March 06, 2005

Kelpie

The kelpie is an Australian herding breed. The kelpie was first registered as a breed in Australia in 1902, one of the earliest registered breeds in Australia. It is one of those breeds that has divided into two - show dogs and working dogs, or dogs registered by the Australian National Kennel Council and dogs registered with the Working Kelpie Council of Australia. There are differences in appearances with the show or bench kelpie having a more compact body and a wider range of colours, the main difference is in working ability.

The bench kelpie is slightly less active than the working type, and less successful as a herding dog, though perhaps easier to manage as a family pet in the city. The working kelpie needs daily, extensive excercise of a sort that challenges their intellect while it tests their stamina. Bench kelpies are generally known as kelpies and the others as working kelpies.

The two kelpies I know best, Scoot and Oops, are a great advertisement for the breed.
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Anonymous said...

I wish you would tell my "bench" Kelpie that she should not be as active as my last "working" Kelpie who was probably slightly less active. She was also unable to work sheep which my chocolate can. I think that perhaps it is more based on individual lines and individual animals. Working animals that dont work are often "gotten rid of" and are thus never seen or talked about.

6:26 PM

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