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About the Australian Cattle Dog

Origin: Australia
Typical life span
12-16 years
Size
Medium — from its typical weight
Weight
16-23 kg
Height
Male
46-51 cm
Female
43-48 cm
FCI status
Reconocida por la FCI
FCI group
Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs)
Origin
Australia
Also called
Boyero Australiano

About

What is a Australian Cattle Dog?

Compact, muscular working dog with distinctive coat markings and exceptional endurance for cattle herding; known as the Heeler

Australian Cattle Dog history and origins

Developed in 19th century Australia by crossing British herding dogs including blue merle Collies with native Dingo, with later infusions of Dalmatian and Black and Tan Kelpie to create a hardy cattle herding dog for harsh Australian conditions

Australian Cattle Dog appearance and size

Males typically stand 46-51 cm at the shoulder and females 43-48 cm.

Lo que dice el estándar de la raza

Criado para
Cattledog
Comportamiento y temperamento
The Cattle Dog's loyalty and protective instincts make it a self-appointed guardian to the Stockman, his herd and his property. Whilst naturally suspicious of strangers, must be amenable to handling, particularly in the Show ring. Any feature of temperament or structure foreign to a working dog must be regarded as a serious fault. As the name applies the dog’s prime function, and one in which he has no peer, is the control and movement of cattle in both wide open and confined areas. Always alert, extremely intelligent, watchful, courageous and trustworthy, with an implicit devotion to duty making it an ideal working dog

Quoted from FCI standard n°287. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.

Referencia de la raza de The Dog API.

Características

Tamaño
Medium
Necesidad de ejercicio
4 of 5
Facilidad de adiestramiento
Caída de pelo
4 of 5
Cuidados del pelo
4 of 5
Convivencia con niños
Coste de mantenimiento
Tolera quedarse solo
Inteligencia
Salud de la raza
5 conditions documented

Pros & cons

Pros y contras de la raza Australian Cattle Dog

Lo que obtienes con la raza Australian Cattle Dog

  • Función declarada en el estándar: «Cattledog»
  • El estándar describe la raza así: «The Cattle Dog's loyalty and protective instincts make it a self-appointed guardian to the Stockman, his herd and his…»
  • Vive más que un perro mestizo — mediana de 14 años en 125 animales, frente a 12

Lo que asumes

  • Están documentadas 3 enfermedades hereditarias graves, sobre todo en ojos y audición. La pestaña de la guía de salud tiene la prueba que hay que pedir en cada una.
  • Exige muchos cuidados del pelo — la descripción del propio estándar es «A coat either too long or too short is a fault.»

Extraído de fuentes y no escrito como opinión — investigación de salud citada, el estándar del propio registro, y estudios de longevidad revisados por pares. Estándar de la raza, FCI; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death; Australian Cattle Dog Club of America — OFA-CHIC Health Testing Requirements. Los animales de un criador pueden diferir de todo esto, y una columna vacía significa que no tenemos nada de ese lado, no que no haya nada que decir.

Characteristics

Estándar de la FCI · Australian Cattle Dog

Pelo y color

Tal como lo establece el estándar de la FCI. Cada línea de abajo está en las palabras del propio estándar, etiquetada con preferred, permissible y undesirable.

Coat

The coat is smooth, a double coat with a short, dense undercoat.

The outer coat is close, each hair straight, hard and lying flat, so that it is rain-resisting.

Under the body to behind the legs, the coat is longer and forms near the thigh a mild form of breeching.

On the head (including the inside of the ears), to the front of the legs and feet, the hair is short.

Along the neck it is longer and thicker.

As an average, the hairs on the body should be from 2,5 to 4 cms in length

Notes

  • A coat either too long or too short is a fault.

Color

  • Preferred
  • Permissible
  • Undesirable
  • Disqualifying

«Preferred», «permissible», «undesirable» y «disqualifying» — preferido, admisible, indeseable y descalificante — son las palabras de la propia FCI sobre la raza, y quedan en inglés porque así constan en el estándar. Describen lo que el estándar pide — no son una valoración de ningún perro concreto, ni nuestra.

