My Blue Heelers

by Ausie Dog Lover

I adopted a mixed aussie shep/blue heeler at age 2 from a humane society. She had been badly abused but lots of love and mental challenges and an acre of land blessed her to live happily to age 18 years!

After she passed, I got my blue Aussie Cattle dog as a puppy (8-9 weeks old) 2 years ago. Although we now live in the city/suburbs, she gets daily runs and we live in a 2-story place so she is up and down alot.

She does dog tricks (now knows 26!) and does them and/or agility/nose work for all her meals.

She is VERY affectionate, very smart: got her Canine Good Cit (AKC) at 13 months, her therapy dog certification then too, and serves during weekly visits as a therapy dog at a dementia home.

She has a rare sweet temperament and learns quickly with positive dog training. We are starting Agility and she is So Smart!

We have a short tunnel, 2 jumps and 4 weave poles set up in our condo living room so she is directed thru different configurations daily.

She also knows 4 toys by name and retrieves each and puts them away in a box. She needs daily mental stimulation and exercise and play.

Tips for a prospective Aussie Cattle dog owner: teach retrieving right away as a pup or they will not do it (it's not herding!), socialize with other safe dogs, different locations, make training daily, and offer new challenges and mix up the training regularly so the dog does not get bored.

Bless your dog with lots of love and mental challenges and regular exercise and you will have a great friend for many years!

Caution: if you are not up for the time investment, please get a different type of dog as these dogs get bored easily. Hope this is helpful.