The Blue Heeler is a little different from a lot of dogs. They originate from Australia and have a very colorful breed background. Blue Heelers are from the working class of the dog world, herding most specifically, and might require a little bit of extra attention on your part. Here are some tips that could help you learn to care for your Blue Heeler.
One very important thing about this breed to remember is that they are extremely active. Because they are bred specifically for herding, they are very energetic and sometimes overly hyper. Properly caring for a Blue Heeler would include providing it with a large area to run around and play in. It is not a great idea to get one of these dogs as an apartment pet. If you do, you will need to take it on many walks a day to help spend some of that pent-up energy.
The proper grooming of a Blue Heeler is essential when learning how to properly care for one. These dogs have a coarse, medium length coat and will usually not require any shaving and they only shed about once or twice a year. However it would be a great idea to once or twice monthly go ahead and groom your Blue Heeler by giving it a bath and a brushing, either at home or by taking it to a professional. After that, it is a good idea to let the professionals handle ear cleaning, nail clipping, and other more difficult things.
When caring for a Blue Heeler, it is important they get a lot of social interaction. With some extra care and attention, they will obey and love their owners with quite a bit of devotion. They will usually attach themselves to one person specifically but will be friendly to others in the family as well. However without the proper amount of socialization, these dogs can be depressed and sometimes destructive.
Although Blue Heelers do not need much coat maintenance in the summer because they are a relatively short haired breed, they will need some extra shelter during the winter time. Luckily there are a lot of options to help you care for your Blue Heeler, if you think the cold weather issue pertains to you. You can go all out and let your dog stay inside with you, let it sleep in the garage, or even just provide it with a dog house. This is just so they don’t get too cold. If the temperature drops too low and they don’t have extra shelter, the dog can get sick or even worse!
Always remember the basics for caring for a dog, which are, providing it with nutritionally complete dog food, and fresh water daily. Also remember to take your dog to the vet regularly and at any sign of illness. I hope this article has been informative and has provided you with some guidance on properly caring for your Blue Heeler.