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Thank you!!

The only thing about the soccer ball is that it doesn't last long. She wants to carry it, rather than roll it, so she chews a flap out of the cover to grab and carry it. Now basket ball is too big to get her mouth on so she always rolls it back right away. Her favorite is of course, a tennis ball.... my favorite is the basket ball.

Thanks!

Believe me.... I do. Several times each day.

Thank you so much! She has been the biggest part of my survival.

100% Blue Heeler - Exact same characteristics of any true Heeler or ACD. She is a result of generational breeding of the smallest and smartest, as you suggested. Her mother is up in Alabama, and the father is from Louisiana. Her tail was docked at birth by the breeder. They are not born with them that short. I didn't do it, but get a lot of hate mail from those that think they are experts and have never met Vega or seen how happy and full of life she is. I don't what others say... in her case, I believe the shorter tail helps, not hinder, her speed and agility. She can average a pace close to 35 MPH for a half mile distance without panting or getting out of breath. It just gets her charged up. She's a mess when she's feeling really good, if I don't pay any attention to her, she'll run around me, bark and then nip at my heels. Hard for her to suppress that instinct. If I let her know I'm not in the mood, she certainly won't push it. At 2 years old now, she's really starting to grasp, "how to learn." My last dog was a Heeler/Jack Russell mix, and there was nothing I couldn't teach her once we got to the point where she could understand me and I learned how to understand her. I always catch Vega watching me closely, where ever she is. Studying me. I wish I had more time to spend teaching her. She's with me all day/night every day, yet she still guilts me by leaving me alone when necessary, pouting, taking a nap, or looking bored.

@willpowerprds thanks for the info! She's a beautiful dog, my last pup was a jack russell that I had for 15 years, so I'm very familiar with that breed and relatively high energy breeds, but obviously a blue heeler is a totally different level in most cases. I've been looking at maybe getting and ACD for the last few months, but im trying to educate myself as much as possible with the breed and speaking to as many owners as I can to get a good understanding in regards to the breed being a good fit for me and vice versa. Your dog seems like the perfect size, do you still have the breeders info? In your opinion, is it better to get a ACD hybrid or is a pure acd the way to go? I normally go out on hikes/extended walks 4x a week and would be able to take the dog to a dog park on the weekend to really run and spend some time with a herding ball. Would that be sufficient in your experience?

Great that you do the research. I did the same. Actually, I still get too emotional thinking about, "Gator," my buddy, my pal...and at the time, I just could not function. I had to do something, so I made the decision to give another dog the best life possible with my last dog being so intelligent, I thought I could be an even better parent with a Heeler and teach her so much more. It's hard for me to say, now. Almost everything you read about heelers is true. When I first got Vega, I thought, oh no... what have I done? What have I got myself into? She is so much different and I forgot about all the things I took for granted, that Gator had known all those years i had her. I am fortunate to be able to live where I don't have to worry much about Vega. I just feel guilty that I don't get her out enough to play with another dog. I always recommend teaching them physical boundaries. I have always talked to them like I would another person, (more like baby talk). When I don't see her, I call her and say, "you know you're supposed to stay where I can see you." It's not the short command the experts tell you to use, but she has already figured out what that means. This may sound strange... but I also scold them with lectures when they do something bad. They act so ashamed of themselves and have a look like, "I'd rather you just hit me and get it over with, rather than this lecture." It's probably more the tone, but they remember and don't like the lectures. Just be prepared for those first 2 years of never ending energy. They will still have a ton of energy, but with the routine you mentioned, I think you will be just fine. One more thing I think works well is schooling. For a while, a couple times a week, I would spend about 20 minutes showing Vega her toy and train her to bring it to me. Then add a new one when she recognized the name and command. Aside from the various balls, she has 13 toys now that she knows by name. I haven't added any or reviewed them in several months now, but it really helps with teaching them how to learn. I don't spend as much time teaching as I would like, but I do catch Vega watching me when I'm working all the time, so she is constantly studying me. I do have the contact info for the breeder where I got Vega and she sent me a message once when the next litter arrived. She said she keeps up with Vega from my TH-cam videos. I don't know the best way to get you her info without publicly posting it here? She lives in Slocomb Alabama. @@michaelsantoro170

