ACD/Australian Cattle Dog/Heelers

FG167

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#1
If someone was interested in one of these dogs for sport (agility, flyball, dock jumping, herding etc) and wanted a house pet and a dog that could get along with the other dogs in the house, what breeders would you recommend? I have heard varying advice about working vs AKC and that the working line is fairly sharp and difficult to have in a pack. Do the AKC dogs have drive to do well in sports? I have seen a few but do you have pick a line that is already doing well or is it possible to get a good breeder and then a good pup and be all set? Help me out :) Any other comments regarding the breed at all is welcome!
 

stardogs

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#2
Unfortunately I don't know any breeders for you. Aeri's breeder has an ACD she may breed in the future, but that's the extent of my knowledge of breeders for ACDs. Rescue gets a number of sport potential dogs in, though. :)
 

thehoundgirl

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#3
Australian Cattle Dogs and Heelers are the same breed so you know. Heelers are just a nickname. ;)
 

Maxy24

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#4
Where abouts? I have a page and half of ACD breeders (that seem good from their websites) that I can look through and see if any of them focus on sports and dog friendliness. Or I can just give you the list and you can check it out yourself and pass it along, whatever you want.
 

crazedACD

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#5
Romeo is not AKC, and has some serious food and crazy toy drive. Romeo himself is not reactive at all, and not even really dog selective or aggressive...but he is scrappy. If a male dog he is living with offends him, he WILL tell them off and is quick to get in a squabble. He is great out and about and doesn't give other dogs a passing glance. I did socialize the hell out of him and spent many evenings his first year hanging out at the dog park. He has nearly zero prey drive, he doesn't care about squirrels and stuff. I've seen some really nice ACDs like him, but the ones I knew at the dog park did get in the occasional squabble as well. There is definitely DA present in the breed, I have seen some ACDs that want to absolutely kill other dogs...mostly it's a random certain dog.

Honestly I think a moderate mix of working and conformation lines is best. I have a specific 'type' I prefer, I don't care for the big boned squat/stout ACDs.

Ditto on if location matters. I know of a breeder up here that is expecting pups, though I'm not 100% sold on if they are the type that I (and it sounds like you) would prefer. I've always liked Spader ACDs too, they sound like they breed what I would be looking for.
http://www.k9cowboys.com/

Absolutely, definitely, get a pup from PRCD tested parents.
 

Jae1991

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FG167

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#7
I know they are the same thing (heeler/ACD) I just listed the names so if someone only knew of a "heeler breeder" vs an "ACD breeder" I was covered ;)

I am currently in MI, we are moving to TN at the end of August but really, if it's the "right" breeder, I would ship or go pick the pup up. My GSD came from Belgium and my Cardi from Arkansas so I am 0 for 2 in staying anywhere near my state LOL
 

Sit Stay

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#8
Now, Dally was kind of a rescue and we didn't get her from her original breeder, but she is AKC registered and from a breeder that showed AKC and also worked her dogs on stock. I know a few of her dogs were NZ imports.

Dally, in terms of looks, is fairly moderate I'd say. She is my preference for an ACD, some of them look too fine boned for me. She is a thick dog with a lot of bone but still very fast and agile. Drive wise she is on the upper end even for her breed. She is outstanding on cows, has zero fear even in tight confined spaces with cattle, knows when to heel and gets out like .5 seconds later. I wish we had cows for her to work regularly! She absolutely loves it, and on the same token is soft to her handler in the way that she doesn't need to be told "that'll do" twice. Tough though in the way that she'll never quit and although she's never been kicked, based on what I've seen her do and recover from just at home, she's probably just get pissed if she ever was kicked.

I could see her doing agility very easily. We have no aspirations to do agility with her but if I have my equipment from working with Quinn out I'll take her over some jumps and through the tunnel and she drives hard! She has a TON of toy and food drive and is very easy to motivate.

