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Australian Cattle Dog


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How do they compare in temperament to other herding breeds eg Kelpie and Border Collie?

They are loyal, determined, and willing to please. Like all dogs temperament can depend on the bloodlines chosen so I would not like to make general statements. The bloodlines that I have experienced within Kelpies, Border Collies and ACD’s have been very similar in temperament. We have actually had Kelpies that have been mentally tougher than the ACD’s. They were all chosen for their working abilities.

My experience of having cattledogs as companion dogs is that their behaviour is varied according to individual dogs.

Agree

Like any dog an ACD is what you make it, good socialisation and training and teaching from day one

They do need strong leadership and training.

Agree

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I have to ask... all the cattle dogs I've ever met have been very aggressive dogs. I have always been wary of them as a breed, because the ones I've met were snappy and quite scary. Is this normal for the breed?

Sparky this may have been the case many years ago but registered ACD breeders have come a long way in regards to the temperament of the breed. This sort of temperament does nothing for the breed and is rarely seen today within the showing community.

I'm in the process of researching the best breed to herd cattle and it's obviously what they were developed for, but I don't want a dog that is going to bite someone for knocking on the front door.

The best breed to work cattle that would be hard to pin point. Naturally the ACD’s purpose was to work cattle but these days you will find lines of Kelpies and Border Collies that have specifically been selected and bred for this purpose also. You could choose any of these breeds for the job as long as you have selected a dog from proven bloodlines. These animals would have been specifically chosen and bred for their natural working ability on cattle.

Any breed of dog may bite someone that knocks on your front door; it all depends on their temperament.

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Do they cope alright as a pet in a backyard? Obviously with daily exersize and plenty of mental stimulation.

My two certainly do. What's essential, if we're talking companion dogs, is that they have access to the house & to their family. My experience has been they demand to be with their human family. And if they are denied that, then you get behavoural problems.

Furthermore, once they're introduced to the luxuries of indoors life, you can forget about all this rough & ruggard outdoors lifestyle that they're supposedly meant for... :banghead:

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We have been enquiring to breeders with pricing etc. We have been told for a ACD puppy its $700 which includes:

Vaccinations

Microchipped

Vet checked

Regular worming

Baer tested (hearing)

reg with Dogs Vic

6 weeks free puppy insurance

Is this a good price? I have seen some advertised alot cheaper but they don't include everything above and probably aren't through a certified breeder the main thing we want to focus on is the Baer Test as we have heard deafness is known in ACD? Any Opinions or advice?

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Buy from a Breeder.. Most of the paper ad puppies are probly crossbreds.. look for a breeder that supplies paper.

We paid $550 for Boss, if we wanted papers it would of been $700. Boss is from one of the top breeders in Perth.

ACD are cattle dogs. Most of the ones you get from Breeders from the city are breed to be a pet no a working dog. Boss is from a non-working dog breeder and he is hopless with livestock.

ACD are hopeless with sheep.. they are more rougher than kelpies.

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I have to ask... all the cattle dogs I've ever met have been very aggressive dogs. I have always been wary of them as a breed, because the ones I've met were snappy and quite scary. Is this normal for the breed?

I'm in the process of researching the best breed to herd cattle and it's obviously what they were developed for, but I don't want a dog that is going to bite someone for knocking on the front door.

from my questions anyway over 80 percent of the dogs you describe when you ask the owner is it a registered purebred the answer will be no.

most of the unregistered ones bred the majority of the people who breed them seem to select for savage and think its a plus.

they cant seem to get their head around a good cattle dog is NOT SAVAGE, its suposed to be suspicious.

theres a big difference.

its only supposed to go into protection mode if you are threatened.

my family had cattledogs before i was born, many were security dogs, dad also had german shepherds he used to advertise for savage dogs and i mean they would arrive cross chained on the back of a truck wanting to eat anyone within reach.

no alarms n such in the 40's

he discovered the cattles would settle pretty quickly and in the end have the run of the place once they knew who "family" was. the most amazing thing was it didnt take long for them to adjust and anyone could come and go long as they never picked up anything.

dad and his brothers would load whatever someone bought and all would be fine.

if they tried to load something into their vehicle the dogs would have em, n that even applied to the vet when he came to vaccinate them.

dad offered to carry his bag. n he declined, n dad explained if he didnt carry it to the vets car the dogs wouldnt let him get to the car.

