Australian cattle dog

American  

noun

1. one of an Australian breed of medium-sized herding dogs with a blue, blue-mottled, or red-speckled coat, developed by cross breeding the Australian kelpie, dingo, and collie.

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Australian cattle dog British  

noun

1. a compact strongly-built dog of a breed with pricked ears and a smooth bluish-grey coat, often used for controlling and moving cattle

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Etymology

Origin of Australian cattle dog

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Bobi claimed the Guinness World Record from Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, who died in 1939 aged 29 and had held the record for almost a century.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 23, 2023

As I searched for the third and easiest route, I ran into a panting Australian cattle dog and her owner, Mike McLoughlin, who lives 20 minutes away in Eastville.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2023

“This is your new home, Conner!” he exclaimed to his 57-pound Australian cattle dog, whose paws were slipping on the wood floor in the living room.

From Washington Post • Oct. 20, 2020

Blue’s thick fur is speckled with gray, a trademark of his breed — he is an Australian cattle dog — but also a sign of his age.

From New York Times • Jun. 16, 2012

To corner them, Hulet uses half a dozen hounds of his own special mongrel breed: one-quarter pit bull, one-eighth Australian cattle dog, and the remainder Redbone or Walker hound.

From Time Magazine Archive