Australian Kelpie Breed Information

Original Function: herding

Temperament: alert, eager, highly intelligent

Characteristics: Almost inexhaustible energy, with marked loyalty & devotion to duty. It has a natural instinct & aptitude in the working of sheep, both in open country & in the yard.

Recommended for: Working life, Active people & families

Lifespan: 14 - 15 yrs

 

Height: Dogs 46-51 cms (approx. 18-20 ins)

Height: Bitches 43-48 cms (approx. 17-19 ins)

Colour: Black, black and tan, red, red and tan, fawn, chocolate, and smoke blue.

Coat: Double coat with a short dense undercoat. Outercoat is close, each hair straight, hard, and lying flat, so that it is rain-resisting.

General Appearance: Medium sized body. Head is in proportion to the size of the dog, with medium sized, almond shaped eyes & triangular, erect ears. Active dog of great quality, showing hard muscular condition combined with great suppleness of limb and conveying the capability of untiring work.

The breed has split over time into the Show Kelpie and the Working Kelpie. The Show Kelpie is the variety that is seen at conformation dog shows. They usually have little or no herding instinct or skill. Show Kelpie breeders tend to call their breeding establishments kennels, whereas Working Kelpie breeders tend to call their breeding establishments "Studs" in a similar way to cattle and sheep Studs.

There are two separate registries for Kelpies. The Working Kelpie Council encourages breeding for herding ability, and allows a wider variety of coat colors than does the Australian National Kennel Council, which encourages breeding for a certain appearance and limits dogs to certain colors, apparently promoting solid colors over others.

The Working Kelpie comes in three coat types, smooth, short and rough, with almost every colour from black through light tan or cream. Many Kelpies have white blazes, a few have white points. Kelpies used to have a double coat, but this has largely disappeared, possibly due to environmental factors.
Ears are usually pricked, but about 20% will have one or both ears flopped; the tail will often follow the coat type, and will vary between smooth to bushy. Cosmetic features have no relationship to the dog's working ability, so stockmen looking for capable working dogs usually disregard the dog's appearance.
Working 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). Show Kelpies are generally heavier and shorter.

The background of the Australian Working Kelpie is both, fascinating and complex.
The Kelpie came about because Australian sheepmen needed a dog that could work sheep on the outback properties, under variable and harsh conditions.
The various breeds of sheepdogs from Europe and the UK were too heavy coated to cope with the severe conditions of the Australian climate and geography.
The wonderful breed came from two black and tan short coated pricked eared collies imported by a Mr Elliott and a Mr Allen in the 1860's. View Full History Details here

These dogs have a natural instinct for working with sheep and display exceptional abilities in their scent, sight and hearing. They are always very alert and eager with an enormous amount of energy. They adapt to family life and are great pets as long as there are kept active.
The Kelpie has excelled in the areas of Obedience, Agility and Tracking.

Grooming- minimal care is needed, a brush and a bath now and then, or when needed.

Exercise- plenty of exercise is needed to keep then fit and their mind occupied, they can become bored and destructive if they are not.

Health- Generally very sound dog. For Diet and other general dog health information Health/Nutrition

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Other information on this breed

Books:
Working Dogs Training for Sheep & Cattle - View here

Websites:
The Working Kelpie Council Of Australia Inc.
Breed Society for The Australian Working Kelpie
http://www.wkc.org.au/

Australian Sheepdog Workers' Association
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~aswa/

Clubs:

AUSTRALIAN KELPIE CLUB of NSW
Sec Ph:02- 6345 5810
Mobile: 0438 239 008

AUSTRALIAN KELPIE CLUB OF VIC.
Sec - J. Wangler
Ph:03- 5342 4721
Email:jwangler@netconnect.com.au

CATTLE DOG & KELPIE CLUB OF QLD
Barry Nalder
Gatton 4343
Ph:07- 5466 5344
Email:AUSTKELPIE@bigpond.com.au
www.geocities.com/acdakclub