INTRODUCTION

Australian Cattle Dogs, as their name suggests, originate from Australia, where they are highly prized as working dogs driving cattle, thanks to their strength of character, endurance and ability to work for long periods of time. Over the years, these attractive dogs have quickly become a popular choice as a companion dog, a popularity that has skyrocketed with the animated series ‘BLUEY’.

THE HISTORY OF THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG

By the early 19th century the cattle industry in Australia had grown to the plains and over the vast expanses of land. The cattle had become wild and rough beasts, the Smithfields, until then their herding dogs, were often losing control of the herd. These dogs were overcome by the heat and the distances they had to travel to move the cattle, and they tended to bite and bark a lot, as they knew how to herd sheep and not cattle, and were sometimes injured by their horns.

In 1830 Smithfields were crossed with dingoes, the primitive Australian cattle-killing dog. This, from being considered a pest at the time, became the best contribution to the breed. It was believed that the result would be dogs more suited to the climate, to work and quieter. The result was red-haired dogs, silent but even more biting. This breed did not prosper and died out.

In 1840 another breeder with the same concern but a different approach, imported a pair of blue-haired Highland Collies from Scotland, which resulted in dogs that barked a lot. The offspring of this pair he crossed with the dingo and obtained a silent working dog with either a blue or red coat.

Other breeds introduced to this crossbreeding were Dalmatians in order to make the dogs also work with horses and be more faithful and reliable for the owners; black or straw coloured kelpies, Australian sheepdogs, to reaffirm their working abilities which had been lost with the Dalmatian crossbreeding.

The Dalmatian influence created puppies with white fur at birth and changing colour at three weeks of age from a smooth coat to a greyish coat. From the kelpie came the straw coloured markings on the legs, chest and head. The end result was an active, compact dog, with the cautiousness of a dingo, the reliability of a Dalmatian, the ability of a collie and a kelpie, and a coat colouring unique in the world.

In the early 1890's Mr. Robert Kaleski became interested in these dogs. As a lover and journalist he decided to promote the breed and in 1903 he succeeded in getting the Kennel Club of Wales to accept the first breed standard. He was a firm believer in the important contribution of dingo blood to cattle herding and occasionally introduced dingoes to crosses to maintain the efficient heeler style.

In November 1988 the Australian Cattle Dog Club of America was formed in California. On May 1, 1980 they applied for a licence from the AKC (American Kennel Club) and on September 1 of that year it was granted.

In all these years Australian Cattle Dogs have been gaining ground both in the work and in the hearts of their owners. They are known by many names or nicknames: ‘blueys’, ‘blue dogs’, ‘heelers’, ‘Queensland heelers’, ‘blue heelers’, ‘red heelers’ and even erroneously called ‘dingoes’.

Aussies are very versatile and tireless workers who are adaptable to a variety of activities. They have been used as rescue and search dogs, bomb and drug detectors, service dogs and of course, herding cattle.

THE STANDARD OF THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG

GENERAL APPEARANCE: A strong, compact, symmetrically built working dog, possessing the ability and willingness to carry out his task no matter how arduous. The combination of soundness, vigour, balance and strong muscular condition should denote great agility, strength and endurance.
Any tendency to be squalid or coarse is considered a serious fault.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: Length of body, measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock, is greater than height at withers in the ratio 10:9.

HEAD: The head is robust and should be in proportion to the general conformation of the dog.

CRANIAL REGION:

SKULL: Broad and somewhat domed between the ears.

STOP: The skull is gradually flattened to a delicate but well defined fronto-nasal depression.

FACIAL REGION:

TRUFA: Black.

HOCICO: Broad and bulging below the eyes, gradually tapering to a medium length, deep and strong muzzle. The upper lines of the skull and muzzle are parallel.

BELLOWS: Tight and fine.

EYEBROWS : Muscular, neither thick nor prominent.

JAWS / TEETH : Deep, well developed lower jaws. Teeth should be sound, strong and evenly spaced. The articulation is scissor-like, i.e. the lower incisors are just behind the upper incisors and slightly touching them. Strong, sound teeth are very important, as the dog is required to work with difficult cattle, chasing or biting them in the hock.

EYES: Should be oval and of medium size, neither prominent nor sunken; the gaze should be lively and intelligent. A glint of warning or distrust is common when approached by strangers. Eye colour should be dark brown.

EARS: Medium size, small ears preferred to large ears. Broad at the base, muscular, erect and somewhat pointed, neither spoon-shaped nor bat ears. They are set wide apart on the skull and incline outwards. They are sensitive to any noise and are held erect when the dog is alert. The pinna should be thick and the inner part should be covered with abundant hair.

NECK: Extremely strong and muscular, of medium length. Gradually broadening to set into the body. No dewlap present.

BODY:

UPPER LINE: Level.

BACK: Strong.

LOIN: Broad, strong and muscular. Well knit and compact. Deeply let down flanks.

Croup: Rather long and sloping.

CHEST: Well let down, muscular and of moderate length. Ribs well sprung and well developed towards the rear, but not barrel-shaped.

TAIL: Set moderately low, following the contours of the slope of the croup to reach almost to the hock. When the dog is at rest it should hang slightly curved. When the dog is excited or on the move it may be raised, but under no circumstances should it exceed a vertical line drawn through the root. The tail should be bushy.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS

GENERAL APPEARANCE: The bones of the forelegs are strong, rounded and extend to the feet. Seen from the front, they should be straight and parallel.

Shoulders: Strong, sloping, muscular and well angulated to the upper arm. Should not be too close together at the withers. Although the shoulders are muscular and strong boned, heavy shoulders and a heavy front chest will impede correct movement and limit the ability to work.

Pastern: Should be flexible, with a slight angle in relation to the forearm, when viewed in profile.

