Buying an Australian stumpy tail cattle dog? Learn more about how to care for this breed of cattle dog…
The Australian stumpy tail cattle dog is also known as the tail Heeler or the stumpy. It finds its origin in Australia and is classified as a medium-sized breed.
It was actually developed in Australia and is considered a bobtailed breed. The practical purpose for this dog was to herd the cattle and it is a descendant of crossbreeding between European herding dogs and the Australian dingo breed.
Appearance of the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog
When it comes to appearance the Australian stumpy tail cattle dog has a very normally proportioned body. It looks like a ruffian and has pointed ears which stand up along with long legs.
A feature which is distinctive for this dog is the lack of a tail; hence the name stumpy tail cattle dog. In the instance that a tail is present it is never docked and is a maximum of 4 inches in length.
Fur Coat of the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog
It has a very short and straight coat of fur which is dense and very rough looking. Interestingly the coat of the stumpy tailed cattle dog from Australia has specks of red or blue on top of it giving it a distinct look.
The stumpy tail cattle dog from Australia grows from 18 to 20 inches at the withers, with the female slightly smaller than the male.
Crossbreeding for the Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog in Australia
When you check the crossbreeding records of different canines then there are very few working dogs from the early 20th century. This was the main reason why the stumpy tail cattle dog was bred and developed.
There are many claiming to have originally developer of this breed of dogs. Still unconfirmed reports suggest different breeders. One tale credits a drover from New South Wales called Timmins for the crossbreeding of the dingo with the European Smithfield dogs.
This resulted in the creation of a unique dog for work purposes, which was named Timmin’s Biter. The dingo is a very aggressive breed of dogs. To reduce this characteristic and make them more docile in terms of handling, further crossbreeding ventures were conducted involving the smooth Scottish collies. This actually is the reason for the present day specks of red and blue on the coat of the dogs, along with the lack of a tail.
National and International Recognition of The Breed
There is actually a unique official recognition of the native Australian cattle dog called stumpy tail. The National Australian Kennel Council and the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog Club of New South Wales both recognize and classify it in the Working Dogs Group. Furthermore, the New Zealand Kennel Club and the American United Kennel Club classify this dog in the Herding Group. It is also accepted provisionally by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. They have classified it as breed number 351 under the group one of section 2, which pertains to cattle dogs.
