Australian Kelpie

The Australian Kelpie is an Australian sheep dog that has proven very successful at herding and droving with little or no command guidance. They're medium-sized dogs and come in a variety of colours. Australian Kelpies have been exported throughout the world and are used for herding livestock (primarily sheep) and poultry.

The breed has been separated over time into two distinct varieties: the Show Australian Kelpie and the Working Australian Kelpie. The Show Australian Kelpie is the variety that's seen at conformation dog shows. They often have little or no herding instinct. Show Australian Kelpie breeders are inclined to name their breeding institutions "kennels", whereas Working Australian Kelpies are bred for his or her herding instincts and breeders are likely to name their breeding establishments "Studs" in a similar method to cattle and sheep Studs.

Breed standards differ depending on whether or not the registry is more interested in a dog who performs his job beautifully or a dog whose look meets an ideal standard. It's possible for a dog to do both, but his options for competition in conformation shows is likely to be limited depending on his ancestry and on the opinions of the assorted kennel clubs or breed clubs involved.

Working Australian Kelpies

The Working Australian Kelpie comes in three coat types, smooth, short and rough, with nearly every color from black through light tan or cream. Many Australian Kelpies have a white blaze on the chest, a number of have white points. Australian Kelpies used to have a double coat, but this has largely disappeared, probably as a result of environmental factors. Agouti is not uncommon, and can initially appear to be a double coat.

Ears are often pricked, but about 20% can have one or both ears flopped; the tail will typically follow the coat type, and can differ between smooth to bushy. Cosmetic features haven't any relationship to the dog's working skill, so stockmen searching for capable working dogs usually disregard the dog's appearance.Working Australian Kelpies stand about 50cm (19.5 inches) at the withers for females, 55cm (21.5 inches) for dogs; weight would be between 14-21Kg (31-46lbs).

Australian Kelpie Temperament

Australian Kelpies are loyal, friendly, intelligent, problem-solving dogs and make wonderful pets. They do have to be stimulated as idle and bored dogs grow to be frustrated and destructive.

Walks and socialisation are more than adequate to keep them happy, but agility and ball games bring out the best in them. An Australian Kelpie is not an aggressive dog, but family pets will protect their family with no regard for themselves.

The Working Australian Kelpie usually has an abundance of energy and deep endurance. It is going to usually drove a mob of sheep over sixty kilometers (37 miles) and upwards in extremes of climates and conditions. Australian Kelpies are very agile: Working Australian Kelpies are renowned for running along the backs of sheep when transferring them through chutes. Show Australian Kelpies typically excel in agility trials.

Australian Kelpie History

The ancestors of the Australian Kelpie were simply (black) dogs, referred to as Colleys or Collies. The word "collie" has the identical root as "coal" and "collier (ship)". Some of these Colleys were imported to Australia for stock work in the early 1800's, and were bred to other kinds of dogs (including the occasional Dingo), but always with an eye to working sheep without direct supervision. Today's Collie breeds weren't formed until about 10 or 15 years after the Australian Kelpie was established as a breed, with the first official Border Collie not brought to Australia until after Federation in 1901.

Some individuals declare that Australian Kelpies have some Dingo blood, one possible motive for this perception is that as it was illegal to keep dingoes as pets, some dingo owners registered their animals as Australian Kelpies or Australian Kelpie crosses. It needs to be noted that Australian Kelpies and Dingoes are very comparable in conformation and colouring: Dingoes aren't restricted to tan and cream. There is no doubt that some have deliberately mated Dingoes to their Kelpies, and some opinion holds that the perfect dilution is 1/16-1/32, however that 1/2 and 1/4 will work. As the Dingo has been regarded as a savage sheep-killer since the first white settlement of Australia, few will admit to the practice and the undoubted benefits it has brought to the australian kelpie.