The Australian Cattle Dog or Australian Cattle Dog is a unique and unmistakable breed. It is characterized by being a magnificent working dog and a good companion animal. Thanks to its character it is very faithful to its master, easy to train and affectionate with the whole family. At Petlifey, we explain the behaviour and characteristics of the Australian cattle dog .
Character of the Australian Boyero breed
The Australian Cattle Dog breed has an alert character, is very intelligent, vigilant , courageous and can be trusted. Its devotion and sense of duty make them an ideal dog.
It has an active, courageous and cheerful temperament, it is tireless and very resistant at work. Although it has a calm and collected demeanor, it can be strong and fierce if necessary. Very sure of themselves, it is a single master dog, with whom it is kind and loyal.
Due to its loyalty and its protective instinct, it is an excellent guardian of both the shepherd, its livestock and the entire property. Although by nature suspicious of strangers , it is easy to handle.
- Energy: High level. You need to run, walk, move freely, and be constantly busy.
- Adaptability: Medium. Can’t stand living in a small house or confined to a small yard or garden. You need open spaces and lots of activity.
- Sociability: High. She loves living with her family, being the center of attention, and participating in all activities. But he has a tendency to “graze” and is suspicious of strangers.
- Health: Good. Slight tendency to suffer from deafness due to its association with Bull Terrers or Dalmatians .
- Longevity: High / very high. It usually lives between 12 and 15 years, or even longer.
- Utility: Very versatile. Basically it is a herding dog, but also a companion and guardian; it also excels in fields such as agility or obedience.
Can it live in an apartment or in the city?
Being an active, hard-working and always restless breed, this is not the best dog to live in a small house or spend all day in a small yard or garden.
One of the intrepid and always eager to find things to do character of the Australian Cattle Dog is its great facility for boredom, and a bored Australian Cattle Dog is not content to doze off quietly waiting to be assigned a task.
Rather, he is looking for some activity on his own, and this can end up having disastrous consequences, in addition to generating temperamental deviations that are very difficult to correct later.
Is it a good family dog?
Australian Cattlemen like to always be in the center of activity, and they love to mingle with their family and follow it in everything it does.
Extremely loyal, vigilant, protective and brave, their self-confidence is astonishing, as they sometimes border on recklessness. They are very good guard dogs and are at great height in the field of obedience.
How do you behave with children?
They are friendly and have a very good relationship with everyone, especially with their family members and with children, with whom they are playful and cheerful.
They accompany them in their activities and enjoy doing anything with them, especially if they get used to their presence from a young age, so that they always place them above themselves within the family hierarchy.
Otherwise, they could understand that the children are part of the pack and that they are in their charge. This could lead to a conflictive episode, such as the attempt to herd them by nibbling on their ankles.
Is it an active dog?
The Australian sheepdog has very high energy needs that must be met by doing intense exercise on a daily basis, in addition to routine walks. If not, it suffers from physical and psychological stress that can turn it into a bored animal with destructive behaviour.
You need to receive a variety of stimuli that keep your brain always active and that can focus it on the specific work to be done.
Thus, people who are fond of running or cycling will find in this dog an ideal and tireless sports companion.
Any activity in which you participate with the Australian sheepdog will also serve to reinforce the emotional bond established between the dog and its reference person.
Characteristics of the Australian Boyero
Among the characteristics of the Australian sheepdog, its physical constitution designed to withstand hard work stands out. Compact and symmetrically built, it possesses the ability and willingness to carry out its task no matter how arduous it may be.
The combination of solidity, vigor, balance and a strong muscular condition denote great agility, strength and endurance. It should be noted that it should not be confused with the Australian Shepherd breed .
What is the Australian Boyero breed physically like?
Body
The length of the body, measured from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock, is greater than the height at the withers (about 48 cm in males and about 45 cm in females), with which, the body structure of this dog is rather rectangular. The upper lines of the skull and muzzle are parallel, and the body is strong and muscular
Their feet have a rounded shape and are endowed with strong, short toes, close together and quite arched. They have hard and thick pads, and short and strong nails.
The tail is set moderately low, follows the contours of the slope of the croup and reaches almost to the hock. When the dog is at rest, it hangs, bending very slightly, but in alert or in movement it can appear raised.
Head
Its head is robust but proportionate, it has a broad and slightly domed skull between the ears, and a delicate but well-defined stop. The muzzle is medium, deep and strong.
The eyes are of medium size and oval in shape, they are dark brown in color. Its intense and intelligent gaze serves to warn strangers of its mistrust.
Their ears are muscular, straight, medium and a bit pointed. With a wide base and abundant hair on the inside, they are quite mobile.
Fur
The Australian sheepdog’s hair is soft, double-layered and waterproof. The undercoat is short and dense, while the outer coat is dense, tight, smooth and hard.
On the head, on the front of the limbs and on the feet it is short, but in the neck area it is longer and more abundant. Likewise, it is also longer on the belly and behind the limbs, forming a slight “pants” near the thigh.
