Australian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler

[LilyWDW]

Hey everyone.

A few nights ago I sadly had to put down my lab Sarge. He had been ill awhile and it got really bad Friday night and I rushed him to the emergency vet. We made the decision to put him down because nothing was helping him and I could not stand to see him suffer any longer.

Today I went to the animal shelter. While there, I was drawn to a sweet and adorable Blue Heeler/Lab mix. She is 5 months old. Needless to say, I adopted her because I fell in love and kept going back to where she was again and again.

I know labs. My last 2 dogs were labs. However, I do not know Blue Heelers very well. I know they are very active, need to be taught early on to not bit and nip, and need a dominate hand in training. However, I am looking for any tips, hints, or stories that anyone would have about the breed.

 

[low-key]

hey and hey to new family member

 

[LilyWDW]

hey and hey to new family member

Thanks hun. It was super hard to put Sarge down even though I knew it was most likely going to happen. He had Laryngeal Paralysis where the nerves and muscles around the larynx stop working. Instead of expanding it to get more oxygen in (like when panting) or closing when drinking and eating, it would just stay in a neutral position. It is actually fairly common in larger dogs and especially in Labs. There is a surgery for it, but it is expensive and does not have a good success rate.

The other night, he started wheezing very badly due to the heat and allergies. Once we had him at the vet they sedated him and gave him oxygen but it wasn't getting better. He was fighting to breathe. I couldn't see him suffer like I watched my mom suffer before she died (I just lost her on May 18th). So I made the decision that broke my heart.

 

[Marlea98]

Cattle dogs are working dogs and do not respond well to being bored or confined. Sadly, this is why so many of them are put down or surrendered.

There are lots of websites devoted to the keeping and training of cattle dogs. Please read as much as you can about them to understand them.

Yes, they can be nippy but that is what they are bred to do. You can train them out of this but it will take time, especially as you were not the dog's first owner, so you don't know its background.

The dog will need to be walked and ran a lot. If you don't have a dog park where you can let it go off leash on its own, then invest in one of those really long leashes that you can retract as needed. Again, they are working dogs, they need to be active. Many station (ranch) owners here in Australia do keep their working dogs in cages (pens/crates) when they're not working and they are generally good with that (especially if raised to do so), but they do let them out for big runs at least twice a day. By big runs I mean it's usually a few miles. But if you do a few runs a day you will need to also do a really big run at least once a week.

They are very loyal dogs and quite protective of their families and homes. They are lovely dogs but you really have to watch the nipping and the rounding up of other animals and kids. Good luck with your new family member

 

[horseshowmom]

I'm so sorry to hear about your Lab.

Regarding the blue heeler, they are my son-in-law's favorite breed. He had one that he basically grew up with that he loved dearly. In fact, he just took one in that he rescued. They are working dogs, but yours is a mix and may not follow the exact breed characteristics.

Wish I could give you some tips, but I'm glad to hear that you sound like you already have a pretty good grasp of the situation. That's going to help with her transition.

ETA: Since I foster for a rescue group, I had to comment that it seems like half the puppies I've had this past year were a Lab mix (and I've had about 25 - 30).

 

[LilyWDW]

ETA: Since I foster for a rescue group, I had to comment that it seems like half the puppies I've had this past year were a Lab mix (and I've had about 25 - 30).

I noticed when I was at the shelter that they had so many lab mixes. It was sort of crazy. Every pup I was somewhat interested in seemed to be a lab or lab mix.

So, Daisy is at the vet right now but they called and said they thought she was too young to be spayed atm. The shelter said she was 5-6 months old, but the vet thinks she is closer to 4 months old. I have an appointment with a vet I know personally for tomorrow so I will get his thoughts on the whole thing.

The first things I am going to work on with her is showing her that I am alpha, getting her to stop biting/nipping, and crate training. I did so much reading last night about this. I am also going to get her socialized with other people and dogs asap. Also, I will be looking into obedience classes to help me with that aspect (I want to ask my vet if he has any suggestions).

 

[aaarcher86]

Blue Heeler owner. Love the breed dearly.


For mine, we make sure she gets out multiple times a day and just runs runs runs and/or plays ball for a good 20 minutes. She'll be calm and settled for a few hours after that. There is always someone home so she's not caged much. She's a talker.

Being a lab mix you might not have the huge amounts of energy. Give her lots of attention and enjoy!

 

[wilkeliza]

I had a Blue Heeler for 7 years (she was a ranch dog so they don't typically have a long life span since they come in contact with snakes etc.). I got her as a rescue from the breeder when she was 7 months old. I say rescue from breeder because they were going to take her to a shelter since she wasn't selling and I said I'd take her off your hands.

Lilly was one of the best dogs I ever had. The nipping was never a hard time for us. She just kind of knew if she wasn't working with the cows she didn't use her teeth. It was always great to watch her work the cows.

Now I will attest these dogs do need to be worked. Once we sold the cattle off Lilly was very very depressed. Even hours of swimming and ball throwing wasn't good for her. Now she was use to cattle hearing so a dog that never has done it and didn't do it as their "job" should be fine.

Give your new little one lots of love, time, and stimulating play and you'll be fine.

Also get a Kong and up a good treat mix in it.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

My in-laws took in a female stray about 6 years ago. She is awesome!!! As others have posted, they do need a good walk/run/play everyday. These are great dogs!

