Blue Heeler Dogs -Aggressive Behavior Normally Caused by Love or ill Treatment
88Titan collects our paper without our help, we lift the latch for him to get the mail unless the postman gives it to him
Blue and Red Heelers
If you have ever seen a Blue Heeler work, you would know they throw their whole heart and soul into everything they do. They would die trying to do the job their master asks of them, before giving up.
Their pace is either flat-out, or not at all, they don't know the words steady or slow. They have a heart of gold. Even in play it is full on and you need to use caution as their teeth are sharp. They do not mean to hurt anyone, they are just so quick.
Blue heelers are a very faithful and doting dog for their masters. I sometimes believe they know more than we do. They are so smart and one step ahead of us humans.
Blue Heeler Dogs
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AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG BLUE HEELER Plush Stuffed Pup
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MY BLUE HEELER ROCKS Dog Vinyl Window Car Decal Sticker
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Titan carries in his 1kg pkt biscuits on shopping days he's prefers carrying that to the toilet rolls - he not silly
Early Heritage of these Dogs
The early settlers coming to Australia brought both livestock and their dogs. Their dogs had no stamina to cope with the extreme conditions in Australia's outback; it was too harsh for them. Therefore, they tried breeding a tougher more resilient type of dog. They tried many breeds in this experiment; they crossed the Smithfield with the dingo. This was not completely successful.
Then someone imported Blue Smooth Highland Collies and crossed these with the Dingo. Their young again crossed with a Dingo; these pups were born with blue or a speckled red fur. The next idea was to cross the Black and red Kelpie with these dogs. After years of trial and error, the Australian Cattle dog or otherwise known as the Blue or Red Heeler evolved.
Today's Blue and Red Heelers
The tenacity and willingness of these dogs to do anything for their master is quite incredible.
Their eagerness to learn enables their masters to train them in all aspects of herding cattle. Their speed and ability to control and turn the cattle with a little nip or two saves the owners many hours of extra labour.
Often working a herd with the instruction of their master from a simple whistle or command, without the owner needing to otherwise intervine himself.
Titan had Operation to Remove Lump on his jugular vein in neck. We nearly lost him
Caring for your dog
All dogs need correct feeding, and proper veterinary care and vaccinations.
Because Blue Heelers are classed as working dogs, they need to be given regular exercise. Either take them to the park and throw a ball, or frisby for him to chase. Beware, never stand between the ball and the dog, or he will knock you flying to get to the ball. I have personally experienced this, in fact my husband thought it was funny at the time. (his warped sense of humor).
This is another reason why they need Obedience training, to keep them under control, at all times while in the park. Remember to take the doggy doo bags with you for those little emergencies. With the advent of climate change, they suggest we all use paper ones now.
Take good care of your dog. A dog that is loved, will look after you, and want to protect you. A dog ill treated can react badly, to another person. So remember, Aggressive behavior is normally caused more by his love of his master or from being ill treated by his master.
Titan with his Toys has about 15 and knows most by name
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Obedience Training is essential for House Dogs
This is the best way to control any dog in your home. You can learn the best techniques from an experienced trainer, or train him yourself. For more information on this, check out Training your Dog.
Every dog needs to understand some kind of rules in any home. How often have you seen a child run out onto the road? Dogs are no different. Therefore, if your dogs taught obedience, he will respond to the actions of stop, stay, sit, drop, and many more needed commands.
A few hours of training, may save your dog's life. And it could prevent it from being an aggressive dog. Any dog will bite if ill treated.
Purchasing your lovable Blue Heeler Puppy
I would suggest you buy one of these dogs as a pup. That way you can see the kind of temperament of the dog. Never buy one that shows no initiative, or playfulness.
Check out the breeders credentials, the better the breeder, the more likely you are to receive a healthy dog. Some dogs from back yard breeders could be mated by all types of dogs, and not be a true Blue Heeler.
Gate closing and check out Great Action Shots
Blue Heeler - Cattle Dog Puppy
Titan with our 16 year old cat Ninja before we lost him
Blue Heeler dogs
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AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG HEELER MAGNET : BLUE OR RED
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AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG BLUE HEELER Plush Stuffed Pup
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MY BLUE HEELER ROCKS Dog Vinyl Window Car Decal Sticker
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Blue Heeler Caution Dog Sign - Many Pet Breeds Avail.
