The Blue Heeler, also commonly referred to as the Australian cattle dog, is a favorite breed to many farmers and anyone who has a large tract of land to guard.

This breed is known to be a good herding dog since time immemorial.

In order for the Blue Heeler to perform his duties well, you need to make sure that you give the dog adequate training.

The Australian cattle dog also makes a good family dog because of his warm personality and social nature.

The Blue Heeler is a very intelligent, active and cautious dog that definitely needs a pet owner who is skillful enough to handle him.

Here are a few tips that will help you train your Blue Heeler puppy accordingly:

1. Induct him to your family and other pets

The Blue Heeler is a very social dog that is always bustling around with energy.

Once you bring your furry friend home, you should introduce him to your family and other pets. This will make it easier for you when you start taking him through dog training sessions.

Once your Blue Heeler puppy is used to his new environment, you can now go ahead and begin teaching him basic commands.

2. Be the Alpha

For effective Blue Heeler training, you need to take up your alpha leadership mantle.

Dogs belong to the wolf family and they naturally learn to take commands from their alpha.

This Australian cattle dog is extremely intelligent and if he suspects that you are not fit to lead them, he is likely to start doing his own things in his own free will. You surely would not like to have a disobedient dog in your home.

3. Teach him basic commands

You need to teach your blue heeler puppy some of the basic commands like “Drop it!” “Take it!” “Sit down!” and others.

These basic commands will come in handy when you need your dog to obey and behave in a certain way.

Plan and schedule his training sessions which should be on a daily basis. Use treats and cliques to reward him when he obeys your command. Teach him how to use his potty at this early stages and he will quickly learn.

You can for instance schedule that he uses his potty at a specific time every day, could be when he wakes up, before lunch and before going to sleep in the evening. You will be surprised at how intelligent this breed is.

4. Be consistent

Good training requires dedication and commitment on your part. You need to be consistent in training your blue heeler puppy.

Your Australian cattle dog knows that if you will allow him to get away when he disobeys your wishes once, you will definitely allow it again some other time.

If you intend to nurture an obedient blue heeler puppy, you need to be consistent in the good manners you try to inculcate in him.

It is so easy to be fooled by his adorable and cute look but be firm on your word and consistent in what you want him to learn as he grows.

5. Establish boundaries for your pup

As I already mentioned, the blue heeler puppy is a very active and energetic breed. You need to be very clear on the boundaries from the word go.

The puppy loves to wander and if you establish no boundaries, you are soon going to cross paths with your pooch.

You need to teach him when to stay outside rooms he is not supposed to enter or places he should not go by himself and you will not have much problem with his wanderlust behavior. It is all a matter of good training.

6. Be friendly but firm

Just like a kid, dogs do not like to be scolded or physically punished. You need to use positive reinforcement when you want to discipline your blue heeler puppy.

For example, you need to give your puppy a treat or some kind of reward when he does something good like obeying your command. Dogs also like to be applauded and showered with praise.

If he happens to be on the wrong, do not raise your voice and start shouting at him or even smacking him. This will make your dog lose respect for you and even begin rebelling.

If he does something wrong and you were holding him on your laps for instance, you can just drop him gently and give him a stern look.

The blue heeler, just like any other dog is very intelligent and will quickly learn your facial expressions and decipher their meanings other than you yelling words he might not understand.

7. Give him enough exercise

Blue heelers need a whole lot of exercise because they tend to be very active and energetic. Remember that this breed was originally meant to be herding livestock and keeping the farm safe.

This obviously meant running around the cows, goats and sheep. The Australian cattle dog is therefore one that really needs to have plenty of physical exercise.

Exercise is healthy for any dog because it helps the bones to grow healthy and strong. You should often take him out to drain some of his energy by playing a game of fetch for example.

You can take him out for a swim or just a walk at the beach. The more active he is, the happier he gets. You sure do not want your furry friend to be all sulky or even hyperactive in the house.

8. Timing is everything

As a pet owner, it is important that you learn how and when to begin training your blue heeler. This is one of the training secrets that I am sharing with you for free.

It is much easier for you to train your blue heeler when he is still a puppy than when he is a full-grown dog. A puppy is just like a kid, they are quick to learn and eager to follow your every instruction. They easily trust your leadership as their alpha.

If you want your blue heeler puppy to grow up with good manners, you better start training him as early as possible.

Train him to learn and respond to his name and to obey the very basic commands, that way you will encounter less challenges as he continues to grow.

9. Pay attention to his emotions and natural instincts

Remember that the blue heeler is a herding dog. He got the name “heeler” because he would often nip the heels of the livestock he herded and protected.

You might realise that your blue heeler puppy has the habit of nipping around your kids or other pets.

Once you train him to learn the basic commands like “sit” or “stop it” it will help you put some of his natural instincts and behaviors under control.

Pay attention to his emotions and never leave him in the house alone because this dog enjoys company and being around people. If you are going away for a long time, you need to get a good dog-sitter or someone to stay with him while you are gone.

10. Feed him high quality wet dog food

A balanced diet and good nutrition is mandatory for your blue heeler to grow healthy and strong.

You need to make sure that you give your dog high quality wet dog food before you begin any training session. A hungry dog might have a hard time paying attention to you during training.

Give him lots of fresh water as well so that he stays hydrated throughout the training session. Being an active dog, the blue heeler is likely to get thirsty quickly. Make sure that clean water is readily available for your puppy whenever he needs it.

High quality wet dog food is the best because it has nutritious ingredients that will help your puppy grow strong and also lowers his chances of getting sick. Wet dog food is also good because it helps your blue heeler puppy to stay hydrated.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, blue heelers are easy to train and they should not give you such a hard time. However, I would also recommend that you engage the services of a professional dog trainer.

Doggy Dan the online dog trainer runs a very useful dog training program which I am sure that you will find resourceful. He has worked with thousands of dog owners and their dogs and he is able to train any dog breed.

Are you worried that your dog has a stubborn behavior that just won’t go away? Doggy Dan the online dog trainer will help your dog outgrow that behavior in no time.

The course is helpful and is recommended for both dogs and dog owners because you also need to learn how to train your blue heeler puppy.

Once your dog goes through the program, you will begin to see the results immediately because he will be obedient to your every command, teachable and willing to learn. That is every dog owner’s dream. Make it a reality.