What do you know about Australian Cattle Dog`s? Questions

Hi everyone,

Im thinking about getting an Australian Cattle dog pup but i dont really know much about them :? I have been looking on the internet but i was just wondering if any of you guys knew anything about them

Any advice or info would be really appreciated

Thanks

Sara xx

they are certainly not for the faint hearted! I think they are incredibly intelligent, hard headed and strong willed but they are wonderful dogs. I think you need to do a lot of research into them before you even dream about having one. They are not a breed that I would consider as a "pet only" I think they really need to be doing something to keep them happy so if you are not planning on doing anything with one then don't bother as you will end up having problems (just my opinion!)

Not sure if you have found this site but it has lots of useful info on it

http://www.acdsocietyofgb.com/

I wouldnt reccomend one if you have a staff, the reason a ACD is not sitting at my feet is their VERY dominant nature. I was told by several breeders if they cant dominate other animals in the house there will be blood shed! Boss dog!
Dawn.

Thanks colliemad

Ill have a look in a minute

Thanks borderdawn

Not sure if you have seen my other posts but unfortunately my staffie had to go back to the rescue as she was growling at my kids :-(

So no other animals in here and it feels horrible

sara, how old are your children?

Sorry you had to make that decision with Tia but I do think it was for the best.

On the subject of ACD's, it might be that they are too demanding when you have small children in the house, they really need to be in a home where they can have something to do, perhaps Agility. Try asking advice from other Dogsey members as to which breed they think might suit your circumstances. Why not another Stafford, just because you had a bad experience with Tia does not mean that they are all the same, on the contrary, most Staffords are great with kids. Why not stick with what you know?

Good Luck Sara with whatever decision you make.

They are 2 and 5

Thanks for that novavizz

Thats a brilliant idea

I havent ruled out a staffie, but im keeping my options open

To be honest sara I don't think a cattle dog would be a good idea in your circumstances, in fact I wouldn't recommend a herding breed for a home with small children:?

Thanks for that colliemad

Can i ask why, sorry as you can tell i dont know much about herding breeds

Ah yes I knew that, but you have a new avatar and I wondered if it was another dog you had.
Dawn.

No i just changed it as i couldnt bear to see Tia`s face everytime i posted

Hi Sara

I have three BC's here that are fantastic with children BUT they would knock a small child over with their sheer enthusiasm. I also had to work really hard with Kelly to get him to stop biting me at agility, it used to hurt, imagine that with a small child, he did it becuase he was trying to herd me in the ring. Doesn't make it hurt any less! Not all but some herding dogs would herd small children and this is not restricted to certain breeds but individual dogs. Deef has never and would never do it but kelly would and sol would also if excited enough which would be easy as small children tend to be exciting to most dogs and both of them would nip. To be honest a working bred BC would be hard in your circumstances, a cattle dog could be an absolute disaster and the last thing you want is to rehome another dog. If you really want such a breed you need to do a lot of research and wait until the children are older and have more understanding about dogs in general. Younger children don't seem to understand about dogs, especially if they have not been brought up with them.

I am used to high drive herding dogs. Before I got Sol I looked at possibly getting a Kelpie as they are a breed that I love, I decided against it because I did not like what was being bred at the time and I thought I would stick to what I know. I decided against a cattle dog because I thought it might just be too much dog for me at the time. ACD's and kelpies are a possibility for me in the future but not at the moment. I think for most herding breeds you need to be a confident trainer/handler, if you aren't then they will be hard work, you don't need to be hard as that will often backfire, just confident.

I really think you should look in another direction for a dog that would fit in with your family, I really don't think a cattle dog woud be it:-( sorry JMO

Okay thank you colliemad

Ive started another thread asking everyones opinion on what kind of breed to look for

Thank you again for your advice

I have a 4 year old cattle dog and I disagree with comments that they are not a family pet My dog is well adjusted and she does not work at all, Cattle dogs need one thing they need YOU. They are not a dog to be kennelled and ignored. With regard to children your kids could not be in safer paws they would die rather than allowing someone to hurt their family
Yes they are a feisty dog but what you get in return is priceless

THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.

You are his life, his love, his leader.

He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.

You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

My next working dog, if you decide to choose this smashing breed,you will need to keep it active and exercised, most of ACD problems are caused through lack of stimulation,if you put the time and effort in to the dog you will be well rewarded, but if you do not have the time, think of a less demanding breed, and as with alot of breeds, go for the non working strain, as their is a vast difference in the dogs attitude, other wise they make lovely companions

I looked into getting one and I still WILL have one one day. I was told by several exhibitors and breeders that a male would NOT tolerate another and bitches can be very argumentative and will kill eachother if they so choose and once they start they can never be kept together again. Rather like a Dobermann temperament I thought and Id had two of those who disliked eachother, so was appreciative of that advice. I absolutely LOVE the breed and when the time is right Ill have one.
Dawn.

My girl lives with Rotties she understands the hierachy and never challenges the older bitch we have had a spat with a younger Rott bitch but we have sorted it and both know that behaviour is unacceptable We have now reached an understanding and they can run together again BUT I would never leave them unsupervised

A lot of exhibitors kennel their dogs which I do not think is beneficial to a Cattle dog temperament. My girl is different to a lot in the ring she is confident and she enjoys it I am afraid some in the ring do not give the right impression they appear nervous and unpredictable I do believe how a dog is nutured makes a real difference.

They are a very demanding breed but to say they cant be a family dog is a but much. They can adjust to family life but will still need lots of stimulation. I was thinking of getting one of these myself....then we got Ivan They are generally great with kids if raised with them. With this breed getting an older dog is sometimes hard. They get into a routine and dont like change much. Most people that get these dogs dont really understand the breed and therefore end up getting rid of them. There are tons in the shelters around here. Its sad. As far as with other dogs I think its on a dog to dog basis. Ive seen some ACDs that act the way BorderDawn is describing and Ive seen others that are very happy to just be around them and dont care where they stand. But the biggest thing is these guys are demanding, hard head and stubborn about as bad if not worse than a staffy.

nobody actually said they couldn't be a family dog, perhaps those of you that are posting should actually read what was said? YAWN!