Australian short-tailed herding [1] , or Australian short-tailed healer [2] , or stumpy [2] ( English australian stumpy tail cattle dog ), is the first and oldest national breed of herding dogs , bred in Australia for grazing and cattle driving . Until 1927, together with the Australian healer were considered one breed. Very popular in the countryside [2] .
Australian Short-tailed Cattle Dog | |||||
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Other name | australian short tail healer, stumpy | ||||
Origin | |||||
A place | Australia | ||||
Time | about 1830 | ||||
Specifications | |||||
Growth |
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Weight |
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Wool | double, moderately short, straight, medium hardness | ||||
Color | red mottled, blue mottled | ||||
Other | |||||
Using | shepherd's dog | ||||
ICF classification | |||||
Group | 1. Shepherd's and cattle dogs, except Swiss cattle dogs | ||||
Section | 2. Cattle dogs (except Swiss cattle dogs) | ||||
room | 351 | ||||
Year | 2005 | ||||
Content
Breed history
The breed began to be created around 1830 by the Australian cattle driver Timmens from New South Wales , when it became necessary to have livestock dogs with the necessary working qualities to avoid the death of a large number of livestock from the pasture to the Sydney market [2] .
Too heavy, shaggy and not hardy enough English Smithfields [# 1] , brought by the first colonizers, could not stand the hot climate and could not manage the non-domesticated cattle in rugged terrain. Then Timmens crossed them with dingos , which had excellent physical characteristics and, in addition, were adapted to the hot climate [2] .
As a result, dogs of red color were obtained, which from a distance it was difficult to distinguish from a dingo, and for strong jaws and stubbornness they received the nickname “Timmens pliers”. Being great workers, they had a significant drawback - being left unattended, they attacked cows and sheep. To correct the situation, the addition of a smooth-haired marble collies helped, which made the dogs less aggressive towards the herd and changed their color. The result of this breeding was excellent universal dogs - the ancestors of the current Australian short tail-tailed healers [2] .
According to another version, Northumberland blue marble cattle dogs imported from Scotland took part in the creation of this breed, however, given the differences in temperament and behavior of both breeds, breeders tend more toward the first version [2] .
By the mid-1900s, when only one family from the state of Queensland was engaged in breeding short-tailed heelers, the situation was dangerous for the breed and threatened with extinction, as the Australian Dog Training Organization (ANKC) recognized only breeds approved by the English Kennel Club [2] .
In 1988, according to the ANKC program for the preservation of the first national breed, owners of dogs that were phenotypically similar to the Australian short-tailed healer were invited to pass the assessment , and a standard was formulated [2] .
In 1996, the breed was registered by the American United Kennel Club (UKC), and in 2005 it was recognized by the International Cynological Federation on a preliminary basis and assigned to the herding and cattle dogs group, the cattle section of dogs [3] [4] .
In December 2006, about 4 thousand representatives of the breed were registered in the register of the national canine organization [2] .
Appearance
A proportionally folded, compact dog of almost square format [5] .
The head is wedge-shaped, well filled under the eyes. The transition from the forehead to the face smooth, but pronounced. The nose is black, regardless of the color of the dog. Pointy ears, set high. The eyes are oval in shape, of moderate size, dark brown in color, with a lively, intelligent, watchful expression [3] [5] .
The neck is of medium length, dry and powerful. The back is straight, wide and strong. The chest is deep and moderately wide, the ribs are well defined. The tail has a natural length of not more than 10 cm and a position not much higher than the level of the back. Limbs powerful, muscular. Paws are round, with tightly compressed arched toes and tight pads; strong short claws of dark color [3] [5] .
Wool double, guard hair moderately short, straight, medium hard. The undercoat is short, dense and soft. A soft collar forms around the neck of longer hair. Hair on the head, limbs and paws is short. Color - blue speckled and red speckled. A blue dog may or may not have black specks on the head and torso, but the undercoat and wool should never be red anywhere, just as red dogs may have red dots on the head and body, but there must not be a blue undercoat and blue wool fragments [3] [5] .
The height at the withers of males is from 46 to 51 cm, the bough is from 43 to 48 cm [5] . Dogs weigh 18-23 kg, bitches 16-20 kg [1] .
Temperament
Australian short-tailed shepherd dogs are highly efficient, reliable, energetic, amazingly resilient, fearless and independent, but at the same time obedient and loyal. Dingo blood makes them mistrustful and freedom loving, they recognize only one owner [2] [6] .
The working style of these dogs is quite specific and differs from the manner of most shepherd dogs: they do not bark and, unable to control the herd with the help of voice, direct the movement of animals, biting them for limbs, while immediately falling to the ground to avoid hitting with hoofs. Such an ability to “bite the heels” is reflected in the name of the breed ( healer translated from English. - “pyatnik”) [2] .
Rarely, but you can meet stumpy at exhibitions or at competitions in obedience , agility and dog frisbee [2] .
Health, maintenance and care
Representatives of this breed generally have good health, but there have been cases of hereditary deafness, back problems and eye diseases, in particular, pannus (superficial keratitis ) - epithelial growth over the cornea, which produces a grayish haze, which can lead to a deterioration in the dog's vision [ 2] [7] .
The domestication of the Australian healer puppies should be started from an early age, although with all the efforts of the owners, some individuals remain poorly socialized, which is why breeders of the stumpy rarely give puppies to amateurs. These dogs need physical exertion, work and space, therefore, deprived of all this, they demonstrate destructive behavior. In addition, they, like the dingo, do not bark, but howl at night, which excludes the possibility of their maintenance in urban environments. Caring for a coat that has an “all-weather” structure is reduced to combing and washing as needed [2] .
Comments
- Smithfield is an English breed of short-tailed dogs. Very appreciated for the skill in grazing from chickens to cattle. The name was given to the London meat market of the same name [2] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Crookover V. Dogs. The most complete encyclopedia . - M .: Eksmo, 2013. - p. 242. - 464 p. - ISBN 978-5-699-59539-6 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Poletaeva I. Australian short-tailed herding dog // Friend: journal. - 2015. - № 5 . Archived November 13, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog. Official UKC Breed Standard (English) . United Kennel Club. The appeal date is November 13, 2017. Archived on February 8, 2018.
- ↑ FCI breeds nomenclature. AUSTRALIAN STUMPY TAIL CATTLE DOG (351) (English) . Federation Cynologique Internationale. The date of circulation is November 13, 2017. Archived July 23, 2017.
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 AUSTRALIAN STUMPY TAIL CATTLE DOG. FCI-Standard № 351 (English) . Federation Cynologique Internationale. The date of circulation is November 13, 2017. Archived July 6, 2017.
- ↑ Encyclopedia of dog breeds . - SPb. : SZKEO "Crystal", 2006. Archived November 14, 2017.
- ↑ Padgett. Control of hereditary diseases in dogs / Ed. M. R. Pogosbekova. - M .: Sofion, 2006. - p. 198. - 280 p. - 3000 copies - ISBN 5-9668-0013-8 .