Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

A friend of mine has a black lab, who's going to have half blue heeler pups, and was offering me one...I was hoping to get some advice such as knowledge/guesses as to what it's general personality would probably be like, so I can decide whether to adopt one of them...I know some mixes such as crosses of breeds with conflicing personalities can be much harder to train...Do you think lab/heeler mix would have good temperment? Also I was wondering if you think it could be trained to be around poultry animals without attacking them?

Thank you for any information...

Australian Cattle dogs are extrememly intelligent dogs as are the Labs. They both are highly trainable. As for the temperment the Cattle Dogs can be a bit indifferent with people they don't know but loyal to family members and of course you already know the great temperment the Labs have. With a firm hand, proper socialization and plenty of excercise they may make a good mix though I really don't know a whole lot about the Austrlian Cattle Dogs or know anyone that has ever had one.
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Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
PHMax
HMax@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">Email PHMax

as for getting along with poultry, if the dog is raised around the birds and trained how to behave properly around them then you shouldn't have a problem, I have a terrier/lab/cocker mix thats fine around my ducks, cockatiel and budgies.
my concern though would be the amount of energy, and also ACDs are herding dogs and might try to herd things that dont need herding(you/your friends) these might end up being dogs that NEED a job.
keep us posted, and I'm sure we'd all enjoy seeing pics of them.

>>Hi,
>>
>>A friend of mine has a black lab, who's going to have half blue heeler pups, and was offering me one...I was hoping to get some advice such as knowledge/guesses as to what it's general personality would probably be like, so I can decide whether to adopt one of them...I know some mixes such as crosses of breeds with conflicing personalities can be much harder to train...Do you think lab/heeler mix would have good temperment? Also I was wondering if you think it could be trained to be around poultry animals without attacking them?
>>
>>Thank you for any information...

>>>>>>>>

It's a crap shoot what the temperament of these dogs would be like, but they could be unmanageable by anyone other than a skilled dog trainer. I would pass on a pup if your dog is going to be around kids. I've seen a lot of cattle dog mixes fail in that situation, and the Lab genetics is likely to hype the dog up even more. These pups will be a handful. If one of them is not, better check for hip dysplasia, because likely it will be in too much pain to do what it would otherwise do.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Hi,

A friend of mine has a black lab, who's going to have half blue heeler pups, and was offering me one...I was hoping to get some advice such as knowledge/guesses as to what it's general personality would probably be like, so I can decide whether to adopt one of them...I know some mixes such as crosses of breeds with conflicing personalities can be much harder to train...Do you think lab/heeler mix would have good temperment? Also I was wondering if you think it could be trained to be around poultry animals without attacking them?

Thank you for any information...

the best person you could talk to about the temperment of the puppy would be the friend that is offering it to you. they should know the temperment of the female and hopefully the temp of the male. i have known many heelers and all of them are incredibly smart and great with training. there may be a conflict with the energy of a lab combined with the drive of a heeler. with consitent training and patience there shouldn't be much of a problem. if you are inexperinced with training then you may not want to introduce a dog to your poultry. herding breeds have a strong prey drive and will make attempts to herd anything that moves. this puppy is most likely going to need a job and lots of guidance.