want a Australian cattle dog
- Thread starter joeypope
- Start date
zohmingliani
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@joeypope I have an almost 4 yr old red heeler. Great dog and full Velco dog. Unfortunately, my wife passed away 7 months ago, so he is now home alone for anywhere from 6 to 9 hrs a day. I seriously thought about giving him to one of my kids, but after we got used to it just being us, he has adjusted well. And I couldn't be without him.
We hang out when I get home, and we play a lot in the yard. Dogs adjust. Think about adopting a rescue. You won't have to deal with all the puppy training, plus you can check their personality. Yes, they are all different
We hang out when I get home, and we play a lot in the yard. Dogs adjust. Think about adopting a rescue. You won't have to deal with all the puppy training, plus you can check their personality. Yes, they are all different
lucyrobb465
New member
@joeypope Trying to pick a dog just based on appearance probably isn't a good plan. It sounds like you've recognized that cattle dogs may not be a good fit for you and your lifestyle, which is a fair and responsible call to make, but trying to find a breed to get based on appearance and not their needs is a recipe for disaster, and a big driver behind why a lot of dogs wind up in shelters. So I'd recommend making a list of the traits you want in a dog, and doing research on what dogs have those traits. The AKC even has a helpful online test to help identify good breed fits based on what you're looking for on terms of energy, shedding, living in a house vs apt., etc.
imagebeastmarkbeast
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@joeypope I have a 5 year old Blue Heeler that stays inside 9 hours a day 3 days a week with free roam of the house. I’ve got a cat which I like to think keeps him company. He’s very well behaved and seems to just sleep all day. Sometimes my dad will come by to let him out. It’s game on when I get home though. I prepare myself for a minimum 2 1/2 hour play session outside rain or shine. He’s such a great dog.
lovenature
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soulknight
New member
@joeypope Oh for fucks sake, they're dogs. They're dogs that are often owned by working people. They are not indoor bears. They're not wild animals. They're DOGS.
Can you do games with your dog on a daily basis? Games like "fetch" or "hide and seek"? Do you like actively interacting with your dog and doing stuff when you're not at work? Great. You'll probably do fine.
On average dogs sleep about 16h per day. That is not different for cattle dogs. Mine comes to work with me WHERE SHE SPENDS MOST OF HER DAY ASLEEP. It's a dog, not rocket science.
Can you do games with your dog on a daily basis? Games like "fetch" or "hide and seek"? Do you like actively interacting with your dog and doing stuff when you're not at work? Great. You'll probably do fine.
On average dogs sleep about 16h per day. That is not different for cattle dogs. Mine comes to work with me WHERE SHE SPENDS MOST OF HER DAY ASLEEP. It's a dog, not rocket science.
kervinjacque
New member
@soulknight Thank you for saying this. Some people will shame you for leaving your dog at home at all. Thing with the internet is there is so much information it can be overwhelming. When I was a kid we left our dog at home when we went to school and my parents went to work, no one even thought about it. Dogs do adjust, and the dog knew he was getting a walk as soon as we got home.
@soulknight Agree, I was so worried when I got mine. I work 40 plus hours a week. Long as I walk him when I get home and play he is happy. On the weekends I spend more time with him but he sleeps a lot. I think he's ready for me to go back to work on Monday. He is also 5 months old so he's at his peek terror age
dkette1957
New member
@dkette1957 Oh boy lol
dkette1957
New member
@disa I swear. My girl went from sweet angel to ignoring me and pretending she didn’t know her commands. Little shit head teenagers… that’s when we trained the most, not to mention she started tackling her doggy friends when playing. She was a real dick. Then at 1.5 years she chilled and has been amazing awesome (typical independent) ACD
@soulknight My cattle dogs are awake when I’m awake and sleep when I sleep. They are not great dogs for normal working people with normal working hours away from home. There are MANY other breeds that are more suited to being alone all day. Too many people are getting ACDs because of how they look.
soulknight
New member
@ceejay42 If you cannot leave your dog home alone (crated or loose) for the length of time a dog normally sleeps, you have either a training issue or a breeding issue. Period.