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Aggressive dogs
Blue Heelers are one of the worst dogs, recorded to bite people. In particular, it is well known that a Blue Heeler will let anyone into a house, yet not let him or her out. They will attack the persons heel, true to the name heeler.
At the same time I do not believe, a dog is born aggressive. Dogs can turn on you at any time, although it is usually because the dog has been ill-treated, at some time in their life. It may have been either kicked or repeatedly hit. Something triggers a memory causing this aggression in a dog. Something as simple as you accidentally treading on its tail could set him off.
Be honest, you would retaliate if someone jumped on you, or knocked you over. Noise is something else that will irritate a dog. Their hearing is so much better than mans ability to hear. An ambulance or fire engines siren will cause them anxiety.
Never ever, trust any dog, especially if you do not know the dog at all, or its history.
Love for their owners
If treated right by their owners, these beautiful dogs will give you many years of faithful love and protection. They also love to go for walks and play in the parks.
Blue heeler and his tricks
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Talking Blue Heeler
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Comments
Thanks for that. They are beautiful dogs, but like I said can be aggressive if badly treated. I dread anything else happening to mine. Actually I forgot to mention that he had been poisoned twice as well. So had pretty rough time of it.
Thanks for stopping by
Great hub, Eileen! I don't believe any dog breed is born agressive either. I think they are just like children. They will learn what they are taught. I think Blue Heelers are beautiful dogs and faithful to those who show him love. Keep up the great work!
Bonnie
Yes I have to agree with you, everyone who comes here just loves him. Thanks for your thoughts on that. and for stopping by.
Thanks Eileen for the warnings. I watch the Dog Whisperer show, don't know whether you guys get them, Cesar he gives lots of tips for dog owners.
This are wonderful dogs and thanks for sharing this great hub.
They are very faithful to their owners thats for sure. Thanks for stopping by.
I think all dogs are faithful when treated right. Nice hub. ;)
Thanks you for that. Actually I think we treat them like our kids. Thanks for stopping by
Great to see this. Just got a heeler puppy. All my friends that have them, or had them, all say they were the best dogs they've owned.
You sure have made a good choice. They are worth their weight in gold.
Thanks for stopping by
Excellent, I didn't realize they bit a lot. Great dogs though.
Blue heelers are well know for letting you into the property and will not let you leave again. At your own risk if you try to leave. Thanks
question, How can you get one to quit nipping?? Nikki is 7 weeks old as of now. I take her for 2 walks a day. One in the morning, and one in the evening. Sometimes at lunch also. I spend on average about 4 to 5 hours a day working with her. I have been very consistent with potty training, and being the alpha. Cesar Milan comes to mind on this. However, if you try to praise her by petting her on the back of her neck, or head, she will snap at you. She has never been hit, kicked or abused in any way. Today I was trying the dog/mom approach where you use your hand like the dogs mouth to clamp the dog, to tell her in dog terms no... Well, that just cause her to growl and snarl at me and she attempted to snap at me. I immediatly put her on the floor and forced her into a submissive state, which she promptly complied. (we practice this daily), and all was fine after that, but I wonder if she is one the "dominate" personality dogs?? Don't know, cause she will follow me anywhere I go, and sits on command, and is learning very fast and for the most part is very cooperative, except for the nipping issue. I've heard this has to be curtailed at the earliest to prevent issues after she grows up. I've also been taking her to the local pet store/ park, friends houses, etc, so that she meets as many dogs, cats, people etc..... All that works very well. Seems like the more I am the alpha, the more she challenges me, and does not like it when I put her in her place. I assume this is normal?? I want to break her from the nipping, but don't want to damage our relationship in the process. Any ideas?????? Comments, Concerns....
Eileen, I love your articals! I have been around dogs all of my life, and it has always been a mutual love affair. My Master, depicted here, would die for me. His bride was a Dingo, and I have their Daughter. How do you feel about Kennel training dogs?...The cave syndrome? Gawn Fishin'
Eileen, I love your articals! I have been around dogs all of my life, and it has always been a mutual love affair. My Master, depicted here, would die for me. His bride was a Dingo, and I have their Daughter. How do you feel about Kennel training dogs?...The cave syndrome? Gawn Fishin'
Gawn fishing, exactly what do you mean by kennel training. Do you means dogs kenneled together.
