Australian Boyero: a breed born as a result of need

Shepherd dogs did not arise alone in Europe. In fact, In Australia there are several races, among which is the Australian boyero, born fruit of need. Now it has become a company dog, which is not suitable for all owners.

Size: 43 to 51 cm
Weight: between 17 and 23 kilos
Hair type: Short, smooth and very thick
Character: shy, faithful and very active
Health: prone to several hereditary diseases
Life expectancy: 12 to 14 years

Origins of the Australian Boyero

Unlike very old breeds, whose origin is not documented and are the result of random crossings, in the case of the Australian Boyero we can follow its creation process very well.

It all starts at the beginning of the 19th century, when many European settlers arrive and need dogs that work with wild cattle in very hard conditions. They had taken their pets with them, but the heat ended up killing them all.

Already in 1840 such a hall came up with a good idea to cross collies with dingos, the wild dogs in the area. The result was regular, but to that crossing more were added races like the Dalmatian or the Bull Terrier.

A hard dog was obtained, which Thanks to the Blood of Dyngo, he did not fear any kind of cattleOr, in addition to enduring the extreme heat of Australia without problems, although over time it has been losing popularity.

Today a lot is used in sports with dogs And they continue to see, working with cattle in the most inhospitable areas of the Australian continent, something that endures few dogs.

Characteristics of the Australian Boyero

They are medium dogs with a maximum of 51 cm to the cross in the case of males, which can reach 50 kilos.

This weight is not due to the fact that the Australian Boyero is a very strong and muscular dog. In fact, despite these kilos they are very agile and have great resistance.

The hair is very soft and has a double layer, being the exterior of hard hair that protects it from environmental aggressions, while the internal mantle is very dense and short fur.

It can have several colors such as blue or mottled red, in both cases with spots all over the body. If the color is blue, the spots will be blue, black or fire, while it is the dog with the red mantle usually has red spots distributed throughout the body and head.

The colors are used to call these dogs as Red Heeler and Blue Heeler, being the first red and the second blue, without accepting more colors.

Australian Boyero character

As a good shepherd dog, the Australian boyero is loyal, never tires, is very intelligent and waits a lot of energy.

He is a single master dog, so he will choose his in the family and will follow him everywhere, leaving others a little to sections.

Although it is not a guard dog, it is accustomed to protecting cattle from attacks, so that it keeps its territory and if you feel threatened, a fierce and aggressive dog that does not hesitate to use your teeth will be shown.

These qualities are at the same time what an incredible animal does and prevents many owners from having it, especially those who have no experience or that are short of time.

They need an owner with energy, who can exercise with him daily and that he is able to stimulate his mind with games, training or canine sports of all kinds.

Education of the Australian Boyero

His education must begin with socialization when he is a puppy. We should take it with us everywhere, because it has to see people, deal with dogs, other pets such as cats, expose themselves to traffic noises, etc.

This guarantees that as an adult will not have fears and phobias that make us difficult to coexist with him, since they tend to distrust strangers.

As for his training, it can be said that he has two very different slopes, such as sports and the one to be destined for daily coexistence, the one we call obedience.

Being a work dog, training it to perform sports will be very simple, because it is very smart and is always willing to pay attention to its owner, so he will love what we teach him in this aspect.

Another thing is obedience, since it does not have too much self -control. His energy prevents him from staying still for a long time, so we will have to resort to positive reinforcement techniques and have patience, seeking to help a professional if necessary.

You have never to punish it, since that will make them unstable, just as you don't have to stop offering stimuli, because your character will change to the worse. In fact, it is not uncommon to see abandoned Australian Boyeros because his family does not know how to treat them.

Australian Boyero Health

Even if you come from a cross with a Dyngo and be a working dog, which usually have an iron health, in this case it is not so and There are a few hereditary diseases to which it is prone, perhaps to too many

Hip dysplasia is one of them, although this may have to do with its size, but it is also predisposed to others such as deafness, which comes from the dalmatics.

In addition, it can suffer from cataracts, dislocation of intraocular lenses and atrophy of the retina, which means that if we have one it is best to speak with the veterinarian in order to check your eyes very often, several times a year.

It also comes to experience obsessive-compulsive disorders, although the truth is that this more than a disease is a problem that can appear if it is not treated in the way this dog requires.

As we see, With this breed we will have to go to the veterinarian as a prevention, something that must be taken into account, since this means that you have to devote time and money to these visits.

Australian Boyero Care

The hair is very simple to take care of, since it is enough to brush it once a week and can eat everything, although It is best to give you a good quality feed, of the premium with natural ingredients.

Another thing is the issue of walks, since it will need to exercise a lot, which will be very complicated in a city, because it has to leave at least three times a day and run free, which is not always possible in an urban environment.

It is a country dog, where you can go loose, while we can go out with him to exercise such as running, swimming, riding a bike or even seeing some sheep in order to remember their origins.

Of course, the one who is a “town” dog does not mean that the day can be spent only in a garden, because here it will suffer a lot and in the end the dreaded behavior problems will appear.

In fact, If you are going to spend many hours alone, it is best to look for another dog to be together, because it does not feel very good alone or doing sports without its owner or other dogs around.

Adopt an Australian boyero

Adopting an Australian boyero in Spain is almost impossible. In fact, within our borders the breeders have the fingers of the hand, since it is a very unknown dog in our country and there are hardly any specimens down the street.

The same happens in the rest of Europe, so that if we want one we have the option to buy it, being lucky that we know that the few breeders that exist are passionate about the race, because it is not an animal with which they will earn money.

If we decide to buy, we must take into account what we have talked about about their character, the need for attention and exercise, reviewing what our life is daily in a sincere way and thinking about what this Australian boyero is going to ask us.

In the event that we cannot have it, It is always possible to adopt another pastor dog That does not have that complicated character and that does not require us so much.

Other dog breeds that may interest you

References:

Federation Cynologique Internacionale: FCI - Standard Nr. 287

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