Are Australian cattle dogs crazy? Here’s What to Expect

First of all, be sure that you are not adding to the craziness.

The way that you interact with your Australian Cattle Dog on a daily basis will play a big role in development and personality.

If you want him to be quiet, then you should be quiet. Don’t raise your voice, don’t yell and don’t talk baby talk. These are definitely things that will bring out the crazy!

Be aware of the fact that a puppy is not born knowing any human language at all. Commands must be taught through association and repetition. It takes a lot of time to train and help your Australian Cattle Dog calm down.

The less you talk the better. You should be quiet and calm whenever you are in the house. Save the play and roughhousing for outdoors.

Here is a short video about promoting calmness in the house. Thanks to Milligan Valley K9 Academy.

Whining

This trait is true of every dog breed, not just heelers. And we all know that puppies will inevitably whine. I must say though; I personally dont remember other dogs that Ive known whining even half as long, half as loud, or as high-pitched as Yusuke. He has got some serious vocals on him and my gosh, he can whine for hours without stopping.

Every new dog owner hates their puppy (at least a little bit) for the first few nights that they have them. This love/hate relationship is unavoidable those first few nights. Your puppy is in a new home. Theyre scared. Their momma is gone. And if youre like Colin and me, and dont want them sleeping in your bed, then those whines are pretty horrendous those first few nights.

But all the books tell you, “under no circumstances, should you let your puppy out or go get him when hes whining, or else he will always whine when he wants your attention.” I wish I could give credit to someone for this bit of information, but I have read it so many times in so many places, that I feel its general knowledge to most dog owners now.

Australian Cattle Dogs Can Be a Lot of Work

It was a Sunday night when my boyfriend Colin and I brought home our brand new puppy. Wed been waiting to get a puppy for years and finally settled on an Australian Cattle Dog. Now, before you go judging Colin and me for picking this breed as our first dog, I want you to know that I extensively researched this dog more than I studied for my finals during all four years of college.

I read so many articles, books, blogs, etc., saying that ACDs are better for experienced owners. Those sources also stated that ACDs should not be in an apartment, as they need vigorous exercise and plenty of it.

Well, folks, Colin and I are “technically” first-time dog owners. Weve had family pets, but we have never actually raised a dog on our own before. And guess where we live? Thats right—an apartment. And before you “tsk” at me, I was well aware of these warnings about first-time owners and apartment life before we even put down a deposit for our puppy. And the fact that I was aware of these warnings has made me slightly more patient when it comes to training this amazing dog.

Even though I knew that we didnt have the ideal lifestyle for an ACD, we knew that this was the dog for us. We knew that he has a fit and active lifestyle, and though neither of us are members of Crossfit or currently sporting a six-pack, we were (and are) dedicated to giving this new dog the kind of workout that he needs both physically and mentally every day.

Going along with these demands of his breed, we realized right away that this would be a challenge. This idea probably scares a lot of dog owners. Its hard enough to train mellow dogs not to chew up your entire house and tear your flip-flops into pieces. However, these more mellow dogs are the kinds of dogs Colin and I had known in our lifetimes thus far. We both had some experience with the Chihuahuas, Beagles, Labs, and Miniature Pinschers of the world. We wanted a dog that was different. We even had a unique and different name picked out for him: Yusuke (pronounced: You-skay).

Lots of families choose to get Labs, Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Chihuahuas, or similarly well-known dog breeds. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. A lot of the best dogs Ive ever known were one of those breeds. We just knew that we wanted a standout dog. What can I say? We wanted the kind of dog where people stop and honestly dont know what breed our dog is. Its exciting for us to introduce people to this new breed they may not have known much or anything about. We were up for the challenge of this dog. We had been looking them up online for months and melting over the adorable photos of them. Have you seen how cute those puppies are? I think theyre cutest when theyre sleeping.

Australian Cattle Dogs are cutest when theyre dozing.

Am I right? Adorable. Im not exaggerating when I say that five to ten people a day stop me and ask me what breed he is and tell me hes the cutest dog theyve ever seen. When I take him on walks, I have yet to run into one person that doesnt stop and pet him. And if they start to walk by me, I can see on their faces that theyre waiting for me to ask if they want to pet him. And I always do, and they always break into a smile and pet him and (as always) ask me what kind of dog he is. I can tell in some peoples voices that they have no idea what a “red heeler” is. Most people do, but some seem to still be a little lost until I say hes a herding/working/cattle dog.

All cuteness aside, why did we choose such a challenging dog? Well, you need to know that I am a very honest person and dont really like to beat around the bush. So I wont lie to you, there are days when I wonder why I didnt just get a pug and call it a day. Im not saying I dont love Yusuke, but sometimes puppies have a way of getting on your very last nerve. Or at least, Yusuke has a habit of getting on mine.

7 Reasons you SHOULD NOT get a Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog)

Most Australian Cattle Dogs will begin to calm down on their own around 2 years of age, and will be on their way to emotional maturity at about 3 or 4.

How much you can teach each of these depends on their age, very young puppies just cannot take or understand as much as when they get a little older.

Without proper training and socialization, it may actually take a lot longer for an Australian Cattle Dog to calm down.

Don’t rely totally on age to help your Australian Cattle Dog calm down. It is very important that you play an active roll through training and setting boundaries.

This training not only helps you gain physical and mental control, but also is designed to help the dog develop self control.

Australian Cattle Dog puppies are perhaps the most energetic, the most lovable, and at the same time, can be the most aggravating little demons on earth.

Bringing that cute little bundle of fur home for the first time might be one of the happiest days in your life. Blue Heeler puppies are the most adorable things ever.

However, expectations of a loving, cuddly lap dog may soon vanish. Soon he will outgrow that sweet, sleepy puppy stage, and behold, the Raptor!

In all honesty and fairness, not all Australian Cattle Dog puppies become Raptors. There are some that remain calm and well behaved their entire life and never enter the crazy, destructive phase.

In a way it’s funny that so many owners joke about their Australian Cattle Dog puppies acting like velociraptors, yet in another way it is also sad that if an owner is unprepared to handle this behavior the puppy may pay the price.

That study points out a huge number of Australian Cattle Dogs are turned over to shelters. These owners are just not prepared to handle such an extreme personality.

For this reason it is so important to learn all we can about helping that puppy.