What is the disposition of a German shepherd and blue heeler mix?

Answer 1

Heelers are bred to herd wild cattle and they do that by "heeling" or "heading" which means they nip at the face or the heels of the cow to get it to go in the direction they want. They tend to be thick bodied and shorter than your average dog. They also tend to be very tough -- they'll hurt themselves and not fuss or yelp about it which means, if you've got them outdoors a lot, you have to check them out periodically to make sure they're okay. They are also sometimes called "velcro" dogs because they want to be with you all the time; this can mean they're not always okay with visitors (unless you make sure to socialize them) and they may invade your personal space (rather than lying in other room or being okay out in the backyard alone). They really want to please but they are very busy so they need lots of exercise and a "job" (this can be herding cattle or regular walks and/or learning to do lots of tricks/an agility course.) They have a strong bite and can be a bit snappy. They also will herd no matter what so it's important to train them otherwise your back yard BBQ will end up herded into a corner without anyone realizing!

German Shepherds are also very smart (used for police dogs and all kinds of other stuff that requires intelligence and skill). They can be talkative and stubborn but they aim to please. They're also high energy, but not quite on par with a heeler. They're bigger than a heeler, and I'm sure you've seen them.

I have a ACD/German Shepherd mix and she's very busy like a Heeler, a little talkative (she whines/fusses) which is like a German Shepherd, and is very smart like both (knows the names of all her toys, opens doors, will "go find" my other dog if I ask her to, never falls for the drop-the-ball-behind-your-back trick etc.). She's a pretty good mix of the two visually -- a bit too tall for a heeler, too short for a shepherd and she's got big paws like a shepherd with the speckled markings of a heeler. I would say the combined tempermant is super intelligent, eagar to please, and very busy (like a heeler) and I can't imagine that trait wouldn't come out in a heeler-anything mix. I'm not sure if it's just her or if it's the tempermant, but she is always very happy in the mornings -- if the family doesn't get up by the desired time she will tackled/cuddle/lick everyone in the household until we all are up and/or bring toys to us that she wants to play with.

I hope this helps - obviously your heeler/shepherd might vary from this - but I imagine that a lot of those traits will be similar. Heeler-anythings are a handful -- but are wonderful and if you love dogs, have the time train them properly and spend time with them I would recommend it. My little lady is a busy gal, but she's a delight.