The Australian Cattle Dog is an AKC registered dog breed. The following article reviews the breed.
Many years ago I acquired a red speckled Australian Cattle dog and called him ‘Chico' and got him registered with an Obedience Club and decided I would take him into competition trialling.
I couldn't get Chico at the time to heel in the position required by the Obedience Club Training Rules as he instinctively went into a behind position. It was in his breeding to fall back and nip the heels of cattle. He had the drive, spirit and the intelligence however I could not get him to heel, the obedience club members could not help either. So I sought an animal behaviourist and was advised on how to solve the problem.
So if you have a dog that heels behind as my dog did, this exercise may help your dog to understand the heel position. When heeling and your dog falls behind let it, stop as you would normally stop and then, when your dog comes up and sits beside you say nothing – reach over as you would to pat your dog and grab the hair on each side of the cheeks and shake it without saying a word. Then give your dog the command to heel and take off as you would normally.
For a while your dog is going to fall behind even further so it is like taking a step forward and eight backwards. Each time your dog lags and then comes up and sits beside you, give it a shake and say nothing. Take off with the command to heel and repeat the procedure each time you stop.
When your dog is just behind you encourage it to come forward and then lavish the praise, your dog will learn that each time he is with you, it will get praised and if it is behind you gets told off. So, when you next take off and give the command to heel your dog will be with you, give it heaps of praise.
For many years people laughed at us in the trial ring because of Chico's lagging, no matter what I did I could not win and they even had the audacity to say to me get yourself and easier breed to train such as a German Shepherd, Border Collie or Golden Retriever.
They all stopped laughing when my dog beat their dogs in the trial ring.
Persistence paid off with consistent training ‘Chico' came to know the heel position and went on to attain a certificate called “Utility Dog.”
Article Source: http://ezineseeker.com/?expert=Julie_Eden
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All About the Australian Cattle Dog Breed
The Australian Cattle Dog, also commonly referred to as the Queensland Heeler, the Blue Heeler, and the Hall's Heeler, is an Australian working dog. It is a short and stocky dog that grows to be about 20 inches tall and will weigh about 45 pounds when fully grown. It has a double coat. Its undercoat […]
