Short History of the Breed

There is great debate over the origin of the cattle dog, with stories of its development in both NSW and Queensland. They have been called Queensland Blue, Hall's Heelers, Queensland Blue Heelers and Blueys. There is no records of the original breeding left, although it has been said that Blue Merle Collies and perhaps even Bull Terriers were used.
The ACD was bred for toughness, endurance and herding abilities. While Australia's cattle industry was developing these dogs were well suited to the extreme terrain and the feral elements of the cattle.
These days Australian Cattle Dogs rarely find a place as a working dog anymore. Despite their waning appeal as working dogs the Australia Cattle Dog remains a lasting representation of Australian bush culture. Australian Cattle Dogs are instantly recognisable and their legend for toughness and loyalty will live on. They are one Australia’s most popular dog breeds.

Physical Description & Size

Temperament

Cattle Dogs are fiercly loyal, extremely intelligent, hard working dog, and very stubborn. In short, they are not a dog for casual dog owners. A Cattle Dog can dominate a weak owner, so it's important that your Cattle Dog have plenty of obedience training and socialization (with both humans and other dogs.)

Dog Care (exercise, grooming, diet)

Exercise often, too much is never enough; The unofficial motto of Cattle Dog owners is "A tired Cattle Dog is a good Cattle Dog." Cattle Dogs participate and excel at dog-related events like agility, herding, flyball, weight-pulling, tracking, dock-diving, Shutzhund, obedience, rally, and even Search and Rescue. While Cattle Dogs do tend to be quite energetic, there are quite a few ACDs who are registered Therapy dogs.