The Complete Guide to Blue Heelers - aka The Australian Cattle Dog. Learn About Breeders, Finding a Puppy, Training, Socialization, Nutrition, Grooming, and Health Care. Over 50 Pictures Included!

By David Anderson

BLUE HEELER HISTORY: Learn about the European origins of the Australian Cattle Dog, their working history, and see a Quick Guide to their best and worst traits.

THE IDEAL ENVIRONMENT: Learn what type of home and family a Blue Heeler will thrive in. Prepare your own house and yard, and have your family prepared to bring your Blue Heeler home.

FINDING A BLUE HEELER: Learn how to locate and properly vet a breeder, or discover the best ways to find an adoptable Heeler. Also, learn what personality traits and characteristics to look for when choosing your dog.

BRING YOUR BLUE HEELER HOME: Learn what to expect and how to prepare for the first days, weeks, and months with your new Blue Heeler puppy. Includes tips on how to handle the ride home, the first vet visit, and setting early expectations with your puppy.

TRAINING: Includes tips for house training, socialization, basic commands (such as sit, stay, down), positive reinforcement techniques and much more!

NUTRITION: Learn why a healthy diet is so important for the Blue Heeler, what kinds of commercial foods to choose, how to make your own food at home, and dealing with food related problems.

GROOMING: Information on managing your ACD's coat, bathing tips, ear care, shampoos, trimming their nails, teeth brushing, and cleaning the ears and eyes.

BLUE HEELER HEALTH CARE: Learn about preventing common diseases and parasites in your Blue Heeler. Includes advice for finding a good veterinarian, natural alternatives and holistic options, and vaccination information.

YOUR AGING BLUE HEELER: Learn about old age care, the changes you can make in nutrition, exercise, and common ailments. Also includes information about keeping them mentally sharp, why you should increase your vet visits and how to help them really enjoy their final years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Anderson
• Release date: Oct 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386186854

David Anderson

David Anderson lives in Minnesota with with wife Rebecca and their Teddy Bear puppy Buddy. An avid dog lover his whole life, David has translated that passion into his writing. Growing up on a farm, David was exposed to all sorts of animals; raising Cattle, Sheep, Hogs, Horses, and Chickens, as well as caring for his families dogs and cats. "Some of my favorite memories as a child involve running through the pasture with my dogs, and lazy summer days spent lying in the grass with all the animals" Anderson said. "As a young boy I really wanted to be a veterinarian, and while I eventually chose a different path, my passion for animals never wore off." That passion for animals continued as he graduated college and started to make his way into the world. Mr. Anderson launched LP Media, a company that is dedicated to promoting and educating the public about the joys of pet ownership. The company started small, but quickly grew and now helps over a million pet owners every month. Anderson continues to write and search for ways to help other people who are contemplating the decision to become a pet owner. "My work is never done" he said. "I love helping other people and providing great resources that they can use to help better their lives, and the lives of their pets. I plan on continuing to create great products that help pet owners for as long as I can!"

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INTRODUCTION

The Blue Heeler (also known as the Australian Cattle Dog) is a high energy, fun loving breed that loves to be outdoors being active. Their intellect makes them very easy to train, but it can also lead to boredom. It takes a strong personality and consistency to turn your puppy into the ideal companion.

Having been bred to work in the Australian outback, Blue Heelers are sturdy, medium-sized dogs that don’t know the word quit. Their heritage includes a combination of many different classic breeds, as well as the Australian-native Dingo. Their indomitable spirit makes them a great dog for adventurers and people who enjoy regular, vigorous exercise.

Unlike many other canine breeds, Blue Heelers require a very firm hand early in their development. Their destructive tendencies are a result of their high intellect and energy level, which is what makes this a particularly challenging dog to raise. With a consistent and firm approach, your puppy can turn into a very lovable and entertaining companion.

Before you begin looking for your own Blue Heeler, you need to consider what age you would like your dog to be. Puppies are rambunctious and can be highly frustrating as their behavior comes more from boredom than being bad. You should take into account the ability you have to train a Blue Heeler into your perfect companion. Older dogs will already be trained so that you can skip some of the more frustrating aspects of dog rearing, but they also come with their own flaws. Essentially, finding the right dog is about deciding how much time you want to spend training before getting into the really good stuff of doing things together.

As a relatively healthy breed, most of the issues associated with the Blue Heeler are genetic in origin. If caught early, you can minimize most of the potential problems.