Charles Tooraen, If my dog was to snap I would just firmly say no bad dog. Then if he is inside with you I would put him straight outside.
Our dog is always inside, if he plays up for anything like begging for food we say no, and either tell him he will go outside (as he knows what that means now) or just put him straight outside. I would not spend 5 hours training him in my opinion that is toooo much.
They need to enjoy their training. Do not over do it. And what you said about -dogs mouth to clamp the dog. I do not think that would work. But I am not an expert. Give your dog treats when he does well. and praise him. Dont give him treats everytime though. Hope this helps. Eileen
Awesome hub. My Cody (who was with me 11 years) was half Border Collie and half Blue Heeler. He was smart, loving, territorial, and had a nasty little tendency to nip at people's heels. I'm a big fan of all the herding breeds, and currently have a Catahoula (bred for pig herding) and an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie Mix. You can see picks of them on my profile at LoveToKnow Dogs: http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/User:Mary_White
MGWhite Thanks for that, I will go and check it out. Yes I love my blue heeler he is so clever, with a lot of cunning tricks to make sure where possible he is not left behind to often when we go out.
As soon as he knows or suspects we are going out, he brings us our shoes, or will go and get a toy or something to insure that hes done something good. So clever. We love him so much.
Thanks for the info. 5 hours was meant 5 hours spent with her. Not just on training. Training is usually 15 -20 minute intervals 3 times a day. Basic stuff like sit, down, here, etc.. She just seems to bite very hard, and even harder when I tell her no. I do keep the training positve and she only get's treats during those times. Now she is begging to growl at me during feeding...... hmm....
Charles, you may need to take her to a propper obedience trainer. Just ring one up and see what they suggest. Its hard to say when you havent seen the dog and the way he behaves.
If your in the uk you could get that woman (cant remember her name off hand) that is on TV. Sorry cannot help you.
Titan is a very handsome dog. I was actually considering getting a blue heeler. There was one that I often met in the dog park, and he was absolutely wonderful. His owner had him under great voice control and he had great recall. The only thing he couldn't train out of his dog was his barking to herd instinct. I wonder if you can even extinguish/suppress something so deeply bred in the dog. And if you could, I wonder if that would cause other behavioral issues to arise. What do you think?
Shibashake, We dont have any problems with titan. Except ifsomeone comes to the house he sure lets us know. But we want that, I think a burgler would think twice if he heard him inside.
We have trained him to do so many things. And I believe as they are a working dog they need little jobs. It makes them feel important. Even if we dont ask him to do something he is always bringing us his toys or shoes or the TV times just to get attention. If they are kept occupied and given obedience training then it sure helps them to behave. He is naughty some times just like kids I suppose and us of course we arent perfect all the time. Boring if we were
Thanks for stopping by
I have a 5 month old blue heeler and also paso fino horses. I have him since he was 3 months old and has always been chasing my horses and hanging from their tails. nothing had happened until yesterday that one of my mares kicked him in the mouth; his gums are pretty bad, thank God his teeth are still in place. The vet is taking care of him. but...how can I stop this behavior? he has not tried it agin since he is feeling terrible but will it stop? I have tried everything but he seems to be in command of the horses by doing that...help!
I think blue heelers are really smart and they are very fun to wrestle with. Also my blue heeler loves to chase crows and loves to go and get the paper every morning and he is a smart dog!
sbear . Yes they are very clever thats for sure. We have just noticed that our one is a little smaller than some of them. Dont know why. Maybe we work him too hard. just joking. Thanks for stopping by
I have owned 3 blue or red heeler dogs and they have all been great. They grew with my children and never ever tried to bite any of them. My husband had high blood pressure and passed out on our farm and our current blue heeler (Misty) stayed with him and licked his face until he woke up. Misty also keeps the horses from getting into the back of my husbands truck for grain or whatever they may find there. They are extremely smart dogs, very true to their owners and very easy to train. I did have to disagree on a few points that you made here though, I don't believe that the biting on the heels is really biting, I believe they nip at heels as they are bred to do for herding cattle, and also that they are known for being one of the worst breeds for biting. I looked this up because I was just shocked to read this and what I found was they are not even in the top 10 list for biting. I do beleiev that they can be aggressive over their owners and his belongings, but I think rare or because they are mistreated do they become aggressive. I loved that you included their history and the videos showing how smart they are. I love this breed of dog, and I think it is probably one of the smartest breeds. Thank you for this hub!
