Blue Heeler or Australian Cattle Dog are a popular choice of breed, especially with those who have livestock and acres of land to guard. To perform their duties as a good herding dog he needs to be trained well.
Blue Heelers are also commonly referred to as Australian cattle dogs. They are extremely popular for physical activities, high energy, intelligence, and cautiousness. They need a skillful and energetic owner to handle their high level of activity.
The Blue Heelers are medium in size, weigh anywhere from 33-50 lbs. They have bluish speckles all over the body. The come in colors viz blue, blue speckled, blue mottled, red speckled, and red speckled.
Tips for Training a Blue Heeler
Blue Heelers need early socialization to make sure they do well with people and other dogs. They do well with force-free positive reinforcement training. You’ll need to ensure that you are mindful of their enormous energy and intellect. Remember that consistency is the key to successfully train him.
Know the Blue Heeler’s requirements, make sure he has a job and is getting the exercise he need. If not, he will become bored and may become destructive. It is imperative that he gets as much stimulation, both for mind and body, as possible.
Physical activities of Blue Heelers are very important as they have a lot of energy and endurance. Get him used to his name, so that you can call his name and he’ll understand that he is being told something. You can clap or whistle while calling him by his name to help him understand.
Training to Follow Commands
Blue Heelers are intelligent and do very well in dog sports and agility classes.
They are hard-working, intelligent, and loyal. These dogs were bred to work on farms and drove cattle across lands. They are tough and can get out of hand if not socialized and trained correctly. It’s important to make sure you work hard to socialize them as soon as possible. The socialization window is approximately 3 to 16 weeks. Ensure they know all of the basics and then some. If you don’t own a farm, be ready to do some sort of sport like herding or agility.
Beyond working, Blue Heelers become attached to their people and are often called “velcro dogs”. They are sometimes wary of strangers , hence the importance of early socialization. This is an extremely active breed that will happily become your next running or hiking buddy.
While training a Blue Heeler you have to work with his natural instinct of a herding dog. The name ‘Heeler’ comes from the dog’s habit of nipping at cattle’s heels, while herding them. Sometimes they might even nip at other pets, people, especially children. Training your Blue Heeler dog not to nip might be challenging. Though challenging, it is entirely possible. Early training can’t be stressed enough.
Children must be aware of this characteristic of the cattle dog. Once you teach your Heeler the basic dog behaviors like sit, stand, down, leave it, and drop it commands, these will be useful tools to use to to help curtail his desire to nip.
Reward the dog with treats and praises, especially treats, to encourage a desired behavior. This will teach him and help him understand that he has done something right. Always train using force-free positive training. Find a positive reinforcement trainer in your area.
