The Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog is a medium sized herding dog that originated in Australia. They are loyal, brave animals that are impeccably suited for their task of herding animals.

The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog is a fairly rare breed of dog. They are rarely kept as pets, being used instead to keep cattle and other herd animals in line. They have a knack for the job of herding and their capacity to maneuver animals many times their size is remarkable. Australian Stumpy-Tail Cattle Dogs are very smart. They herd the large cattle by nipping at the legs of the animals with a bite that is both low and silent. They are amazingly strong, fearless, self-assured animals. They can succeed as well in dog shows as they do in the pasture.

With a height of barely 20 inches and a weight that rarely exceeds 45 pounds, the moderate size of the Stumpy-Tail Cattle Dog belies its capabilities. They have a moderate length coat that is short, coarse and thick. The Australian Stumpy Haired Cattle Dog is usually a reddish color, speckled with darker markings on the head, or blue speckled with black markings. Tan coloring is not allowed. They have medium sized eyes and wide ears. Their tail, which is from whence they get their name, is naturally short (very uncommon among dogs) and is almost always under four inches in mature dogs.

The Australian Stumpy-Tail Cattle Dog has been an established breed in Australia for quite some time. This breed was first developed in the mid 1800's about 50 years before the Australian Cattle Dog. It originates from a breeding of a Dingo and a Smithfield dog. This resulted in a red bobtail known as the Timmin's Biter, named after the drover who came up with the idea. The Timmin's Biter was then crossed with a blue, smooth haired Collie known as a "Merle". From this breeding came the Hall's Heeler, named after the squatter who imported the Collies. The Hall's Heeler is what is known as the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog today. The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog was NOT developed from the Australian Cattle Dog. It is an entirely seperate breed that was actually used to develop the Australian Cattle Dog. Although the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog was originally called the "Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog", as of January 2002 the name was changed to have the word "Australian" in front of it.

Some breeds that closely resemble the Australian Stumpy-Tail Cattle Dog include the McNab breed, an American breed bred by a Scotsman from Scotch Border Collies, and various other herd dogs. This dog is, in fact, a cur. Although the term "cur" has a negative connotation in this modern age, in the past this was not the case. The Welsh believed their curs, crosses between herd dogs and Terriers, was "of equal value to an ox." Cur's tails were often docked because farmers who docked their working dogs tails were not required to pay taxes on them. While this freedom from tax fell into oblivion, the custom remained. The Australian Stumpy-Tail Cattle Dogs' stubby tail comes from natural causes, and should not be docked. When breeding, only those dogs with shorter tails were mated. In this manner, it was made possible for all subsequent litters to result in animals with short or nonexistent tails.

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