Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Cattle Dogs were assembled in nineteenth-century New South Wales by drovers who needed something tough enough to move half-wild cattle across hundreds of miles, and the…
About the Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Cattle Dogs were assembled in nineteenth-century New South Wales by drovers who needed something tough enough to move half-wild cattle across hundreds of miles, and the recipe famously included the dingo. The result heels low, bites hard and does not stop, and the breed still works stations today.
Dogs stand 46 to 51 cm and are compactly built, in blue or blue mottled with or without markings, or in red speckle. Puppies arrive white and colour up over the following weeks, a quirk of the ticking gene. This is not a soft breed: it is possessive, reactive around traffic and inclined to herd children, so a stud with a level, sociable disposition is worth going a long way for.
Congenital deafness is linked to the colouring, so a BAER hearing test is the first thing to raise. Add a current eye certificate and the prcd-PRA DNA result, both established in the breed, along with hip scores. Ask which other DNA tests the breed club currently recommends, and ask about the dog's joints and back, because a working cattle dog takes a physical battering that shows up later.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Australian Cattle Dog
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — prcd-PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
| Hearing test — BAER (RKC BAER Scheme) | Screening scheme | RKC | Per ear: hearing or deaf, as certified. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 9 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 46 dogs scored — indicative only, from a small sample). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Australian Cattle Dog stud dogs
No Australian Cattle Dog studs are listed right now
When an Australian Cattle Dog on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Australian Cattle Dog litters
No Australian Cattle Dog litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
