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 Poor Cracker Girl
Posts: 12150
   
Location: Feeding mosquitos, FL | Love my heeler. She's a bit high-strung and has a tendency towards anxiety but smarter than most people I know. And can go all day long and into the night. I've only seen her truly tired once in eight years when she chased the sprinklers for 10 hours straight.
The key to a really good heeler is good leadership and good socialization. They are ridiculously easy to train and want to please you but they will occasionally test the boundary and it's your job to enforce it. Whoever said if you give them an inch they'll take two miles ain't kidding! I worked with her diligently as a puppy that she is never ever ever to chase my horses. Chase birds, squirrels, neighborhood kids, whatever else you want but horses are off limits. Now, if they take off running right in front of her sometimes she can't handle the excitement and forgets. I call her back and make her heel up and control herself. She practically vibrates wanting to go chase them but she always listens.
I wish I had done a better job socializing her as a puppy. She's getting better as she gets older but she's still a bit suspicious of strangers. As long as they don't push the issue, she will leave them alone but if they really insist on petting the dog she will nip. Of course she gets in big trouble for it.
Best barn cat I ever had too. We had a field mice problem for a bit until I turned her loose in the tack room. Snap snap snap - no more field mice! ;)
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Expert
Posts: 2678
Location: Mi | I had one, she was a GREAT dog! Very loyal, very protective of me, never chased cats, or bothered any of the other animals. She did like to chase horses and was very hard headed, but she could also be called off them pretty easy and didn't just go do it for sport either. She was a great traveling partner. I loved her, I miss her, but I will never own another. |
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 World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | Love Love Love my heeler!!! He's the best dog I own!!
People aren't kidding when they say they are smart! I swear, sometimes when he looks at me, I think he's going to just open up his mouth and start talking. He's so dang smart. Very loyal, easy to train, but do it early.
I have never had a problem with him chasing the horses, but we taught him from a puppy not to. We have cats, chickens…and he’s never done anything to them. I also have a 3 year old son who loves to lay on him, pull his tail, chase him, etc…
He will try to herd you if you run away, and we’ve gotten nipped on the heels a few times by him.
I’ve told my hubby on more than one occasion, I’ll never NOT have a heeler. Best dogs.
Edited by BRcwgrl81 2015-03-18 8:43 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| classicpotatochip - 2015-03-17 6:34 PM
The trick to heelers is you MUST be a strong leader that understands dogs. I was raised around them, I'll always have them. You also must socialize them heavily if you don't want them to get ugly to strangers. When life is a little more settled, I won't mind having a tough dog around, but for now it just doesn't fit.
There's two types of heelers:
1) the one that is very active and needs to be entertained.
2) the laid back dog that's fine with tons of pickup/house time.
And also:
1) the one with no remorse that needs more discipline
Or
2) the one whose world ends if you so much as take a tone with them.
Anyway, I love them ALL. There's a ton of good heeler behavior books out there, I recommend them if you've never had one before!
The grey heeler is named Frosty, and the dead bug wannabe is Rudy. They're both quite large for heelers, at 60 and 70 lbs. Both are registered.
My 3 fit the #2 category. I had one that was the #1 type. She had to go to a home where she would be around people more than we could give. Both of us work 10+ hrs a day and couldn't give her the exercise or attention she needed. She started climbing the fences and stealing things from the neighbors. Either she was going to be shot or hit. So we did what was best for her. Shes happy now. Goes places with her new owners and is living the life.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my 3 we have. Awesome dogs. Easy to travel with. Love to snuggle. But very hardheaded. They are easily hurt if you raise your voice. All 3 are great with our cat who thinks shes a dog. My blue and red are both rescues. The 3rd one I've had from a baby. Shes a Heeler X Border Collie cross. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Idahome | Love my heeler. She will be 16 this fall and still gets around like a young dog most days. I never had an issue with her herding the horses or even nipping at them. She was never much of a cow dog though. She was a littler higher strung when they were around and couldn't focus long enough to work. I am unable to take her during the day and she has always been fine being in the house while I am at work, but she loves being outside once I get home. Very loyal and pretty patient with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. She will let her give hugs and kisses but that is about it. She went deaf over the last year and that has really made things harder. She picked up hand signals pretty quickly and has learned to stay out of the way when riding. When she could hear, she was able to get out of the way easy. Now we have to keep a better eye on her to make sure she hasn't gotten in front of us to be run over.
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| We have always had heelers, red though. Love them, loyal to what they believe to be theirs. Hard headed but still easier than our other dogs to train.
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | If you buy from a breeder make sure to check out the parents and ask about their attitudes and how aggressive they are. Some can be very very aggressive while others can be extremely laid back. I do suggest adopting one though.  There are many out there in shelters needing a forever home.