@willpowerprds thank you so much for the info, it really helps. In regards to the lecturing, that seems like good advice and I haven't heard many people use that form of correction, but I've heard healers respond better to positive reinforcement then they do punishment, if I pick up a heeler I'd go your route with training. And yeah, it's unfortunate that youtube did away with private messaging as it would be useful in situations like this. Let me see if I can find her online in Alabama, and if not I'll come back here and let you know. It seems that, like with any other breed, each individual really can be different than the next- some people have really chill cattle dogs that don't nip and are cuddly- while some have very nippy/reactive heelers that don't lole affection. It seems like a lottery. For me, I was looking for a dog that was as smart, loyal as my jack russell, a little bit larger, didn't need to constantly go to the groomers, and doesn't have genetic health issues that a lot of designer breeds have- the ACD seems like a good candidate in those regards. Obviously, I was drawn to their appearance as well, they're a very striking breed, but I am open to getting a mix if that might bring a little more docile nature to the table. Only time will tell. And I'm sorry to hear about Gator- I lost my Jack a few months back after 15 years together and I still can't process it, for a while I couldn't go through my house without seeing him somewhere and I could've sworn I heard him bark a few times. Me grieving over him is another reason why I haven't just picked up another pup sooner. It's a shame dogs don't live as long as humans.

Yes, yes, yes, the positive reinforcement always. I don't even realize how often I say, "good girl," but it's a lot. I believe the growth in temperament and personality can be shaped with lots of love and reinforcement. Once noticeable difference I see in Vega, is that she is overly affectionate. I have read many times that Heelers can be overly protective, but I'm still working on having Vega not run to, jump on, and lick every delivery person or any strangers. She also always has to lean on me or be touching me somehow. Almost too happy, she loves to hunt critters and has brought me a squirrel, a rat, and too many opossums to count. I think that's her protective instinct, and why she prefers to be outside. Especially when its cold out. Do you use Facebook? That is where I found the breeder. You could also look me up and send me a message and I could send you what contact info I have, (have to look for it). By the way... did you see the new little trick I taught Vega a few days ago? I just posted a short video of her, "crawling," on command. She's a very quick learner now. @@michaelsantoro170

Thank you! Sadly, it was short lived. "Eastbay," (the cat), disappeared a few weeks later. Don't know where she came from or where she went, but it was a great few weeks for Vega. 😁

I'm so sorry. I miss my Gator also. Vega is a good distraction, but I don't think I will ever stop mourning the loss of my Gator. So, I feel your pain.

MAM? She said to tell you.... I got your "MAM", right here! LOL😁

lol typo MAN!! Fat fingers

Thank you! I thinks so, also.

Yeah, she rarely does this also. Only when she's really feeling frisky and I've been playing and teasing with her. All I have to do is say, "stop," and she does.

They all do. 😁

Thanks. She sure is.

Thanks! She sure is. Soooooo much energy. Slowing down a little bit now, just eager to learn and be right up under me when I'm working about the house.

5 years? That's one day after cleaning it out at another job. It's just a microwave and a few tools. Not nearly the amount of obstacles I normally carry around. 😁 She looks to me for help, but she knows if she wants to play with the ball, she has to get it.

Thanks. That was a year ago. You should see her now. 😁

Absolutely. Just give me a week to teach her. 😁

Yes, but a true blue heeler, with all the characteristics of one. Loves to play rough, listens well, very intelligent, and good at trying to outsmart me in some situations. Most of all, just wants to go, go, go.... very motivational. Thanks!

Exactly!! Especially when she gets comfortable with it... The faster the better!

Yes, I knew that. I just didn't think I needed to mention it here. LOL Your not that far away.

Yes, she does, and getting better all the time.

Oh yes, I tell everyone the same thing. I did my due diligence before finding Vega. She's with me 24/7 and at 2 years old her energy is off the charts! th-cam.com/video/h2XgTRGTWH8/w-d-xo.html

She gets pushy when too much time has passed without playing with a ball.

Absolutely!!!

Great! Exactly the same here. Vega turned 2 in September.

Why thank you for noticing the cushion I put in the shopping cart. It was her first time so I tried to think ahead, (i.e., going when store was less busy, the cushion, etc.,)

Thanks! She really is!

You're like the 10th person to tell me that. LOL

Been there / done that. LOL. That's why I made the videos of experimenting with different type balls. That "virtually indestructible," ball really holds up, but the downside is that it really hurts if she rolls it fast into your ankles, (and you don't want to kick it either).

Get one, what? I already have one and she's not like that any more. She's ready to play at any time, but she knows when to let me work. She's the best!

Hello Makayla

Yes Makayla, that is JT.

Awwwh... but if you paid attention to the second half of the video, (starting at time code: 03:33), you would see that she is already learning that with greater speed she can carry this ball on her nose. Now will just take practice to master the balance with speed to keep the ball in the air. She is also learning to lift with her nose instead of pushing with her shoulders as well. 😁

Yes, nothing she likes better is trying new techniques all on her own.

😁

That is an understatement. 😁