This is topic Who is in the know about cattle dogs aka blue heelers aka.. in forum Member forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on July 28, 2008, 06:05 PM:
..australian cattle dogs?
My last husky died a few months back and I'm just one of those guys that need a dog I guess.
We got huskies because my kids wanted them but now my kids are gone and I always wanted a cattle dog. I grew up in ranching country and those dogs are smart. Just really neat and tough and loyal.
So I decided to go the rescue route and contacted a group that rescues ACD's and so Sturday I will be getting a new dog. A 6 month old heeler that is deaf or at least partially deaf. He came from New Mexico and his tail is docked so he came off a ranch I'm sure. He probably got abandoned cuz of his hearing.
Any way I'm pretty excited about the arrival of my new buddy. He is already used to riding in a pickup and loves it so me and him should hit it off great
Any advice from folks familiar???
Posted by Az-Hunter (Member # 17) on July 28, 2008, 06:11 PM:
As far as Im concerned, the heelers are among the smartest dogs there are. I had a X breed, half heeler,half Austrailian shepard, docked tail,and short haired like a heeler,but had the color of a blue merle aussie.
That was by far, the most push button dog Ive ever owned,and he was my dog, not the families. Wish I could get a clone of him,Ive not had a dog of my own since.
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on July 28, 2008, 06:15 PM:
The little bastards bite.
And they won't do it to your face, they like to sneak up behind you, nail you in the back of the legs and then run like hell.
But everyone I've met who owns one, loves them.
It's just us guys who occasionally need to get out of the truck, and walk up to your house that wish we were allowed to carry a side arm just for them.
Just ask Lance.
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on July 28, 2008, 06:28 PM:
Vic and Tim,
My wife asked me where the dog was gonna sleep.I said with me. I want this dog bonded to me. Like I said..he's not a pet he's a buddy.
Tim, he's just trying to herd you. hhahahahahah.. I'm aware of that nipping crap and hope I can train him different.
Hopefully he is still young enough I can train him not too.
But they are smart. I have watched them work cattle and its just flat out amazing.
Vic, I read that ACD's started out as a cross between Merles and Dingos.
Any advice you guys got would be most appeciated. I don't know what kind of obstacles his deafness or partial deafness are gonna be but they are so smart I'm sure we can work past it
Thanks for the replies
Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on July 28, 2008, 06:35 PM:
I think it's commendable of you to rescue a partially deaf animal, of any kind. I wish you the best of luck with him.
I've been around them all my life and they are reliable and loyal, what else could a guy want.
Posted by J. Piatt (Member # 2827) on July 28, 2008, 07:21 PM:
Mule
I have a cross-bred blue heeler+walker coohound.
I use him for decoying. Seein as how I am from the East, he doesn't get a whole helluva lot of action, but man he sure acts like he knows what the hell were doin out there. He can be any where on the property and when I get out my howler and rip off a howl, he is by my side, nose in the air and scanning side to side.
He is now a year and half old and hopefully this season he'll do better, he was just a pup last year. He got some action, one coyote juss about got ahold of him till I flung a bullet at it, unfortunately I missed which didn't help the dog any. Damn thing was chargin so fast and I could not stop it, I yelled, whistled, barked, nothin worked, he wanted that dog!
From my experience with this dog, my first in the heeler line, I say they are pretty smart and very Loyal. They like to chew the shit out of everything though, the thieving little bastard would sneak into the garage and steal shit and chew it up, bout got his ass booted but I have withheld. He rides real well in a vehicle too.
Hope everything works out for you and your new dog, that's a nice thing you have done.
JD
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 28, 2008, 07:27 PM:
Heck Tim, My rule of thumb is that anything with teeth on one end and an asshole on the other will bite.
I have a customer with a dingo on my route. Not a very sociable animal.
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on July 28, 2008, 07:29 PM:
Mule
I have a heeler mix,shes a hell of a dog she is bonded to me but plays well with others.I originally got her after my old buddy Ben died
with the idea of using her to decoy. she does okay with it , but better with dominant territorial coyotes as she's very agressive and will run them out about a hundred yards before returnnig to me she scares off alot of coyotes.
She is a truck dog for sure but I cant start the a.t.v. without her jumping on the back behind me I've not ridden alone since I got her. They're great dogs sometimes a little thick maybe stubborn is a better term. shes bright but headstrong a great companion for sure .Good luck with your new friend hope she works out well.And never let your wife go with you to pick up your new dog or like mine it could end up with a name like April LOL
Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on July 28, 2008, 08:12 PM:
I understand you , Paul. My coyote dogs were Mattie, Phoebe and Shoo-Shoo.