Temperament wise Dally is a little bit "off" due to a very crappy upbringing. She can get stressed around town, in the car, etc and as a result get reactive. She seems to love any dog she meets on property though - even played for hours with our neighbour's lab that wandered over one day. We take her for walks and trail rides in the woods quite often in the summer and she's wonderful and is more dog-friendly in those situations as well although can occasionally be selective. She is not aloof at all - she absolutely loves meeting people and will put her paws on your shoulders and give you kisses without hesitation. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She is for sure my mom's dog but what I like and appreciate with Dally is that she'll work or respond to anyone if you ask her to.

She loves having a job to do. After years of being fine with the horses she started getting them riled up when they get brought in for the night. My mom's been working on her just slowly walking up on them while they walk out and come into the barn and she is a happy dog again. Unlike Quinn or out past Aussies, she's not the kind of farm dog that is happy to lay in the barn and wait for you to be done your chores. She tries very hard to do so but if you're any longer than usual she hops the door and is off to entertain herself. We say she's a little ADD, LOL.

She is not my kind of dog and I can't see myself going for one (at least not in the near future), but she is a lot of fun. She has a wicked sense of humour and is very, very sweet. She is incredibly athletic and fearless - she takes some nasty tumbles almost daily while catching the frisbee and it never fazes her.
 

Dogdragoness

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#9
Yep, heelers, Queensland heelers, are all nicknames. "Australian cattle dog" is the official recognized AKC name, but here in thr south it's "blue heeler" that is most commonly used.
http://www.australiancattledog.com/ is a good place to start, they have a breeder page where you can search by state, as far as I know, the breeders listed are reputable. There also is a wealth of info on the breed that I suggest you read before getting one, raising an ACD is not for the faint hearted.
 

crazedACD

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#10
I could see her doing agility very easily. We have no aspirations to do agility with her but if I have my equipment from working with Quinn out I'll take her over some jumps and through the tunnel and she drives hard! She has a TON of toy and food drive and is very easy to motivate.

Temperament wise Dally is a little bit "off" due to a very crappy upbringing. She can get stressed around town, in the car, etc and as a result get reactive. She seems to love any dog she meets on property though - even played for hours with our neighbour's lab that wandered over one day. We take her for walks and trail rides in the woods quite often in the summer and she's wonderful and is more dog-friendly in those situations as well although can occasionally be selective. She is not aloof at all - she absolutely loves meeting people and will put her paws on your shoulders and give you kisses without hesitation. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She is for sure my mom's dog but what I like and appreciate with Dally is that she'll work or respond to anyone if you ask her to.

She loves having a job to do. After years of being fine with the horses she started getting them riled up when they get brought in for the night. My mom's been working on her just slowly walking up on them while they walk out and come into the barn and she is a happy dog again. Unlike Quinn or out past Aussies, she's not the kind of farm dog that is happy to lay in the barn and wait for you to be done your chores. She tries very hard to do so but if you're any longer than usual she hops the door and is off to entertain herself. We say she's a little ADD, LOL.

She is not my kind of dog and I can't see myself going for one (at least not in the near future), but she is a lot of fun. She has a wicked sense of humour and is very, very sweet. She is incredibly athletic and fearless - she takes some nasty tumbles almost daily while catching the frisbee and it never fazes her.
This describes Romeo to a T, although like I said he isn't reactive. He does prefer me over other members of the family, but he's certainly not heartbroken if I'm gone for a few days and is fine for my mom or anyone else. I affectionately call him my manwhore because he would walk off with anyone and probably not think twice.
 

FG167

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#11
Thanks everyone. I've known some heelers but they were rescues so I know what to expect in terms of temperament/drive but not how to find a reputable breeder. We have two working-line GSDs with extreme drive, two very energetic Cardigan Corgis and a Border Collie puppy - combined I am sure we are ready for an ACD :)
 

Sit Stay

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#12
To sum up my answer to one of your questions would be yes, my ACD with AKC champions behind her has more than enough drive for many dog sports and working cattle! I can't recommend any breeders off hand as they are not my
breed of choice but I wouldn't turn away a breeder who shows conformation as long as they also work their dogs on stock and they're still true to working standard.
 

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