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8 Surprising Facts About the Blue Heeler

Written by: Grant Piper

Last Updated on February 9, 2024 by Dogster Team

portrait-of-blue-heeler-australian-cattle-dog-outside

8 Surprising Facts About the Blue Heeler

The Blue Heeler is a fascinating dog with a long history. The Blue Heeler has been a facet of Australia for over a century. However, they weren’t officially recognized in the United States until 1980. These dogs have a very recognizable color and shape but are still fairly rare when it comes to the pet population. The combination of intelligence, stunning color, and distant origins have given the Blue Heeler a sort of mystique that is attracting a lot of people’s attention right now.

Here are eight surprising facts about the Blue Heeler, as well as a quick overview. These facts will help tell you everything you need to know about this interesting breed.

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Blue Heeler Overview

The Blue Heeler is a solid working dog that hails from Australia. This dog was bred to work large farms in the Australian Outback, where they herd cattle and other animals. Blue Heelers remain working dogs, but they have become a staple of popular culture thanks to a very recognizable children’s show. Blue Heelers can make good pets in the right situation, but they primarily remain working dogs and should be treated as working dogs for the best result.

Blue Heelers are medium-sized dogs with solid frames. They are very energetic, highly intelligent, and can be extremely loyal, loving, and playful. They have a thick double coat that is great for cold evenings and hot summers.

Height: 17–20 inches
Weight: 35–50 pounds
Lifespan: 12–16 years
Coat: Double
Origin:  Australia
dalmatian-blue-heeler-mixed-breed-dog
Image Credit: MTAM Photography Nebraska, Shutterstock

Blue Heeler Characteristics

Intelligence Very High
Exercise Needs High
Energy Level Very High
Trainability High
Barking Level Frequent Barking
Kid Friendly Sometimes
Pet Friendly Usually
Playfulness High

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The 8 Facts About the Blue Heeler

1. Blue Heelers Are Adept Herding Dogs

Blue Heelers are stout working dogs that work as herders. These dogs were bred primarily and almost exclusively to herd cattle. Australia is one of the largest beef exporting nations in the world, and all of those cows require a lot of canine supervision. The Blue Heeler was designed to herd and watch cattle for large beef producing ranches. Blue Heelers can also herd sheep and goats, if necessary, but they thrive around cows. In homes with children, Blue Heelers have been known to herd toddlers as well. Today, there are not many dogs that are bred for a singular purpose, which they continue to excel at. Blue Heelers are an exception. To this day, these dogs are prized for their herding ability and are primarily kept as working dogs, where they continue to do the job they were bred for.


2. Blue Heelers Are Descended from the Dingo

When British settlers arrived in Australia, they brought dogs with them. However, the original dogs brought to Australia were not adapted to its unique climate. The distances in Australia are vast, the landscape is harsh, and the continent is full of unique and poisonous animals. The first dogs to reach Australia aboard British ships were adapted to herd sheep in Britain. They could not handle the new climate. This caused people to seek out an alternative dog that could handle Australia’s climate and demands.

Through extensive testing and breeding, the Australian Heeler was born out of a mixture of British hunting and herding dogs and the native Australian dingo. The dingo is a famous wild dog that is endemic to the Australian Outback. The Blue Heeler, therefore, has a healthy dose of dingo genetics within it. The Dingo gives Blue Heelers their heft and smarts. Most people have no idea that Blue Heelers have such a strong connection to the Australian Dingo.

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Image Credit: Tanya Consaul Photography, Shutterstock

3. Blue Heelers Are One of the Smartest Breeds on Earth

Blue Heelers routinely ranks in the top ten for most intelligent dog breeds. On some lists, they rank in the top five. There are very few dogs that are smarter than a Blue Heeler pound for pound. The American Kennel Club claims that Blue Heelers can “routinely outsmart their owners,” which is a scary thought. These dogs were bred to be smart and independent due to the nature of their job as free ranging herders. The crossbreeding with dingoes added a healthy dose of gut instincts and outdoor smarts that most dogs have lost due to intensive domestication. The result is a dog that is smart as a whip and could be looking to get one over on you.


4. Blue Heelers Need a Job

Blue Heelers are loyal and intelligent dogs, but they absolutely need a job. Bringing a Blue Heeler into a house without a purpose can be a recipe for disaster. If these dogs do not have a job, ample land to roam around, or intensive training, they can become bored easily. A bored Blue Heeler can be a menace. They can become mischievous and destructive if their energies are not channeled into the proper outlets. These dogs were bred and evolved to live on the open ranges of Australia. These dogs are meant to be in the Outback patrolling dozens of acres of land, not cooped up in a suburban living room. A job is a must for these dogs, and if you get a Blue Heeler without heeding this warning, be prepared for trouble!

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Image Credit: lifesnap, Shutterstock

5. Bluey Is a Blue Heeler

One of the most famous animated characters of recent memory, Bluey, is a Blue Heeler. It might not be apparent at first, but once you know a little bit about Blue Heelers, the resemblance is instantly recognizable. Bluey is Australian and has one parent that is a Blue Heeler and one parent that is a Red Heeler. Bluey’s sister Bingo is a Red Heeler. They are one big, happy family of Australian Cattle Dogs. It is not often that animated characters rise to such heights that Bluey has, so it is interesting that the dog that now graces the screens of millions of children is a Blue Heeler.


6. Blue Heelers Have Many Names

Blue Heeler is simply one name for the Australian Cattle Dog. Australian Cattle Dogs have had a number of different names over the years that speak to their long and diverse history. Blue Heelers can also be called Red Heelers, Australian Cattle Dogs, or Queensland Heelers. Queensland Heeler is a nod to its place of origin in Queensland, Australia. The dog was also known as the Australian Heeler before the breed became standardized. Some people might still refer to these dogs as Australian Heelers, especially if they are in Australia.

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Image Credit: BGSmith, Shutterstock

7. Blue Heelers Can Come in Five Colors

Despite the name Blue Heeler, this dog can actually come in a variety of different colors. As discussed, Blue Heeler is simply one name for the Australian Cattle Dog, which primarily comes in red or blue. Red Australian Cattle Dogs are known colloquially as Red Heelers. Australian Cattle Dogs can come in multiple colors with a variety of different patterns and markings that make each one look distinct.

The five official colors recognized by the American Kennel Club are:

  • Blue
  • Blue Mottled
  • Blue Speckled
  • Red Speckled
  • Red Mottled

The three official markings recognized by the AKC are:

  • Tan Markings
  • Red Markings
  • Black & Tan Markings

8. Blue Heelers Were Recognized by the AKC in 1980

Despite having a long history in Australia, the Blue Heeler was not recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) until 1980. The Blue Heeler was registered as the Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) and accepted for showing. The breed started showing in the Working Dog Group beginning in 1980 but only showed there for two years until it was transferred to the new Herding Dog Group in 1983. The Herding Group was founded in 1983, and the Australian Cattle Dog was a charter member of the new category of AKC breeds.

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Image Credit: LSnader, Shutterstock

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Conclusion

Blue Heelers have been gaining a lot of attention due to the popularity of the children’s show Bluey. Blue Heeler is another name for the Australian Cattle Dog and is just one of many names that this dog takes on. The Blue Heeler is one of the smartest and most loyal breeds in the world. These dogs have a lot to love about them and come with heaps of interesting history and traits. Australian Cattle Dogs are excellent dogs, and they can be phenomenal companions, but they need a job, they need an outlet, and they ideally need some room to run around and roam. Your backyard is not the Australian Outback. And that fact might be the most important one of all.


Featured Image Credit: Madelein Wolfaardt, Shutterstock

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