Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog
Other namesStumpy Tail Cattle Dog
Common nicknamesStumpy
OriginAustralia
Traits
Height 46–51 cm (18–20 in)
Coat short
Color red speckled or blue speckled
Life span 13-15 years
Kennel club standards
ANKC standard
Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Dog (domestic dog)

The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, commonly known as the Stumpy, is a naturally bobtailed or tailless, medium-sized cattle dog closely related to the Australian Cattle Dog. The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog and the Australian Cattle Dog share Halls Heeler origin. The ancestors of both breeds arrived in Australia with the First Fleet and/or later convict fleets.[1]

History

The first domestic dogs to arrive in Australia came with the First Fleet in 1788 and later convict fleets. (Note: the Australian Dingo is not classified as a domestic dog.) A thriving stray dog population soon grew.[2] Some of the strays, those with stock work potential, apparently found home with the free settler, George Hall. Thomas Hall, a son of George, developed them into working dogs of excellence. Robert Kaleski, who wrote the first standard for the Cattle Dog breed, called Hall's dogs Halls Heelers.[3]

The Halls Heelers were later developed into the two modern breeds, Australian Cattle Dog and Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog. Kaleski also suggested that Thomas Hall imported dogs from England.[4] However, this assumes correspondence between the Halls and contacts in England (none exists) and sailing time between Sydney and London, at the relevant time, was three months or more. Arrangements for dog import would have taken years to accomplish.

The Sydney-based Kaleski described long-tailed (normal length tail), only, cattle dogs in his breed standard, published in 1902.[5] If Kaleksi and his dog-breeding associates bred the occasional short-tailed pup they may have culled it (correctly) as defective. The short, or absent, tail is an inherited defect.[6][7] In Queensland, however, the two types (long- and short-tailed) were originally exhibited as two varieties of the one Cattle Dog breed.[8] but by the 1950s, separate classes – Cattle Dog (long-tail) and Cattle Dog (short-tail) – were more usual.

During the 1950s administrative decisions taken by the Canine Control Council (Queensland), and consequent legal proceedings, threatened the future of the Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog as an exhibited breed. Iris Heale (1919–2006), Glen Iris kennels, became the only registered Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog breeder. She exercised her monopoly by refusing to sell registered animals.[9] During the 1980 some members of the Australian working dog fancy realised Heale’s death would also be the death of the Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog as an exhibited breed. In 1988 the Australian National Kennel Council introduced a "Development Breeding Programme" to perpetuate the breed.[10] The success of the scheme, to which Iris Heale gave active support, is evident in the growing popularity of the breed.

As an accident of its history, Iris Heale’s thirty-year monopoly of the breed, the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog developed independently of the Wooleston and Tallawong influences of the 1950s and 1960s that reshaped the Australian Cattle Dog. The Stumpy has remained more faithful to the lean, leggy dog of Kaleski’s day than has the Australian Cattle Dog.

Breed recognition

The Stumpy was first recognised as a breed, in its own right, in 1963 when the Australian National Kennel Council issued a breed standard for the Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog. The name was changed to Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog in 2002 and in 2003 the breed was accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. The breed has also gained acceptance by the American Kennel Club, the United Kennel Club, the Canadian Kennel Club and Dogs New Zealand.

Appearance

The ANKC standard (2009) asks for "a well proportioned working dog, rather square in profile with a hard-bitten, rugged appearance, and sufficient substance to convey the impression of the ability to endure long periods of arduous work under whatsoever conditions may prevail. The outer coat is moderately short, straight, dense and of medium harsh texture. The undercoat is short, dense and soft. The coat around the neck is longer, forming mild ruff. The hair on the head, legs and feet, is short. Tan markings are not permissible." (Cf. Australian Cattle Dog.)

Temperament

The ideal temperament of the Stumpy is described in the breed standard as alert and watchful, as well as responsive to its owner and reserved around strangers, but also notes that "it must be amenable to handling" at shows. All working dogs need early socialisation with people, and consistent training and activity throughout their lives.

Activities

Stumpies may compete in dog agility trials, obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, frisbee and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Stumpies exhibiting basic herding instincts and can be trained to compete in herding trials.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Clark, Noreen R. (2022). A Dog for the Job. Canberrra, ACT. Inspiring Publications, ISBN 978-1-922792-43-3, p. 160.
  2. ↑ Sydney Gazette 15 February 1807 p.1. NLA: Trove, retrieved 18 July 2019.
  3. ↑ Kaleski, Robert (1938). Foundation Dogs of Australia. Sydney Mail 13 April 1938 p. 26, 30.
  4. ↑ Kaleski, Robert (1907). The Australian Cattle Dog. The Bookfellow vol 1. no. 1, 3 January 1907, pp. 10-11.
  5. ↑ Kaleski, Robert (1903). Cattle Dogs. Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales. August 1903.
  6. ↑ Hytonen, M. et al. 2009. Ancestral T-Box mutation is present in many, but not all, short-tailed dog breeds. Journal of Heredity 100(2)236-240.
  7. ↑ Indrebø, A, et al. 2007. A study of inherited short tail and taillessness in Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Journal of Small Animal Practice. doi: 0.1111/j.1748-5827.2007.00435.
  8. ↑ Cattle Dog and Kelpie Club of Queensland (1923). Cattle Dog [breed standard]. The Kennel. Brisbane Courier 1 December 1923, p.12.
  9. ↑ Clark, Noreen R (2022). A Dog for the Job. Canberra, Inspiring Publications, ISBN 978-1-922792-43-3, pp. 161-163.
  10. ↑ Clark, Noreen R (2022). A Dog for the Job. Canberra, Inspiring Publications, ISBN 978-1-922792-43-3, pp. 161-164.
  11. ↑ Hartnagle-Taylor, Jeanne Joy; Taylor, Ty (2010). Stockdog Savvy. Alpine Publications. ISBN 978-1-57779-106-5.
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