How much have you heard about a breed of dogs called Australian Heeler? The breed is quite popular among certain circles. And its beauty can captivate anyone.

The Australian Cattle Dog is very energetic, requiring daily doses of activity and physical exercise. This breed excels in sports such as agility courses, enjoys learning tricks. They respond well to training due to their high intelligence and excel in mental and physical activities.

This breed is considered a affectionate pet with a happy demeanor, can be reserved and cautious with strangers.

So, a little bit of history. The direct predecessor of the Australian Heeler is the indigenous dog breed called dingo. The name comes from the English "heel," which means "to bite at the heels." This is because the working Australian dogs like to bite the livestock by the legs during herding.

The breed was deliberately developed for driving large horned animals, grazing, and guarding the herd. The breeder of the breed can be called the Australian farmer Thomas Hall. The farmer wanted to get smart and resilient dogs for livestock farming and decided to crossbreed dogs of the dingo breed and short-haired collies.

His breeding activities were successful. The bred dogs were named "Hall's Heelers." For the next 30 years, they were used exclusively for the personal needs of their creator.

But, in 1870, the farmer died, his farm gradually declined and was put up for auction. According to the terms of the sale, all real estate and all animals of the farm were transferred to the buyer. The further development of the breed was taken up by several interested dog breeders and farmers. It is known that the fate of the breed's development was actively involved by farmer Gerry Bagust. In 1893, breeding of cattle dogs with Australian kelpies and Dalmatians was tested. As a result, puppies of interesting appearance were obtained, and in 1903, at the initiative of Bagust's assistant, the first standard for the Australian Cattle Dogs was created.

In the years 1945-1947, dogs began to be actively exported to the USA, Canada, where it became widespread. American soldiers brought the dogs to the USA during World War II. In the late 70s, dogs were exported to Europe. In 1979, the breed officially began to be called "Australian Cattle Dog" or "Australian Cattle Dog."

And now a few interesting facts:

  • The average lifespan of Australian Cattle Dogs is about 12 years. However, in the Guinness Book of Records, the first record of the oldest dog, made in 1937, was about a dog of this breed. The hero was an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey. At that time, the animal was 26 years old. After Bluey became a record holder, she lived for another three years and died of cardiac arrest at the age of 29.
  • Being outside of Australia allowed Heelers to spread across the world. American soldiers stationed on the continent during World War II became attached to these dogs and took them home. However, for many decades, this breed remained a rarity in Europe.
  • Within Australia, all Heelers undergo a hearing test at the age of one and a half months. This test helps to limit the number of dogs with deafness. Gradually, other countries are moving towards this method. The most common ailment among Australian Heelers is congenital deafness, which affects some individuals with blue coloring. There are also less severe cases - partial deafness. According to statistics, every fourteenth Heeler hears only with one ear.