My first blue heeler, Walker, is 11 this year and was just diagnosed with diabetes a couple weeks ago. I got him in high school but when I went off to college he became my mom's best friend so when I got married and we got our own place I couldn't take him away from her. Anyways, he is a very easy going laid back heeler. He had the instinct to want to heel but we let him know as a puppy that was not ok with the horses. He does keep them from pawing when tied though! If a horse starts to act up while tied he will run up and nip at them to tell them to knock it off. He is perfectly content being a house dog as well.
My husband and I just adopted a healer this past summer that was about a year and half old. We named him Trivette (yes...Walker and Trivette) He is FULL of energy! I have never in my life seen a dog with more energy! He is extremely extremly smart and is my second shadow. He will not leave my side and if "Dad" tells him to do something he comes up to me and gives me a look like "What do you think, mom? Should I?" lol so then I have to tell him to get him to listen. He is coming up on 2yrs old now and is starting to really calm down and become a great dog. It took some patience and a lot of strict rules that we had to stick to but now is fitting right in. We have quite a few cats and he is great with them. We did not put him in a position with a cat that would run away when we first got him. He was monitored in the house with calm cats so he could get use to being around them and understanding they are part of the family. He has never chased except for the other day when my husband told him to go after the dang Tom cat that keeps coming around. He went after him and rolled that cat...it was pretty funny. The cat got away just fine but hopefully scared it enough to make him want to pack up and leave. Oh he has also chased a coyote out of my pasture. I was out riding in my pasture and saw a coyote and well Trivette did too and took off after him. The coyote I think was a little cockey at first not thinking that dog would catch him and well that coyote soon found another gear when Trivette caught up with him!! Trivette chased him for like a quarter mile making sure he wasn't coming back. He is such a good boy. :)
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 Expert
Posts: 2270
Location: Shhh.. I'm hiding. | I have a Blue Heeler x Pit Bull cross. Best dog I've ever own. She was born trained. I swear shes human! Ask her to do anything and shes always on spot. However she isn't great around horses. She got kicked in the face by one and lost a tooth, so she avoids them. But if a horse tries to come up to her and smell her she will nip/squeal and run. |
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Regular
Posts: 90
| We have three brothers, from a breeder who had both mom and dad on site when we got the first one. He's one of the ultra sensitive types. You can't even look at him sideways without him getting embarrassed and sulky. My mom has chickens and as a puppy, they got out of their pen so he ran them to death. Never ate a single one, none even had chew marks but he got in trouble none the less. He has NEVER even offered to go after one again. He is the sweetest dog ever but can be protective of those who are not known to him. My parents have a few friends that he's used to seeing on the property and he's accepted a few people, like their propane guy and exterminator. Other than that, he does not allow someone to be on their property unnoticed. He's exceptionally well socialized and can go anywhere. He doesn't care for the cats but doesn't hurt them. He knows the two they have are my moms kitties but he doesn't seek them out to play or harm them. He's such a gem my mom wanted another from the next litter. We ended up leaving with two that day. Mine and her second. Mine is everything heelers aren't expected to be. Has very low energy, isn't very social with other dogs, loves my apt and would sit for days with me rather than look at herding animals. He is also extremely well socialized and has the best manners. I can take him anywhere and rarely put his leash on. He never leaves my sight and honestly, the leash is for me to know I can protect him in a situation, not to keep him attached to me. He is comfortable with kids as long as they aren't loud and rushing his space but I think that's because he wasn't raised with any. He doesn't care about cats and only likes a few dogs. If a dog bugs him, he'll come sit by me, like he wants to be protected. He genuinely surprises nearly everyone he meets with his behavior. My mom's other dog is more of the stubborn, high maintenance heeler. He runs and runs all day on their property and lives to chase birds off the land. He doesn't ever offer to harm her chickens though. He's chased cats that aren't my mom's off the land but loves to play with one of hers. He's more standoffish with strangers but does get protective in his pack. I often take all three together on road trips and he's the leader of protecting me, watching strangers and making sure we know if anyone gets close to the car. But even with all of that, I don't think I can call any of ours the usual heelers. They have no interest in herding the horses or cattle. They run in and out of my pens but mostly out of laziness so they don't have to walk/run around the pens. My horses ignore them since they aren't a threat. However, we've spent a lot of time working with them, making sure they get plenty of room to run and play, social interaction and consistent commands for things. They're so healthy and happy and are just a dream to have. We've taken them all over and they adore going camping best! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 521
Location: Lone Star State | My favorite breed. A well trained heeler is hard to beat. That said, you have to start training early and I will only buy one as a puppy. I have an amazing bond with my current female heeler. Her focus in life is me alone - always looking to please me and knows me so well that she is sometimes a step ahead and knows what I need her to do. I even credit her for saving my life once. So intelligent and heck of a frisbee dog. She can go anywhere with me off a leash because she is voice controlled. I'm an outside person and spent a lot of time with my dogs being active - that's the key. Good luck with yours.
