BREED OVERVIEW
AUSTRALIAN KELPIE
SIZE:
Medium sized with a shoulder height of 17-25" and weighs from 25-50 lbs
ENERGY LEVEL:
Moderate to High
COAT LENGTH:
Generally short with some medium coats found among the breed
COLOR:
Varies (see below). Can come in solid colors or with tan/rust points. The breed overall exhibits very little white markings
Medium sized with a shoulder height of 17-25" and weighs from 25-50 lbs
ENERGY LEVEL:
Moderate to High
COAT LENGTH:
Generally short with some medium coats found among the breed
COLOR:
Varies (see below). Can come in solid colors or with tan/rust points. The breed overall exhibits very little white markings
Breed Origin
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The Australian Kelpie's origin dates back to the late 1800's in the Australian Outback. The original "Kelpies" were bred by early landowners in an effort to develop a tough and hardy herding dog better adapted to the extreme environment and conditions. Foundation stock lore of the breed is a combination of folklore and fact. The folklore supports a tale of a “working collie” female in season used as bait to lure in wild dingo with a government imposed bounty on his head. The tenacious dingo with a single focused mindset bypassed poisoned-tainted meat and mated the tethered female. The hybrid offspring of the cross was kept secret to protect from bounty seekers. The progeny proved to be a line of dogs tough enough to endure. The fact stands firm today the combination of mental and physical endurance in addition to DNA, supports the legend.
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Breed Character
The Working Kelpie is or should be extremely alert, eager and highly intelligent. Possess an open friendly, active but placid disposition with a good balance between keenness to work and ability to relax. Display an almost inexhaustible energy; a marked loyalty and devotion to 'work' and a strongly inherited natural instinct and aptitude in the working of sheep, (and other livestock) both in open country and in the yards.
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Kelpies are hardwired to work and therefore need a job to be content. A bored Kelpie can be a destructive Kelpie if left to their own devices. This breed tends to be more of an "independent thinker", a result of their hybrid (dingo/dog) origins in the Outback. This trait is handy when these dogs must complete a task far from their master's view. Nonetheless individual Kelpies, like humans, each have their own distinct personality traits, and differences can be found within the breed.
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Colors
The Kelpie breed exhibits and wide range of coat colors. The predominant color is black but the breed can be found in red, silver/blue, fawn, and yellow with variants of each. Tan points are also characteristics commonly found among the breed. Many have a thick undercoat and often a medium coat of longer hair is found.
Black with Tan points
Yellow
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Blue/Silver with Tan points
Red with Tan points
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Kelpies as Pets and Companions
Kelpies can make excellent pets and companion dogs if they are given consistent energy outlets in the form of exercise or a type of job. A tired dog is a happy and fulfilled dog no matter the breed but this is especially true for the Kelpie. Consideration must also be given to the fact that Kelpies are bred to be herding dogs and may tend to want to "work" livestock, other pets, and even children and cars if allowed to do so. Because of this, Kelpies requires a consistent and firm pack leader to help curb bad behaviors and encourage good behaviors. Since they have unmatched tenacity, Kelpies can excel at Obedience and Agility trials, be Search and Rescue dogs, work in Service Dog capacities, and even make great couch potatoes and traveling companions.
DNA testing sheds light on Kelpie trait of "Independent Thinking"
Read article here
High prey-drive is predictable; channeling that instinct has a rewarding outcome!
For more extensive information on the Australian Kelpie breed,
visit the Working Kelpie Council website
visit the Working Kelpie Council website
Jumakola Kelpies
Diane C. Myers
McCammon, Idaho
myspursjingle@gmail.com
Diane C. Myers
McCammon, Idaho
myspursjingle@gmail.com