Origins of the Aussie Cattle Dog

Some History of the Australian Cattle Dog

Starting in the very early 1800s, the grazing of cattle began to flourish in Australia. But the harsh climate and brutal landscape was more than the traditional European herding dogs could manage. They were simply unused to the vast spaces and rugged terrain.

So the hardy souls of the outback needed to produce a new breed of herding dog that  could stand up to the great distances, the suffocating heat and the daunting, intractable terrain.

In 1840, a man named Hall crossed some smooth blue-merle Highland Collies with Dingos, the indigenous wild dog of Australia, and so the original cattle dog of Australia was born.

He named the dogs “Heelers.” As working wild cattle could be dangerous for the dogs, they were bred to work from behind the stock, nipping at their heels.

The wild Dingo dogs are barkless, and this characteristic was passed on to the heelers. While they can bark, they tend to work cattle quietly, which helps keep the cattle from getting excited.

One of the breed’s famous forebears, known as the Bentleydog,  is thought to be responsible for transmitting the white blaze found on the head of Australian Cattle Dogs. Over time, other breeders experimented with the Heelers, crossing them with other breeds, including the Bull Terrier, Dalmatian and, later, black-and-tan Kelpie, a sheep-herding breed.

The result was a dog that shared all the positive qualities needed for the remorseless job of herding cattle in the land down under. It could herd like the Collie and Kelpie; work all day with the endurance of the Dingo; and retained the horse sense and protectiveness of the Dalmatian.

With the growth and development of the cattle industry of Queensland, the dogs took on the name of “Queensland” Blue Heeler, then the Australian Heeler, and finally the Australian Cattle Dog.

The standard for the breed dates back to 1897, yet it took about 100 years for the breed to become accepted in America, however, perhaps because he bore little resemblance to established herding breeds. But there was no denying this spunky new herder; he soon proved to the dog world that he could herd with the best of the old timers, and now is welcomed as a herder and pet.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the breed in 1980, and the Australian Cattle Dog now acquits itself rather well as a show dog. The emphasis, however, remains on the breed’s ability to perform indefatigably in the field, which it continues to do.

B.B. in California 1994 – 2006

I picked up “beeps” at LAX at the Delta Dash facility. She was only 7 weeks old and arrived in a pet carrier. I made one stop on the 50 mile trip from the airport to my home in Camarillo to drop off the carrier at UPS to return the crate to the folks back in Arkansas.
Once I got her back she settled into her new home and new family straight away. She thundered into the kitchen and was immediately surrounded by our 5 Abyssinian cats who dwarfed her. After several minutes of sniffing and poking, Beeps was officially accepted as the newest member of our household.

She was the “runt” of the litter, and I could easily carry her inside my light spring weight jacket.

She soon became a light of our lives. She was so peppy and mischievous that I started calling her my “Joie de vivre” dog. She had boundless energy, which, of course, needed an outlet. Fortunately, I lived at the very base of Conejo Mountain, at the tail end of the Santa Monica mountains in southern California. We immediately began what would become a daily ritual—hiking up the trail together to the top of the ridge. Some of the pictures on this site were taking in the mountain meadow up there.

Here’s a video of old Rocky working some stock.

Beeps on a Mountain

“Baby Blue” a.k.a. “Beeps,” came from Bull Mountain Kennels over in Arkansas. I found her in a listing in the Western Horseman magazine back in 1994. She was desperately needed to replace my original cattle dog that had passed away, leaving a very big hole in our emotional lives.

That cattle dog, my first, was named “Matti,” for Matilda as in “waltzing.” she was out of an ACD imported by my sister’s farrier from his native Australia. The man had a very young daughter he liked to bring along with. He tried bringing both the little girl and the cattle dog on his shoeing jobs, but that didn’t work out. The dog was too protective.

So he gave the bitch, Lea, to my sister. Leah was then sent up to Northern California and mated with another Aussie import. the litter was a 8 pups, all born snow white with the black spots showing.

Our pup, Matti (the “runt” of the litter), turned out to be  extremely protective, to the point of biting people without warning. Once, while I was having a pleasant conversation in a park with next door neighbor’s 12 year-old daughter when  Matti, lounging unconcerned in the sun, got up and bit her in the lower leg!  Had anyone complained, she would be forced, legally, to be put down.

It was this dangerous aggressiveness that caused the farrier to give her up. Matti’s Australian mother, Lea,  was the only dog I know of who could thrive on her own. You could leave at the ranch for a week or two, and she could easily fend for herself.

She hunted like a wild dingo.

This is Matti, my first cattle dog, in summer, 1991, in Camarillo, CA. at 8 years old.