Colour
In general, the Australian sheepdog breed is presented in two tones:
- Blue (including blue, speckled blue, and dotted blue, with or without other markings).
- Mottled red (with small red spots regularly distributed over the entire body, including the undercoat, and sometimes with darker red markings on the head).
Movement
The movement of the Australian herd is agile, free, loose and tireless, the movement of the shoulders and forelimbs is coupled with the powerful impulse of the hind limbs. Execute quick and sudden movements.
During the trot, the feet tend to come together when they touch the ground as speed increases, but when the dog is at rest all four limbs remain supported on the ground.
Australian Boyero breed standard
- Origin: Australia.
- Other names: Australian Cattle Dog / Australian Cattle Dog / Bouvier australien / Australischer Treibhund.
- Size: Medium / Large.
- Height at the withers: between 46 and 51 cm for males and between 43 and 48 cm for females.
- Weight: between 16 and 20 km for males and between 15 and 18 kg for females.
- General appearance: Strong, compact and solid, it is vigorous and endowed with great agility.
- Utilization: Grazing.
- Head: It is robust in proportion to the general configuration of the dog.
- Skull: It is broad and somewhat domed between the ears.
- Nose-frontal depression (stop): It is delicate but well defined.
- Muzzle: Broad and bulging under the eyes, gradually tapering to a medium-length, deep and strong muzzle.
- Truffle: It is black.
- Jaws: Deep and well developed, they have healthy, strong and evenly spaced teeth, something fundamental for this breed, as they work with difficult cattle, which they chase and nibble on the hock. The bite is scissor.
- Eyes: Oval and of medium size, they are not prominent or sunken. Lively-eyed and intelligent, they have a glow of warning or distrust when strangers approach them. The color of the eyes is dark brown.
- Ears: They are of medium size, broad at the base, muscular, erect and somewhat pointed. They are well separated on the skull and lean outwards. They are sensitive to any noise and when the dog is alert it keeps them upright. The inner part is covered with abundant hair.
- Neck: It is extremely strong and muscular, of moderate length and without dewlap. It becomes wider until it is inserted into the body.
- Body: The upper body line is level.
- Back: It is strong, broad and muscular.
- Chest: Well lowered, muscular and of moderate length, it has very arched ribs and well developed backwards.
- Tail: straight and endowed with abundant hair, reaches almost to the hock. The implant is rather low and follows the line of the back. At rest it falls, drawing a slight curvature at the end.
- Forelimbs: The bones of the forelimbs are strong and rounded. Seen from the front they are straight and parallel.
- Shoulders: Strong, sloping and muscular, well angulated with the arm.
- Forearms and arms: The arms are flexible and, seen in profile, form a slight angle in relation to the forearm.
- Hind limbs: They are broad, strong and muscular. Viewed from behind, from hock to foot they are straight and parallel.
- Legs: They are long, broad and well developed.
- Knees: They have good angulation.
- Hocks: They are strong and set low.
- Feet: They are round, with short, strong toes, well arched and close together. The pads are hard and thick, and the nails are short and strong.
- Hair: Double-layered, the inner is short and dense, while the outer is dense, tight, with smooth and hard hairs, and waterproof.
- FCI classification: FCI nº 287. Group 1 – Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs). Section 2 – Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs).
Education and training of the Australian Boyero
Their great dedication to the owner, their desire to get things done, and their restless temperament make Australian Cattlemen ideal for training. The education and training of the Australian boatman must start at an early age and must be firm.
Emphasis should be placed on who the leader is from the beginning, as otherwise they may be very stubborn and somewhat scattered, with a tendency to disobey or disappear when they find the first opportunity.
And it is that the level of dominance of this dog is very high, so it is convenient to do an intense process of socialization with him when he is still a puppy.
Due to its strong dominant and territorial character, the Australian sheepdog must be subjected to a good socialization process, especially in the puppy stage, so that it learns as soon as possible who is the leader of the herd and what is its position within of the family hierarchy.
They are dogs of a single person, that is, they give their fidelity only to their owner, whom they take as a guide and reference for their whole life.
Health and nutrition of the Australian Mountain Dog
With their exercise needs covered and a very basic care of food, health and hygiene, the Australian sheepdog is a breed that is very healthy and long-lived that can live up to 12 years without problem.
Of course, you should go with your pet regularly to the vet to follow the vaccination and deworming schedule, apart from the control that this professional will do of the dog.
Regarding the diet of the Australian sheepdog , it must be ensured that it receives the sufficient quantity and quality of food necessary to satisfy its somewhat energy level. But it should not be allowed to become obese as it could lead to other health problems.
All this, together with its calm and affectionate temperament with the family, is gradually making the Australian herd dog more frequently used as a companion dog.
But we must never forget that, even if they live at home, in order for the animal to be happy and behave properly, it must be ensured plenty of exercise and time of freedom in the open air. This will guarantee your perfect physical and mental balance.