Origins of the ACD

In the early 1800's in Australia were the beginnings of homesteads and ranching in the outback.  These typically raised cattle, but not such as was seen in England at the time, these cattle were range cows.  None of them tame to the presence of humans nor dog, living in a rough environment full of damaging plants and hot weather.  The ranchers of Australia started importing the sheepdogs from the U.K. in order to round up these wild cattle and drive them into towns for sale.  However, these dogs had difficulties in handling the conditions that they were not bred for.  The cows were wild and dangerous and the terrain was full of bushes along with arid weather and high temperatures.  Not an ideal setting for dogs bred to bring in the flocks from pasturelands in cooler regions of the world.

Therefore, the ranchers started experimenting with breeding in order to secure a more ideal Australian herding dog.  A dog that was ideally adapted to the Australian Outback was the native Dingo and it was noted that in about 1840 Thomas S. Hall, a rancher, crossed a Dingo with two imported "Blue Merle Highland Collies".  These dogs were known as Hall's Heelers, Queensland Heelers, Blue Heelers, or Red Heelers.  (It should be noted here that the Blue Merle Smooth Highland Collies used most likely bore little resemblance to the dogs of today and it is uncertain what type of Collie this would have been smooth or a now long forgotten Collie type)

There is evidence that other breeds of dog were also used to develop the ACD.  Thus being the Bull Terrier (often used to add Guts to breeds), the Dalmation (in order to give the breed a love of horses and evidence in that all ACD puppies are born pure white and color develops later), The Kelpie (this is a possibility however some doubts do abound about it's infusion into the breed). 

Heelers were to be thick-set Dingo and it wasn't until 1897 that the first breed standard was written down by Robert Kaleski.  Kaleski was the first breeder of ACD's to start keeping written records of pedigrees and he wrote many books and articles about the ACD.  This first standard was written from the aspect that the dogs had a job to do and their working ability was utmost. 

The Australian Cattle Dog's main job in life was to herd up wild cattle from inhospitable areas of the Outback and bring them in.  The ACD's are known for stamina and high intelligence, along with stubbornness, all these traits would have allowed it to work away from the ranchers and take care of business with minimal interference.  And it are these traits that are still common in the ACD and make it a unique working dog, with the ability to think more about what it should be doing, and not reliant upon the human element.

Return to Where you came from:  Click Here for ACD History

Click here to read about the History of the ACD in the UK

Click here to read about the Imports to the UK

Click here to read about the Formakin and Garreg Ddu Lines