Online Encyclopedia
Australian Kelpie
| Australian Kelpie | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||
| Alternative names | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Country of origin | ||||||||||
| Australia | ||||||||||
| Classification | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Breed standards (external links) | ||||||||||
|
FCI, AKC, ANKC NZKC, UKC |
||||||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||
|
The Canadian "miscellaneous class" is for breeds working towards full recognition. |
The Kelpie is an Australian breed of sheep dog that has proven very successful at herding sheep in the mountainous areas of New Zealand. They are medium-sized dogs and come in a variety of colours, including red and black with white tips.
They are clever, loyal and friendly and typically have an excess of nervous energy. They are renowned for running along the backs of sheep when they are herding them.
Some people claim that kelpies have some dingo blood. A possible reason for this belief is that, in areas where it is illegal to keep dingoes as pets, some dingo owners register their animals as kelpies or kelpie crosses.
Breed Standards
As is the case with many breeds of dogs that are still used for their original purposes, breed standards vary depending on whether the registry is more interested in a dog who performs his job superbly or a dog whose appearance meets an ideal standard. It is possible for a dog to do both, but his options for competition in dog shows might be limited depending on his ancestry and on the opinions of the various kennel clubs or breed clubs involved.
For example, in Australia, there are two separate registries for Kelpies. The Working Kelpie Council [1] 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.
As another example, in the United States, the Kelpie was a breed recognized by the American Kennel Club for a while, but currently the AKC (which promotes standards based on the dog's appearance) does not recognize the breed, and the North American Australian Kelpie Registry[2], which promotes the dog as a working breed, does not appear to want the breed to be promoted by the AKC.
The kelpie is also an aquatic creature from Celtic mythology.