Blue mottled

  • The colour should be blue, blue mottled or blue speckled with or without other markings.
  • Permissible: The markings are black, blue or tan markings on the head, evenly distributed for preference
  • The forelegs tan midway up the legs and extending up the front to breast and throat, with tan on jaws
  • the hindquarters tan on inside of hindlegs, and inside of thighs, showing down the front and the stifles and broadening out to the outside of the hindlegs from hocks to toes.
  • Permissible: Tan undercoat on the body providing it does not show through the blue outer coat
  • Undesirable: Black markings on the body
  • Red speckle: The colour should be of good even red speckle all over, including the undercoat, (neither white nor cream), with or without darker red markings on the head.
  • Preferred: Even head markings
  • Red markings on the body but not

Resumido de FCI standard n°287 — cada etiqueta está en las palabras del propio estándar, con el veredicto pasado a la etiqueta de al lado. Lee la cláusula completa en la fuente.

Lo que el estándar penaliza

Aquello por lo que un juez resta puntos a la raza Australian Cattle Dog, y lo que la deja fuera del ring, en las palabras del propio registro. Esto describe el estándar de la raza — no es una lista de comprobación para el animal que tienes delante, y un animal de compañía con un defecto descalificante es un perro que no puede ir a exposición, no un perro enfermo.

Defectos graves

Cuentan mucho en contra de un ejemplar en el ring.

  • Shoulder that is loaded, slack or straight.
  • Weakness at elbows, pastern or feet.
  • Straight stifles.
  • Cow-or bow hocked.
  • Movement that shows stiltedness

FCI standard n°287

Información a nivel de raza, de The Dog API. Describe la raza Australian Cattle Dog en general; cualquier animal concreto puede ser distinto.

Health guide

Health & screening guide for the Australian Cattle Dog

Riesgos hereditarios conocidos en la raza Australian Cattle Dog, y la documentación concreta que hay que pedir a cualquier criador antes de pagar una señal. Un criador responsable tiene esta documentación a mano; esquivar la pregunta es mala señal.

5 enfermedades documentadas

Health checklist (PDF)

Bones & joints

Eyes

Progressive retinal atrophy (prcd variant)

Serious

An inherited, progressive degeneration of the retina leading to blindness, usually starting with loss of night vision in early adulthood.

Qué pedir

A prcd-PRA DNA test from an approved laboratory, on both parents — one of the parent club's required CHIC tests.

1 source

Primary lens luxation (PLL)

Serious

A weakness in the fibres holding the eye's lens in place, causing the lens to dislocate in adulthood. This is a veterinary emergency: untreated, it can cause glaucoma and blindness.

Qué pedir

A DNA test for the ADAMTS17 mutation, on both parents, from an approved laboratory — one of the parent club's required CHIC tests, added in 2014.

1 source

Hearing

Congenital deafness

Serious

Hearing loss present from birth, linked in this breed to the same pigment-related genetics that produce its coat pattern. It can affect one or both ears and does not improve.

Qué pedir

A BAER (brainstem auditory evoked response) test, on both parents — one of the parent club's required CHIC tests.

1 source

Cuánto vive la raza Australian Cattle Dog, en los registros

Supervivencia mediana de 14,0 años

Intervalo de confianza al 95% de 13,2–15,1 años, a partir de 50 muertes registradas entre 125 perros

Riesgo de mortalidad de 0.59 (0.45, 0.78) respecto a perros mestizos, cuya mediana es de 12,0 años.

Hay pocas muertes registradas en esta raza, así que la cifra es imprecisa.

Medido en el Reino Unido a partir de 584.734 perros. La supervivencia mediana no es una predicción para un perro concreto.

McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.

Puppies

No puppies listed right now

No Australian Cattle Dog breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.

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