With their short hair, your Australian Cattle Dog will also be incredibly easy to groom, although you will need to adjust your grooming schedule for the different stages of your dog’s life.

Blue Heelers are a great breed for people who love adventures and challenges. You do need a strong personality and a consistent approach, but once you go through all of the trials and tribulations of training your dog, you will have a loyal companion for years to come.

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CHAPTER 1 | Spotting a Blue Heeler

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Blue Heelers, a beautiful dog breed, have a completely unique appearance. At first glance, you will notice that they are clearly working dogs. And then you will do a double take as your mind starts to process the unique coat that really plays with the eye. There is no other dog quite like this breed.

Description and Defining Characteristics

From their amazing coat to their sturdy build, these dogs seem to attract attention wherever they go. With a dominant personality, these are dogs that require as much devotion as they give.

Appearance

Blue Heelers average between 35 and 45 pounds. Much of that weight is from the powerful muscles that make them the ideal work dog. With somewhat dainty paws, complete with small toes, these dogs grow into their feet early on.

Besides their well-toned appearance, Australian Cattle Dogs have a coat that attracts attention wherever they go. With a mottled, double coat, the breed has earned its name from the way the black on white layers appear blue in many different kinds of light. Of course, with such a thick coat, they do shed a lot.

Their coat is actually one of the few ways to identify this particular breed because it can have a wide variety of coloration, spots, and shape of the head. Some dogs do have beige, tan, or black markings on their first layer. The coat is a unique characteristic because of the number of dog breeds that were included in creating the cattle dog. You can see Dalmatian when the dogs are young because they are born with a white coat (or with most of their first coat). As they age, the top layer begins to show, creating the fascinating spots that make their coats appear blue.

Their heads vary in shape and size because of the numerous breeds originally used when trying to find the perfect dog for the rough Australian terrain used for cattle. They tend to have triangular ears that stand up straight when they are alert. The ears are also wide set to enable them to hear better on the job.

Because they were bred for herding cattle, the tail is long to provide better maneuvering when working. It has a slightly upward curve that can help you tell when the dog is alert or feeling playful.

Temperament

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The Blue Heeler is a very hard working and intelligent dog. That means that it is accustomed to being in control. It has been bred to be an exceptionally good herding dog in a difficult environment, and to protect the cattle against very dangerous animals. These traits are prevalent in the breed’s temperament. Unlikely to back down, it takes a very firm hand to ensure the dog is properly trained for life with people.

Like any other working breed, the Blue Heeler has an astonishingly high level of energy that requires a lot of work to keep the dog from being destructive. The fact that the breed also tends to be intelligent means that you will be required to spend a lot of time with your dog to keep your home in one piece.

Socialization

Early socialization is essential for this breed because of their tendencies to dominate. They also instinctively herd anything they feel protective of, such as other dogs and children. You will need to make sure to train your Blue Heeler not to nip at dogs and people to avoid problems when the dog is older. When properly trained, this breed is incredibly affectionate and loving with its family.

Energy

A lot of energy is easily one of the defining characteristics of these dogs. You must be either really active or have a huge area where your dog will have time and space to roam. Destructive behavior is imminent when the dog is enclosed and bored. Nor is the breed a quiet one as the dogs have been bred to keep cattle in line, which requires both barking and nipping at heels. Long daily jogs and frequent sessions with discs and balls will keep your Blue Heeler from getting too bored. Also, additional training is recommended to keep your dog’s mind stimulated. Simply working off the energy will likely not be adequate to keep your dog from chewing at anything left within reach.

Distinguishing a Blue Heeler from Other Dogs

While you can usually identify most dogs by head or body shape, it is the coat that really distinguishes the Blue Heeler from any other breed. The wide range of breeds visible in the dog’s face and body might make it easy for the casual observer to mistake one for a mutt.

However, there are no other breeds that have the same mottled blue look. If you encounter a sturdy looking mid-sized dog with mottled white and black, regardless of the other coloring, it is a Blue Heeler.

If you noticed the mottled coat and still aren’t sure, check the tail, ears, and muscle structure. With a somewhat bow-legged look, radar-like ears, and long tail, the Blue Heeler is a very distinctive breed.

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CHAPTER 2 | Breed History and Characteristics

193176.jpg Intuition and Loyalty are two of the best characteristics of Blue Heelers. They are very intelligent and