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Breed guide · Dogs
She pretends she can't hear me. I had her hearing tested anyway.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Nipping at ankles, trouser legs and running children, worst in puppyhood and the teenage months.
What's going onThey were bred to bite the heel of a cow and drop low to miss the kick. At home that aim lands on ankles, so skip the chasing games and give them a tug toy to grip instead.
At home
Not turning when you call from behind, and only answering when they can see you.
What's going onSome Cattle Dogs are born deaf in one or both ears, and a dog deaf in one ear can seem completely normal. Their plan includes hearing tests. A deaf dog learns hand signals well.
At home
Still chasing the ball long after you have had enough, whatever the temperature.
What's going onTheir short, dense coat copes with heat better than most herding dogs, but they were bred not to stop. Walk in the cool, and you decide when the game is over.
At home
Following one person room to room, and taking their time with everyone else.
What's going onMany Cattle Dogs attach closely to one person and are wary of strangers. Meet visitors calmly and let them approach at their own pace. If they start guarding you or the door, contact your vet.
At home
Shredded cushions, the post in pieces and barking at the door after a long, quiet day.
What's going onA bored heeler finds work. Twenty minutes of training, or sniffing out their dinner, tires them more than another run.
At home
Lifting latches, finding the treat cupboard after one look, and waiting by the front door the moment the keys come out.
What's going onCattle Dogs solve problems for a living. Latches, cupboards and your routine are all fair game. Keep the house rules the same for everyone, or they will find the gap.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Moving stubborn cattle across hot, open country, all day.
In Dubai: Often a day in a flat.
Their work
Built for: Quietly, with a nip to the heel when it was needed.
In Dubai: Nothing to move, and nobody to work beside.
What runs past
Built for: Cattle that would not move for a stare.
In Dubai: Children and scooters.
The nipping, the chewing and the barking at the door mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a cattle station. You can give them a job, and the ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on an Australian Cattle Dog's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
A Cattle Dog with nothing to solve will find their own problems.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
A Cattle Dog with nothing to solve will find their own problems.
What to do
Twenty minutes a day, split into two or three sessions: short training, a puzzle feeder, part of their dinner scattered in the grass to sniff out. For a puppy, keep each session to a couple of minutes. If they are deaf, train with hand signals.
They were bred to keep going, so resting has to be taught.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to keep going, so resting has to be taught.
What to do
Reward them for lying on a mat while you eat or read, and build the time up slowly. After a busy day, give them a quiet one.
They need to move something, and it should not be your feet.
Every age, with slower games on soft ground from 7 years
Why
They need to move something, and it should not be your feet.
What to do
A big herding ball to push, a flirt pole, or tug with a clear start and stop. When the vacuum comes out, put them in another room at first, then teach them to wait on their mat.
The nip was the job they were bred for. On a child's ankle it is a bite.
Every age, most of all in the first two years
Why
The nip was the job they were bred for. On a child's ankle it is a bite.
What to do
Keep chasing games away from running children, with an adult watching. Teach children to stand still and fold their arms. Move every nip on to a tug toy, and contact your vet if the nips get harder.
Bikes and scooters move like a cow breaking away, and a deaf dog cannot hear them coming.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Bikes and scooters move like a cow breaking away, and a deaf dog cannot hear them coming.
What to do
On the lead near roads and car parks, always. Reward a sit as things go past. In the lift, keep them close until the doors are fully open.
Their coat copes with heat better than most herding dogs. Their drive does not know when to stop.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their coat copes with heat better than most herding dogs. Their drive does not know when to stop.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Carry water, and keep hard play short.
Harsh handling makes a tough dog tougher, and a wary one warier.
Every age
Why
Harsh handling makes a tough dog tougher, and a wary one warier.
What to do
Train with food and play rather than a raised voice or a tug on the lead. Let them meet visitors at their own pace, and never force a greeting. Set up a quiet room before firework nights.
Hip Dysplasia (HD, a poorly fitting hip joint) and Elbow Dysplasia (ED, a poorly fitting elbow joint) are on their record from puppyhood.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 4 years
Why
Hip Dysplasia (HD, a poorly fitting hip joint) and Elbow Dysplasia (ED, a poorly fitting elbow joint) are on their record from puppyhood.
What to do
Keep them lean: you should feel their ribs easily. Rugs on slippery floors, no repeated jumping while they grow, and tell your vet if they limp or tire early. Your plan includes a check on how they walk, and joint x-rays when your vet sees a reason.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA, gradual loss of sight) and deafness are both on their record from puppyhood.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 4 years
Why
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA, gradual loss of sight) and deafness are both on their record from puppyhood.
What to do
Book the eye evaluations and hearing tests their plan sets. At home, watch for hesitation in dim light, and for a dog who does not turn when you call from behind.
Tough dogs hide discomfort, and itchy skin, weight and joints all change slowly.
Every age, most of all from 4 years
Why
Tough dogs hide discomfort, and itchy skin, weight and joints all change slowly.
What to do
Run your hands over their ribs, spine, hips and paws. Look at their skin for itching and their teeth for tartar. Weigh them monthly, because unexplained weight gain in their prime can be the thyroid.
Two of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Types of Australian Cattle Dogs
There is one Australian Cattle Dog, in two coats. A blue heeler's coat is flecked or mottled with blue, and a red heeler's is speckled red all over. Both come from the same working heelers of New South Wales, and both need the same daily job.
Colours
Look closely and the coats are full of detail. A blue coat often carries black, blue or tan markings on the head, with tan on the legs, chest and throat, and a red coat often has darker red markings on the head. Whatever the coat, the nip comes with it.
The first six months
Vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Notice whether your puppy wakes when you come in, or turns when you call from behind, and mention it to your vet: hearing tests follow in the juvenile months. Move every nip on to a toy from day one, and keep puppy training to two-minute sessions, a few times a day.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A mat or bed for learning to rest, a puzzle feeder and a snuffle mat, a big herding ball, a harness and lead for every walk near wheels, and rugs where they turn on marble.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Deafness and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (gradual loss of sight) are on their record from puppyhood. If you are choosing a puppy, ask the breeder about the parents' hearing and eye results, and meet the mother if you can.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep choosing when they hear you. If they stop hearing the treat bag, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
The 1800s
In New South Wales, the pastoralist Thomas Hall crossed blue-speckled collie-type dogs from Britain with dingoes, to move half-wild cattle across hot, open country.
What they still carryThe nip, the stamina and a head for heat.
1903
Robert Kaleski wrote the first standard for the breed in 1903. It was later called the Australian Heeler, then the Australian Cattle Dog.
What they still carryThe heeler's job, still built in.
1980
The American Kennel Club accepted the breed on 1 May 1980, and the Cattle Dog spread from cattle stations to family homes around the world.
What they still carryA working dog, now living with a family.
Today
In Dubai a Cattle Dog lives in a flat or a villa, with a coat that copes with heat better than most herders, and no cattle to move.
What they still carryA drive to work all day, whatever the weather.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Cattle Dog suits you, so might these.
Australian ShepherdThe same kind of dog: a hard-working herder, a little bigger, in a longer coat that copes less well with heat.
Border CollieAnother herding dog with the same need for a job every day, more vocal and far less suited to the summer heat.
BasenjiThe same high energy and the same quiet, reserved way with strangers, in a smaller, lighter hound.
Pharaoh HoundA similar short coat that handles warm weather well, in a taller, leaner hound built to sprint.
