Blue Heeler German Shepherd Hybrid Cross Mix Dog Breed Guide

Thanks to crossbreeding, dog lovers can now find a healthier, more intelligent, hardworking and most loyal dog; the German Shepherd Blue Heeler Mix.

Professional breeders create this hybrid by crossing the Blue Heeler, also known as the Australian Cattle Dog, with the German Shepherd. Both breeds are well known for their tough and relentless working history – you can trust that the offspring is no different.

Despite their different origins and a few dissimilarities, the two parents share many traits that blend perfectly.

Besides, they also complement each other pretty well in their strengths and weaknesses – the GSD brings resolute calmness and bravery, and the Blue Heel uplifts the composure with kinetic enthusiasm.

All in all, breeders can guarantee the Mix you get from the Blue Heeler, and the GSD is an adorable little pup with a versatile potential to serve as the perfect family friend and loyal protector.

Because of the parents’ apparent ancestry and their never-changing characteristics, it’s relatively easy to predict the ultimate temperament and other behavioral traits of German Shepherd Blue Heelers.

You can nurture the pup into an obedient and defensive companion, as long as you properly train the puppies from their early life and consistently stick to their exercise routines. The hybrids are relatively large dogs that need vigorous activities to put their overly dynamic traits to good use.

It’s also vital that caregivers provide balanced meals in the recommended proportions for their puppies to keep the dog healthy and prevent diet-related problems such as obesity and bloat.

That’s not all – there are so many other requirements, traits, and recommendations you should look into if you plan to adopt the German Shepherd Blue Heeler Mix.

Join us in reviewing this wonderful crossbreed in all aspects, so that you can know what to look for from breeders, and ultimately determine if the Mix is the right dog for you and your loved ones.

The Origin of German Shepherd Blue Heeler Mixes

The Mix was recently crossbred, so it’s pretty challenging to determine the hybrid’s exact ancestry. Nonetheless, we can still examine their parents’ bloodlines, previous service, and physical traits that their offspring will likely inherit.

German Shepherds

All German Shepherds (GSDs) descend from an exact herding group – they herded sheep in German farms and protected them from wild coyotes.

Stephanitz was the first German Shepherd domesticator – he dedicated most of his adult life to breeding and training the breed to make them unique in both trait and purpose.

Throughout the 20th Century, German Shepherds served as reliable aides for law enforcers and military service members. German Shepherds also became more popular family pets because of their friendliness and easy-to-train character.

Aside from working hard as home defenders and helping out during public duty, the masses appreciated German Shepherds because they were loyal, agile, and brilliant.

Blue Heeler

Blue Heelers share the same herding ancestry as German Shepherds. Australian Cattle Dogs herded livestock for Australian farmers. Unlike GSDs, however, Blue Heelers come from a more complex genealogy.

This breed, which certainly seems to descend from a more ‘crossbred’ bloodline than a pure one, was produced by mixing six different dog species.

The Dingo endured the inclement conditions and thus made the first perfect candidate for the mixing. Breeders included the Smithfield breed because of their herding prowess. The Collies, as well, could achieve a lot when it came to protecting livestock.

Bull Terriers, as we all know, can tear down a dozen interlopers with their viciousness and muscular frames. Dalmatians are responsible for the Blue Heelers’ loyalty traits, while Kelpies add to their working instincts and more significantly their tan colors.

The Unique Attributes of Both Parents

By combining the GSD’s and Heeler’s working (herding) experiences, we end up with a brilliant hybrid that can take instructions as quickly as they come, and ultimately grow into an obedient dog.

However, intelligence sometimes has its troubles. An exceedingly smart dog can exhibit stubbornness traits during training, by following their instincts instead of the master’s teachings.

The hybrids come from large-dog classes with reputations for their fierceness and aggressiveness, particularly towards strangers and smaller children.

The hybrids can also become protective of themselves or their estates – the best way to curb the stubbornness and aggressiveness traits is to begin their coaching as soon as they arrive at your home, not halting or postponing their training for anything.

In the late ’90s, filmmakers included several GSDs in their movies because they were both adorable and intelligent; thus, they made the perfect and most lucrative sets for cinemas and theaters.

Blue Heelers, on the other hand, are related to Dingoes – Dingoes are renowned for their wild nature, and thus Australian Cattle Dogs inherit part of their brutish instincts.

Nonetheless, the Blue Heeler German Shepherd hybrid will reciprocate whatever their caring families offer them – they will be extremely loving and caring to those families who treat them likewise.

Physical attributes and appearance of German Blue Heeler mixes

The hybrid’s physical appearance mostly relies on heredity. The Mix will take after either the GSD or Blue Heeler. Sometimes the cross will take after both parents while in some instances, they will only inherit part or more of one parent’s physical traits.

Typically, GSDs are large breeds. Compared to Blue Heelers, GSDs weigh more and measure taller than Blue Heelers.

GSDs weigh between 50 to 90lbs and measure twenty-two to twenty-six inches high. Blue Heelers weigh between thirty-five to fifty pounds and measure approximately seventeen to twenty inches in height.

The Mix is slightly heavier than the Blue Heeler and lighter than the German Shepherd. German Shepherd Heelers can weigh between forty to eighty pounds and reach as tall as twenty-five inches when measured from their shoulders to paws.

However, the hybrid’s height might vary due to genetics and climatic conditions.

Coat lengths and colors

Australian Cattle Dogs and German Shepherds both have double coatings and densely covering furs. The crossbreed will naturally shed heavily because of their thick jackets. The Mix’s coat can either be a medium or short-length jacket.

Blue Heelers often feature speckled colors. The crossbred pup can either inherit the speckled coloration or sport different black or brown or grey colors or their blends, courtesy of the German Shepherd parent.