i love blue heelers i think they are one of the smartest dogs in my opinion maybe not your opinion but i guess we are just different people and my dog is a very smart animal so i am guessing alot of blue heelers are that way. i also think that this place is really cool it's just a place that peaple can tell what they feel about blue heelers. i think i am going to submit a comment everyday because i like this place. once again i think it's pretty cool and fun even if other peaple don't. bye!
i love blue heelers i think they are really smart dogs and they are great!
gwenymom, I love blue heelers or I wouldnt have ours, this is my second one. Butr having said that, I will always tread with care. They (well at least mine will try to boss you if he can). If he gets, but they are so beautiful. I dread the day when we have to part. About the heel biting, I probably agree because I know about the cattle, but that nip can sure draw blood. I know that first hand. thanks for stopping by
S.bear, They sure are smart, and so far I have not found one person that has owned them that says any different. We meet so many people on our trip that say I wish I had brought my bluey with us like we are doing. I go no where without him. If we cannot take him into a national park then thats there loss we do not go.
I helpded take care of a friends blue heeler and he go jealous of anyone that got near me...he ended up biting a friend in the face unprovoked, just because he didn't want her around. They just put the dog down today and I'm all tears on this one.
markus, that is terrible. its very weird especially as you were only looking after it. Although I have found that most blueys will protect the person that is being hit on. Having said that did this person act at all threatening to you in any way because that would be why it bit them in trying to protect you.
They will always protect their owner or anyone being threatened.
Such a shame that it has been put down. That is terrible. Yet humans can kill other humans and get away with murder. Law is so wrong. Thanks for stopping by
I have an 11 week old blue heeler/border collie cross and I need help! I've heard they are easy to train but we are having some trouble. His potty habits are getting worse and you can't pet him without him getting worked up to play and nip. He has many acres to run around on and my 10 year old son to use up some of that energy. Any suggestions?
new blue owner, hi try reading this article, it should help you.
I absolutely LOVE this page. I am learning so much from reading what everyone has to say. I am currently 16 years old and I just bought a red merle queensland heeler today. She was born on January 26. I named her Dixie. I want to raise her as best i can and teach her to not be aggressive. Are there any major things that I should be aware of that I need to start doing with her right away? I know that I need to excercise her a lot everyday and socialize her as much as possible. I am going to play with her in the yard until she gets her parvo shot in a few weeks, before I take her on walks. I also board my horse at a large barn down the street and we have cattle that we sort and cut on down there. I have already found out she is very smart because she has learned how to fetch her favorite toy and bring it back to me, and she listens to her name already. (Except when the bird is talking to her) =) Thank You So Much!!
Within the past week Dixie has become more and more aggressive. When I'm walking her or teaching her how to sit, she will growl deeply and sometimes snap at me when I bend down to gently push her butt in the sit position... I do not hit her in anyway, and I do not allow her to walk oll over me. I make her sit and wait patiently for her food, let me go first when walking through a door, and I show her I'm leader. But when I walk her on a leash she bites at my feet and when I say no or push her away she barks and growls at me and sometimes continues. I have tryed to put her on her back and show her I am dominant, but she growls and snaps at my hands even worse. What can I do? I really do not want her to grow up being aggressive! When I am not teaching her things, she is super affectionate. She loves to cuddle and she licks me when I allow it and she always wags her tail when I walk over to her or into the room.
We just got a blue heeler puppy 2 weeks ago. She is 11 weeks old. We are starting her in puppy kindergarten next week and have been doing lots of activities with her such as the leader excercises. She is very smart and has already learned to sit and stay. My only complaint is that she is very "aggresive". I am realizing though that it is not really aggression but frustration. She snaps at me if I'm not playing with her or if I take something from her she's not supposed to have! She tries to bite my face and strangers faces and barks at us and sometimes growels. I think this behavior will stop with her training. She needs something to do all the time. I am worried though becasue she is fearless. We have 2 cats and she chases them around and gets clawed by them and she ddoesnt care a bit! She goes right back for more. I just don't want another vet bill from a clawed out eye!
