Australian Cattle Dog
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At the dawn of the XIX century Australian cattlemen began to develop new vast pastures to the West of the Sydney area. Soon they had to face the problem of handling domestic animals in these incredibly prosperous but still difficult terrains. Moreover in such conditions formerly well-behaved cattle went almost feral and hardly controllable. Foreign herding canine varieties that helped ranchers previously coped poorly with necessity of operating effectively for hours on end in torrid Australian climate and barely passable terrain. It became rather evident for early Australian cattle-breeders that they required a tough and clever dog that would be able to handle wayward cattle without injuring or frightening it.
A stock-breeder named Timmins was the first who tried to implement this ambitious goal. In the 30s of the XIX century he mated a local Dingo with the Smithfield and received red dogs with diminutive tails. Despite the fact that this initial hybrid (so-called «Timmon’s Biter») remained silent while working with animals, it managed them by brutally snapping instead of mildly nipping at their heels.
Nearly ten years later Thomas Hall, an Australian landowner, performed another, more successful breeding experiment of crossing the Dingo with the Scottish Blue-Merle Smooth Collie. The resulting dog became known as a Hall’s Helleres and deserved the reputation of an efficient and quiet cattle drover. Hereafter it was crossbred with the Timmon’s Biter, Black-and-Tan Kelpie Sheepdog and Dalmatian. By 1893 the Australian Cattle Dog acquired in its hallmark red or blue speckled colouration as well as its spectacular talents in ruling the wilful cattle.