The Hybrid’s Temperament

Veteran owners stand a better chance at properly rearing German Shepherd Blue Heeler hybrids than novices. The crossbreeds require lots of socialization and puppyhood training, demanding a lot of time, effort, and perseverance from the caregiver.

German Blue Heelers are typically large dogs with a herding class ancestry. German Shepherds manifest a lot of intelligence and bravery – they can defend their families courageously from invaders.

Blue Heelers possess watchfulness and intimate curiosities, attributes which are both critical in a guard dog. The resulting offspring will protect and defend your kin because they guarantee loyalty and protection to their families.

However, the cross can become aggressive and overprotective in their early stages or later during adulthood if left untrained from puppyhood.

Also, adult dogs can be tough to train – that’s why experts recommend that caregivers integrate socialization training into their puppy’s coaching schedule, from an early point of their life.

When interacting with children, it’s critical that the owner keenly supervises the association, because the large dog’s herding instincts can kick in any time. When their senses heighten, the hybrids can nip the kids, believing they are sheep that need regrouping.

Early socialization coaching will help suppress your dog’s herding instincts and make them friendlier with children. Nonetheless, supervision is still a must where children are involved.

Recommended training guidelines for German Blue Heeler hybrids

The most crucial first step in your crossbreed’s training is socialization. Dogs generally have a possessive and protective nature – they feel threatened quickly, especially in a stranger’s presence, and won’t let in someone into their personalities, unless they earn their trust.

Proper socialization entails interacting your dog with unfamiliar faces and places, different pets, both from your household and neighborhood and generally exposing them to new and unpredictable scenarios.

The more exposure you give your dog, the calmer, controlled, and more instinctive they become. A Blue Heeler German Shepherd Mix will also be more courteous to your friends, children, and pets when they understand them better and consider them allies and not threats.

Besides socialization, the crossbreeds need to learn how to behave within the house and diligently follow instructions.

You can teach your German Shepherd Heeler elementary instructions like how to sit or fetch an item. Because they are intelligent dogs, the hybrids will grasp the lesson quickly if you maintain firmness and authoritativeness in your training.

The crosses need lots of exercises each day to keep them fit. You can particularly accompany your pet on long treks, runs, and hikes. If your dog misses the daily training roster, they may end up wasting their unused energy in destroying furniture or valuables around the home.

It would help if you also considered brain puzzles that stimulate the dog’s mind and keep them busy even indoors. Mind games contribute a great deal to the puppy’s overall awareness, mental health, and reflexes.

Which common health issues can affect the German Shepherd Blue Heeler cross?

Because of crossbreeding, hybrids, including the German Blue Heeler, can now enjoy a prolonged lifespan and stronger immunity than their parents. The crosses can live between eleven to fourteen years.

However, despite being less susceptible to common complications, these hybrids can still suffer from back issues, muscle complications, and other hereditary problems.

Back problems always affect GSDs because of their sloped GSD backsides that are more prone to complication toward old age. Hybrids can inherit the same problem, especially when they take after their GSD parent’s physicality.

Other common problems include dysplasia that features malfunctioning of the elbow or hip joints, eye defects that can affect either eyes or an eye segment, and allergic reactions caused by different foods.

While some illnesses are easily deducible, others can go on prolonged without the caregiver’s notice.

Professionals thus suggest that dog owners test their puppies for any symptoms at the vet, and more importantly, acquire their pups from trustworthy breeders who can warrant their pets’ health by providing supporting documentation.

How to properly groom and care for the hybrid

German Shepherd Blue Heeler crosses shed heavily – you should expect lots of fur on couches and floors during their heavy shedding periods.

Besides brushing the hybrid’s fur daily, you’ll need to clean their teeth when necessary, bathe them when they get excessively dirt, and clip their nails if they grow too long.

However, you can only effectively conduct these regular maintenance protocols if you introduce them to your pet from puppyhood. Remember that bathing the dog too often can cause skin irritation when the body oils strip off and expose the bare skin.

In terms of nutrition, Blue Shepherd Heeler Mixes require two to three cups of meal every day. Always ensure you get high-quality foods recommended for your dogs, and in suggested proportions.

Also, ensure that you monitor your hybrid’s eating speed and prevent them from swallowing too fast because it can cause bloating.

Breeders and rescues

You can either shop for your pup from a breeder or adopt them from rescues. While adoption seems the more comfortable and cheaper option, adopters might experience a lot of trouble when training adult dogs because of their uncertain history and behavior.

When adopting these hybrids, ensure you spend enough time in the shelter monitoring your potential pet’s behavior, to understand their temperament and determine whether you will handle them or not.

We also advise aspiring dog keepers to avoid acquiring their puppies from the following:

  • Dog mills and dog farms – many health and nurturing uncertainties come with puppy mill breeders because they hardly take care of their puppies’ medical, nutritional, and maintenance needs.
  • Breeders who refuse to provide details about their puppies’ health and ready access to their pups and their parents – a breeder should agree to meet and allow the prospective buyer to observe the pups’ living conditions and their parents’ overall living conditions.

Conclusion

With the proper care, training, socialization, maintenance, and exercise, the German Shepherd Blue Heeler Mix makes an exciting and affectionate family pet.

Because of their high energy levels, the hybrids require frequent exercise and a family that loves regular exercise (active and outgoing).

The best daily exercises for German Blue Heelers include long runs and walks, hikes, and, of course, don’t forget mental games – they help with the puppy’s instinctive stimulation.

Also, don’t forget to feed your hybrid balanced diets. Nutrition is as vital as the right socialization – they both contribute to the puppy’s healthy development.

Overall, we recommend the German Shepherd Blue Heel Mix for active families and seasoned owners, who can patiently but firmly accommodate and nurture the puppy into an all-round loyal, playful, intelligent, and affectionate companion.

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