The Australian Kelpie is a well known breed, and is highly valued in its country of origin. In fact, it is one of the most popular Australian dog breeds. His appearance, similar to the fox, combined with his character makes anyone who knows him fall in love. In this’ Pets Feed ‘ breed file, we will talk in detail about the Australian Kelpie dog , read on!
Kelpie photos
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Physical characteristics
The Kelpie is a medium -sized dog, with a fairly wide margin in terms of accepted weight, which is between 11 and 20 kilos, the height in the withers for males is 46 to 51 centimeters and for females from 43 to 48 , being a little smaller. The body is strong, very muscular and proportioned. They are well developed.
Distinctive features
- Head: The shape of the head looks like that of a fox. The skull is rounded, proportionally to the size of the body. The muzzle is slightly shorter than that of a fox. The transition from the front to the muzzle is clearly visible.
- Teeth: Strong jaws, articulated in scissors.
- Eyes: The shape of the eyes is rounded. The color depends on the color of the coat. The dog has a characteristic wide angle of vision, which allows him to face his tasks.
- Ears: the ears are well apart, tilted forward, the external edge is slightly curved. The interior of the ear is covered with wool.
- Body: the chest is deep, the ribs are rounded. The back is straight, the kidney is strong. The body is tilted.
- Members: The dog’s legs are straight and muscular. The angle of the knee joints is clearly visible on the posterior limbs. The legs are rounded, the nails are short, the pads are compressed.
- Pelage: Short hair, thick sub-point. The outside hair is hard, it protects the dog from getting wet. Around the neck of a kelpie, a “necklace” is formed of wool.
Character and behavior
The Kelpie is a very active dog and predisposed to perform tasks, he is extremely obedient, which reminds him that he comes from the Collies, because he is restless and at the same time very intelligent. These animals adapt easily to life anywhere, apartments, houses or land, although if they live in a place with little space, we must be very strict in terms of the time they spend doing physical activity because it is very important that they spend enough time exercising to keep them healthy and balanced.
If we have spent time socializing the puppy, the Australian kelpie coexists perfectly with children and the other dogs or pets we have at home, because in general we are talking about a fairly sociable breed.
Health
The Kelpie dog breed, in general, has good health, but the following problems can sometimes occur:
- Hip dysplasia;
- Cryptorchidia;
- Progressive retinal atrophy;
- Anomaly of the eye of the Collee;
- Abiotrophy of the cerebellum.
Life expectancy
The average life expectancy of an Australian kelpie is between 12 and 15 years old when it is properly treated and fed with a good quality diet depending on its age.
Care
Regarding hair care, the Kelpie dog breed is quite simple, it needs weekly combing and nothing more. Some individuals have a sub-point and a hangar. Make sure you keep your ears clean, remove the deposits from your eyes every day and swim your pet once or twice a month.
Exercise
The Australian kelpie needs at least 2 hours of exercise a day with as much free time as possible in a safe environment. If this dog is not getting the right amount of mental stimulation and exercise every day, he will get bored quickly and may even start to show destructive behaviors in the house, which is his way of relieving the stress that he feels and not necessarily because he is mean.
History of the breed
The origin of the breed is uncertain, but it has been shown that the kelpie is a descendant of Scottish dogs, all of different types of collie, who were brought to Australia to be used to gather large herds belonging to landowners . Some believe that it is the result of a cross between dingoes and border collies, but more precise documents reveal that the breed originates from collies in the north of England.
These dogs replaced the dogs that were previously responsible for raising sheep, but as the number and size of the herds increased, this became impossible, since the owners of the herds decided to use Shepherd, one of the most suitable for the climate was the Australian Kelpie, which is why the breed was very popular with Australian farmers.