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. Homeland of these animals is Australia. Their peculiarity is that they do not have any particular color, but may be completely different.
The history of the breed
The forebears of the current representatives of the breed are black dogs, which were previously called collies. Their name comes from the words of the English language “Coal” is translated as “coal”, and “collier” - “coal mine”. The dogs of this breed were transported to Australia, and throughout the 19th century they interbred with other species of breeds, including wild dingos. But do not confuse the modern breed of collie with those from which the kelpies originated. Because they appeared only after 10-15 years after the Australian.
It is assumed that the current kelpies previously crossed with the dingo breed, but did not tell about it. These dogs were considered wild since 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 dingos still flows through their veins.
A descendant of the breed is considered to be a black dog that was bought 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 engaged in breeding a dog that would be able to feed local sheep. Therefore, he crossed the purchased bitch with other representatives who were brought from abroad.
Due to the fact that the cattle breeders were interested only in how the animal would do its job, few people thought about color and other parameters. Therefore, they did not have to participate in exhibitions. But at the beginning of the 20th century, Kelpie breed standards were described by Robert Kalensky, which could allow dogs to take part in the show. But people refused to even listen about it, because they thought that running up to standards would negatively affect the quality of the animal.
Later, they still begin to distinguish two subspecies of this breed: show-kelpies, which meet the standards and can attend exhibitions and shows, and ordinary shepherd dogs, who do not even have a certain color.
Dog breeders give preference to monotonous in color representatives with short hair and "pointed" ears. When they talk about Australian kelpies, they imply a show option, because as soon as they have the opportunity to take part in exhibitions.
Description
Kelpie-shepherds
These representatives are for work only. They can be very different from each other, and in most cases they look like ordinary mongrels, sometimes like dingos. Their height reaches 55 cm, and females do not exceed the mark of 50 cm. Their weight is not very large, and can vary from 14 to 20 kg.
The length of their wool can be different, and the color is found from black to cream. Most often they have a uniform color, sometimes with spots.
Show kelpie
As already noted, these representatives have certain standards. Their parameters are a bit similar to regular kelpies. The height of the bitches reaches 48 cm, males - 51 cm.They weigh about the same, starting at 11 kg and ending at 20 kg. They look quite athletic.
The head of the dog is round, not big and not small. The muzzle is a bit like a fox, due to its narrowness. Ears are always in a standing position, their ends are pointed. Eye color is mostly brown.
The fur of the animal is not very short, but fits tightly to the body. On the paws and ears, it is much shorter. Color monophonic, but in different organizations their standards about color. Basically, it is red and black, as well as smoky blue or black and tan.
The first thing that catches the eye at the sight of a kelpie is his mind and similarity with wild representatives.
Dog character
It is believed that standardized representatives are a little less energetic of their usual counterparts. But this difference is not at all noticeable to the ordinary person. This can only be noted by herders. These dogs are very devoted to their owners and love them very much.
But, despite the fact that they love to spend time in the company, they can themselves, without any help and instructions, follow the herd. They are good to use as guards, but not always and not 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 raising his pet, then these dogs are quite friendly, and if they are not properly educated, they can show aggression.
The attitudes of these dogs and children are well coordinated. But, if we talk about small children, they may not become best friends due to the fact that kelpies can be rude to their kids out of habit, like sheep. But since this is just an animal instinct, it can be weaned from such behavior.
Other dogs are treated differently. Males often try to occupy a dominant position.
For the reason that these dogs work with flocks of sheep, we can say that they will be able to cooperate with other animals. But their instinct can lead to the fact that they can start to drive other representatives of animals, whether it is a cow or a domestic cat, it does not matter at all. Therefore, it may cause injury.
Kelpies are pretty smart dogs that can be easily trained in everything you can think of. They can act not only as shepherds, but also lifeguards, and as service dogs.These animals are independent, so it will be difficult for an inexperienced owner to teach them tricks. They themselves know everything, and only do what they think is necessary. Kelpi obey only the owner, and if there are other family members in the family, they can ignore their requests. To avoid this, you need to put them in time.
This breed is created to work, therefore, living in other conditions, the animal will behave quite actively. They are accustomed to shepherd any weather. Therefore, the scorching sun for them will not become an obstacle. These animals have become not just human friends, but also faithful assistants in the animal industry of Australia.
Therefore, ordinary walks for kelpies may be few. Even a couple of hours of running around the playground with games will not be enough for a dog, and this will compensate for this by spending time in the apartment. For many people, this dog can be a disaster, so, in order to avoid gambling, it is worth refusing to purchase Australian kelpie.
Even if properly educating a dog, it will eventually become unusually flighty and naughty if it stops receiving what it needs.Kelpi can begin to gnaw absolutely everything that will come across in the apartment, constantly bark and even howl. In severe cases, 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 home, and the family has livestock to feed. Therefore, it is necessary to draw conclusions that the animal can be a great helper and pet for the farmer. Even despite his age, at 10–12 years of age, 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 at all. Their lifespan is 12-15 years.Most often, their death occurs not because of illness, but because of an accident.
Where to buy Australian kelpie
If the reading above doesn’t bother you, and the decision to buy a puppy is hard, then you need to buy it only in verified kennels. Because breeders have a risk to get a translation. The cost of an Australian Kelpie puppy varies from 8 to 30 thousand rubles.
Video: Australian Kelpie dog breed
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