Posted by 3 Toes (Member # 1327) on July 28, 2008, 08:28 PM:
The cross breds may be all right but the pure blue heelers have way too much sic 'em and not enough c'mere. Hard headed, no good, biting, assholes. I hate them. My wife has a dandy scar on her face from a blue heeler. I've been bit by several. Funny thing is, every rancher in this country has had a "good one" if you ask them. They'll say, "well this one I got now isn't much, but we had one that was the best dog ever". I have yet to see the good one. I love australian sheperds and border collies, but have zero use for a heeler.
Posted by TOM64 (Member # 561) on July 28, 2008, 09:32 PM:
When I got my first Blue Heeler, I had a friend tell me they loved to work cattle, even when you ain't around. He was right.
Border collies seem to be a might easier to handle.
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 28, 2008, 11:56 PM:
Anybody know anything about a breed called a 'McNab'?? Good looking beasts; kind of like a Border Collie on steroids, but somebody once told me that they might be a bit to robust for the grandkids.
Posted by 3 Toes (Member # 1327) on July 29, 2008, 04:17 AM:
Ko, I know a couple G Trappers that use them as decoy dogs and really like them. I haven't been around many, except my cousin has one for a ranch dog and I don't care for that particular one. It acts alot like a blue heeler. Sneaks around trying to bite someone all the time.
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 29, 2008, 11:09 AM:
Ok, Thanx!!!
The one that I saw was, according to the BLM guy who owned it a 'Badger killin sum-bitch'.
I guess that when it's time for me to get a dog, the dog will find me.
Posted by 3 Toes (Member # 1327) on July 29, 2008, 12:08 PM:
Well, all I have to say is it takes a hell of a dog to kill a grown badger all by it self. At least the badgers we have. I've never seen a dog that could do it alone.
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 29, 2008, 01:12 PM:
I wondered about it myself and was promptly (and proudly) shown a series of 8x10 photos of the dog taking down a full grown badger. Pretty impressive, but I'm guessing that somewhere along the learning curve that there were some vet bills.
Posted by skoal (Member # 1492) on July 29, 2008, 01:55 PM:
Well said 3 toes at first I was pissed that the guy sold me a bill of goods when I got my purebred heeler,I think the mix has toned her down some still a very busy dog.she loves the grandkids and is gentle even with the smallest of them but will go after a critter if she sees it on the TV, drives my wife crazy.On another note she does not get destructive unless she's bored keep em active and they wont bark and chew shit up. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on July 30, 2008, 06:39 PM:
Well I got my knuckles rapped
I always referred to these dogs as cattle dogs or blue heelers wether they had the blueish coloration or not.
Turns out I should refer to mine as a red heeler because it has the reddish tan coloration.
My bad
Its a ******* cattle dog....jeez
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 30, 2008, 06:54 PM:
I think the one Paul has would be called a red healer, too?
But, I'm with Cal. I'd like to see the dog that could single handedly kill a full grown badger, say anything over 14-15 pounds. There's just nothing to grab on to? Skinning a badger is really tough, too. Stink!
Good hunting. LB
edit: they are tough because the hide and the body don't separate like other animals.
[ July 30, 2008, 06:56 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on July 30, 2008, 07:56 PM:
I had a guy tell me once that the red ones can be either a red phase blue heeler (like English coonhounds), or what he called a Kelt (sp?), which looks exactly the same and does the same kinda work.
We used to rate our hounds on how many backups they needed to kill an adult coon. One time, I had this medium sized coon in a live trap at my grandparents' house in town. I had two dogs there, both English hounds. One was a finished out dog and the other was a big pup of about 75#. For kicks and giggles, me and grandpa set that coon loose and gave him a fifty feet head start before turning the dogs loose. That coon never did tree - just went to whoopin' up on my dogs before kicking both their asses and running down a storm drain. My dogs are standing there barking down that drain and bleeding from their ears where they'd both been torn up a bit and my grandpa says, as he chom,ps down on the stem of his pipe, "Welp, that there musta been a three dog coon, cause he sure as hell weren't no two dogger." That old man was about half nuts, bless his heart.
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 30, 2008, 07:59 PM:
Ok guys, hang out in the coffee shop at Feilds Ore. & when the BLM truck goes by, flag it down. I'm sure that the owner of the badger killin dog will be happy to spend a few minutes chatting.