Edited to say: Mine does not chase chickens, cats, cows, nor horses. She's the sensitive/wants to please type so was easy to train for this. I socialized her as a pup, so is people friendly (more than I actually like her to be) but doesn't like strange dogs near her family which I appreciate.
Edited by River 2015-03-18 3:26 PM
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boon
Posts: 4
Location: Oklahoma | Bought my husband a blue heeler last November for his birthday. She is 7 months old and one of the smartest and most lovable dogs we have ever owned. Good with horses cat chickens and loves to play with the kids at the barrel races. Very energetic and requires lots of room to run. Can be protective of her home but minds well and easy to train. She is protective of our toy Aussie too. That is her little sis They are a great breed but require lots of attention and space. Will always have a blue heeler now. |
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 Thick and Wavy
Posts: 6102
Location: Nebraska | I have 2 and LOVE LOVE LOVE them! They're so smart and loyal. I have no doubt either one will go after someone if they would ever touch me. In fact, they did try to go after the UPS man once because he tried to reach between my legs to pet my red female. Mine love kids and my red won't let anything near a kid. Mine are well socialized but the female is very shy, especially when it comes to strange men. They both ride with me every time I ride. Mine leave the horses alone but will get a little nippy when I start riding because they're excited. They were cooped up all winter but we're working on it again. They do like to chase our cats but have never killed one. Most of the cats have learned if they don't run, they don't get chased lol. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | We have 1 that I inhareted from a child. I love this dog with my life. I have said in the past not sure I want another but just because they have SO MUCH ENERGY. Mine is 8 and has had at least 4 lives (like in 9 of a cat) and is like the energizer bunny....just keeps going and going.
At 2 he was stolen from previous owners and found (with the other dog stolen) in the woods tied to a tree, no idea how long.
At 3 he was locked in a detatched garage for 4 days in July in Florida (agian with previous owner). They thought he had been stolen or picked up. The whole community was looking for him, when they found him he had almost torn the hard door off the hinges and drank water for about 2 days but other wise never missed a beat.
At 4, I posted all about it on here at the time, but we were at NBHA Youth World in Jackson Mississippi and he broke his neck. That was a horrible experience, but once again he not only lived but I would have to point out the minor weaknesses on the left side of his body. He recovered in about 3 months. Thank God for a vet out there that was willing to work with me as he was totally paralized instantly and we only had hope his limbs would come back.
He gets growley and I have knows some that are very mean, but this one is not. He almost growles to talk. . .I know I could cut his foot off and he would not hurt me but he may sound like he will.
I got him after the neck break, and he has been here ever since. He does have a cateract and I'm not sure if that is from his neck issue or if it's common to the breed. I have been told both.
Incredibley intellegent, LOYAL as the sun coming up. We own cows and horses, he rounds them up daily and I do mean daily. H had never hurt anything. He even got in the duck pen once and I thought it was over, but all he did was round them up and push them into their houses.
He demands a lot of attention but I would not take anything in the world for him.
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 Double Standards Don't Fly
Posts: 1283
Location: At the barn | I've had Heelers for over 20 years. They are great dogs if you spend time with them. Do not chain it up or keep it penned. Keep it with you! And don't be afraid to be stern! And when your dog gets older a shock collar is a great training tool. Regardless what bleeding hearts say. Just start on lowest setting. Be ready to deal with cat chasing and possibly killing. They can be very hard headed!
Wish I could post a picture!!! I've got 4 now. They all work with me and have been trained to not go near stock without me telling them to.
Edited by trotncowpony 2015-03-19 1:22 PM
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | I have a red. He's a handful and wants to nip at the heels of everything that moves. You have to remember these dogs are descendants of the Australian dingos that basically were killer animals like hyenas.
Love our heeler though. He's a beauty and full of personality. We did have to have some conversations about chasing the cats but he keeps the coyotes away from the barn. He strayed in and I'd have to say I'd probably never get one on purpose.
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I'm a Cry Baby
Posts: 3781
Location: n.c. | We've got a blue heeler. Spitter dog. He'll be 9 years old this year. Best. Dog. Ever.... He's the husbands dog hands down.
Will not chase the horses unless you ask him to. Will work the cows great. Best ever at working the hogs too. He doesn't bother the
chickens, guineas, turkeys, squirrels, etc. Might chase a cat, might not.
Will be looking another in a few years. Will never be able to replace this one, but can't live without the heeler. |
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