The Australian Cattle Dog is good family dog, but he does best with children if he's raised with them and accepts them early on as members of his household. In such cases, he's very playful and protective. The breed's tendency to be mouthy--even to nip and bite--can be a problem with kids, however. He may want to herd them with sharp nips, or bite when youngsters play too roughly.

An adult Australian Cattle Dog who has had little exposure to children will not know how to treat them and may be too rough. Some dogs are suspicious of children; because they don't act like adults, dogs sometimes perceive them as threatening. Most problems can be solved by carefully socializing the Australian Cattle Dog puppy to children, and by teaching him bite inhibition.

As with every breed, you should always teach children how to approach and touch dogs, and always supervise any interactions between dogs and young children to prevent any biting or ear or tail pulling on the part of either party. Teach your child never to approach any dog while he's eating or sleeping or to try to take the dog's food away. No dog, no matter how friendly, should ever be left unsupervised with a child.

The Australian Cattle Dog gets along with other dogs in his household, especially if he's been raised with them from puppyhood. However, because he is so devoted to one person in a family, there can be jealousy or squabbles between the Australian Cattle Dog and other dogs.

Now, about cats and other small animals that the Australian Cattle Dog usually thinks of as prey: if he is raised with a cat or other animal from the time he's a puppy, he'll probably consider it a member of his houseshold and leave it alone. If not, he's likely to chase, catch, and even kill.

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