Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog

The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog is a well-proportioned working dog with a square profile, rugged appearance, and muscular build.

Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dogs are double-coated with short, dense, soft undercoats and short, straight, dense outer coats with a harsh texture. The coat is longer and thicker around their necks, forming a mild ruff, and shorter on their head, legs, and feet.

The breed comes in two colors: blue and red speckle. Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dogs with blue coloring should be blue or blue mottled. There may be black markings on their heads or bodies.

Red speckled dogs should have an even red speckle all over their bodies, including the undercoat (which should not be white or cream), with or without dark red markings on their heads. Some have red patches on the body.

Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dogs have broad chests with well-sprung ribs, deep, muscular loins, and muscular hindquarters. The breed also has oval-shaped, medium-sized eyes with an intelligent but suspicious expression. Their moderately small ears are pricked and almost pointed. And per the breed standard, their undocked tails should not exceed four inches in length.

It's a mistake to assume the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dogs is just an Australian Cattle Dog with a docked tail. This naturally bob-tailed breed has its own story and characteristics.

The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog was the first breed developed in Australia. The first dogs were a mix of Smithfield, an English herding dog, and an indigenous Australian Dingo. The breed—either referred to as Hall's Heelers or Timmins Biters, depending on who is given credit for developing it—was hailed as a valuable working dog with incredible stamina. Ranchers felt the dogs were too severe with the stock, so another breed was added to soften their temperaments. Crossing the dogs with a smooth-haired blue merle Collie led to the creation of the current Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog.

In the 1890s, both long-and stumpy-tailed varieties appeared in local shows in equal numbers. But over time, the number of Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dogs declined. A single breeder remained in the 1960s, and two decades later, the breed was near extinction. The Australian National Kennel Council launched a redevelopment effort to restore their numbers and successfully reinvigorated the breed.