Australian Kelpie, complete guide
The Australian Kelpie is a herding dog native to Australia. Of medium height, its outstanding energy make it one of the best sheep breeds . It is very easy to train. He is intelligent, loyal and very active.
Fast and intelligent, the kelpie has been a working tool on Australia’s large cattle farms for over a century. But today it is not only considered a working dog, but also a much-loved pet for many.
Short presentation
The popular Red Dog movie literally caused “kelpie fever” throughout Australia and elsewhere on the planet. Every year thousands of Kelpie dogs are sold, given away or end up in animal shelters after being abandoned by owners who discover that it is a breed with high daily demands related to their workaholism. For this reason, experts advise that they know the real needs before choosing a kelpie as a pet. And this is the primary reason for this guide.
In fact, many experts assure that the Kelpies, despite their undeniable virtues, are not the best pets, but on the contrary, they are dogs for livestock work. They need constant mental stimulation. Being a noble and manageable dog, in ideal environments for them, it can become disobedient and indomitable in a few months, if they do not have the space and activity they need. Kelpies are programmed to work and travel hundreds of kilometers a day. Without a doubt, an urban home is not the best place to live.
Kelpie means “water spirit in the form of a horse.” According to Scottish legends, this spirit protected the region’s rivers and lakes. A mythological being who is also named in Scandinavian mythology, with the name of Bäckahästen. Although they were referring to a majestic white horse that attracted men and took them to the bottom of the rivers without being seen again. To learn about the relationship of this dog breed to a horse name, keep reading this guide. You’ll find the answer in the “His Story of Him” section.
But leaving aside the meaning of its name, you can only find in the Australian Kelpie large ears that adorn a sweet, helpful and clean look with almond-shaped eyes. The Australian Kelpie was created for the task of herding in Australia. Designed so that they could work well in large, hot spaces and had the skills to handle a large herd in a harsh landscape. They arise from the breed from the north of England and when they were exported to Australia they changed their physiognomy to adapt them to the new environment. They can measure between 43 and 50 cm, and weigh between 12 and 22 kilos approximately. The existing colors are black, red or fawn. What most often attracts attention is the shape of the head, very similar to that of a fox.
Veterinarian Elizabeth Arnott, from Quirindi in western New South Wales, who has spent several years studying the genetics of kelpies at Sydney Veterinary College, says there are up to 300,000 dogs working in the bush and that the 60 percent of them are kelpies. Also her job has been to take samples of her DNA that can help determine what makes Kelpies so special to herding.
Its History and Origin
Many Australians believe that kelpies emerged as a breed after British sheepdogs interbred with Australian dingoes. But according to Barbara Cooper, the Australian Kelpie Breed Registrar based in Sydney, this is untrue even though there is a strong physical resemblance between kelpies and dingoes. For example, they both have sharp faces, tall pointed ears, and other well-known physical characteristics.
They are herding dogs derived from the Scottish Collie breed and imported to Australia around 1800. Kelpies began to be used for herding approximately in the years 1872 or 1873. And the first time they were registered as a standard breed was in 1902. Since then this The breed has undergone little change and they are still used to guard sheep.
It is said that the inhospitable Australian continent forced Scottish and English settlers to select dogs that would adapt to these harsh new conditions. On large tracts of land in the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria, sheep numbers have increased dramatically. Many estates even had more than a quarter of a million sheep. Above all, they needed dogs that could handle herds of unruly merino lambs well and that could handle the heat well. His job was to protect the herd at night and direct them to the pens after grazing without getting lost.
The first version of these herding dogs derived from the Collie breed were the Rutherfords. They were also short-haired dogs, with erect ears, strong jaws, prominent heads, black in color, and very active. This breed line later served as the basis for the Kelpie.
Already, at the end of the 19th century, an Australian rancher named Gleason who exchanged a horse for a Rutherford line puppy, calling it the Kelpie, would unknowingly change the history of this breed forever. “Kelpie” in Gaelic means Undina, an aquatic nymph, although the name is also related to mythological aquatic horses. This bitch was known by the name of “Gleason’s Kelpie”, and her offspring gave rise to this breed. Later the original Kelpie was bred twice. Firstly, with a black dog from the Rutterford line and then with a “Caesar”. It was in this last line that he would give the famous “Kelpie”. A black and tan female who won the first sheepdog competition in Australia. Fact that she did that will begin to generate great interest in this new breed.