 

[LilyWDW]

Well, she is home... and I realize I had forgotten what it was like to have a puppy in the house! Lots of energy, lots of mouthing, and she can't sit still for more then a minute so far. Please tell me this is normal and I will survive it! I love her to death but part of me is a bit overwhelmed. I am sure we will figure it all out together and learn to live and love. She is so happy to have a home... someone to care for her... toys of her own. She will investigate (she has access to the main part of the upper floor which is pretty open and the one room where her crate is), but won't let me out of sight for more then a minute without at least peaking around a corner to see me.

I think a lot of my anxiety with her is out of the other emotions having her brings up. The losses of my mom and other dog are still on the surface and I am just an emotional mess sometimes.

 

[horseshowmom]

I noticed when I was at the shelter that they had so many lab mixes. It was sort of crazy. Every pup I was somewhat interested in seemed to be a lab or lab mix.

So, Daisy is at the vet right now but they called and said they thought she was too young to be spayed atm. The shelter said she was 5-6 months old, but the vet thinks she is closer to 4 months old. I have an appointment with a vet I know personally for tomorrow so I will get his thoughts on the whole thing.

The first things I am going to work on with her is showing her that I am alpha, getting her to stop biting/nipping, and crate training. I did so much reading last night about this. I am also going to get her socialized with other people and dogs asap. Also, I will be looking into obedience classes to help me with that aspect (I want to ask my vet if he has any suggestions).

She is definitely old enough to be spayed (even at 4 months). It could be that your vet isn't comfortable with pediatric spays.

Obedience training is a great idea, and, yes, puppies are a LOT of work! Lol. Hope everything works out great for you.

 

[LilyWDW]

She is definitely old enough to be spayed (even at 4 months). It could be that your vet isn't comfortable with pediatric spays.

Obedience training is a great idea, and, yes, puppies are a LOT of work! Lol. Hope everything works out great for you.

The biggest issue with obedience training is that I can't be 100% sure I will be here the whole 6 week classes that I have found so far. I could have to move before that (waiting on my mom's estate to go to probate, be declared administrator, and sell the house... and I may already have a buyer). Maybe I can start the classes and just be out the money if I have to leave and then restart as soon as I move. That might be the best situation for us.

 

[wilkeliza]

The biggest issue with obedience training is that I can't be 100% sure I will be here the whole 6 week classes that I have found so far. I could have to move before that (waiting on my mom's estate to go to probate, be declared administrator, and sell the house... and I may already have a buyer). Maybe I can start the classes and just be out the money if I have to leave and then restart as soon as I move. That might be the best situation for us.

If you want to start and have the money I would suggest just paying for weekly private lessons. I know Petco offers those and just pay the week before so you don't loose money.

 

[LilyWDW]

If you want to start and have the money I would suggest just paying for weekly private lessons. I know Petco offers those and just pay the week before so you don't loose money.

That might be the best. We have an appointment with her vet today and I will ask him if he might know someone who does private lessons. Then I can look at costs.

Last night went better then expected. It took her about 15 minutes of crying before settling down in her crate. We got up twice for potty breaks and she had no accidents. When I put her back in the crate after both, she cried for only about 5 minutes. I thought it would be much worse.

Now she is chewing on her bone beside me. It is obvious she is teething but so far I have been able to direct her chewing to her toys. She is very mouthy this morning as well and I am trying my best to redirect her to her toys instead of my hands... and legs... and feet. LoL

 

[LilyWDW]

Well, her vet agreed with the age of 4 months. She will go back in about 3-4 weeks to get her last booster shot and we will get an even better idea as to her age thanks to her teeth then. His guess is that we will schedule her to get spayed at that point.

I feel like a new mom. Every time something "different" happens, I worry. Last night she was fatigued and lethargic... but that is a normal side effect of a vaccination. Still, I called the vet to be sure. I guess I am just afraid of losing her like I lost Sarge and mom. I don't know if I could handle it again. She is sneezing a bit today, but it is not constant. Just 3-4 sneezes in a row every so often. So far I have not seen a connection to anything so I will just keep an eye on her.

We went out early this morning and ran around the yard over and over and over again. Then we came in and played fetch for about 15 minutes. She is now napping. I have an appointment at 10. When I get home from that, I plan to gather her up and take her for a walk. I have to drive somewhere where it is safer to walk her (I live where there are no sidewalks and on a road with lots of blind curves and hills so I don't feel safe walking in/along the street).

 

[diesel]

isn't it the rule you must show pictures of your new puppy?

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

isn't it the rule you must show pictures of your new puppy?

Yes, it is a rule!

 

[njmom47]

Sorry about your lab...
but I have a cute story.
We recently visited someone's house who had an 8 month old Australian Cattle/Lab mix. DGD was there with us and Maddy (the dog) kept peeking at my dgd, backing up and barking at her while on her leash. We finally figured out since dgd was a small creature amongst grownups, Maddy was probably trying to herd her for some reason. They let Maddy off the leash and she went up to dgd and gave her kisses and they became fast friends, even though Maddy almost knocked dgd off her feet a couple of times. What a sweet dog!! Good luck with your new dog.

ETA She sounds so cute and so much fun!

 

[Marlea98]

isn't it the rule you must show pictures of your new puppy?

Agreed!

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