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Need info on Blue Healer/Heeler(?)~Old topic
Are they good with children and what are they?
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Found [40] Posts :: Page 1 of 2
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Posted: 11:49:11 PM 5/29/2004
We are looking for a dog for our 2yr.old daughter. She loves dogs! A friend of the family is about to have some Blue Healer puppies and said we can have one. I was going to look them up on the internet, but there is no such listing. Obviously they are a mixed breed. Does anyone know what they are a mix of and if they are good with children? Thanks for your help.
Posted: 12:10:36 AM 5/30/2004
"Blue Heeler" and "Red Heeler" are common nicknames for the Australian Cattle Dog. I don't know how they are with children, but I do know that they are very high energy dogs because they are working herders. I have friends who got one from a neighbor and had to change their lifestyle to keep up with the dog. The days of sleeping in on weekends and lounging around watching TV were gone. They both took up running so that they could give the dog more running time in addition to their daily trips to the dog park. My friends love their dog, and are in the best shape of their lives, but unless you are truly up for a challenge or have livestock for the dog to herd, I would not recommend one as a pet.
Posted: 12:18:53 AM 5/30/2004
If brought up with them from puppy hood they would do fine with children, but as they are a herding breed they were taught to nip at the heels of cattle to herd them and they could well do this to other humans, as well as your daughter. If you want more info click on this link : http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/index.htm or this one to see what owners think of them: http://www.hoflin.com/BR/Australian%20Cattle%20Dogs Good luck if you choose to have a puppy! I think they are great dogs.
Posted: 1:08:19 AM 5/30/2004
Australian Cattle Dogs, or blue heelers as they are know, are herding dogs with a very strong instinct for it. I am not sure it'd be possible to stop this kind of dog from trying to 'herd' your 2 year old. ACDs are also *extremely* active dogs that need mental stimulation in the form of some sort of activity, agility, obedience training, herding, jogging, etc in order to keep them happy and from becomiing destructive. I've also heard many people say that the instinctive herding behavior translates into a breed that can be very very mouthy. I have a 3 year old, and honestly while i think that they can make great pets, I don't think I'd ever get one or recommend one to someone who didn't have a lot of dog experience.
Posted: 1:34:18 AM 5/30/2004
Same thing as the Australian Cattle Dog. They are fine with children but taught to nip at heels. They have very strong instincts for herding.
Posted: 7:03:38 AM 5/30/2004
hi, i'm from australia and grew up with a blue heeler as a pet dog throughout my childhood. my parents got him when he was a puppy, so he was pretty much part of the family. there were three other siblings in the house, and we never had any trouble with him. he was fun, loving, loyal and would eat everything within a kilometer of him. hee. blue heelers are great dogs, but you do need a fair sized backyard for this dog to run around in, as they were bred specifically for rounding up cattle. they NEED plenty of excercise. :-)
Posted: 8:15:04 AM 5/30/2004
If it's raised as a puppy and given lots of exposure to children, then it should do fine. P.S. I love heelers. :)
Posted: 10:17:56 AM 5/31/2004
Hi,I own a red heeler and she has been a wonderful pet.they are very energetic dogs.my heeler is well on up there in age so she has mellowed out alot.in her younger days my ladybug loved to go long walks. when my 3 kids get into a wrestling match ladybug will jump up and watch them when she feels one is being to rough a light nip on the lower part of the calf they get. so yes she has herded my kids LOL lady has a nickname we call her grumble butt,they are vocal dogs be it a simple butt scratch,laying on the couch or bed,going outside,or a doggie massage,we constantly get a mmmm mmm mmmm out of her.she was very quick to learn commands.now that ladybug is older she spends most of her time sleeping and laying around but,when my german shepherd wants to play she can still jump right on up and bounce around with him.as much as I would like to tell you to get this type of dog.....if you don't have the time to exersise this dog I wouldn't recomend this breed.i can't express enough the endless energy they have.but if you do have the time or can exersise the dog you will have one of the smartest and best dogs that there is.my kids were quite young when we rescued her now they all are teens,we never not once had to get on to her for being to rough with the kids she has always been cautious and gentle with the kids.
Posted: 1:42:56 AM 6/1/2004
I am from Australia so have known a fair few blue heelers/cattle dogs in my time. All have had a tendency to be nippy. My best friend in primary school had one and it would jump up at my face and try to nip when I stood too close to her. A couple I know now have a red cattle and blue cattle and the blue has always been "nippy" to strangers. However, it has now got to the point that it is attacking their good friends who the dogs both know very well. They can no longer let people into their yard unless one of the owners are there. This same dog is also aggressive towards other dogs. They will be having children in a few years and have said when these dogs pass away, they will get a different breed of dog because they can't handle worrying about their friends and other dogs being bitten....and they definitely don't worry about their children being bitten. Various other blue heelers I have known have nipped as well. I can only recall ONE cattle dog that I know that hasn't had a history of biting. I personally would NEVER get this dog if I had children.
Posted: 6:57:33 AM 6/1/2004
i have to say, my blue heeler was never nippy. i have a red heeler now, and like my first dog, he is a very energetic, very loving, gentle and is great with children, other dogs and people in general. however he has been trained since he was a pup. having said that, i have known other blue heelers who did have the tendency to "nip". i think it comes down to the personal temperment of the dog and the training that it has received. but i would certainly keep children away if the dog is eating.