This is true for people managing high-energy working dogs. It is true for people managing working herding dogs (who, by the way, often learn "chill out and stay here until I need you" as their first task on the job). It is true for people managing military working dogs (usually kenneled when their handlers are not on duty). It is true for many sport dogs.
If you cannot do this with your dog, you need to practice teaching the dog how to settle and emotionally regulate. You also need to accept that either you or the dog has some level of separation anxiety--which is an abnormal behavior that can be treated and managed, not a normal part of dog ownership. ACDs are not naturally great at self-regulation, but they learn well. They certainly do need regular highly stimulating opportunities to exercise their bodies and minds, but they do not need to be moving constantly, either--and no herding cattleman worth his salt would tolerate a dog that cannot settle. A dog that can't settle is a dog that is a net sink of working effort, not a net source; that is a dog that's going to go out and chase your stock into a stressful collapse instead of waiting patiently to be asked to go do something fun. A practical farmer gets rid of that dog ASAP in favor of a dog that can wait until his skills are needed.
Dogs need to know how to settle and chill out when nothing interesting is happening. If you need to be on hand to reassure your dog 24/7, that is a training problem. Whether the anxiety is yours or the dog's--and I have seen both cases!--intervention is usually helpful to fix the problem. Insisting that this is a normal need for any dog is a horrifying way to treat a breed community and betrays a desire to normalize pathological anxiety within the breed. For fuck's sake.
This is true for people managing high-energy working dogs. It is true for people managing working herding dogs (who, by the way, often learn "chill out and stay here until I need you" as their first task on the job). It is true for people managing military working dogs (usually kenneled when their handlers are not on duty). It is true for many sport dogs.
If you cannot do this with your dog, you need to practice teaching the dog how to settle and emotionally regulate. You also need to accept that either you or the dog has some level of separation anxiety--which is an abnormal behavior that can be treated and managed, not a normal part of dog ownership. ACDs are not naturally great at self-regulation, but they learn well. They certainly do need regular highly stimulating opportunities to exercise their bodies and minds, but they do not need to be moving constantly, either--and no herding cattleman worth his salt would tolerate a dog that cannot settle. A dog that can't settle is a dog that is a net sink of working effort, not a net source; that is a dog that's going to go out and chase your stock into a stressful collapse instead of waiting patiently to be asked to go do something fun. A practical farmer gets rid of that dog ASAP in favor of a dog that can wait until his skills are needed.
Dogs need to know how to settle and chill out when nothing interesting is happening. If you need to be on hand to reassure your dog 24/7, that is a training problem. Whether the anxiety is yours or the dog's--and I have seen both cases!--intervention is usually helpful to fix the problem. Insisting that this is a normal need for any dog is a horrifying way to treat a breed community and betrays a desire to normalize pathological anxiety within the breed. For fuck's sake.
@soulknight I didn’t ask for your opinion or advice and there’s really nothing to be learned from you
The OP should get a different breed of dog. Period. People should not be getting ACDs because they are cute and popular.
The OP should get a different breed of dog. Period. People should not be getting ACDs because they are cute and popular.soulknight
New member
dkette1957
New member
@joeypope
- Will the pup have access to outdoor? 6-8 hours is a long time to not have access to potty.
- ACDs are working dogs, not bread to be pets. They need a lot of physical and mental exercise. Will it be ok for that long alone, maybe, but expect to dedicate all your time before and after work to exercising your pup. It’s a lot of dedication to keeping your pup exercises.
@joeypope IMO, while MOST heelers wouldn’t thrive in that environment, you can definitely find individual dogs that would do just fine. Especially if you’re willing to get a heeler mix that may look like a heeler but has a personality influenced a little by some other breeds.
Consider adopting from a rescue that has their dogs in foster homes. They’ll know each dog’s personality and will be able to help you find a more laid back heeler or heeler mix that will be happy with your lifestyle
They DO exist- we have one. You just have to be deliberate when choosing your new best friend and understand that you more thank likely won’t be able to get a puppy.
Consider adopting from a rescue that has their dogs in foster homes. They’ll know each dog’s personality and will be able to help you find a more laid back heeler or heeler mix that will be happy with your lifestyle
They DO exist- we have one. You just have to be deliberate when choosing your new best friend and understand that you more thank likely won’t be able to get a puppy.