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A Short History about ACDs
The Australian Cattle dog originated in Australia during the 1800s when ranchers were looking for a reliable dog who could
work cattle and withstand the harsh conditions of the Outback. After several failed attempts at breeding a suitable dog, Mr.
Thomas Hall created the first successful cattle dogs, a cross between the Highland Collie and the Dingo, the wild dog of Australia.
Other breeds involved in the development of the Cattle Dog were the Bull Terrier, the Kelpie and the Dalmation. The work of
Australian breeders like Mr. Hall, Mr. Thomas Bentley (the marks of Bentley's breedings can still be seen in the Cattle Dogs
of today) and Mr. Robert Kaleski created a highly intelligent and controllable working dog. The breed standard was set in
1903 and has remained virtually unchanged for more than 100 years. For a much more detailed history (and tons of great information
about the breed) please visit www.cattledog.com..
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Physical Aspects
The most unique aspect to the Cattle Dogs physical appearance is its coloring. Cattle Dogs are either blue,speckled or
mottled, or red,speckled or mottled. As far as grooming, Cattle Dogs are very low maintenance, requiring little in the way
of brushing or bathing. They do shed (all dogs shed to some degree)and blow their coats once or twice a year. In general the
Cattle Dog is a healthy breed. The only physical problems associated with the breed are deafness, blindness, and, occasionally,
hip dysplasia.
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| Logan is a handsome example of a blue cattle dog. |
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| Maggie Mae is a beautiful example of a red cattle dog. |
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Training Considerations
Cattle Dogs are among the most intelligent of dog breeds and are capable of learning complex tasks in only a few repetitions.
Stanley Coren, in his book The Intelligence of Dogs, rated Cattle Dogs as the tenth most intelligent breed. It can
be incredibly rewarding to live with a dog as intelligent as a Cattle Dog. They thrive on learning new games, tricks and tasks.
On the other hand, if you don't provide adequate training for your Cattle Dog, they can find other things to do with their
time and may even train you to do what they want, rather than the other way around. So please take the time to teach them
the basic obedience commands (at a minimum) and if you're not experienced in training dogs, then please find a reputable trainer
to help you.
Deaf Cattle Dogs
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| Lily is a deaf ACD but loves her agility classes. |
A small percentage of cattle dogs are born deaf, even if both parents have
normal hearing. There is no test than can be done before breeding but a BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) test
is performed by a vet on the pups at a few weeks of age. This is the only 100% way to know if a dog is bilaterally (both ears) or
unilaterally (one ear) deaf and to what extent the hearing loss is.
Training a deaf dog is not much different than training a hearing dog. It is just a different method of communication.
Dogs understand body language better than spoken words; it is usually the person that has more difficulty adjusting. Deaf
dogs will generally pay much closer attention and eye contact so that they know what is expected of them. You don't have to
know sign language already, it is easy to adapt simple Obedience signals, some “real” signs and some you can make
up as you and the dog learn together. The key is patience and repetition.
Please visit our links page for helpful and informative resources about deaf dogs.
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