Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog Standards
- 17-20"
- 35-50 lbs
- medium-sized herder
- pricked, triangular ears
- natural bobtail
- double coat is straight, dense, and harsh
- blue speckled
- red speckled
History of the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog
The origin of the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog is a debated one with two main theories. The first is that it was developed from a strain of cattle dogs called Timmon’s Biter, known to have both bobbed and full tails. The second claims it descends from the same stock as the Australian Cattle Dog through the Hall’s Heeler. One or both could be correct as either dog may have been used in the development of the other. It is highly likely the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog and Australian Cattle Dog are interrelated, however they have been breeding along separate lines since before the 1900s.
Irregardless of how it came to be, the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog lost ground to its more popular cousin in the early 1900s. By 1960s only one remaining family was known to breed pure, registered dogs. Faced with extinction the Australian National Kennel Council created a program to save the breed. Known as the Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog Redevelopment Scheme it succeeded in reestablishing the line. Today it is recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, however numbers remain low and it is still seen almost exclusively as a working dog.
Related Breeds: