Question:
>: Oh, please. You *do* need to be sure to socialize and train your >: puppy, that "reserved" nature can slip into "unfriendly" if you >: aren’t careful. "Real bad about biting" – no. VERY, VERY ORAL – >: yes. My Heeler greets me every day after work by grabbing my hands >: in his mouth. But he’s never left so much as a bruise. >Funny thing, mine does the same thing, hands, feet, arms, esp. while >playing – and people say Labs are "mouthy" dogs. I think mine is part >beaver as well, a rawhide lasts about 15 minutes, a gummybone about a >day, hard nylon bone about a week and a red kong about 4 months. My >last ACD (who has since passed) found an old 13" tire in a ditch and >dragged it around like a chew toy. People would pull into the driveway only >to be greated by this "wierd looking" blue speckled dog with a car tire >around his neck. I recall the tire lasted about a year.
Gidday Will I remember reading somewhere that a bluey will eat anything that can’t eat it. :-)} Our backdoor neighbours have a half-bluey called Fred. They tried giving him tennis balls to chase, but they lasted exactly one chomp. Shane Canberra – Australia’s National Capital.
Response:
>Funny thing, mine does the same thing, hands, feet, arms, esp. while >playing – and people say Labs are "mouthy" dogs.
Clovis doesn’t do the mouthing routine but he is the kissiest dog I’ve ever seen, except maybe for his littermates. He lives to be able to lick humans and he’s quick and can be tricky. More than one of our guests has been caught off guard and gotten a heeler French kiss. Mark
Response:
: Oh, please. You *do* need to be sure to socialize and train your : puppy, that "reserved" nature can slip into "unfriendly" if you : aren’t careful. "Real bad about biting" – no. VERY, VERY ORAL – : yes. My Heeler greets me every day after work by grabbing my hands : in his mouth. But he’s never left so much as a bruise. Funny thing, mine does the same thing, hands, feet, arms, esp. while playing – and people say Labs are "mouthy" dogs. I think mine is part beaver as well, a rawhide lasts about 15 minutes, a gummybone about a day, hard nylon bone about a week and a red kong about 4 months. My last ACD (who has since passed) found an old 13" tire in a ditch and dragged it around like a chew toy. People would pull into the driveway only to be greated by this "wierd looking" blue speckled dog with a car tire around his neck. I recall the tire lasted about a year. Geochemistry University of Guelph Canada "Developing methods of removing heavy metals from acid mine drainage, our next aim will be the removal of heavy metal from music."
Response:
>…my 3 month old male blue heeler puppy…. >seems to be very reserved around strangers (including the vet) >and when the kids bring their friends through the yard the dog >will stay to one side and observe everyone for about twenty >minutes before he will wander over and check things out.
Well, they’re *supposed* to be reserved around strangers. So this is completely normal. >With the family he is a real joy and is always ready to play.
Also completely normal. >To me this seems perfectly natural and I kind of like the idea of >my dog being a little leary of strangers
Good. >Both of the vets at our clinic have given me stern warnings that >this breed is real bad about biting and you can’t really trust >them.
Oh, please. You *do* need to be sure to socialize and train your puppy, that "reserved" nature can slip into "unfriendly" if you aren’t careful. "Real bad about biting" – no. VERY, VERY ORAL – yes. My Heeler greets me every day after work by grabbing my hands in his mouth. But he’s never left so much as a bruise. >I had never heard this and I am wondering if I should >be concerned for my kids.
Not especially. I mean, children and dogs should ALWAYS be supervised, but your puppy won’t suddenly become Cujo and slaughter your kids. Every Heeler owner with children that *I* know says Heelers are *great* with kids if they are raised with kids. Because a Heeler is by nature a reserved and protective dog, you might have to be sure the puppy knows that playing children are not threatening "his" humans. And discourage him from "herding" the children – it’s an annoying habit once it starts. >Will neutering help (it will be done anyway), >and what about obedience training (he’s already signed up for a class). I >have also been told that it is cruel to keep a herding dog if I won’t be >using him for work.
That’s where the obedience training comes in handy. A bored Heeler is a destructive and creatively obnoxious force of nature. My Heeler has only seen cattle (and sheep, and horses). He’s never herded. But we do obedience work, and I’m going to try tracking and agility and maybe flyball one of these days. In other words, as long as the dog has *something* to do, and is kept busy, you shouldn’t have a problem with inappropriate herding, or destruction. Good luck with your puppy. He sounds adorable. Oh, geez, now I’ve got puppy lust… — Mary & the Ames (Iowa, USA) National Zoo: Raise a Fund ("Regis", 10 yo TB); ANZ Sam-I-Am ("Sam", 5 yo ACDx); ANZ Noah Doll, CGC, OFA Good ("Noah", 2 yo ACD); kitties from h*ll;
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I don’t think it’s cruel to keep a herding dog and not work him, as long as you meet his needs for exercise and mental stimulation. I have two herding dogs, neither of whom work, and they are very happy thank you. I do however spend a lot of time with them and make sure to give them at least one good run every single day. As far as your heeler being leery of people goes, that’s pretty common in the breed. They are often reserved around strangers and suspicious of new people. This can be a good thing and it is a trait I appreciate. It can also be a bad thing depending on how it develops. I suggest having your dog be around as many new people and situations as possible over the next several months while he matures. You want to insure that he feels comfortable with all sorts of situations and isn’t fearful or overly suspicious. A heeler raised with care and exposed to a lot of different situations will show good judgement about who to trust and who to avoid. As far as the biting goes that is indeed something to watch. Heelers are instinctive biters, that being what ‘heel’ means afterall. You should supervise him with children to make sure that he understands that biting isn’t allowed. My heeler had a hard time learning not to heel everything in sight but he got over it. Though you can still see that glint in his eye when the right sort of thing goes past, such as a skateboard and there was awhile when he would follow one of the cats around holding it’s hind leg up in the air. The heelers I know who have been raised with kids are extremely gentle with them and consider it their job to protect the kids. Don’t think that heelers will allow themselves to be walked on by kids like some dogs, though. Heelers will stand up for themselves if pestered too much and nip the child. I personally don’t find this offensive since I think it’s important that kids learn to treat animals well but there are a lot of people out there who disagree. You sound like you’re doing all of the right things with your dog, neutering, obedience classes, etc., so my guess is that things will work out fine. You just need to be aware of the specific needs of the breed and you shouldn’t have any real trouble. Mark (and Clovis the blue heeler and Maeve the English shepherd)
Response:
I would appreciate some advice concerning my 3 month old male blue heeler puppy. He seems to be very reserved around strangers (including the vet) and when the kids bring their friends through the yard the dog will stay to one side and observe everyone for about twenty minutes before he will wander over and check things out. With the family he is a real joy and is always ready to play. To me this seems perfectly natural and I kind of like the idea of my dog being a little leary of strangers (unlike the lab mix I recently lost to old age). Both of the vets at our clinic have given me stern warnings that this breed is real bad about biting and you can’t really trust them. I had never heard this and I am wondering if I should be concerned for my kids. Will neutering help (it will be done anyway), and what about obedience training (he’s already signed up for a class). I have also been told that it is cruel to keep a herding dog if I won’t be using him for work. Perhaps I should not listen to so many people. I welcome advice/information via e-mail from any fanciers of this type of dog. Thanks! Jim McKinney