hip scores that certify them as free of HD should be bred.
Luxating patella is another name for dislocated knee joints. As with HD, the problem can be severe and is hereditary. Passing on this painful condition to the dog’s puppies is cruel. Therefore, dogs affected with patellar luxation problems should never be bred.
Finally, we need to mention the degenerative eye disease known as progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). Sometimes referred to as night blindness, PRA causes the retinal cells to deteriorate so that the back of the eye no longer is capable of sending electrical signals to the brain. The nerves atrophy and the dog becomes blind.
The onset of this condition is often observed when the dog stumbles into things at night and seems unable to get his bearings. During bright daylight, however, the dog seems to be fine. Unfortunately, there is no cure for PRA and the condition usually reaches its peak when the dog is between the age of four and eight years.
A veterinary ophthalmologist is the only person qualified to test for PRA and can detect it in very young puppies. Both parents must carry the gene for PRA, but when only one parent carries the gene, it is considered autosomal. In that case, some of the puppies will show signs of PRA, some will merely carry the gene and a few will be clear of PRA. Therefore, buying a puppy from certified clear parents is the only way to assure yourself of having a dog with no potential for PRA.
Despite these physical problems seen in Australian Cattle Dogs, they are a far cry from some breeds in which the reported health problems are counted in the dozens. The way to avoid these conditions to the best of your ability is to purchase your AuCaDo puppy from a reputable breeder who tests the parents and puppies for known health and hereditary problems.
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HIP DYSPLASIA?
X-ray of a dog with “Good” hips.
X-ray of a dog with “Moderate” dysplastic hips.
Hip dysplasia is a fairly common condition found in pure-bred dogs. When a dog has hip dysplasia, his hind leg has an incorrectly formed hip joint. By constant use of the hip joint, it becomes more and more loose, wears abnormally and may become arthritic.
Hip dysplasia can only be confirmed with an x-ray, but certain symptoms may indicate a problem. Your dog may have a hip dysplasia problem if he walks in a peculiar manner, hops instead of smoothly runs, uses his hind legs in unison (to keep the pressure off the weak joint), has trouble getting up from a prone position or always sits with both legs together on one side of his body.
As the dog matures, he may adapt well to life with a bad hip, but in a few years the arthritis develops and many dogs with hip dysplasia become crippled.
Hip dysplasia is considered an inherited disease and only can be diagnosed definitively by x-ray when the dog is two years old, although symptoms often appear earlier. Some experts claim that a special diet might help your puppy outgrow the bad hip, but the usual treatments are surgical. The removal of the pectineus muscle, the removal of the round part of the femur, reconstructing the pelvis and replacing the hip with an artificial one are all surgical interventions that are expensive, but they are usually very successful. Follow the advice of your veterinarian.
BREED STANDARD FOR THE
AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG
The standard of perfection for a specific breed of dog gives detailed information about how the breed should look. The physical conformation of a breed is described by the parent club of that breed and usually includes more than just a cursory explanation of the dog’s general appearance.
Behavioral characteristics are often included in the description. Statements that help to define the breed are important to anyone seeking a representative example of that particular breed. Words like “an impression of strength and agility” help clarify the typical example of a breed. Characteristics such as “suspicious of strangers” and “dedicated to home and family” enhance one’s understanding of just what makes up the total dog of any given breed. The standard of perfection is superbly spelled out for the Australian Cattle Dog.
Once the parent club composes the standard, kennel clubs around the world use that as a guideline by which to judge dogs of that breed. Thus, physical conformation plus personality and behavioral traits all add up to create the blueprint for the breed’s future.
In the case of the Australian Cattle Dog, breeders have been so specific regarding the breed standard that whole pages of descriptions have been written about the breed. It is obvious that the originators of the Australian Cattle Dog wanted to be very clear in their definition in order to avoid future mistakes in identifying the AuCaDo. Thus, with a clearly spelled out description, future breeders would have specific guidelines to follow in producing succeeding generations that were exact replicas of the original dog.
WHERE DOES A STANDARD COME FROM?
Did you know that AKC breed standards are written by each breed’s parent club? Those standards are then used by dog-show judges to determine the dog or dogs that come closest to that criteria in their task of choosing the winners on any particular day. Standard are also used by breeders in creating breeding programs to produce the highest quality puppies that will grow up to become correct representatives of their breed.
For example, in its description of the ears, specific mention is made of the inside of the ear: “…ears should be fairly well furnished with hair.” The reason? In the dirt and dust of the outback, hair on the inside of the dog’s ears helps to keep foreign matter from getting into the ear canal.
In reference to the feet, the standard writers included mention of the nails: “Nails must be short and strong.” It is essential that the dog have short, strong nails to give him traction when herding cattle in the rough terrain of a farm or ranch property. Long delicate toenails would break and cause great suffering to the illequipped dog.
This attention to detail has served the breed well ever since the original standard was written by Robert Kaleski in 1902. The breed standard was first approved by the Australian Cattle Dog Club of America on June 12, 1979. The current standard, which is presented here, was revised and approved on January 11, 1999. Committed to the breed’s ability as well as conformation, the parent club also has a Working-dog standard that describes the purpose, intelligence, trainability, posture, approach, eye, grip and bark of the AuCaDo. This can be viewed on the website (www.acdca.org).
Judges use a “hands-on” approach in examining each dog for correct structure from tail to teeth.
THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB BREED STANDARD FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG
General Appearance: The general appearance is that of a strong, compact, symmetrically built working dog, with the ability and willingness to carry out his allotted task however arduous. Its combination of substance, power, balance and hard muscular condition must convey the impression of great agility, strength and endurance. Any tendency to grossness