You might want to take a shotgun & some quail and chukar loads along too.
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on August 02, 2008, 04:57 PM:
Cisco the Kid showed up today!!!
What a great little dog! He now has a forever home!
I guess he's a ACD heeler/Brown Merle mix
I haven't had a chance to take good pics because he won't sit still. He knows some sign language.
Yep he's deaf but we are gonna have the vet do a baer test to see if there are any tones he can pic up
Here is a web page his foster mom (great lady) put up and she just updated it to reflect he was adopted today.
Turn up the sound if you like the Good,Bad and Ugly theme song.
I don't think this dog ever saw a squirrel before..hahahahahhaahahhaahahahah
I'm on the back deck watching him watching the squirrels as I type this
I'm happy and I think Cisco is too
Here is a link
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/817121
[ August 02, 2008, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: MULE ]
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on August 02, 2008, 05:14 PM:
The only problem is that this dog cuts some REALLY, REALLY BAD farts
REGULARLY
PEW
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on August 02, 2008, 06:34 PM:
No table scraps and good quality kibble the gas will pass. so to speak
Cisco is a grat looking dog,good luck and good times!
PM
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on August 02, 2008, 07:53 PM:
Man, this dog has two speeds
Go and sleep
If I keep training this dog I will be in good shape.
Its been quite the day
Posted by Bofire (Member # 221) on August 07, 2008, 06:53 PM:
I am a dog man, I cannot imagine life without a dog.
I got my first pure(mabbe not, is half Red and half Blue pure?) ACD almost eight years ago. From a local rancher friend. He has bred Heelers for over 30 years. My dog is Rocket, he is the smartest dog I have ever seen, one must be very careful to not teach things you really dont want. I had heard about the heel biting thing and seen it, so I knew from the start I could not ever allow that, I beleive in not ever starting rather than trying to "break' from.
My dog has never heeled anyone, Has bitten and drove off a young drunk while walking with my wife, has killed dozens of opossums, is incredibly gentle with the 4 year old girl next door. Responds to hand signals, voice or just sounds, camps with me, rides with me, sings country with me(he is a little better than me),
sleeps with me if he wants, but dosen't much,
I could not ask for more.
This is my completely unbiased opinion! oh yeah, the deafness is from the Dalmation blood in the heelers. ACD's are a man-made breed.
Carl
[ August 07, 2008, 06:54 PM: Message edited by: Bofire ]
Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on August 07, 2008, 06:57 PM:
Carl, your post just made me smile. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posted by Bofire (Member # 221) on August 08, 2008, 02:22 PM:
Well good Rich, every body needs a smile. I could tell you stories about this guy for hours. Before I had Rocket my dog for 19 years was Panzer my Schnautzer, gads was he a character.
Carl
Posted by Bofire (Member # 221) on August 08, 2008, 06:35 PM:
Mule, About the hearing!!!
My dog at 5 years old got to where he could not hear. The Vet said he would be nearly deaf for life.
He gave us some meds, and some ear cleaning stuff, Rocket did not like the ear cleaning stuff, Dad had to do it or it was a fight. Anyway after a while, stinky stuff came out and after a long time 3- 4 months, his hearing got better and better. Before anyone says so, Yes Rocket gets all the Vet checks,shots etc. This ear thing is odd.
Once it got better his ears are fine for 3-4 years.
You might think about asking your Vet about this for your Heeler.
Carl
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on August 08, 2008, 06:54 PM:
Thats good to know carl. Its something to look into. He is 6 months old, I took him to the vet for his well dog checkup and the vet just said he's deaf and some of this breed are born this way. I asked if they do the BAER testing so if we could see if there are certain frequencies he can hear. She siad they didn't and just told me to concentrate on the sign language. But I'm gonna find another vet that does do it and take him there and I'll bring up what you said about the medicine and the cleaning and see what he says.
Thanks for the replies
Cisco the Kid says say Hi to Rocket
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on September 08, 2008, 04:24 PM:
Cisco the Kid
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on September 08, 2008, 04:27 PM:
Orale Cisco! Que paso gallo?
He'd look cool with a couple of colts hanging off his hips and a sombrero!
Great looking critter MULE!
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on September 08, 2008, 04:43 PM:
poco a poco he is learning his sign language
He is a real Vaquero from New Mexico
Posted by J. Piatt (Member # 2827) on September 08, 2008, 07:42 PM:
Good lookin dog MULE, You gonna work it on coyotes?
JD
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