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Australian Cattle Dog breeders

The Australian Cattle Dog comes from New South Wales, where 19th-century cattlemen needed a dog that could control stock on large, unfenced runs and over long droving routes.

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Advertise your Australian Cattle Dog puppies, litters and stud dogs

Breeding Australian Cattle Dogs? Add your kennel to caninebreeder.co.uk so buyers searching for Australian Cattle Dog puppies for sale can find you by breed and location. Your basic profile is free and shows your name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries. Litter and stud adverts are free as well, so you can advertise Australian Cattle Dog puppies for sale or list an Australian Cattle Dog stud dog. Premium adds health certificates, a photo gallery and direct contact. List your kennel or compare our plans.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

  • Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
  • Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
  • Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
  • Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
  • Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.

Create your free breeder profile Advertise a litter Advertise a stud dog

Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Australian Cattle Dog

The Australian Cattle Dog comes from New South Wales, where 19th-century cattlemen needed a dog that could control stock on large, unfenced runs and over long droving routes. The Australian Cattle Dog Society of Great Britain traces the breed to the Hall's Heeler, developed by Thomas Simpson Hall by crossing colonial working dogs with the dingo, though the Royal Kennel Club says its exact ancestry is unknown. It has also been called the Blue Heeler, Red Heeler and Queensland Heeler: the colour names refer to its coat, and "heeler" to its way of working, crouching low and nipping cattle's heels to keep them moving. According to the society, the breed officially came to the UK, with Kennel Club recognition, in 1979.

The RKC places it in the Pastoral group as a medium-sized breed. The breed standard gives a height at the withers of 46 to 51 cm for dogs and 43 to 48 cm for bitches, and asks for a strong, compact, symmetrical dog in hard muscular condition, built for agility, strength and endurance.

Coat and grooming. The coat is smooth and double: a short, dense undercoat beneath a close, hard, straight topcoat that resists the weather. The standard allows blue (plain, mottled or speckled, with or without black, blue or tan markings) and red speckle. The RKC lists grooming once a week and notes that the breed sheds.

Exercise. The RKC lists more than two hours of exercise a day and describes the breed as suited to the country. The society says exercise alone is not enough: these dogs do best with a job, whether stock work or activities such as obedience, agility or trailing, and an under-occupied dog tends to find less welcome outlets.

Temperament and suitability. The standard describes an alert, intelligent, watchful and courageous dog that is loyal and protective, wary of strangers by nature yet accepting of handling and willing to learn. The society says it is not an ideal first dog. Young dogs may nip at heels when excited, so puppies need supervising around children, and the breed does not suit a sedentary routine or long days alone. The RKC gives a typical lifespan of over 10 years.

Compare it with other herding breeds such as the Australian Shepherd, Border Collie and the smaller Lancashire Heeler, or browse Australian Cattle Dog breeders in the UK.

Australian Cattle Dog health tests

The Australian Cattle Dog is in Breed Watch Category 1: the Royal Kennel Club has not flagged any points of concern specific to the breed for show judges. That does not mean the breed is free of inherited disease. The breed society's health page describes progressive retinal atrophy (two known forms, prcd-PRA and rcd4-PRA), primary lens luxation, and congenital deafness in one or both ears. It says hip and elbow dysplasia are not common in the UK but have caused problems in other countries, which is why the society encourages screening. The society also recommends a DNA test for primary lens luxation before breeding, although that test is not on the RKC list below.

The RKC lists these for Australian Cattle Dog breeders:

Look up the recorded results of any registered dog on the RKC Health Test Results Finder.

Choosing an Australian Cattle Dog breeder

A careful Australian Cattle Dog breeder will have both parents' paperwork ready: a prcd-PRA DNA result, hip and elbow results, a recent eye certificate and BAER hearing results, plus BAER results for the litter itself. The society's code of ethics asks members to complete these tests before a mating, not to breed from a bitch under two or over eight, and not to let her whelp more than once in 12 months. It also asks members to give buyers a written contract under which the dog returns to the breeder if the owner can no longer keep it. Expect to be asked about your experience, working hours and plans for exercise and training. In England, a breeder who needs a council licence must show the licence number in adverts.

Questions to ask:

  • Can I see BAER hearing results for both parents and this litter?
  • What are the parents' prcd-PRA, hip and elbow results?
  • When were the parents last eye tested?
  • What is the inbreeding coefficient for this mating?
  • Will you take the dog back at any age?

Australian Cattle Dog questions

Are Australian Cattle Dogs good for first-time owners?

The Australian Cattle Dog Society of Great Britain says they are not an ideal choice for first-time owners and suit someone with previous dog experience. They are working dogs that may nip at heels when excited and need plenty of physical and mental exercise, and the Royal Kennel Club notes that they are distrustful of strangers.

How much exercise does an Australian Cattle Dog need?

The Royal Kennel Club lists more than two hours of exercise a day and describes the breed as suited to the country. The breed society adds that these dogs need mental work too, such as stock work, obedience, agility or trailing.

What health tests should Australian Cattle Dog parents have?

The RKC lists a DNA test for prcd-PRA, hip and elbow testing under the BVA/KC schemes, eye testing under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme and hearing testing under the KC BAER Scheme, including screening the litter. It also advises breeders to prioritise genetic diversity.

Is the Blue Heeler the same breed as the Australian Cattle Dog?

Yes. The Royal Kennel Club notes that the breed has been known as the Blue Heeler, Red Heeler or Queensland Heeler. The colour names refer to its coat, and heeler to its habit of nipping cattle's heels to keep them moving.

More for Australian Cattle Dog owners and breeders

Official sources