Anyone ever had a Aussie cattle dog (heeler)

[HUNCH]

I have a two year old blue heeler, and he is the smartest dog I've ever seen. I haven't worked very hard at all with him, but he will sit, shake, heel, rollover, or do pretty much anything I ask with only the point of a finger. I don't have to say a word or look back, and I know he's right by my side walking at my speed, no faster, and wagging his little tail. Hell, one day I was taking out the trash in the alley, went to get something out of the corvette, and as I opened the door he thought he was going somewhere, he looked up at me and kinda tiptoed into the driver's seat like he knew to be careful. Smart ass dog!

[Cooter]

Also, as for the training, he's always been fairly difficult to train. He tends to find the smarter way to do things as he gets older.

When he was a puppy I was trying to teach him to fetch, using my Pit as an example. After a couple rounds of him constantly being beat to the ball by the Pit, he found that he could just bite the Pit's heel, get her to turn around, then release and beat her to the ball.

lol, that's awesome

my dog will fetch a ball maybe a couple times and then he's bored with it. a plastic bottle he might fetch a few times.

but if another dog is playing fetch? his goal is to steal the ball and play keep-away!!! he'll hang out mid-field to get a jump on getting the ball.

at the dog park his goal is to chase or be chased. when chasing, he will snarl or growl when he's shoulder to shoulder with another dog, but it's just a herding technique. He would never hurt an animal he's herding, that's not what herding dogs do!

[SlowLX]

lol, that's awesome

my dog will fetch a ball maybe a couple times and then he's bored with it. a plastic bottle he might fetch a few times.

but if another dog is playing fetch? his goal is to steal the ball and play keep-away!!! he'll hang out mid-field to get a jump on getting the ball.

at the dog park his goal is to chase or be chased. when chasing, he will snarl or growl when he's shoulder to shoulder with another dog, but it's just a herding technique. He would never hurt an animal he's herding, that's not what herding dogs do!

Nice, my parents jack which I socialize with the woman's catahoula thinks its a 40lb dog. Little bastard will get up on a chair or bench and ambush bigger dogs to get em to chase her.

[kdventura73]

he's talking about an Australian cattle dog/heeler, not a shepherd...

My australian shepherd is uncharacteristically calm. He's awesome. I have a love of for all herding breeds. I don't know why, I've just always been drawn to them.

Heelers are awesome dogs

So is our akc Sheppard, thats why we nicknamed him Middle Managment Tod cause he always is on the cautious side of things and makes sure its ok with us before he does anything. When we give him a treat he won't take it unless you tell him to take it. I think we are lucky to have dogs like that because when I talk to other people at the dog park about their aussies they always ask how we made him so calm.

[Racewerx]

I have had two. They are a dog lovers dog for sure.

[Cooter]

lol @ MMT

So is our akc Sheppard, thats why we nicknamed him Middle Managment Tod cause he always is on the cautious side of things and makes sure its ok with us before he does anything. When we give him a treat he won't take it unless you tell him to take it. I think we are lucky to have dogs like that because when I talk to other people at the dog park about their aussies they always ask how we made him so calm.

[talisman]

I've seen the pictures of the dog Spenser is "considering" and he is a cute little bugger. Do it.