Breed Group
The Australian Kelpie is a medium sized dog that boasts having an athletic build. They were bred as working dogs and even in a home environment, they need to be kept busy to prevent boredom from setting in. Kelpies are also known to be highly intelligent and can be taught to do many things. The breed is quite rarely seen outside of Australia where they are highly prized. However, over recent years the Australian Kelpie is fast becoming more well known in other parts of the world, thanks to their charming looks and quick-witted, loyal natures as such their popularity is rising albeit slowly.
The Australian Kelpie was first developed in the late 19th century when intelligent working dogs were needed to help with large flocks in Australia. Not only did dogs need to be smart and quick witted, but they also needed to be tough enough to handle challenging situations and conditions. On top of this, they needed to be able to cover vast distances with relative ease. Kelpies were developed for being all of these things and like other sheepdogs, they boast having the "Coley" in their ancestry.
Kelpies soon earned themselves the reputation for being reliable, tough and intelligent working dogs not only in their native Australia, but elsewhere in the world too. However, these charming, hard-working dogs are rarely seen in a home environment outside of Australia and anyone wishing to share their home with a Kelpie would need to register their interest with breeders and be put on a waiting list because so few puppies are bred in the UK every year. The breed is not yet recognised by The Kennel Club, but the United Kennel Club does recognise the Kelpie as a breed and has drawn up a standard with an end goal being to ensure good breeding practices.
