Texas Heeler

The Texas Heeler is a herding dog that loves to work. These pups are a cross between the Australian Cattle Dog and the Australian Shepherd, two prominent herding type dogs. Their herding instinct combined with their extremely high intelligence makes the Texas Heeler one of the best dogs for farm-related work. Even if these dogs are not brought up on a farm, you will notice their herding instinct displayed in the form of nipping at the heels of children and chasing after small animals. These actions are all attempts to “herd”, and these are traits that most people would want to train out of them.

This mixed dog breed was first intentionally bred in the 1970s. It is believed that their location of origin was Texas, and this is where their name comes from. The majority of these dogs can still be found in Texas. These medium-sized dogs, typically weighing between 25-50 pounds, are still used for farm-related work but are also often kept as house pets and even service dogs. They have a family-oriented personality and love being with their people.

Being outdoors is the Texas Heeler’s favorite place to be, and these dogs will do best in a setting where they can go outside when they please. Keeping one of these pups at home without an outdoor area readily accessible to them is certainly a big responsibility. The Texas Heeler is packed with energy and will need vigorous exercise daily. Taking them to an off-leash hiking trail or dog park is a great way to let them burn off their excess energy. Keeping them at home without exercising them is not an option for these doggos, as this would certainly result in some destruction in the house!

The Texas Heeler is a very trainable dog. They love learning new tricks and being stimulated mentally. They also have a desire to please their people, so if you are teaching them something new they are always excited to listen and learn. While the Texas Heeler loves to work and be active, they also adore being at home in the company of their family. They will even become slightly protective over their family and will alert them whenever someone is at the front door. They also have an affectionate side to them and will enjoy relaxing on the couch with you while you watch a movie. You can expect them to behave calmly in the house as long as they receive their fix of daily exercise!

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