Apr
28
Does anyone have a australian cattle dog?
ByI want to know if australian cattle dogs are well behaved and smart and playful, please tell!
I got one yesterday and she is 7.5 weeks old.
I want to know if australian cattle dogs are well behaved and smart and playful, please tell!
I got one yesterday and she is 7.5 weeks old.
10 Comments
April 28th, 2010 at 4:18 am
Yes to all three.
April 28th, 2010 at 5:10 am
best dogs all a round and yes to all of the above
April 28th, 2010 at 5:19 am
They are excellent all-around family dogs. You can read the entire profile at http://www.dogchannel.com
April 28th, 2010 at 5:37 am
Smart and playful – yes. Well behaved – only if they are trained.
These dogs really need training or they will take their intelligence and find ways to amuse themselves. These forms of amusement often become destructive, annoying or both (chewing, digging, barking, etc.) if they are not given another outlet.
April 28th, 2010 at 5:41 am
I have one and she is beautiful. She is very smart, loyal, and protective. She is 4 months old and knows how to sit, lay down, fetch and to load up in the truck. She is also crate trained and housebroken. If you get one you need to spend a lot of time with them. They need lots of exercise. If they have nothing to do they will destroy stuff in your house and in your yard.
April 28th, 2010 at 6:20 am
i don’t have a cattle dog, but i know someone who does. she is a 3rd grade teacher and she had 2 of them… she would bring one of them (the other one lived with her parents) to school, and she was very well behaved, its their nature, she is smart, she could walk around the school without a leash. also, they do love to play! good luck!!!
April 28th, 2010 at 7:07 am
I’m staring at one right now. He is extremely intelligent, loyal, spirited, playful and good natured.
However, he is also very energetic, mostly when he’s doing something destructive, in my case, chewing up garden plants, digging up flowers, digging out under the fence, chewing up hats, etc. This is the one downfall, even taking them for a daily walk is not quite as much exercise, both mental and physical as they need.
I’m working with Buster (my acd) to play frisbee, however it seems like the only exercise he enjoys is going on walks and destroying things, he is an absolute handfull!
My grandad also had heelers (acd’s) and he says the females are by far more behaved and mind much better… the males however are the opposite, he had problems with his (called Dingy) attacking people and chasing cars and no matter how much he got after him he would continue to do it. They are very hardheaded and determined.
Also I’ve noticed that although Buster is completely friendly, even with strangers (as in people that are new in the house, he is a very good guard dog), but when he gets around large crowds he can be a bit nippy…
So whatever you decide, heelers are great dogs, but also a ton of work! Maybe read up a bit more on the breed before making any decisions if you’re not sure…
April 28th, 2010 at 7:20 am
Yes, they are all very great dogs.
April 28th, 2010 at 7:58 am
yup i have 2
April 28th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Yes, ACDs are great dogs to own.
After 30 years of dog ownership, I would not recommend an ACD to a first time dog owner-ever! You need to do your homework with this one.
They are highly intelligent to the point of scary, they are stubborn, they are independant, they are non-stop energetic, and they are often not motivated by food incentives, which makes them a challenge to train.
They can be very bitey, which comes from the strong herding instinct in this breed, and this needs to be trained out of them very early, or you will find your cute dog getting strong and mouthing you constantly.
They need tons of play time and loads of things to do, or they get bored easily. When bored, they are even more of a challenge. They definitely would benefit from obedience and leash training, and they also need to see you as boss, or they will take that position from you.
This breed was bred to work a 12-14 hour day on its own with no supervision, making decisions with no direction. They are not happy if they don’t have a job to do, so you need to get them into something, whether its agility, or another occupation that will exercise their large brains as well as their strong bodies.
All of the above does not change the best traits of this breed. I find them intensely loyal and loving, and they are happy to show you their affection. They appreciate you when you play with them, and can be quite the entertaining clowns for you. When I have finally worn out my heeler for the day, she lays under my feet, waiting to go to bed, which she does without any arguments.
They are no-nonsense dogs who don’t need lots of frills-they play hard, work hard, and would love a tennis ball or a tug toy.
If you are up for a challenge like this, you will find the rewards are much greater than the work. I wouldn’t change a thing about my heeler!