Want to know about the Australian Kelpie? Learn more about the dog breed called the Australian Kelpie…
The dog breed is a wonderful tribute to the droving and livestock mustering skills seen in a canine. It has excellent command over meandering livestock and requires little guidance. This has led to its popularity as a herding dog all across Australia.
Appearance
The Kelpie from Australia is a medium sized dog which has over seven colours in its fur coat. Due to its efficiency in the field the Australian Kelpies have been spread via export across the globe and are popularly utilized as field dogs for mustering livestock. The main livestock that they look after include cattle, goats and sheep. They are also known to look after poultry in some instances.
It is interesting to note that the coat variations on the working Kelpie is of three types of stock it can be short, rough or smooth. Every imaginable colour from black or cream as well as tan is possible on the Australian Kelpie, which is the working category. A few of them may have white points or the general white blaze on their chest. Some of them even have double coat, which sheds in spring.
Classification of Australian Kelpie
The Kelpie has been divided into two separate varieties. One is the working Kelpie while the other is the show Kelpie. The show Kelpie is shown at the conformation dog shows because it is nice in appearance. However, working Kelpies are instinctively geared towards fieldwork and are bred for that characteristic. The coat of the Kelpie ranges from a combination of black and tan to the chocolate brown Kelpie. Even though it has a variety of colors for its coat, it is impossible to put an unidentified dog in the same category.
Red Cloud Australian Kelpies
The very unique Red Cloud Kelpies are endowed with red features. Their feet, chest and face have contrasting white markings on them.
Breed Standards
There is a variation on breed standards which is depends on registration as a working dog or a show dog. Even though it is possible to register a dog in both categories, the competition options may be limited for a dog that exists in both categories because of the ancestry and lineage along with the pedigree requirements of different kennel clubs.
In order to keep the registration and breed pure and traceable the working Kelpies and show Kelpies are registered separately.
Registration of Working Australian Kelpies
Registered by the Working Kelpie Council, the WKC serves as the primary agency which establishes the standards of the breed for the State Sheepdog Workers Association. It supports breeding for working dogs and keeps provisions for a different variety of colour of the dog’s coat. Because of its broad standards a working dog cannot be shown
Registration of Australian Show Kelpie’s
The show Kelpies are registered with the Australian National Kennel Council. This association supports breeding for limited appearances and characteristics, including colours and focuses on preserving the standards required for a good show dog. In Australia you are able to show only show Kelpies in the confirmation competition.
The different competitions which include the working Australian Kelpie include the cattle dog trial which is very popular in New South Wales, the region where the first Kelpie was bred.
