Any Australian Cattle Dog/ACD Mix/working breed owners out there?

[jennybvcr]

This is my ACD/Velociraptor/maybe beagle mix Huckleberry. He's about a year and 8 months (give or take) and we have had him since August 2019. He is a total lunatic but he's my best guy. I've never had a working breed dog before and boy-o is this different than my ol' lab/hound who came before him. I didn't mean to get an ACD but now I'm pretty stuck on the breed. They're fascinating dogs! So smart. So stubborn. And I've noticed they're either pretty standoffish or complete snuggly babies and mine, fortunately, is the latter. I don't think I'd ever go out looking for a pure-bred dog but I'm certainly interested in keeping this breed at least partially in my world.

Any ACD or other working breed dog owners out there? Share your stories, tips, tricks, training... whatever.

 

[photohutch13]

We currently have two ACD's, a blue and a red. The blue is Boone and Reba is the red. We fell in love with the breed about 17 years ago when our oldest son got his first. After years of having Golden Retrievers (which are amazing family pets) we switched to heelers. Never have I had more intelligent and energetic dogs. And to say they are loyal to a fault is an understatement! Ours aren't working dogs but you can definitely see the wheels turning when they are around cattle. They inherently know they should be doing something around that animal but just aren't sure what. They are very interested in our chickens as well but have thus far never harmed any. I will forever be a heeler lover. BTW, you nailed it with your remark about velociraptors!

 

[CJLR]

I have a cattle dog mix named Jaxx cattle dogs are a very smart breed and need a job they really are not happy with just a walk. Here are my tips: 1 train them constantly they are very smart and can learn a lot of tricks no matter what age.
2 work his brain you can use puzzle toys to exercise his brain. You can make a puzzle toy by putting balls in a cupcake tin and hiding treats under the balls 3 give him a job training him to do basic agility is a good way to give him a job
4 one thing i like to do with my dogs is is play fetch but before I throw the toy I make them do a trick like sit down or touch

 

[Cecisflock]

I have 2 rough collies that are working dogs

 

[EverV]

All adorable! I have an Australian shepherd/boxer/treeing walker coonhound mix, does that count? Working breeds are the best.

 

[EverV]

Haven't taught any of my dogs herding yet, but my family had a Sheltie whom had passed in April of last year at age 16, and he would contently sit near the chickens, as he was a calm soul.
I currently have a 6 year old Sheltie who is is a bit more on the rambunctious, hyper side. He is VERY agile and fast, which would be a wonderful quality for livestock herding, but he's a bit jumpy around my birds. I intend to tame him in that manner a bit more, although the chickens are always attended by a person while roaming, so he'd be under my watch as well.
At the end of February, we'll be getting another Sheltie puppy. Having 2 at once feels normal.
I have hopes to train him young, as our flock is always expanding. As well as maybe one day we'll visit the idea of livestock. Specifically as a future addition, sheep would work for our property.
Shetland Sheepdogs are wonderful companions. They're very intelligent.
To the OP: Huckleberry is handsome! I plan to follow this page even though I'm not of much helpfulness when it comes to talking about working dogs, but I'd love to hear stories and tips as well. To @Ceciliasflock , your Rough Collies look very sweet! And @EverV , what a great, handsome mix!

Thanks! Shelties are awesome. I also have no experience in the actual working front, but I'm hoping to get an Aussie and some sheep at some point in the future.

 

[EverV]

The best of wishes to you for achieving that hope! Aussie's are great.
I met a red-Merle Australian Sheppard the other day. Their colors are magnificent, and the breed is overall very swift and friendly.

Yeah I love that breed

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Cute dog and great name! I had an ACD through the early 20-teens, The Bucket. He was the kind of dog people still tell stories about. I miss him dearly.

ACDs are characters, but yeah, I never trusted him with poultry. The prey drive was, whew! I'd only ever had herding dogs until recently. The Bucket ranked up there with our family Border Collie for being the hardest-headed. Our Shelties were cake in comparison, though one was loco.

I've herded with the Border Collie, some Shelties, and The Bucket. The Border Collie was the star there. The Bucket preferred stuff like agility. If he were around today, I would've gotten him into Dock Dog and/or Flyball. He lived to fetch and swim.

Besides all the exercise and socialization, I guess I'd say the following:

• If he's driving you nuts, teach him a new trick, or give him a problem to solve, like a smart toy or the "find it" thing you're doing. The Bucket knew all kinds of tricks. I could say "clean up," and he'd grab all his toys and throw them back in the basket.
• Be consistent. Give him an inch, and he'll take miles. However, they're smart enough to understand different house rules, so don't worry if others feel the need to spoil him. For example, I didn't want him on furniture, and if I ever let him on the couch, he'd start jumping up all the time without being asked. Meanwhile, he'd sleep on the bed with my mom when kept him, but when he came home, he'd go right back to my rules. It's only if I faltered that he'd take advantage.
• Remember that most people don't realize how intense breeds like ACDs can really be. Obviously some are calmer than others and The Bucket was friendly and well trained, but it was amazing how much chaos he could cause if I wasn't careful. I turned my back once at a dog bakery, and he tried to herd a huge mastiff by nipping his ankles and face like a bull. It didn't go over well. Another time, someone was throwing a ball for him by a bonfire, and we ended up having to chase him down with a hose. He didn't care that his leg was on fire as long as he caught that ball mid air. And once, I accidentally kicked a soccer ball out the door of our rooftop apartment, and he flung himself off the landing after it. Fortunately he hit tree branches on the way down that broke his fall. We had just moved to the mountains, and I made a note to never hike him off leash. He had no sense of heights. Or fear.

Wish I had better photos of him. Here are a couple from when he was 8 or 9.

 

[The Angry Hen]

Haven't taught any of my dogs herding yet, but my family had a Sheltie whom had passed in April of last year at age 16, and he would contently sit near the chickens, as he was a calm soul.
I currently have a 6 year old Sheltie who is is a bit more on the rambunctious, hyper side. He is VERY agile and fast, which would be a wonderful quality for livestock herding, but he's a bit jumpy around my birds. I intend to tame him in that manner a bit more, although the chickens are always attended by a person while roaming, so he'd be under my watch as well.
At the end of February, we'll be getting another Sheltie puppy. Having 2 at once feels normal.
I have hopes to train him young, as our flock is always expanding. As well as maybe one day we'll visit the idea of livestock. Specifically as a future addition, sheep would work for our property.
Shetland Sheepdogs are wonderful companions. They're very intelligent.
To the OP: Huckleberry is handsome! I plan to follow this page even though I'm not of much helpfulness when it comes to talking about working dogs, but I'd love to hear stories and tips as well. To @Ceciliasflock , your Rough Collies look very sweet! And @EverV , what a great, handsome mix!

 

[The Angry Hen]

Thanks! Shelties are awesome. I also have no experience in the actual working front, but I'm hoping to get an Aussie and some sheep at some point in the future.

The best of wishes to you for achieving that hope! Aussie's are great.
I met a red-Merle Australian Sheppard the other day. Their colors are magnificent, and the breed is overall very swift and friendly.