The content of the article
The breed of dogs Australian Kelpie is a shepherd. Its representatives can manage the herd even in the absence of the owner. The birthplace of these animals is Australia. Their peculiarity is that they do not have any particular color, but can be completely different.
Breed history
The ancestors of the current representatives of the breed are black dogs, which were previously called collies. Their name comes from the English words "Coal" is translated as "coal", and "collier" - "coal miner". Dogs of this breed were transported to Australia, and during the 19th century they were crossed with other species of breeds, including wild dingoes. But do not confuse the modern breed of collie with those from which the kelpies evolved. Because they appeared only 10-15 years after the Australian.
It is assumed that the current kelpies were previously crossed with a dingo breed, but this was not told. These dogs were considered wild, as they killed livestock. At that time it was forbidden to keep wild dogs in the house, so they were registered as mestizos or as kelpies. Therefore, the blood of wild dingoes still flows through their veins.
The descendant of the breed is a black dog, which was purchased by Jack Gleason in one of the Australian cities of Gasterton. And the name of this animal was Kelpy. It was named after the Scottish water spirit. This man was busy breeding a breed of dog that could graze local sheep. Therefore, he crossed the purchased bitch with other representatives who were brought from abroad.
Due to the fact that cattle breeders were only interested in how the animal would do its job, few people thought about the color and other parameters. Therefore, they did not have to participate in exhibitions. But at the beginning of the 20th century, Robert Kalensky described the kelpie breed standards, which could allow dogs to take part in the show. But people refused to even hear about it, because they thought that running after standards would adversely affect the quality of the animal.
Later, after all, two subspecies of this breed begin to be distinguished: show-kelpies that meet the standards and can attend exhibitions and shows, and ordinary shepherd dogs that do not even have a certain color.
Dog breeders give preference to representatives of uniform color with long hair and “pointed” ears. When talking about Australian kelpies, they mean a show option, because as soon as they have the opportunity to participate in exhibitions.
Description
Kelpie Shepherds
These representatives are for business use only. They can be very different from each other, and in most cases they look like ordinary curs, sometimes dingoes. Their height reaches 55 cm, and bitches do not exceed the mark of 50 cm. Their mass is not very large, and can range from 14 to 20 kg.
The length of their fur can be different, and the color is found from black to cream. Most often they have a monochromatic color, sometimes with spots.
Kelpie show
As already noted, these representatives have certain standards. Their parameters are a bit similar to ordinary kelpies. The height of the bitches reaches 48 cm, the dogs - 51 cm. They weigh about the same, starting from 11 kg and ending with 20 kg. They look pretty athletic.
The head of the dog is round in shape, neither large nor small. The muzzle is a bit like a fox, due to its narrowing. Ears are always upright, their ends are pointed. Eye color is mainly brown.
The hair of the animal is not very short, but fits snugly to the body. On the legs and ears, it is much shorter.The color is solid, but different organizations have their own standards for color. Basically, it is red and black, as well as smoky blue or black with tan.
The first thing that catches your eye at the sight of kelpie is his mind and similarity with wild representatives.
Dog character
It is believed that standardized representatives are slightly less energetic than their ordinary counterparts. But this difference is not at all noticeable to the average person. This can only be noted by pastoralists. These dogs are very loyal to their owners and love them very much.
But, despite the fact that they like to spend time in the company, they can themselves, without any help and instructions to monitor the herd. They are good to use as watchmen, but not always, and not of every representative, because they do not have sufficient aggressiveness and size. If we talk about their attitude to other people, then it can be different. If the owner is engaged in the upbringing of his pet, then such dogs are quite friendly, and if they are not properly raised, they can be aggressive.
The attitude of these dogs and children is getting along well. But if we talk about young children, then they may not become best friends for the reason that Kelpies can be rude to babies out of habit, like sheep. But since this is just an animal instinct, it can be weaned from such behavior.
Other animals are treated differently by dogs. Dogs often try to dominate.
For the reason that these dogs work with flocks of sheep, we can say that they can cooperate with other animals. But their instinct can lead to the fact that they can begin to drive other representatives of animals, it will be a cow or a domestic cat, it does not matter. Therefore, it may result in personal injury.
Kelpies are pretty smart dogs that you can easily train anything you can think of. They can act not only as shepherds, but also rescuers, and in the role of service dogs. These animals are independent, so it will be difficult to teach them tricks to an inexperienced owner. They themselves know everything, and do only what they think is necessary. Kelpies obey only the owner, and if there are other family members in the family, they can ignore their requests. To prevent this from happening, you need to put them in place on time.
This breed was created in order to work, therefore, living in other conditions, the animal will behave quite actively. They are used to grazing sheep in any weather. Therefore, the scorching sun will not become an obstacle for them. These animals have become not just friends of man, but also loyal helpers in the animal industry of Australia.
Therefore, ordinary walks for kelpie may be few. Even a couple of hours of running around the playground with games will not be enough for the dog, and it will compensate for this by spending active time in the apartment. For many people, this dog can be a disaster, therefore, in order to avoid a sore spot, you should refuse to purchase an Australian kelpie.
Even if the dog is brought up correctly, then over time it will become unusually jaunty and naughty if it stops receiving what it needs. Kelpie can begin to nibble absolutely everything that will come across in the apartment, constantly bark and even howl. In a severe case, animals may experience depression and manic states.
In order for the owner and the dog to be happy, it must be loaded in different ways. It is good if the animal lives in its own house, and the family has livestock that needs to be grazed. Therefore, it is worth making conclusions that the animal can be an excellent helper and favorite for the farmer. Even despite their age, at 10-12 years old, kelpies remain as energetic as at a young age.
Care and Health
The only thing to watch out for is their health. These animals do not always notice pain, which can lead to big problems.
Representatives of this breed are quite healthy, and they do not suffer from genetic diseases. Their life span is 12-15 years. Most often, their death does not occur due to illness, but due to an accident.
Where to buy Australian Kelpie
If the reading above did not bother you at all, and the decision to purchase a puppy is solid, then you need to buy it only in trusted nurseries. Because breeders have a risk of acquiring translation. The cost of an Australian kelpie puppy varies from 8 to 30 thousand rubles.
Video: Australian Kelpie dog breed
Submit