HANDS: Round, fingers short, strong, well arched and close together. Pads hard and thick, nails short and strong.

HIND LIMBS

GENERAL APPEARANCE: Broad, strong and muscular. Seen from behind, from the hocks to the feet, they are straight and parallel. Neither too close together nor too wide apart.

Upper thigh: Long, broad and well developed.

KNEE: Well angulated.

Hock: Strong and well let down.

FEET: Round, toes short, strong, well arched and close together. Pads are hard and thick, nails should be short and strong.

GAIT / MOVEMENT: Agile, free, loose and indefatigable. The movement of the shoulders and forelegs is coupled with the powerful drive of the hindquarters. The ability to execute a quick and sudden movement is essential. Steadiness and straightness of movement is very important. During the trot, the feet tend to come together when they touch the ground as the speed increases, but when the dog is at rest all four limbs should remain flat on the ground.

COAT

HAIR: Smooth. It has a double coat; the undercoat is short and dense. The hairs of the outer coat are close together, smooth, harsh and close fitting, so that they are water resistant. Under the body and behind the limbs the coat is longer, forming a slight breeches near the thigh. It is short on the head (including the inside of the ears), and on the front of the limbs and feet. Along the neck it is longer and more abundant. Too long or too short a coat is a fault. In general, the length of the coat should be approximately 2.5 to 4 cm.

COLOUR:

BLUE: The colour may be blue, mottled blue, spotted blue, with or without other markings. Permitted markings are black, blue or tan on the head, preferably evenly distributed. Tan is present midway along the forelegs and extends upwards on the chest and throat and also on the jaw. Tan also occurs on the inside of the hindquarters, on the inside of the thighs, on the front of the knee and spreading to the outer parts of the hindquarters from the hocks to the toes. Fawn on the undercoat of the body is permitted, provided it does not show through the blue outer coat. Black markings on the body are not desirable.

RED: The colour should consist of small red patches evenly distributed over the whole body, including the undercoat (neither white nor cream), with or without darker red markings on the head. Uniform markings on the head are appreciated. Red markings on the body are permitted, but not desirable.

SIZE AND WEIGHT

HEIGHT AT WITHERS

• Males: 46 - 51 cm
• Bitches: 43 - 48 cm
  
  

FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.

SERIOUS FAULTS:

• Shoulders loaded, weak or straight.
• Weakness in elbows, pasterns or feet.
• Straight knees.
• Cow or sickle hocks.
• Movement showing stiffness.
  
  

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS:

• Aggressiveness or extreme shyness.
• Any dog showing clear signs of physical or behavioural abnormalities.
  
  

N.B.:

• Male dogs should have two apparently normal appearing testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs of typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.
  
  

HEALTH OF THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG

The Australian Cattle Dog is, in general, an extremely hardy breed with few health problems, with recorded life expectancies in excess of 29 years.

The most common diseases are:

• Hip and elbow dysplasia: This is a hereditary bone disease, polygenic but not congenital because the hips are normal at birth but there is an uneven growth between the skeletal and muscular system which results in the femoral head being placed outside the dorsal acetabulum and laterally, resulting in a delay in the development of muscle mass and a rapid growth of the skeleton. Body weight, type of exercise and environmental factors also play a role.
  
  

• MDR1: The MDR1 gene is a gene that codes for P-glycoprotein. A mutation in this gene results in the failure to produce this protein, which is necessary for the transport of many drugs through the blood to various organs in the body.
  It is responsible for preventing the transport of many drugs across the blood-brain barrier, i.e. it is responsible for limiting the penetration into the brain of a large number of drugs that would be toxic and even fatal if they reached the brain. Therefore, dogs with this mutated gene can allow the passage of certain drugs into the brain which in normal dogs have no harmful effect because they cannot reach the brain, but which in dogs with the mutated gene can reach the brain and cause very serious effects.
  
  

• PROGRESSIVE RETINA ATROPHIA (PRA): In the retina there are two types of photoreceptor neurons: rods (located more in the periphery of the retina) and cones (located closer to the centre). These photoreceptors gradually deteriorate so that the retina is no longer able to capture light and, as it is unable to send information to the brain, the animal gradually stops seeing. On many occasions, it is difficult to detect and the owner does not realise until the disease is very advanced.
  It is a hereditary disease that affects both eyes equally, some breeds are more predisposed than others but it can affect any breed or animal.
  
  

THE PERSONALITY OF THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG

Australian Cattle Dogs are known for their courage as well as their intelligence. Their loyalty and protective instincts make them watchdogs, guarding their livestock, property and family. They are also known to be very suspicious of people they do not know. As cattle dogs, they are totally dedicated to the work for which they were bred, which is herding cattle over long distances when called upon. They are always alert, highly intelligent, watchful, courageous and reliable.

The Australian Cattle Dog is one of the most ‘natural’ of breeds and therefore has very few of the hereditary or congenital health problems so common in other pure breeds. Being so intelligent and active, they excel in many dog sports, such as agility, obedience and other dog sporting activities. They are very energetic dogs and therefore must be given the right amount of exercise and mental stimulation to be truly happy and well-rounded dogs.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Australian Cattle Dog was bred to ‘nip’ at livestock and as such, this is something they do naturally, especially when they get excited about anything. This is why special care should be taken with small children, when they get too boisterous.

The Australian Cattle Dog is not a couch dog and is not a good choice for people who lead a sedentary life. However, they are the perfect dog for families and people who work outdoors or spend as much time as possible in nature.

CONCLUSION

The qualities of this dog have not gone unnoticed by the many people who have enjoyed his company. His great physical and mental capabilities are a real challenge to any experienced owner. As mentioned above, the cattle dog is not a dog for everyone.