Australian Kelpie Standard

The Australian Kelpie is a dog bred and born with purpose - to work. The Australian Kelpie originated around 1870, playing a major role in the development of the sheep and wool industry in Australia. Descended from the British “working coley”, the Kelpie was bred to handle the harsh, hot landscape, extensive acreage, and unruly Merino sheep. Bred for the harsh conditions of Australia, the kelpie has acclimated well to all climates and terrain in North America. These dogs were brought to America to expedite livestock handling in the livestock industry. They can be found in all types of cattle working environments, as well as, be used on sheep, goats, and any other type of herd animals.

Physical Description

The general appearance of the Australian Kelpie is that of the medium sized, lithe, active dog showing hard muscular condition, conveying the capability of untiring work. Movement and action shall be smooth and effortless, with a good length of stride. The Australian Kelpie is a prick earred, slick or short hair coated dog, predominantly with tan markings, though they can also be a solid colored. (More information on color further down).Average height and weight of the Working Kelpie in North America are:

• Males: 20-23 inches in height at the withers with an average weight of 35-60 pounds
• Females: 18-22 inches in height at the withers with an average weight of 22-55 pounds.

Characteristics

The Australian Kelpie is or should be extremely alert, eager, and highly intelligent. Possess an open friendly, active but placid disposition with a good balance between keenness to work and ability to relax. Display an almost inexhaustible energy; a marked loyalty and devotion of “work” and a strongly inherited natural instinct and aptitude in the working of livestock, both in open country and in the yards.

Bad temperaments, high excitability, nervousness, or aggressiveness are uncharacteristic and should be considered undesirable.

Movement

During movement the gait should be free, smooth, and effortless with a good length of stride, showing a tendency for foot placement to move towards ‘single tracking’ just before breaking into a trot, and becoming more pronounced as speed increases. There must be the ability to turn suddenly at speed, and be capable of the crouching stealthy movement demanded by its work. When walking slowly (and when standing still) the legs seen from front or rear should be ‘four square’.

Because of the association with loss of efficiency any tendency to heavy ‘pounding’ gait ‘stiltedness’, loose shoulders or restricted movement; weaving or plaiting gait should be considered highly undesirable.

Head

An acceptable Kelpie type head has a slightly rounded skull, broad between well-pricked ears, forehead curved very slightly towards a pronounced stop. The cheeks neither coarse nor prominent but rounded to the fore face, cleanly chiselled and defined. The muzzle of moderate length tapered towards the nose and refined in comparison to the skull; lips tight and clean. Teeth should be sound, strong and evenly spaced. The lower incisors just behind but touching the upper.

Too much emphasis should not be placed on the finer points of the head. Undershot, overshot, or abnormal numbers of teeth are undesirable.

Eyes

The overall placement in the skull should provide the widest possible field of vision the need of head movement with the eyes slightly oval shaped, of medium size and widely spaced, clearly defined at the corners and showing a kind, intelligent and eager expression.

From the ‘pleasing appearance’ point of view the colour of the eye should harmonise with the coat colour. Too much emphasis should not be placed on eye colour with preference given to placement. Small eyes particularly, if badly placed, should be considered undesirable.

Ears

Ears should be widely spaced, pricked and running to a fine point at the tip, the leather fine should be strong at the base, inclining outwards and slightly curved on the outer edge and of moderate size; the inside of the ears well furnished with hair to discourage entry of foreign bodies. There should be a marked ability to rotate the ear to catch to minimise head movement.

Neck

The neck should be fair length, strong, slightly arched and showed quality, gradually moulding into the shoulders.

Incorrect attachment at head or shoulders; short thick ‘bull’ or ‘ewe’ neck are undesirable structural faults.

Forequarters

As a whole should be clean, muscular with sloping shoulders close-set at the withers; elbows set parallel with the body. The forelegs should be muscular with strong but refined bone, perfectly straight when viewed from the front, but pasterns should show a slight angulation to the forearm when viewed from the side.