Posted: 6:57:51 AM 6/1/2004
Oh yeah, forgot to answer part of your question. A heeler is a mix of a dingo, a collie, a dalmation, and a smithfield terrier(I think that's what it's called). And it's true, they do tend to be nippy. Obedience training is a must.
Posted: 8:11:10 AM 6/1/2004
I have heard and seen many cases of herding dogs nipping kids while running around playing. They most likely will herd your daughter. They are not trying to be mean, but it doesn't feel good when they do nip. I would consider a dog that isn't a known herder.
Posted: 3:21:40 PM 6/1/2004
I have read what everyone wrote and I just want to respond to the nipping........as I stated earlier ladybug will herd the kids when they are wrestling. in all the years we have had her the nips never broke skin and the kids never cried or complained and she has been in our family since my kids were young 5,6,7.they are now teens. they are active dogs,lady has never been as aggresive as one poster described the dogs she knows to be.cats,squirrels,and other small animals....forget it,those lady has shown agrresion towards.although we do have a cat now,lady knows this cat is mommies so she tolerates him. I do believe that proper training is the difference.lady is very smart and has been a very faithful,loyal companion all these years. I don't think heelers are bad pets at all.as many kids that ladybug has been around,she's not aggressive towards children,nor shown signs of aggression towards children. I just wanted to say something positive about this breed because after reading all the post,it seems as if there's more negative responses,than positive.I will say that my lady is just one dog,she's a very good dog.she is the only heeler I know.so,although I don't like all the negative things that were said,it is something to take into consideration.I just got really lucky I guess.
Posted: 3:49:38 PM 6/1/2004
Dundee is the name of my heeler, and he is a sweetheart. Sure he's very eccentric at times, but that's why we love him. :) And yes, he does occasionally nip, but it rarely hurts at all and it's never ever broken skin.
Posted: 3:12:57 PM 6/29/2004
Hi there. I would like to reply to your question about how blue heelers are with children. I have 3 children, ages 11, 9, and 7. I also have 2 blue heelers and 1 red heeler. My dogs love my children! They have never once tried to nip, bite, growl, or harm my children in anyway. I was also raised with blue heelers. The red heeler has had two litters of pups and is very particular about who can come around the pups, but my children have been able to pick up, hold, and play with the pups from the day that they were born. I am a very "overprotective" parent and worry about my children playing outside without me right there with them. If I have house duties to take care of and they want to play outside, I dont have to worry about anyone trying to take my children because my dogs are protective of them. I will NEVER own any other type of dog. They have been a great addition to our family, and I know they will be a great addition to your family also!
Posted: 11:03:43 PM 6/29/2004
Aww... I hope you pick a good pup if you get one!!! ---Allie the Chihuahua is mine!!! http://www.dogster.com/?41063 Wanna be pup pals?
Posted: 9:49:05 PM 7/5/2004
I'm sure if the dog is raised with children this breed is okay. BUT, myself and other blue healer owners i talk to say that this breed can be VERY hyper and even with proper training this dog will automaticaly nip at anyone's heals. So if you do decide to get this type of dog I would recommened keeping a close eye on your children especially if your children are running around the dog.
Posted: 1:57:13 AM 7/6/2004
I think a lot of it also has to do with breeding. If your freind uses her dogs as herders then it probably wouldn't be a good idea to get one they will be very hyper and need lots and lots of excersise plus the drive to herd will be very strong. If her dogs are pets then if you can take the dog running once a day do flyball or agility then the dog would most likely make a great pet. I know with my corgi's they would nip as puppies, but with very loving don'ts we don't do that they all have grown out of it. Good luck and definatly take it to obedince classes like all the herding dogs they are very smart and need to be stimulated and challenged. Training and agility are the two best ways to do that.
Posted: 7:50:40 PM 8/7/2004
We tried to adopt a Red Healer today. But, we were turned down because we have a 19 month old daughter. We were told that the 8 month old Red Healer would attack our daughter. Our daughter played with the dog at the adoption place. (Before I could stop her, she pulled the dog's tale and had a handful of the dog's fur.) The dog never growled or nipped at her. We are in the process of teaching our daughter that she has to be gentle and can not treat anyone like that, be it human or animal. Anyway, the girl that has fostered the dog since the dog was 2 weeks old thought the dog would be fine with our daughter. The adoption person had another opinion. This particular healer had a timid nature and has been raised around cats. The adoption person told me that she had checked and the only dog they had that had been around children was a pit bull. She said that we were welcome to take that dog home. We told her no thank you. We will not have a pit bull around our daughter. Anyway, we were wondering about the nature of Healers. (I know any dog will bite given the right provocation.) Would an 8 month old Healer attack our daughter out of the blue? Is this a real concern with the breed? Thanks!
Posted: 8:06:36 PM 8/7/2004
If the dog did fine around your daughter in the strange setting of a humane society, I would have thought hte dog would be fine for you to take home with you personally. I'm not sure why the director thought that the dog woudl be a bad match.
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