he snatched the bag off dad n said no dog has ever bitten me.

about then blue took out the seat of his pants.

he even had the hide to sue dad for a new suit?

by comparison the german shepherds were always chained by day and only released by night and locked up where they couldnt eat the cusomers when they began arriving.

some even dad couldnt touch after having them for years. i remember one in particular the only way he could get into the shed was drop a log on the run wire so the dog couldnt eat him while he was unlocking the door. it got a bit risky at times when he lunged enough to dislodge the log

huge difference to today, probably be sued for cruelty now for that dog. dont remember him ever being off the chain, when the vet came they would hook the collar and with it and the chain he would be put into a sort of crush for any needles or check. but then i suppose today he wouldnt have been kept alive either. goodness knows where dad bought him from he was an adult when he arrived

Edited by asal
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Buy from a Breeder.. Most of the paper ad puppies are probly crossbreds.. look for a breeder that supplies paper.

We paid $550 for Boss, if we wanted papers it would of been $700. Boss is from one of the top breeders in Perth.

ACD are cattle dogs. Most of the ones you get from Breeders from the city are breed to be a pet no a working dog. Boss is from a non-working dog breeder and he is hopless with livestock.

ACD are hopeless with sheep.. they are more rougher than kelpies.

Thanks Peta23 for your suggestion. We are planning to buy from a breeder, it sounds to risky to not buy from one. Does anyone know of a non-working dog breeder for ACD in Melbourne? Or does anyone have recommendations for a breeder who is not overly priced?

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Buy from a Breeder.. Most of the paper ad puppies are probly crossbreds.. look for a breeder that supplies paper.

We paid $550 for Boss, if we wanted papers it would of been $700. Boss is from one of the top breeders in Perth.

ACD are cattle dogs. Most of the ones you get from Breeders from the city are breed to be a pet no a working dog. Boss is from a non-working dog breeder and he is hopless with livestock.

ACD are hopeless with sheep.. they are more rougher than kelpies.

Thanks Peta23 for your suggestion. We are planning to buy from a breeder, it sounds to risky to not buy from one. Does anyone know of a non-working dog breeder for ACD in Melbourne? Or does anyone have recommendations for a breeder who is not overly priced?

If I may ask, but you are adamant you want a cattledog from a breeder? There are many cattledogs, of various ages, being held by Australian Cattledog Rescue & other rescue groups. Although I'd doubt any would come with papers, the dogs will have had all vet work done, including vacinations, worming, desexing, health check, not to mention microchipping & registration. Their website is here: http://www.australiancattledogrescue.com/. Furthermore getting a dog from a rescue group will be much cheaper at around $300-$350 (depending upon the rescue group in question).

Edited by DMA
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Buy from a Breeder.. Most of the paper ad puppies are probly crossbreds.. look for a breeder that supplies paper.

We paid $550 for Boss, if we wanted papers it would of been $700. Boss is from one of the top breeders in Perth.

ACD are cattle dogs. Most of the ones you get from Breeders from the city are breed to be a pet no a working dog. Boss is from a non-working dog breeder and he is hopless with livestock.

ACD are hopeless with sheep.. they are more rougher than kelpies.

Thanks Peta23 for your suggestion. We are planning to buy from a breeder, it sounds to risky to not buy from one. Does anyone know of a non-working dog breeder for ACD in Melbourne? Or does anyone have recommendations for a breeder who is not overly priced?

If I may ask, but you are adamant you want a cattledog from a breeder? There are many cattledogs, of various ages, being held by Australian Cattledog Rescue & other rescue groups. Although I'd doubt any would come with papers, the dogs will have had all vet work done, including vacinations, worming, desexing, health check, not to mention microchipping & registration. Their website is here: http://www.australiancattledogrescue.com/. Furthermore getting a dog from a rescue group will be much cheaper at around $300-$350 (depending upon the rescue group in question).

Thanks for your suggestion. We are going to be looking for a pup preferably pure bred. I will jump on the ACD rescue website and have a look. I will keep checking the website for updates, but buying from a breeder will still be on my list, but i will definitely consider both. Thanks

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I am finding out as much info as possible about the ACD before we get one. Just wondering when the best age is to desex a ACD pup?