Shoulders

The shoulders should be clean, muscular, with a long sloping shoulder blade (scapula) set at approximately 45 degree angle to the ground; close-set withers, upper arm (humerus) forming a near 90 degree angle with the blade (scapula) and appropriately angulated to the forearm(radius and ulna) with elbows set parallel to the body. Particular emphasis should be placed on the sloping shoulder.

Two main faults to avoid are shoulders set too far forward and straight(upright) shoulders, both of which affect balance and inhibit free movement and should be considered serious faults.

Forelegs

Clean, muscular, refined boned and perfectly straight when viewed from the front. The length of leg should be approximately the same from the point of elbow (tip of the ulna) to the ground as is the distance from the wither to the base of the rib cage, with preference towards longer rather than shorter forelegs. The pastern should show a slight angle with the forearm when viewed from the side. Short forelegs and straight pastern(viewed from the side); feet toed in or out(viewed from the front) should be considered undesirable.

Close knitting of toes should not be exaggerated.

Body

The chest should be deep, rather than wide; ribs well sprung(not barrel-ribbed) with a topline showing a rise at the withers (to allow sufficient action of the forequarters); strong and well muscled loins, sloping to the butt of the tail.

Any tendency to a ‘level top line’ is undesirable.

Length to Height Ratio 10-9

The body measured from the point of the breast bone in a straight line to the buttocks should be greater than the height at the withers, as 10 units is to 9 units. For example, a dog 18 inches in height should measure 20 inches in length.

It is better for the dog to be too long than to be too short. Any tendency to squareness in a working dog is undesirable.

Chest

The chest when viewed from the side should be deep; the point of breast bone showing ahead of the junction between shoulder blade (scapula) and upper arm (humerus). The bottom line of the rib cage should curve downwards from its point, to below and slightly in front of the elbow (tip of the ulna) then remain level to the eighth rib before continuing in a gradual upwards curve towards the flank.

Because of the affect on heart and lung room any structural deviations in the area should be considered highly undesirable.

Hindquarters

Should show breadth and strength with the rump rather long and sloping; the upper thigh (femur) well set into the hip socket at the pelvis at a corresponding angle to the shoulder blade. When viewed from the side the overall upper line of rump and tail should form a smooth curve when the dog is standing at rest. The stifles (junction of femur and tibia and fibula) well turned (angled), the hocks fairly well let down and placed parallel with the body when viewed from behind,

Particular emphasis should be placed on the turn of stifle and any tendency to straightness should be considered undesirable as are cow hocks (hocks turned in) and bow hocks (hocks turned out) when viewed from behind.

Feet

The hind feet should be slightly elongated in comparison with the front feet, strong, deep in the pads, with flexible well arched toes with strong short nails to allow the dog maximum thrust under differing ground surfaces.

Toes turned in or out are undesirable.

Tail

When viewed from the side the butt of the tail should be well let down. During inactivity the tail should hang in a slight curve reaching the hock - longer rather than shorter is desirable.

Because they act as a counter-balance, tails which are set too high, short, kinked, screwed or hooked tails are all undesirable.

Coat

The outer coat should be moderately short, flat, and straight and weather resisting, with or without a short dense undercoat. On the head, ears, feet and legs the hair should be short. The coat can be slightly longer at the neck, at the rear of the thighs, and on the underside of the tail to form a brush.

Color

Any color and markings historically associated with the development of the breed.Tan markings ranging from dark tan to cream and present in varying amounts.

• Black with or without tan
• Blue (gray) ranging from dark to light, with or without tan
• Red ranging from chocolate to light red, with or without tan
• Fawn ranging from dark to light, with or without tan
• Tan ranging from dark to cream

Minimal white markings on the chest such as a spot, stripe, or at most a blaze are acceptable. White markings or stockings on the legs and feet and white on the back of the neck are considered minor faults. White markings on the belly is undesirable.