Texas Heeler

The Texas Heeler is a hybrid dog. He is a fairly common hybrid, but there is not a wealth of information about his exact origins. We do know that he was likely first developed in Texas in the middle of the twentieth century. Lucy Guynes registered the very first Texas Heeler in 1970 to the Dog Registry of America. (The Heeler has also become recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club in recent years.) Because there is so little information about the exact origins of the Texas Heeler, we might look at the history of his parent breeds in order to understand the hybrid breed a little better. The Australian Cattle Dog was developed during the nineteenth century by Australian settlers for the purpose of herding cattle on ranches. Dogs that had been imported from England had not proven to be hardy enough to keep up with the difficult endeavor of the ranch life Australia presented. Ranchers then began breeding these English dogs with the native Dingo of Australia. Because most of these dogs ended up with a distinctive blue-colored coat, the nickname "Blue Heeler" stuck. In 1893, Robert Kaleski began breeding Blue Heelers. In 1897, he began showing the breed. Although there is no information about how the Blue Heeler made its way to America, we do know that the first Australian Cattle Dog was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1980. The Australian Shepherd does not originate in Australia; he is an American dog through and through. He was bred to herd cattle on western ranches. There are no definite breeds documented that were used to develop the Australian Shepherd. Most experts believe that the Australian Shepherd was the result of many Australian-born collie and shepherding dogs imported to the United States. The Australian Shepherd was most popular right after World War II when the Western movie craze was at its height. He was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1993.