. Well turned stifle, hocks strong and well let down. When viewed from behind, hocks to feet straight and set parallel, neither too close nor too wide apart.

Feet

Round, short toes, strong, well arched and held tight, pads hard and deep. Nails short and strong.

Tail

Set on low, following slope of croup/rump. Reaching to hock, hanging in slight curve at rear. When working or excited, may be raised but never carried over back. Good brush.

Gait/Movement

True, free, supple, tireless, with powerful thrust of hindquarters. Capable of quick and sudden action. Soundness of paramount importance. Stands four square, but when moving at speed, legs tend to converge. Any weaknesses highly undesirable.

Coat

Smooth, double with short dense undercoat. Close top coat, hard, straight and weather resistant. Under body and behind legs, coat is longer to form mild breeching near thighs. Short on head (including inside of ear) front of legs and feet. Thicker and longer on neck. Average hair length 2.5-4 cms (1-11/2 ins).

Colour

Blue: Blue, blue-mottled or blue speckled with or without other markings. Permissible markings are black, blue or tan markings on head, evenly distributed for preference. Forelegs tan midway up legs and extending up the front to breast and throat, with tan on jaws. Hindquarters tan on inside of hindlegs, and inside of thighs, showing down front of stifles and broadening out to outside of hindlegs from hock to toes. Tan undercoat permissible on body providing it does not show through blue outer coat. Black markings on body undesirable.
Red Speckle: Good even red speckle all over, including undercoat, (neither white nor cream), with or without darker red markings on head. Even head markings desirable. Red markings on body permissible but undesirable.

Size

Height at withers: dogs: 46-51 cms (approx. 18-20 ins); bitches: 43-48 cms (approx. 17-19 ins).