Description: The Australian Kelpie is longer than it is high, but only slightly. Here we see well developed limbs. The head is long and narrow. The muzzle is straight and blending well with the skull. This dog has been bred for working, and it is this attribute that is sought rather than the look of the dog. The tail is low set and they have large upright triangular ears. The Australian Kelpie eyes are oval shaped and brown in color. The Kelpie has a broad chest, solid body and definite hind quarters. Their feet are short and compact with arched toes. The Australian Kelpie height is 17-20 inches and the weight is 25-45 pounds. This dog has a double coat, with the undercoat being short and thick and the outer coat being weather resistant, this is harsh to the touch. Colors that this dog comes in are: chocolate and blue, black with or without tan, (the red can be the same) and fawn. Life expectancy is 10-14 years.

History: There are two thoughts on how the Australian Kelpie breed occurred, one is it is a mix of Dingo and Border Collie and the other, which is more likely, is that this breed is from English North Country Collie from the Rutherford strain, coming to Australia in the 19th century. This dog is a hard working dog, even today, in Australia. They work cattle but can be versatile and work with goats, chickens and even reindeer. This is a herding dog.

Temperament: The Australian Kelpie is a working dog so has a lot of energy. This small, dog just loves to work and if you want this for a family pet you will need to be prepared to walk the dog a lot, to use up a lot of energy, and also it is intelligent so will need mental stimulation. They bond well with one person and this helps in the working world and so does not make just a pet dog, unless you are very active and maybe train them for agility. These dogs are good with children, who they are raised with. Socialize this breed well to gain a good all round balanced dog. The Australian Kelpie dogs herd and that is what they love, so they will herd the family and any pets and will need training not to do this, but it is a dog that needs to work and so is really best suited to work. Boredom is not for this dog. They also make great watchdogs. This breed needs natural pack leaders that show firm but calm authority. This dog only likes to work, and work hard.

Health issues: The Australian Kelpie has a problem with PRA, which can cause partial, to total, blindness.

Grooming: The Australian Kelpie only needs brushing weekly for their coat to look good. Bath only when really necessary as this can strip the natural oils from the coat.

Living conditions: This is not an apartment dog. This dog needs acreage and open space.

If you can't find a local breeder in your area don't worry, many breeders are using the major airlines like American, Delta, Continental and Northwest airlines for shipping their puppies.

At this time the airlines will ship puppies to the following States: Alabama AL - Alaska AK - Arizona AZ - Arkansas AR - California CA - Colorado CO - Connecticut CT - Delaware DE - Florida FL - Georgia GA - Hawaii HI - Idaho ID - Illinois IL - Indiana IN - Iowa IA - Kansas KS - Kentucky KY - Louisiana LA - Maine ME - Maryland MD - Massachusetts MA - Michigan MI - Minnesota MN - Mississippi MS - Missouri MO - Montana MT - Nebraska NE - Nevada NV - New Hampshire NH - New Jersey NJ - New Mexico NM - New York NY - North Carolina NC - North Dakota ND - Ohio OH - Oklahoma OK - Oregon OR - Pennsylvania PA - Rhode Island RI - South Carolina SC - South Dakota SD - Tennessee TN - Texas TX - Utah UT - Vermont VT - Virginia VA - Washington WA - Washington, D.C. - West Virginia WV - Wisconsin WI - Wyoming WY - Hawaii HI.