Blue Lacy

The Blue Lacy is strong, smart and active American dog that is known to have multiple nicknames and to be truly multifunctional. It gained widely spread recognition throughout the Southern United States as one of the most gifted herding and hunting dog. Brought into this world by the Lacy family of Burnet County Texas in 2005, the breed was proclaimed by the Texas officials as the Official State Dog of Texas.

The most ancient ancestor of the Blue Lacy is cur-type dog that was initially developed on the British Isles. In Great Britain and Ireland the term «cur» carries some kind of negative connotation, describing mixed-breed or unwanted dog, at the meantime in the USA the word «cur» means a large group of Pure Bred or mixed breed dogs, resembling in interpretation terms Hound or Terrier. The earliest reference of the cur dog in British Isles dates back to the XII century. In this period a number of individual Cur breeds existed there, most of which were well-adapted for hunting, herding and guarding.

In the early XVI century the British colonizers landed the Eastern Seaboard of North America and took along their dogs with them. Vast majority of the dogs died out because of hardships of the trip and subsequently due to the great difference in climate in comparison with their homeland. So American settlers were compelled to breed all accessible types of Cur together, and most likely used other breeds such as Collie-type dogs, Scenthounds, Spanish War Dog, French breeds, and Native American dogs. The final Cur dog was extremely adjustable and versatile, and very appropriate for life conditions of North America. It served as a herder for cattle, assistant in getting hides and meat by hunting, and defender of the farmers’ families and homes.

Gradually the occupation of the American territory continued westward. The first American habitants in Texas seemed to have Cur-type dogs along with other breeds. One early Texas family was the Lacy family. It consisted from four brothers that developed their own line of cattle dog. These dogs were originally used to herd stock and hunt wild hogs as well as smaller game as raccoon and squirrel.

The exact list of breeds that were involved in Blue Lacy’s breeding provokes hot disputes among its fanciers and they will evidently never be settled. It’s commonly suggested that the English Shepherd played an active role in its creation. It’s also universally accepted that the Greyhound has left its trace in Blue Lacy’s genealogy, though the precise breed might include the British Greyhound or the American Staghound. Some sort of Scenthound was almost undoubtedly applied without any certainty which one. The Redbone Coonhound is also usually believed to be one of the Blue Lacy’s forfatherrs; at the same time fundamentally every British, American, or French Scenthound is a probability. Majority of specialists agreed upon the possibility of the presence in Blue Lacy’s pedigree some kind of a wild dog, specifically a wolf or a coyote.

Alternative point of view supports the theory, that the Lacy brothers crossed a wolf-scenthound mix with an English Shepherd. The initial name of the breed naturally pinpoints to its originators and the word «blue» is stipulated by the blue colour of its coat frequently met in this dog.

The Blue Lacy was committed for herding purposes and hunting for hogs for over a century. A number of it has contracted substantially in the midst of XX century as new modern devices penetrated into hunters and ranchers community. The breed’s reestablishment was headed by professional and commercial animal trappers. After a prolonged try and trial period, commercial trapper company acknowledged the Blue Lacy to be the perfect match to assist their workers. Nowadays it is the most widely used dog by professional animal trappers all over the America.

Despite being a purebred dog, the Blue Lacy got its first formal acceptance with a kennel club only in 1970. Then it was acknowledged by the Animal Research Foundation (ARF). In 1976 Preston’s Big Blue put the breed on a record and supplied it with pedigree. In subsequent years a few small and insignificant breed kennel clubs have as well conferred the Blue Lacy its complete recognition including the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) and the National Kennel Club (NKC).

Blue Lacy is smart, resilient, sturdy dog with exceptional eagerness for work. Essentially, it’s commonly considered to be workaholic among other breeds and one of the most active dogs on earth. The breed develops tight relation with its family, particularly strongly with its master. This is a dog that always desires human presence and may endure heavy separation anxiety while being alone. When the Blue Lacy got back home from the daily labour in pasture, it was usually invited to its owner’s home. Which means that breeders have developed it to guarantee that the dog is kind and lenient with children when correctly socialized with them. Though one should know that Blue Lacy puppy is sometimes too boisterous for small child.

The Blue Lacy hasn’t been noticed in manifestation of aggressive behaviour, but many specimens possess powerful protective instincts. It is a very vigilant dog that gives it qualities of a watchdog. It can become an average guard dog, since most of the Blue Lacys are not predisposed to open aggression.

The Blue Lacy is essentially intended for pack hunting and on the whole gets on well with other canine animals. Sometimes it can express male aggression in attempt to affirm its alpha status in its pack. As a hound the breed represents significant threat to other animals and is not recommended for cohabitation with small home pets. Its relation to cats varies from total intolerance to possibility of acceptance when they were raised together.

The most common problems for the breed include:

• skin problems;
• anesthesia sensitivity.

The Blue Lacy’s coat is easy to groom and maintain in acceptable condition. The dog will never need professional grooming and should be brushed very rarely. Other common maintenance practices as nail clipping and bathing should be carried out less often than with majority of other breeds. The rate in which it sheds differs greatly and can be from minimum to heavy depending on the separate dog, food composition, and time of year.

The Blue Lacy is apt at training and clever. Since it is generally a working dog it submits only to those person whom dominance it concedes. The dog seems to lose interest really quickly when obliged to do the same facile lesson over and over again. It is susceptible to slightest changes in tone and gestures of the trainer, so it can be tricky to choose the right balance between being tough and gentle.

Techniques that are too hard or include shouting don’t work with the Blue Lacy and will lead to intimidated and timid dog. This dog requires an experienced trainer, who understands the intricacies of training and socializing process of the hunting dog.

The Blue Lacy is renowned for its zest for work and endurance. It can become a significant challenge even for an active owner to meet its essential exercise needs. Between two and three hours a day of a brisk, energetic walk will hardly suffice to satisfy the dog’s drive for physical exercise.

Remember, that lack of activity will eventually result in not-welcome behaviour such as on-going barking, nervousness, hyper activity, depression. Without some kind of imitation of its original duties of herding and hunting the Blue Lacy will never be content with its life. With all being said, the dog isn’t appropriate for keeping it in a flat and needs minimum couple of acres of free space.