Australian Cattle Dogs are not high maintenance in the grooming department all thanks to their short, smooth coats. However, just like other breeds, they do shed more during the Spring and then again in the Autumn which is when a dog needs more frequent grooming to keep their coats tidy and any shed hair off the furniture.
They don't have that typical "doggy" smell either and they don't need frequent bathing unless absolutely necessary which is just another reason why they have become such popular companion dogs and family pets outside of their native Australia.
ACDs need to be given a tremendous amount of daily exercise and ideally they do better living with people who work from home and who have outdoor jobs. They are also extremely intelligent, alert characters which means they need to be given lots of mental stimulation to keep them happy and well-balanced or they will get bored which could result in a dog becoming unruly and difficult to manage.
Australian Cattle Dogs are extremely hardy characters that can live on air which is why it's important to keep an eye on their weight. However, these dogs need to be fed a good quality, well-balanced diet that suits the different stages of their lives to remain fit and healthy.
If you have decided to get a puppy from a breeder, they would provide you with a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to it for the first few weeks after bringing a puppy home. You can change their diet when the time is right, but this needs to be done very gradually and carefully over a few weeks to make sure puppy doesn’t suffer any tummy upsets. If they do, it’s important to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before trying to change their diet again.
It's also important for puppies to be fed at least 3 to 4 times a day to begin with, but you can start feeding them the same amount of food twice a day when they are around 4 months old always keeping an eye on things to make sure a young dog can cope with the change in their feeding routine.
