(Blue): The color should be blue, blue-mottled or blue speckled with or without other markings. The permissible markings are black, blue or tan markings on the head, evenly distributed for preference. The forelegs tan midway up the legs and extending up the front to breast and throat, with tan on jaws; the hindquarters tan on inside of hindlegs, and inside of thighs, showing down the front of the stifles and broadening out to the outside of the hindlegs from hock to toes. Tan undercoat is permissible on the body providing it does not show through the blue outer coat. Black markings on the body are not desirable.
A close-up of the Cattle Dog’s smooth double coat. The short, dense outer coat is made up of straight, hard, flat-lying hairs.
Color (Red Speckle): The color should be of good even red speckle all over, including the undercoat (neither white nor cream), with or without darker red markings on the head. Even head markings are desirable. Red markings on the body are permissible but not desirable.
Size: Height: Dogs 46–51 cms (approx. 18–20 ins) at withers. Bitches 43–48 cms (approx. 17–19 ins) at withers.
Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
Approved: January 11, 1999
Effective: February 24, 1999
Ch. Gravans Snow Spryte, owned by Carol Anne Kriesel and bred by Sissi Vance, is a daughter of Aust., Am., Mex., Guat., Belize, Int. Ch. Kombinalong Super Impact.
YOUR PUPPY
AUSTRALIAN DOG
SELECTING AND PREPARING FOR YOUR PUPPY
Here comes an important event in your life! You’re about to find the Australian Cattle Dog that’s perfect for you and your lifestyle. Keep in mind that your selection should be based on the homework you’ve done prior to this time. In other words, you’ve researched the breed by reading as much as you can on the subject, talking to AuCaDo breeders and getting their advice regarding whether or not the AuCaDo is the right breed of dog for you and, finally, talking to other Australian Cattle Dog owners and heeding their comments on the breed. The parent club for the breed, the Australian Cattle Dog Club of America (www.acdca.org) is a good source of information and can point you to regional clubs and member breeders in your part of the country. Additionally, it would be wise to talk to your local veterinarian and get his opinion on the general health of the breed, as well as inquire about his experience with the breed and any problems he might have seen.
Your carefully considered choice of the Australian Cattle Dog can result in many years of canine companionship beyond compare.
YOUR SCHEDULE ...
If you lead an erratic, unpredictable life, with daily or weekly changes in your work requirements, consider the problems of owning a puppy. The new puppy has to be fed regularly, social ized (loved, petted, handled, introduced to other people) and, most importantly, allowed to go outdoors for house-training. As the dog gets older, he can be more tolerant of deviations in his feeding and relief schedule.
Let’s assume that all of your investigations have proven fruitful. You feel sure that there’s an AuCaDo puppy out there, waiting just for you, so now all you need is to find this perfect pup. Get back in touch with the breeders with whom you spoke originally and find out who has a litter of puppies. If there are none available at this time, ask questions about who’s going to be breeding in the near future and when the proposed puppies will be ready to go to new homes. That, then, will become your target date and you’ll use the present time to prepare yourself, your family and your home for receiving an AuCaDo puppy.
Getting a new puppy is, in many ways, a lot like having a baby. There are many things you must consider, dozens of things you must do to get ready and many arrangements that must be made for the optimum upbringing of this youngster. Let’s begin by preparing yourself and your family for the new addition.
Have you thought about the fact that you’ll probably have to get up earlier than usual for a while? You’ll be taking the puppy out for toilet training very frequently at first. As the pup grows, he will slowly develop bladder muscle control, so the frequency and urgency of going out will subside.
Is your family willing and able to assist in the housebreaking chore? Do all of the members realize how observant they will need to be in keeping a watchful eye on the new little fellow? Are they willing to take care of scheduled feeding times? Is everyone in agreement about crate-training the puppy?
You will need to have some serious discussions about what you will and will not accept in the way of the puppy’s behavior. For example, is the puppy going to be allowed on beds and furniture? How much freedom is the puppy going to be given once he’s mature? Some families allow their dogs total freedom throughout the home, while others limit dogs to certain rooms in the house, such as the kitchen and family room. All of these things must be decided before you bring the puppy into your home.
PEDIGREE VS. REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE
Too often new owners are confused between these two important documents. Your puppy’s pedigree, essentially a family tree, is a written record of a dog’s genealogy of three generations or more. The pedigree will show you the names as well as performance titles of all dogs in your pup’s background. Your breeder must provide you with a registration application, with his part properly filled out. You must complete the application and send it to the AKC with the proper fee. Every puppy must come from a litter that has been AKC-REGISTERED by the breeder, born in the US and from a sire and dam that are also registered with the AKC.
The seller must provide you with complete records to identify the puppy. The AKC requires that the seller provide the buyer with the following: breed; sex, color and markings; date of birth; litter number (when available); names and registration numbers of the parents; breeder’s name; and date sold or delivered.
Are the children going to share in exercising the pup? If you have very small children, are you prepared to supervise the kids as well as the dog? Are you aware of how important it is that children and dogs should never be left alone at anytime without adult supervision? Mistakes can happen and dogs don’t always understand the behavior of little ones, so protect your children and your puppy by always being there when they are together.
Quality pups begin with a quality breeding program. Here is Aust. Ch. Meroolestate Kristie with her two-week-old pups. Owned by Narelle Robertson.
“YOU
