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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007) For the Canadian indie band formerly called Blue Heeler, see Calm Down It's Monday. Australian Cattle Dog A red Australian Cattle Dog, or "Red Heeler" Other names Queensland Heeler Country of origin Australia [hide]Traits [show]Classification & standards FCI Group 1 Section 2 #287 standard AKC Herding standard ANKC Group 5 - (Working Dogs) standard CKC Group 7 - (Herding Dogs) standard KC (UK) Pastoral standard NZKC Working standard UKC Herding Dog standard The Australian Cattle Dog, also known as the Queensland Heeler, Blue Heeler and Red Heeler is a breed of herding dog developed in Australia for droving cattle. It is a medium-sized short-coated dog with a lot of energy, intelligence and an independent streak. Contents [hide] 1 Characteristics 1.1 Appearance 1.1.1 Size 1.1.2 Coat and colour 1.1.3 Tail 1.2 Temperament 2 Health and Lifespan 2.1 Lifespan 2.2 Common Health Problems 3 Australian Cattle Dog activities 4 History 5 References 6 External links 7 Additional Reading // Characteristics Appearance A blue Australian Cattle Dog, showing alert stance and muscularity. Australian Cattle Dog puppies beginning to show colour The model Australian Cattle Dog comes without any trace of weakness or fragility.[citation needed] Excessively heavy or cumbersome build is also undesirable as it limits agility, a necessity for any good cattle working dog. Size A female Australian Cattle Dog should measure approximately 43 to 48 cm (17 to 19 inches) at the withers. A male Australian Cattle Dog should measure about 46 to 51 cm (18 to 20 inches) at the withers. An Australian Cattle Dog is a well-muscled, compact dog with a dense coat of coarse, rather oily hair with a slight ruff and fine, almost woolly, winter undercoat. It has a naturally long tail, generally carried low, with a slight white tip. An Australian Cattle Dog in good condition should weigh approximately 14 to 19 kg (30 to 40 pounds). Coat and colour Australian Cattle Dogs exhibit two primary coat colours: blue and red. In both cases the colouration is not solid. The distinctive colouration of the Australian cattle dog is the result of white and grey hairs closely interspersed with red or black hairs. This is not a roan or merle colouration but rather the result of the ticking gene, the same gene found in Dalmatian (dog). In addition to the primary colouration Australian cattle Dogs also display some patches of solid or near-solid colour, most notably a mask over one or both eyes. Red is the genetically dominant colour in Australian Cattle | ||||
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