Elleen, hey, it's been a while. My Nikki is just over a year old now and I can say, she has turned out to be one of the best dogs I have ever owned. She's smart, loyal, friendly, yet protective of me and my close friends, and very well adjusted. For those who are new to the Heeler adventure, I can say if you want a good natured dog, you need to follow a few things:
Be pateint, Heelers are very hyper dogs and need lots of exercise and a job to do to keep them from getting frustrated/bored. If you dog is running around like a fool, jumping barking, nipping at you etc, etc, etc, you need to work the dog more. Give them something to do. Teach them to fetch, or swim and combine these activities with obedince training. For example, if you are teaching your dog the stay command, after she stays, give her a reward by tossing a frisbee, or ball, or whatever play thing she likes.
Obedience training is a must with these dogs. YOU MUST TRAIN A HEELER!! These dogs not only need exersise, but lots of structure, and discpline is important. Discpline in the idea that rules must be followed and there are consequences for not obeying. These dogs need a firm/and fair master. They are also very smart and hard headed, so it will take some firm corrections sometimes to get your point accross. You don't beat your dog, but the dog has to understand that you are in control at all times. Period. No jumping on people, sleeping on the couch, running through doors 1st, chasing the cat,,, etc. You must enfore these rules consistently and make sure everyone is the house also follows these with your dog. If you can't be structured, how can you expect your dog to be???
Kennel: Kennel training is also a must for these dogs. They love to have their own space to go to at night. Giving your Heeler a kenel to sleep and eat in, is a great way to potty train and give you a plac to put your dog when you are not able to supervise, or interact with them.
Socialization. Take your dog everywhere you can, when you can and make sure you consistently enforce your rules. Get them around people, especially children at a young age, and socialize them. Heelers are not good with children (I know, Nikki chased down a 4 year old in a parking lot, and she had to have a remote coller put on her after that), so it's very important that you get them used to being handled, and around people if you dont' want them to be wary/aggressive of people. Nikki now is good with all people that she knows and meets, but if you come in unnannounced, she will come after you. But she instantly stops when I tell her to "knock it off". This is part of being a heeler, so some of it you just need to get used to, but with proper training, you be assured your dog will listen to what you ask of her.
I know most of this sounds like basic dog stuff, and it is, but the point is if you are consistent with these things, it will pay off. I have spent a lot of time in the last year with Nikki, and I can take her off lease into a pet smart, home depot, park etc, etc, and she will heel by my side and listen to every thing I ask of her.
Now some may disagree with my last piece of expierence, but I can only speek from what I've seen, and done. One of the most effective tools I've used in training Nikki, was a remote collar. These collars work by applying pressure to the dog in the form of electrical stimulation. Good collars are waterproof, and have user programmable settings and variable stimulation levels. I never wanted to go to this method, but after she chased down a 4 year in a field and tacked her (teeth barred and hair on her back standing up like a porcupine), I had to move to next level. Anyhow, that being said, she is completely predictalble now after proper training and conditioning with the remote collar. A couple points to remember with remote collar training: 1. never try to teach your dog a command with the remote collar, only use it to reinforce your command, or to provide correction for a dog that does not comply, but only after you know 100% the dog understands what you are asking of her. If you stimulate a dog for not obeying, and it does not understand your command, all you'll do is confuse the dog and cause it to bolt. 2. You must condition the dog to accept the collar. You have to start slow with a collar and not just toss it on and start zapping your dog. You need to use it like like an "invisible leash" and also do something fun when you 1st apply the collar so the dog does not assocate the collar with pain, but with fun. When used correctly, a remote collar is the most humane, and effective training device there is. When not used correctly, it can severly damage your dog's temperment and your relationship with it, so seek professional advise, when thinking about using one of these.
With that said, with patience, displince, consistency, and lots of work, and love, your Healer will turn out just fine...... :o)
Regards
Charles
Loved this article! i have a blue heeler and she is the best dog ever!! Very obedient and well behaved. She was easy to train and definitely lives to please me :) In my opinion, the BEST breed out there - wouldn't give up mine for anything!
missalyssa, I agree with you Ours is like our child and I am sure he doesnt think he is a dog he is so spoiled and protects us if anyone lays a hand on us even if friends and give us a cuddle he lets them know that he is watching them.
He does lots of little jobs for us, I taught him that way as they are working dogs and need things to do Thanks for stopping by
cgull8m says:
2 years ago
The dog is cute in the second video. My grandfather had a lot of cows we used to graze t hem when young, I wish we had a dog like that, it would have been awesome to control them. Great Hub again Eileen, nice history how they evolved.