| HOME | SHOP | FRANCHISING | PETCARE | TRAINING | GROOMING | ABOUT US |

SERVICES Pet Insurance Pet Care Services   Puppy Care   Dog Walking   Dog Day Care   Home Boarding   Pet Sitting   Other Services Pet Care Areas Dog Training Dog Grooming Book Our Services SHOPPING Online Store Our Pet Shops NAVIGATION Site Search Site Index YOUR K9 CAPERS Members Forum Classified Ads Your Crazy Gang Training Tips Features Money Off Links Page Other Stuff Join As An Affiliate Dog Breeds Index UK Animal Rescue Find Any UK Vet Jobs Contact Us	Dog Breed Index The Austrailian Cattle Dog Appearance The Australian Cattle Dog should be muscular, athletic and substantial in appearance, without any trace of weakness or fragility. However, excessively heavy or cumbersome build is also undesirable as it limits agility, a necessity for any good cattle herder. Along with athleticism, symmetry and balance are also essential, and no individual part of the dog should be exaggerated or draw excessive attention. Even when bred for companion or show purposes, it should have well-condition, hard muscles. Temperament Like many herding dogs, Cattle Dogs have high energy levels and active minds. They need plenty of exercise and a job to do, such as participating in dog sports, learning tricks, or other activities that engage their minds. Some individuals find repetitive training frustrating and dull, so owners should aim to make training sessions varied and more exciting in order to keep their dog interested. Cattle Dogs who do not receive the appropriate exercise and entertainment will invent their own, often destructive, activities. These dogs are, by nature, wary. They are naturally cautious, and grow more so as they age. Their cautious nature towards strangers make them perfect guard dogs, when trained for this task. Cattle Dogs drive cattle by nipping at their heels, but they have also been known to herd other animals, such as ducks, chickens, humans, and flocks of ground-feeding parrots without instruction when left to their own devices. Health The data on mortality and morbidity in Australian Cattle Dogs are minimal. Apparently the only completed health survey is one done by the UK Kennel Club in 2004, which had a small sample size of 11 deceased dogs and a larger sample size of 69 live dogs. The Australian Cattle Dog Health, Education, and Welfare foundation has an ongoing health survey of dogs alive on or after January 1, 2001, but there is no information on their web site (as of July 12, 2007) about when they plan to end data collection and produce a report. Based on a small sample of 11 deceased dogs, Australian Cattle Dogs have a median longevity of 11.7 years (maximum 15.9 yrs). The median longevities of breeds of similar size are usually between 11 and 13 years, so, assuming the 11 dogs were representative of the population, Australian Cattle Dogs appear to have a typical life span for a breed their size. Leading causes of death were cancer (27%) and cerebral vascular ("stroke" 27%). There is an anecdotal report of an Australian Cattle Dog (or an ACD-like dog) named Bluey who lived 29.5 years, but the record is unverified. Bluey is reported to have been born in 1910. The first Australian Cattle Dog standard was written in 1902[5], only eight years before Bluey was born. It is not clear how closely Bluey resembled, or is related to, the breed as it now exists. Based on a sample of 69 still-living dogs, the most common health issues noted by owners were musculoskeletal (spondylosis, elbow dysplasia, and arthritis) and reproductive (pyometra, infertility, and false pregnancy)[1]. History The precise origins of the "Blue Heeler" are not known, but they appear to have been a distinct breed as early as 1897. It began when Smithfields were originally used in Australia for herding cattle. They were noisy and bit too hard, so they were bred with the Dingo, a wild dog prevalent in Australia. The resulting crosses were known as “Timmins Biters,” which were quieter, but still bit hard. Border Collies and Smooth-coated Collies, used for herding sheep, were then bred to the Dingo. In 1840, Thomas Hall bred a couple of Blue Smooth Highland Collies with dingoes and got the “Hall’s Heeler.” Then, in the 1870’s Fred Davis bred some Bull Terrier into them to make the dogs more aggressive. These were relatively common as sporting and guard dogs in the late 19th and early 20th century. The resulting Cattle Dog was of a slightly heavier and more muscular build than the Border Collie and of less temperamental nature, with good herding ability, the stamina to withstand extremes of temperature and the resourcefulness to forage and to feed itself on an omnivorous diet like a wild dog. Physically the "Heeler" has inherited a big broad head and strong jaws from the Bull Terrier. From the Dingo comes the distinctive sandy colour of the legs and rather large pricked ears. Like the Welsh Corgies, the "Heeler" is fearless with cattle and has a tendency to nip their heels to keep them moving when herding. This trait is undesirable when the dog applies it to humans and horses. In order to create a breed that had a strong natural affiliation with horses, the Cattle Dog was crossed with the Dalmatian, which although not a working dog, was popular during the 19th and early 20th century as a carriage dog, running beside the horses. The resultant dog was one which was friendly to horses and would work cooperatively with a horse in a herding situation. This breeding with the Dalmatian led to the spotted colouration in some "Blue Heelers", though this is considered undesirable and is most commonly seen in mixed breed dogs that have ACD in their ancestry. The light colour being the somewhat greenish black of the Collie. For many years "Blue Heelers" commonly had large black patches on the body, as well as the Collie's mask. It was also common for them to have ears that lay back against the head like some Collies. The flat ears are now considered undesirable for showing.	PET FOOD SHOP Arden Grange Arthurs Bakers Beta Burgess Burns Butchers Cesar Chappie Chudleys Chunkie Davies Denes Eukanuba Felix Forthglade Friskies Fold Hill Frolic Gilpa Go-Cat HiLife Hills Iams Wellbeloved Kennel Pak Kit-e-Kat Laughing Dog Naturediet Nutro Choice Omega Pal Pascoes Pedigree Pero Purina Royal Canin Sheba Skinners Vitalin Wafcol Whiskas Wilsons Winalot MORE PET STUFF Dog Treats & Toys Cat Treats & Toys Or just browse our Dog Food Index
	Dog Breed Index Content Supplied By Wikipedia

K9 Capers.
0871 277 0353
Professional Pet Care Products & Services - Our Pet Care Areas

Dog walking, Dog Training, Dog Grooming, Dog Food, Cat Food and other Pet Supplies with free Nationwide delivery.

Companies: K9Capers.com | The Pet Food Shop | Find A Pet |

Corporate Membership & Licencing
      
 

www.american-limousine-company.co.uk