Is my Lola an Australian Cattle Dog?

I don't think she looks ACD at all.  Her muzzle is too long.  She actually looks a lot like a black German Shepherd Dog.  She could very well be a Shepherd Mix, but I don't see ACD

Here is the page of that supposed Australian Cattle Dog/ Basenji mix.  [linkhttp://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=322533&j=t]http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=322533&j=t[/link]  Lola looks so much like this - even the same white markings on her chest and chin.  Maybe this person is mistaken about her dog's breed, too.   

Please visit Lola's dogster page to view more photos:  [linkhttp://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=367115]http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=367115[/link]

I was thinking she may have some shepherd in her also, but she is only 32 lbs. and already 8 mos. old - How much more would she grow?  Hmmmm.....

I don't see ACD in that face  - the proportions aren't right.  (And I definitely don't see Schipperke!)  I'd lean towards GSD mix more than anything else.

[linkhttp://www.4gsd.com/Waldo_8_yrs_old.JPG]http://www.4gsd.com/Waldo_8_yrs_old.JPG[/link].  There's a Black GSD.  I don't think ACDs even come in pure black.  She looks a bit too lanky to be an ACD.  Is it possible to get a picture of her stacked (Standing like a show dog)?  It would be much easier to tell if we could see her whole body.  The AC must have either been really confused on what either a Lab or a Schipperke looked like or were just pushing the rare breed aspect with the Schip.  Last time I went to the AC shelter, they had what looked like a Beagle/Greyhound(or whippet) mix that they called a Plott Hound.  It had nothing in common with a Plott hound. 

I'd be more inclined to say black GSD, but I could probably buy that she might have a smidgeon of ACD in her. In my experience, the spots in the ACD are pretty dominant and tend to come out in some form in any crossbreed unless it's got black lab or something and is pure black. I've never seen a black ACD, though. And I can't remember ever seeing an all black ACD cross, for that matter. They've always got spots at least on their feet, even if they're very dense spots. Definitely too lean for an ACD, though. ACD's are little tanks, even when they're young. She's definitely a cutie, though!

Just thinking about the tank idea makes me think of the dingo part of the ACD that helped sculpt the breed.  Bodies made to withstand the rugged outback that normal hearding dogs could not handel.  Most will be a bit round in shape and not so lean. 

The personality you describe does match a hearder but that face is so long, maybe it's the angle of the camra I'de like to go more with a GSD mix over anything else.  The only lab I could see is the color but other than that I don't see lab.  It could be possible and more likely she is a mix of two other mixes so it's so hard to even call it.

The only reason I even thought she might be part ACD is because of the dog I saw on dogster that was supposedly ACD/Basenji mix (see link above).  Lola is very very similar to that dog.  I was only thinking that maybe she was a mix of a mix of ACD  []  I knew she definitely was not pure ACD. 
 
Anyhow, I think my photo may be a little misleading about her actual proportions.  I will try to take a photo of her standing (side-view) so everyone can see what she really looks like.  I will have to wait for my husband to get home in order to help me, though - she is so wiggly & squiggly.
 
As for ACD's being tanks, I don't know if you meant thier body size/shape or their strength, but I would definitley classify her as a tank.  Like I said in my earlier post, she is only 32 lbs., but she pulls me so hard when we are walking.  I am 125-ish lbs. and she pulls so hard that I have to lean back and use most of my strength to pull against her in order to keep from falling on my face.  **I know that is not good walking behavior on her part, but we are working on that (that's a whole 'nother problem) - puppy classes start on Sept. 10th and I am counting down the days  []  **  Anyhow, I would care to bet that if not ACD, she is definitely at least part GSD, I just don't understand why she is almost a mini-version.  I wonder what she is mixed with. 
 
Do you think that she will grow much more since she is about 8/9 mos. old right now?

There's a Shepherd mix in my agility class named Melka.  Melka looks EXACTLY like my Zander did, but she's tiny!  About 35 pounds!  Nobody else has any idea what she's mixed with, because all of her features say GSD aside from size

I don't see ACD in Lola either... maybe GSD or maybe even a BC cross? As much as I love Dogster that is not a reliable source for breed info - at all [sm=lol.gif] - I looked at the page you linked and I don't think their dog is an ACD/Basenji... I also see differences in their dog and Lola as theirs had a broader, more triangular head.

I have an ACD and have seen ACD mixes, but Lola doesn't look like either to  me. Is it possible to post some body shots of her?

Just thinking about the tank idea makes me think of the dingo part of the ACD that helped sculpt the breed.  Bodies made to withstand the rugged outback that normal hearding dogs could not handel.  Most will be a bit round in shape and not so lean. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingo I don't think the dingo is what lends the ACD its stockiness and depth of body. []

Probably bull-type breeds were added to increase the drive of those station dogs. It's being done today to create a hard-hitting cattle dog for US Western cattle ranchers.

I'd be awfully surprised if Lola were an ACD. Any dog that carries black can transmit it to the next generation, so that's not a convenient clue (there's a LOT of dogs that carry black, including a billion mixes with lab, chow, pit, shepherd, and collie parents). Prick ears are dominant but incompletely so, plus there are modifiers and such that muddle things. So that doesn't help either.

That's the long way of saying what others have gotten right to the point and said - body shape is pretty definitive, head shots not so much (though she seems very sweet and winsome).

I'm surprised that no one has suggested a Kelpie or Kelpie mix. They do come in black, some are quite racy in build, and they have the erect ear carraige. The breed is also closely related to the Austrailian Cattle Dog, and are keen workers. As others have said, a photo of Lola standing would help, but her size is consistant with a Kelpie, Her head looks a little too slender for a pure Kelpie, but she is also in that awkward teenage stage, and maturity could make her head change some. Sorry I do not have a picture to post, but I'm sure there is a Kelpie web site. Hope this helps, and she is a lovely girl!

hello. new to the forums, glad to be here. based just on these head shots, i'd go along with kelpie mix as well. 32 lbs at 8 months is about the right size, too. they're great dogs, very smart and energetic. you can herd with them -- sheep or cattle -- use them for search & rescue, do agility and/or obedience, or just hang out with them. i sure love mine.

sara

I would have to agree with teh above, Kelpie X very easy to see, ACD X I can't see it.
 
To answer your question about the tank statement, their body is bulit like a tank. Broad head, shortish legs, body full of muscle, will take the kick of a bull and dust itself off and nip it in the leg just for good luck. Tuff dogs[]