Anyone own a blue heeler/aus. sheep dog?

[brad310]

looking to get a dog soon, not sure which breeds i really want. We have a 1 acre lot that will be fenced, with about 40 behind it to roam. I would like to get something that can be a good inside dog that doesnt shed much. I work all day, so it would be by itself (or one of its siblings if we get 2) until the evening.

i like the traits of a blue heeler, but it says they are very task oriented and high energy. I dont know this for sure, but is it safe to assume that would NOT make them a good indoor dog?

i also considered a lab, but again, a little too large and sheds too much.

whatever it is also needs to be good with children. Would love to hear anyones feedback, especially if you own or know a blue heeler.

 

[episodic]

looking to get a dog soon, not sure which breeds i really want. We have a 1 acre lot that will be fenced, with about 40 behind it to roam. I would like to get something that can be a good inside dog that doesnt shed much. I work all day, so it would be by itself (or one of its siblings if we get 2) until the evening.

i like the traits of a blue heeler, but it says they are very task oriented and high energy. I dont know this for sure, but is it safe to assume that would NOT make them a good indoor dog?

i also considered a lab, but again, a little too large and sheds too much.

whatever it is also needs to be good with children. Would love to hear anyones feedback, especially if you own or know a blue heeler.

Make sure you know this is a highly intelligent dog that you will have to train. Been around alot of these dogs and most are fine - unless raised by someone that has no idea what they are doing with a highly intelligent high energy animal. Can't comment on the kid friendly thing - but I do know they have to have a strong owner (leadership wise).

 

[HomerSapien]

We had a aus shepherd for close to 13 years. Wonderful and creative. They get a thick undercoat that sheds for sometime every year. She was great with people, but did not like other dogs as she was the runt of the litter, but I think that was rather atypical.

 

[zinfamous]

This is the dog that I want, but never have the space for one. It sounds like you have great outdoor space to let them run, but as said, they are highly intelligent and need something to keep them busy fairly regularly.

From what I've heard, they are fine indoors, so long as they get good, regular exercise. Having some other dogs around will help while you're away, I suppose. The healer would probably want to heard them all day.

 

[KeithTalent]

Beautiful dogs, wish I could have one.

KT

 

[alkemyst]

looking to get a dog soon, not sure which breeds i really want. We have a 1 acre lot that will be fenced, with about 40 behind it to roam. I would like to get something that can be a good inside dog that doesnt shed much. I work all day, so it would be by itself (or one of its siblings if we get 2) until the evening.

i like the traits of a blue heeler, but it says they are very task oriented and high energy. I dont know this for sure, but is it safe to assume that would NOT make them a good indoor dog?

i also considered a lab, but again, a little too large and sheds too much.

whatever it is also needs to be good with children. Would love to hear anyones feedback, especially if you own or know a blue heeler.

A heeler doesn't want to be alone. If you have pets that will be alone, get at least two.

High energy <> indoor...high intelligence <> most people's idea of a good dog.

Even a dumb lazy dog can learn basic commands.

 

[sactoking]

I've got two Australian shepherd/cattle dog mixes. They are high energy and intelligent. They shed lie crazy. They're good with kids though you do have to be careful since they naturally face herd so they can nip at kids' faces. You also have to realize that they are very athletic; we had to increase our fences to 7'+ because they could both jump a standard 6' wooden fence from both the rail side and the flat side.

 

[BoomerD]

looking to get a dog soon, not sure which breeds i really want. We have a 1 acre lot that will be fenced, with about 40 behind it to roam. I would like to get something that can be a good inside dog that doesnt shed much. I work all day, so it would be by itself (or one of its siblings if we get 2) until the evening.

i like the traits of a blue heeler, but it says they are very task oriented and high energy. I dont know this for sure, but is it safe to assume that would NOT make them a good indoor dog?

i also considered a lab, but again, a little too large and sheds too much.

whatever it is also needs to be good with children. Would love to hear anyones feedback, especially if you own or know a blue heeler.

Definitely NOT good indoor dogs. They NEED work to do...keep them busy.

I've never owned one of my own...never had the room for one, but I've had friends who owned them. Great dogs, but high energy and very much "task oriented." One couple who owned them used them as cow dogs...the dogs herded their cattle for them every day. Another couple used them to move their herds of horses.
NOT dogs for a subdivision...which sounds like that's not an issue. With 40 acres, you have plenty of room for them to roam...but you will need something to keep them busy.

 

[alkemyst]

Cattle dogs and other highly active dogs don't really need a lot of property as much as interaction with their owners or other dogs. Dog parks work great for this. They do need 'good' walks morning and night as well. Dog parks and dog lakes make for a lot of exercise and stimulation in a shorter period of time.

Prior to my new job, I was at dog park everyday for 2-3 hours.

