Australian cattle dogs have a short blue or red merle coat.
Blue Heeler is another name for the blue Australian cattle dog. The cattle dog has either a blue merle or red merle coat, with merle being a sort of speckled appearance. Of course the reds are sometimes called Red Heelers. This breed is used to move livestock, which it does by nipping at the heels of the cattle, hence the name heeler. It's a fearless, intelligent and loyal breed, with a stubborn streak. Those born from a strict working lineage may be too intense for being only a family pet. The breed needs firm, gentle training and socialization to become a house pet.
Instructions
1. Heelers must be accustomed to other dogs from an early age.
Take your Blue Heeler to puppy kindergarten so the pup learns to get along with other dogs, and start obedience classes as early as the trainer permits. This breed must be trained from an early age or it will be too much for the average family to handle.
2. Fetch provides exercise as well as teaching the pup to accept your leadership.
Give your heeler plenty of daily exercise. This must include free romping in a safe, enclosed yard or park, as well as daily walks on leash. Structured play time, such as fetch, tug or hide and seek, will provide additional training as well as exercise -- this dog must respect you as leader. Ensure structured games have rules: a command to start the game, a command to end the game and rules for how the game is played. Your cattle dog will not behave well if it does not get enough exercise.
3. Agility is good exercise for mind, body and the pet-person bond.
Plan plenty of physical and mental activities for your pup. This breed has an active mind and must have mental stimulation along with physical activity. Consider agility, Frisbee competition, tracking or even human-dog dancing competitions.
4. A cattle dog that was not raised with children may not be tolerant of them.
Socialize your Blue Heeler puppy well while it is young. The breed is protective and can become overprotective if not well-socialized. Socialization includes exposure to animals of different species as well as other dogs, children and elderly, people with special needs and loud noises. Anything that the dog will have to accept without fear or aggression should be introduced from as early an age as possible.
5. Herding develops from the prey drive and can turn dangerous.
Teach your Blue Heeler not to nip at the heels of people, cats or other pets and not to chase. This is an intense instinct for this breed, so this will take a lot of effort on your part for the pup to learn. Teach your children not to run away from the dog. Chasing children, cats, chickens or other pets can trigger the prey drive and end in injury to the one being chased.
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