Australian Cattle Dog vs Australian Shepherd

This dog was bred to nip the heels of running cattle all day, and a bored, under-exercised Cattle Dog will redirect that instinct onto joggers, bicycles, other pets, and children's ankles — it is not a mellow companion breed no matter how it looks in photos.

Aussies were bred to work livestock all day and genuinely need a job — hours of real exercise and mental work, every day, for their whole life — and a meaningful share of the breed carries a gene (MDR1) that makes standard doses of common parasite-prevention and anesthesia drugs potentially toxic, which is worth knowing before any vet visit.