 

[Miramonti]

Not great indoor dogs, get bored easily, and if you just leave them outside can tear everything up i the yeard due to quick boredom.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I have a blue heeler / sheltie mix. Tons of energy. He has really attached himself to my wife... he follows her everywhere. He's a great dog, but as others have said, they like to get out and be exercised.

 

[KaOTiK]

I have an Australian shepherd. Best dog I've ever had. Highly intelligent and lots of energy. She needs to have a lot of play time and walked once or twice a day. She sheds like crazy too, I sweep my hardwood floors each day and you wouldn't even be able to tell with the tumbleweeds of dog fire that you see still.

Great dogs though, very protective, fun, and loving. Mine loves to hunt, she catches squirrels, cats, snakes, whatever else comes into the backyard. Very athletic dogs, mine just turned 9 and still catches squirrels like it is kids play.

 

[Fausto]

Great dogs, but not great first dogs for reasons already pointed out.

 

[Uppsala9496]

As mentioned before, Australian Shepherds shed like crazy.
Mine died last year. Was a month shy of 16 years old. Even at her old age she was super active. Last of her siblings to pass.

 

[preslove]

If you want a smart herding dog that is great indoors, get a corgi. As long as they get a good amount of exercise every day, they are great indoors. I take mine to a couple different places and run around with him and play retrieve with him for about an hour everyday, plus shorter on-leash walks, and he's a good lap dog in doors. They're great with kids, as long as the kids are ~3 or older.

 

[uclaLabrat]

looking to get a dog soon, not sure which breeds i really want. We have a 1 acre lot that will be fenced, with about 40 behind it to roam. I would like to get something that can be a good inside dog that doesnt shed much. I work all day, so it would be by itself (or one of its siblings if we get 2) until the evening.

i like the traits of a blue heeler, but it says they are very task oriented and high energy. I dont know this for sure, but is it safe to assume that would NOT make them a good indoor dog?

i also considered a lab, but again, a little too large and sheds too much.

whatever it is also needs to be good with children. Would love to hear anyones feedback, especially if you own or know a blue heeler.

Sounds like you might like a ridgeback (actually, if I had a yard that size, I'd get two, so they can play with each other and you won't have to worry about coyotes much).

Mind you, I'm extremely biased, but everyone I know loves them. My guy does really well indoors (we live in an apartment in manhattan) so that shouldn't be much of an issue. Great with kids but he tends to knock them over.

 

[angminas]

Don't get a single dog and leave it alone inside all day. ESPECIALLY not a herding dog.

 

[Loop2kil]

I have an Australian shepherd. Best dog I've ever had.....Mine loves to hunt, she catches squirrels, cats, snakes, whatever else comes...

I lol'd at the 'cats' part..
My aussie would kill every cat in site if he weren't fenced in.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Definitely NOT good indoor dogs. They NEED work to do...keep them busy.

I've never owned one of my own...never had the room for one, but I've had friends who owned them. Great dogs, but high energy and very much "task oriented." One couple who owned them used them as cow dogs...the dogs herded their cattle for them every day. Another couple used them to move their herds of horses.
NOT dogs for a subdivision...which sounds like that's not an issue. With 40 acres, you have plenty of room for them to roam...but you will need something to keep them busy.

This.

My gf found one in the paper and wanted one. I was 19 at the time so I agreed being raised with dogs. Needless to say that didn't work well living in a duplex. Shipped him to my mom's who lived in Colorado on about 20 acres with horses at the time. He became one of her favorite dogs ever.

They need lots of room. They need trained. Very smart dogs as a general rule. Need structure and order, they also need an outlet for their energy. Think of them as a 5-8 year old kid who loves to learn, and when they get bored they find ways to entertain themselves. Usually ending up with your stuff being their entertainment.

 

[alkemyst]

I lol'd at the 'cats' part..
My aussie would kill every cat in site if he weren't fenced in.

That's sort of not good in reality. Prey drive is a bad thing in a pet.

 

[KaOTiK]

I lol'd at the 'cats' part..
My aussie would kill every cat in site if he weren't fenced in.

lol, she has gotten 3 of them. 2 almost right away when I first got her as the neighborhood cats use to travel through my backyard a lot before getting her, talk about a surprise for those kitties when there was a hunting dog now around . Third was a few years after the first two, I guess he was new to the neighborhood and the other kitties didn't fill him in yet.

She would have gotten a fourth in the front yard but the cat ran across the street, I trained my dog to not leave my property so she was running alongside the road back and forth in the front yard barking up a storm lol.

 

[alkemyst]

Unleashed dogs are sort of illegal in most of florida due to they do usually leave the property. I have to deal with this shit a lot on dog walkd. The awesomeness is the owner saying "don't worry, they are a good dog".

Fox Labs Pepper Spray FTMFW.