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Short History of the Breed --

'Show Kelpie', sometimes called 'Bench Kelpie'

This is a picture of a chocolate colored Show Kelpie.





There are two types of this breed:
Australian Working Kelpie and the Show Kelpie.

The show type of this breed broke away from the working type in the 1920's-1930's. The Show Kelpies were a specialist line of dogs developed especially for winning dog shows, however; this trend is now changing to a more all purpose type of dog. Obviously, two types of this breed can cause a lot of confusion among the general public so its always best to know what you want or expect from your pup before you go looking for one. If you are wanting a Kelpie for the show ring, the obvious choice should be to choose a Kelpie that has been bred specifically for the show ring. If you are wanting a Kelpie for the purpose of working livestock, the best choice would be a Kelpie from strong working lines (parents that are currently working livestock).

The first standard for this breed was drawn up by Mr. Robert Kaleski in , according to research, 1902 for "The Black-and-tan Kelpie".

The original (Working) Kelpies were working stockdogs and were formed in Australia by a number of dog breeders in the mid 1800's. By the mid 1800's, the large Australian grazing properties were being fenced and sheep numbers had grown considerably. Many of the dog breeds imported from Britain could not adapt to the work and would not stand up to the heat or terrain. There was a need for dogs that could gather, hold and move sheep from place to place. There were a number of people in Australia who strived to have the best sheepdogs. These people selectively bred working dogs by mixing different strains of working Collies in Britain and Ireland, and developing them to suit the needs of Australian conditions and Australian methods of handling sheep and stock to form what was called the Working Kelpie. It is estimated that today there are more than 450,000 sheepdogs working in Australia, the vast majority are Working Kelpies. Most people are under the impression that a Kelpie was formed from the Border Collie, this is not true. Border Collies were not established in Australia until after 1901.

The two dogs (smooth coated collies) who are noted as the foundation of the breed were Brutus and Jenny who were imported from Scotland. From these two dogs came the start of the breed "Australian Kelpie" unfortunately due to a division of the people who had these dogs that either chose to show or work their dogs - thus caused a division in the breed to the "Working Kelpie" and the "Show Kelpie".

The 'SHOW KELPIE' breed originally came from the same Kelpies that were developed in the 1800's for the purpose of working sheep. The Show Kelpie was developed by the continuous breeding of dogs that were winning dog shows and not working sheep. Instead of their breeding criteria being for working ability, and related traits needed by working dogs, they were selected for their looks. The transition was gradual, but the two types have obvious differences in temperament, structure, working ability, coat texture, and "look".

There has been a recent trend, by some Show Kelpie breeders, to start infusing the Working Kelpie lines back into their show lines.



The Kelpie with show registration can either be breed with other Kelpies with show registration or Kelpies who carry show and working registration. According to their Standard (Official set of guidelines set out by the Show Society), a Show Kelpie can never be bred to the original working type Kelpies unless that working Kelpie is duel registered (ANKC & WKC). This means that the Show Kelpies can breed back into their bloodlines the working ability from the original working Kelpie lines. More and more these days you will find black with tan points and chocolate (called red) with tan points in the show ring. The "Show Kelpie" is now getting back to their roots in regard to their height and structure, thanks to the dedication and common-sense attitude of a few show breeders.

Physical Description & Size

Show Kelpies of the past were a short, dark thick coated dog of a solid chocolate color with no tan markings or white on them. These days they are tending more to the taller dog, lighter in structure than that of ten years ago and more of the "Colored" dogs are being shown (ie : Red & Tan, Black & Tan, Fawn and Blues).


Show Kelpie - chocolate colour.

Temperament

Show Kelpies tend to be more hyper than Working Kelpies. They are happy to be with their owner, are easy going and easy to train. Their intelligence sometimes gets them into trouble, because they will create their own entertainment (if not kept busy and properly exercised) and this entertainment may not amuse their owner.

Dog Care (exercise, grooming, diet)

Kelpies have a wash and wear type coat. They do require brushing during the time they "blow their coat" (shed). A good quality complete dry food is sufficient to keep them healthy. Daily exercise is required to keep them in good physical condition. Physical, as well as mental, stimulation is required to keep the Kelpie from becoming destructive due to being bored.

Health Issues & Life Expectancy

Generally, a well bred and raised Kelpie has very few health issued. Hip dysplasia, Progressive Retinal Atrophy and Cerebellar Abiotrophy can be found in the Kelpie breed. Kelpies have a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years.

Additional Resources

Eurowenban & Withattitude -WKC & ANKC Kelpies
Wingdari - Show Kelpies
Kagaru - Show Kelpies
Suthensky's - Show Kelpies
The Australian Kelpie Club of Victoria (Australia - Show Kelpies)
Australian Kelpie