Workaholic

The thing we cant stress enough to people new to this breed is their work ethic. This breed was originally created from mixing wild Dingos with Mottled Curs (see History Of The Breed page for more in depth info on its origins) to craft a breed that would happily move livestock all day long in any conditions. They thrive on having a job or task to do every day

While its not a requirement to have livestock to own an ACD, if you don't you must find another outlet or "job" for your beloved Heeler or else he will find a job to do all on his own (and you probably wont like what they come up with!)

So plenty of exercise & safe activities (such as Agility, Flyball, Obedience, Rally, Barn Hunts and even just good ol fashioned Fetch/Frisbee) is a must if you want to own this high energy breed.

Velcro Dog

ACDs are known to get very attached to their "person" and have been nicknamed the "Velcro Dog" for that very reason.

They will often love and protect the whole family but be directly attached to one person only. Even though our personal breeding dogs respect and listen well for all the family members, they still have their one person in the household that they follow around or choose to spend the most time with when they aren't working. It becomes apparent from a young age who they are taking a fondness to.

So if your new Heeler is for a certain family member, We recommend having that person (be it mom, dad or one of the kids) spend the most time caring for the new puppy. That includes: play time (supervised if with kids so proper manners are taught on both sides), feeding, exercise & even simply cuddles\treat giving\rewarding all helps your new puppy bond to whoever is in the care-giving roll

Intelligence

If you have had dogs/puppies before owning a Cattle Dog, you will recognize right away that a ACD puppy is much more mature mentally then most puppies of a similar age.

They are often very fast to learn good habits (and equally fast to learn bad ones) so proper training and exposure from a young age is very important.

We encourage new owners to spend lots of time on basic obedience, tricks & socialization. These will ensure your puppy grows up well rounded and with the proper manners to be a pleasant member of the canine community!

*But always remember to exercise and train a puppy in moderation as they are still growing and maturing physically even if they are very advanced mentally*