ACD Breed Chart Project

[Guil]

Hi,

 

TD;LR: Need help to complete the puzzle leading to a complete breed chart that lead to modern Australian Cattle Dog, to eventually post it on Wikipedia.

 

I have a work dog with me that seem to be what people call the "old" type of Australian Cattle Dog. Broad head and body, stronger than "modern" ACD. It seems that this particular breed stock to be closer to Hall's but still, since his strong complexion, I believe something else got in the mix. Bull Terrier? That's likely, however, he does not lock his jaw and just nips perfect. Seems like his type was bread on top of Hall's (1832) in order to achieve a Drover that can get kicked by a bull and just keep working. (Seen him getting hit by a car pretty hard on several occasions but he stood there, unharmed)… I started working on this chart on my spar time and if anyone can help me complete it, I would really appreciate.

 

Cheers!

 

Guil & Bender

[Guil]

Here is the latest update, it's pretty close now.

 

That's the actual chart link so you can zoom it in as much as needed

 

Take me to the chart now !

[asal]

ANKC sell a copy of a book charting their evolution, even mentions Hilton Sinclair's Berrilyn dogs, he mentored me and gave me Debbi for my daughter and started me on Purebred ACD's

 

stumpys are seperate breed.

Edited May 8 by asal

[EastonDean]

On 05/05/2025 at 8:37 AM, Guil said:

Here is the latest update, it's pretty close now.

 

That's the actual chart link so you can zoom it in as much as needed

 

Take me to the chart now !







This ACD breed chart project is a fantastic initiative! Mapping out characteristics and lineage not only helps breeders and owners understand genetic traits but also preserves valuable breed history. It reminds me of the work done on hyperhistory.org, where timelines and interconnected data help visualize complex historical developments. Just like with dog breeds, understanding patterns over time leads to better decisions and deeper appreciation. Looking forward to seeing how the chart evolvesm, it could be a great resource for the community!

Thank you so much for sharing it.

Edited May 28 by EastonDean

[Guil]

On 20/05/2025 at 11:11 PM, EastonDean said:

Thank you so much for sharing it.

Yeah nah mate no issues there - there've been more changes here check it out

[Guil]

On 08/05/2025 at 11:03 AM, asal said:

:stumpys are seperate breed.

 

Yes they are according to kennel club appellation - however, just like for the standard cattle dog they appear of 2 different body structures - the old one that disappeared in the 1940s was not mixed with kelpies or dalmatians, and the new one that was basically created from standard available cattle dogs at the time (recessive gene, it'll happen to all ACDs, more for the older one as 2/3 bobtail) you can see the difference from the older picture I found at the national library in Canberra and the new one that is a lot thinner in appearance. Good workers too I heard!

Here is where it's at, nearly finished, making it compliant for wikipedia as we speak

 

Edited September 29 by Guil

[ell&diesel]

On 28/9/2025 at 4:59 PM, Guil said:

 

 

Why have you split the ACD into "Cattle Dog of Australia" (current type today) and "Australian Cattle Dog"? They are one and the same. There is only one ACD breed, it is the ANKC recognised breed and it looks like the photo you're using for "Cattle Dog of Australia." 
 

The dog you are using for "Australian Cattle Dog" is a poor specimen and certainly should not be getting used in an infographic about the ACD. Further to this, the ACD DOES NOT have "thin bone" or a "slimmer skull" by absolutely any stretch of the imagination. They are a broad-skulled breed, and the heaviest boned of all the Australian working dog breeds: the ACD has the heaviest bone, followed by the ASTCD, and finally the Australian Kelpie is the lightest-boned of the three. 
 

The ASTCD whose photo you're using is also not an ideal specimen to use as that dog is too fine. The person who produced that dog produced a dog called Ambajaye Tail Not Included, who is a far better representation of the breed. 
 

Neither the ACD nor the ASTCD are merle, ever. Merle DOES NOT exist in these breeds. 

 

The ASTCD was not ANKC recognised as the "A"STCD initially. It was the STCD until 2001, when it became the ASTCD.

 

The ASTCD did not "disappear" in the 1940s, Iris Heale certainly did not "reintroduce" them (quite the opposite, she almost sent the breed extinct), and the "new" breed wasn't "created" from standard cattle dogs (the breed never died out). I'm also unsure what "recessive gene" you're referring to - the NBT gene is a DOMINANT gene, not a recessive one, and that's why ACDs don't have stumpy tails. It's not a gene that can hide through generations, in order to produce stumpy tailed dogs you have to have at least one parent who HAS a stumpy tail. The gene is heterozygous lethal, however, which is why 2/3s of the ASTCD population will be born with a full tail. 
 

The first records in Australia of cattle dogs being exhibited was in 1889 in Victoria. They were short-tailed dogs (ie stumpies), shown under the breed name "Blue Heelers."

 

Fast forward a bit after Kaleski did his thing and made the first Cattle Dog breed standard. The Kennel Association of Queensland started differentiating between "Cattle Dogs (long-tailed)" and "Cattle Dogs (stumpy tailed)" in the 1920s, however they were still considered two variations of the same breed, both judged against the same Cattle Dog standard, and were freely interbred with progeny being registered and exhibited based on phenotype. It wasn't until 1934 that the "Cattle dog (stumpy tailed)" got its own breed standard, however the two breeds continued to be interbred.

 

In 1948, the Kennel Association of QLD became the CCCQ, and they then fell under the ANKC when it was formed in 1953. At this time, the CCCQ decided that they were most displeased with this history of (and ongoing) interbreeding of the two types, and thus they sought to deregister the Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog as a breed, along with all the breeders of the breed. Why they only chose to take this action against the STCD and not the ACD is one of life's great mysteries. 
 

Iris Heale fought them on this, and won - and on the 17th of October, 1957, the CCCQ rescinded its decision to de-register the STCD as a breed, and reinstated ONLY Glen Iris as a registered breeding kennel. This had the unfortunate effect of making Iris the only recognised breeder of the STCD in the world; and as she would not sell dogs for breeding to anybody, she damn well nearly sent the registered, pedigree version of the breed extinct. Working STCD have always been plentiful, however, and that's why the DR was able to succeed (see below).

 

The 1934 breed standard continued to be used until the breed was formally recognised nationally by the ANKC in 1963; at this time, the standard was revised to permit tan points on blue dogs.

 

In 1988, the ANKC realised that the STCD would go extinct as a result of Glen Iris' absolute control over the breed and her refusal to allow anybody else to purchase breeding specimens. The ANKC then revised the breed standard (removing tan points, bringing it back in line with the original 1934 standard), and created the Development Register to ensure the continued survival of the breed. The DR allowed people to bring their unregistered, farm-bred working stumpy tailed cattle dogs to grading days, and have them graded and then if they were sufficient, permitted into the breeding population. The DR closed in 2006.

 

I recommend you refer to the 2022 book "A Dog For The Job" by Noreen Clark. It is the most comprehensive and well-researched history of the two Cattle Dog breeds to date. Noreen also actively posts a lot about the breeds' histories on her Facebook page, and would likely have a wealth of useful information and feedback on your infographic.