Now, yes, how early can you desex? That's a very debatable subject, regardless of breed, which can get rather heated. Some say as early as 8 weeks, if not younger. Personally I'd go with 6 months, as I have done with any pup I've adopted. I'm sure others will suggest something else.

If you're going to get your pup from a breeder, it's probably best to ask their advice. If you're going to get one from a rescue group, they should desex it for you as part of the adoption process regardless of age.

Edited by DMA
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Do they cope alright as a pet in a backyard? Obviously with daily exersize and plenty of mental stimulation.

The best friend you will ever have is an ACD.

Yes you will have to ensure that they have adequate training, exercise and stimulation. One bored ACD can soon turn the backyard into something that looks like a cyclone had hit it.:rofl:

We have been enquiring to breeders with pricing etc. We have been told for a ACD puppy its $700 which includes:

Vaccinations

Microchipped

Vet checked

Regular worming

Baer tested (hearing)

reg with Dogs Vic

6 weeks free puppy insurance

Is this a good price? I have seen some advertised alot cheaper but they don't include everything above and probably aren't through a certified breeder the main thing we want to focus on is the Baer Test as we have heard deafness is known in ACD? Any Opinions or advice?

Please be aware that the cost of an ACD pup can range from $400 up to $900 and sometimes even more than this.

You have mentioned the hearing test but you may like to look into the following also.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) – Progressive Rod / Cone Degeneration (PRCD) that is known to have caused blindness in ACDs. More information can be found at http://www.ar.com.au/~norclark/abt_pra.htm

Hip Dysplasia - diagnosis must be made via taking x-rays of the joint and typically sending the film to organizations that will evaluate, register and certify the dog. More information can be found at www.hipdysplasiaindogs.com

Luxating Patella - The patella or kneecap can luxate or dislocate. The problem has been evident in ACDs with the breed suffering from lateral luxation in most cases diagnosed. More information can be found at www.vetsurgerycentral.com/patella.htm

We are planning to buy from a breeder, it sounds to risky to not buy from one. Does anyone know of a non-working dog breeder for ACD in Melbourne? Or does anyone have recommendations for a breeder who is not overly priced?

Check out the breeder listings on dogzonline for a breeder near you http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/commun...-cattle-dog.asp

and

Check out the puppy listings also

http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/puppie...-cattle-dog.asp

I am finding out as much info as possible about the ACD before we get one. Just wondering when the best age is to desex a ACD pup?

It's a great idea to be well informed before you purchase a pup :)

As for what age to desex a pup, I too would suggest around 6 months.

May I also suggest that you browse the mature dog page http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/mature...-cattle-dog.asp as breeders can often post dogs for rehoming.

It is a good idea to check out the ACD rescue website as DMA has suggested. You never know what may come through their doors. As you are looking into desexing the dog, then there may be a dog there that will suit you.

Is there any reason why you specifically wish to purchase an 8 week old pup?

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I have had kelpies most of my life, and a stumpy blue girl for 15years...My stumpy has been the most beautiful treasure i could want, but very protective of her family....My 3 boys were all in primary school when my eldest son pleaded with me to have her...so of course she came home....Has never gone for anyone, but the boss of the yard no matter what dog came into her yard...Even at her age now, but when my older kelpie girl was alive, the stumpy new that girl was the boss, go figure....They are good judges of character though, my ex husband tried to pat her once when she was young and she didnt want any part of that, as he was outside the fence trying to get in.....good girl i say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Sandra64 - Yes they are very good judges of character. If the dog doesn't like someone then it is probably for a very good reason and in most caes it could be very wise to proceed with caution. Gotta love the stumpies .............. and ACDs of course but then I am a little biased :laugh:

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I have had kelpies most of my life, and a stumpy blue girl for 15years...My stumpy has been the most beautiful treasure i could want, but very protective of her family....My 3 boys were all in primary school when my eldest son pleaded with me to have her...so of course she came home....Has never gone for anyone, but the boss of the yard no matter what dog came into her yard...Even at her age now, but when my older kelpie girl was alive, the stumpy new that girl was the boss, go figure....They are good judges of character though, my ex husband tried to pat her once when she was young and she didnt want any part of that, as he was outside the fence trying to get in.....good girl i say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ACD's judge of character is excellent!

We once had someone to come and look at a problem we were having with our watertank, and before we knew the guy was even at our property our ACD had already chased him off the property. He was ok, just very weary when we returned back onto the property :laugh:

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