Cara is a full Australian Cattle Dog (ACD). Her original name was "Dog" when she was stuck in the animal shelter in Grand Island, Nebraska. Several wonderful people transported her to Colorado "Forever Home".

The Australian Cattle Dog, aka “heeler” falls into the “This dog is not for everyone” category. The ACD needs an owner that is willing to take on a challenge, is patient, firm, can invest time in training and has lots of love to give. The rewards of being loved by a cattle dog are incalculable.ACDs have two speeds “asleep or turbo-charged”.

Not enough emphasis can be put on how much energy these dogs have. They need somebody that can provide a lot of physical activity whether walking , playing or participating in activities such as agility.These dogs need a job, even if it is just chasing a tennis ball (23 hours a day). “A tired ACD is a good ACD”.

ACDs are highly intelligent and have a strong streak of independence. An ACD intent on accomplishing a task will keep trying different approaches to the task until something works. It is critical to keep an ACD mentally stimulated or the dog will make up things to keep him occupied. You may not like what he comes up with at all. Even older dogs need lots of toys, things to chew, things to chase and things to just destroy.Cattle dogs were bred to be herding dogs. A cattle dog with strong instincts will try to herd anything: other dogs, you, cats, kids, cars, etc. They instinctively nip at heels to get the “herdee” moving. More than once my dogs have heard me tell (yell at) them “I am not a cow, quit trying to herd me!” They can be taught when herding and nipping is appropriate and when it is not.As a herding dog, the ACD is can be very protective of you, your kids and your property. He will use intimidating behaviors such as barking, snarling and growling to let the trespasser know that they are not welcome until the master says so. On the other hand, once they know somebody is “ok” they can be overwhelming with their affection jumping, kissing and generally making a pest of themselves. Again they can be taught which behaviors are appropriate and when.

ACDs can be wonderful companions for children and get along well with other pets if everybody is properly trained. The herding instinct is again the issue. ACDs will chase and may nip at any fast moving object. Kids and small animals fall right into this category. Children must be taught how to play appropriately with the dog to minimize the herding behavior. A “nip” is more like a pinch vs. a bite. It rarely breaks the skin but can really hurt and can leave a bad bruise, not easy to explain to a child’s parents. That nip that will get a cow’s attention could seriously injury or kill a small animal. Until you can 100% trust your dog around small animals their interaction should be supervised.All in all if you are up to the job of loving and training a cattle dog you will not regret it.

Beware though as somebody once said, “Cattle dogs are like potato chips, you can’t have just one”. Cattle dogs can be a lifetime love affair.




For more about adopting a cattle dog go to http://www.cattledog.com/rescue/index.html or petfinder.com.