The character of the Lancashire Heeler
The Lancashire Heeler is a cheerful and spontaneous dog that has both a shepherd and a terrier character in its character. The shepherd character will mainly be seen in his obedience. The terrier floats to the surface when there is something to do or something to chase.
The Heeler is a small dog with a height of about 25 to 30 centimeters. The colors are mainly black with brown markings (black and tan) but there are also liver colored Heelers (liver and tan).
You can practice various dog sports with this dog, such as obedience, agility, flyball, detection, man trailing and detective work. Of course you can also participate in dog shows. To get the hang of this, you can participate in ring training that is given at most canine associations.
However, there is another talent that the Heeler possesses and that is herding cows. We know from experience that they are unstoppable when they see cows and usually immediately fly to herd them together. This is accompanied by barking and chasing the cow and biting its heels if the cow does not do what the Heeler wants.
It's nice for us to see, but keep in mind that the cows usually belong to someone else. These owners will generally not appreciate this and misinterpret it, with all the consequences that entails. In the absence of cows, the Heeler can go after anything that moves. For example cyclists, running children, scooters and cars. It is in everyone's interest that this is corrected in education. Mind you, for a Heeler this is natural behavior.
A special thank you to Kirsty Ellis for the video
The Lancashire Heeler is a small versatile dog that doesn't need a hard hand with training. But, this does not mean no education. As with any dog, there must be rules and they must be followed. If you keep this in mind, you will have a nice obedient dog who likes to go with you and will do everything for you. The Lancashire Heeler is good with children provided they follow the rules.
The dog needs regular exercise. This can be done in the form of a brisk walk at least three times a week or throwing balls outside. The Heeler loves to swim. Please note that if there is not enough exercise or challenge, there is a chance that the dog will try other things out of boredom, such as demolishing or healing (floating). In the absence of other objects, heels and trousers are also favorites and trust us this is no fun. So prevent this by doing enough with your dog.
The Lancashire Heelers don't like being alone so not suitable for people who work full time.
All in all, if you go for a Heeler. Then you go for it 100% and you have a nice housemate.