What you should know about the heeler dog

Heeler

The Australian cattle (heeler) dog is native to Australia. It counts among its ancestors the dingo, a wild dog inhabiting the bush and the shepherds imported by the colonists, anxious to adapt their herding dogs to the Australian climate. There are two colours in this breed: red and blue.

Heeler standard size goes from 43 to 51 cm for a weight of about 20 kg. Australian Cattle Dogs are herding dogs specialized in cattle. They are tireless dogs that need a lot of exercise. They are endowed with great intelligence, are excellent guardians of their master and their family.

We find this breed of dog in the film Mad Max 2: it is Max Rockatansky's dog; imported into New Caledonia, it is called "Blue Dog" and is very popular, especially among bush breeders. A local satirical newspaper, Le Chien bleu, uses the image of this animal.

The heeler or Australian Cattleman is a hardy dog, described as courageous, loyal but also distrustful of strangers. He is subject to two hereditary diseases detectable by veterinary tests: congenital deafness affecting many breeds of merle-coated dogs and progressive retinal atrophy.