Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) Articles and Information

History of Australian Cattle Dogs

The Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) breed was born in  Australia, in the early mid 1800s. Until 1813, most of the refugees to Australia were settled around Sydney.  The land assets were moderately small, with sheep and cattle herds having the major economic influence on the growth of this newly settled country. Australia did not have as much manpower available during that time period, so dogs were used to control and move the herds. The ranches around Sydney were able to get their herds to the market easily, as most of the ranges of the sheep and cattle were fenced and the distances to the market were not much.  

After 1813, the enormous scraping lands known as "outback” opened up for the pioneers to develop and a whole new set of challenges and problems presented themselves for a solution, particularly for the sheep stockmen and the cattlemen.

The "outback" was a territory like no other. The imported European herding and working dogs that had worked fruitfully on the ranches around Sydney, were not able to adapt to several of the changes that occurred with moving the stock to the outback. There were no hedges in the outback, and the cattle and sheep could wander for long distances. This meant requirements for greater effort and stamina from the dogs for even finding the stock he was to herd. These wild cattle were no longer used to seeing men, dogs, or horses. In the outback, the cattle learned to be more aggressive for their defense against predators. 

Until the mid-1800's, even the ranchers had to unwillingly like the breed Dingo, for its firmness and cleverness. The Dingo was not concerned by the harsh environment and the hot climate of the outback while the imported dogs were still having problems adjusting.

In 1840, Thomas Hall got a great deal of dissatisfaction with expensive Blue-merle smooth-coated collies. He had them imported from Great Britain, and they had not adjusted to the conditions of the outback, nor had they been able to control the wild cattle. Mr. Hall determined to act on all the talk about incorporating Dingos with the working ranch dogs, and he started an experimental breeding program using his Blue-merle smooth-coated Collies.

As with any breeding program, some things are gained, while others are lost.  In this case, some of the hybrid's ability to herd was lost.  To try to restore this quality an Australian sheep-herding breed, the black and tan Kelpie was introduced into the equation.

The resulting offspring, and the establishment of a consistent breed type, became very popular among the Queensland ranchers. The dog became known as the Queensland Heeler or the Queensland Blue Heeler.

Robert Kaleski dignified its status by writing the standard which was initially endorsed by the Cattle and Sheepdog Club of Australia, and then by the Kennel Club of New South Wales in 1903.  This set remained at the heart of the official standards adopted by the Australian National Kennel Council in 1963.

The Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) was formally admitted to the American Kennel Club in 1980, and has since been becoming popular for its unique qualities and capabilities with all.