Australian Kelpie Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

by

Quick Links: Table of Contents

Australian Kelpie Breed Overview

The Australian Kelpie is a medium-sized dog.

The adult Australian Kelpie stands 15 to 20 inches.

The Australian Kelpie belongs to the Herding Dogs group.

Dogs in the Herding Dogs group, like the Australian Kelpie, were bred for moving livestock, including sheep, cattle, and even reindeer.

Herding dogs work closely with their human shepherds, and their natural intelligence and responsiveness make them highly trainable.

Herding dogs have high levels of energy, which needs to be channeled properly to prevent destructive behavior.

Herding breeds are protective of their people and property and make excellent watchdogs. Their intelligence, agility, and activity level make them well suited to dog sports.

The fact that the Australian Kelpie belongs to the Herding Dogs group is one of the reasons why Australian Kelpies have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Australian Kelpie is generally described as:

  • Alert
  • Energetic
  • Loyal
  • Protective

History of the Australian Kelpie Breed. Where Australian Kelpies came from

Scottish Collies were brought from England to Australia in the late 1800s and ended up breeding with the local Dingoes in Australia which is presumed to be the beginnings of the Australian Kelpie.

Kelpies did not have the correct coat or ear shape to be successful as working dogs so far up in the cold and snowy north but they did have success in the hot south and so in Australia, they remained.

This breed of dog has one of the best working, herding, and protection drives and is successful in any farming situation as long as it is not too cold.

Australian Kelpies are intelligent, fast, quick learners, and a sturdy breed all the way around.

This breed needs to be exercised and active in order to discourage bad and destructive behaviors.

Australian Kelpies will do good in family households as long as they have room to run and a specific job for them to do.

.

What the Australian Kelpie Looks Like

Strong and muscular, Australian Kelpies are known for their strength.

The body of this animal is sturdy, compact, and covered with short fur made up of a dense undercoat and a thick, straight outer coat.

A black and tan coat is most common, but the breed is also available in pure black, chocolate, and red, as well as fawn and blue.

There are also yellow-coated kelpies, which led to the long-held belief that the breed is descended from the dingo although genetic testing shows there is no relation currently found.

An Australian Kelpie`s coat requires minimal grooming, but working dogs and those who spend a lot of time outdoors might need to brush or bathe more often.

Australian Kelpies can do good in settings where they are made to use their intelligent minds.

They need room to run and do their best as working dogs.

.

How Much is the Australian Kelpie Puppy?

How Much Australian Kelpies Cost

The average price of a Australian Kelpie puppy is $500. The price of a Australian Kelpie puppy ranges from $500 to $500.

A lot of factors determine the price of the Australian Kelpie. These factors include what health records the Australian Kelpie puppy has, the lineage of the Australian Kelpie puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.

To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Australian Kelpie based on the many factors that determine the price of the Australian Kelpie puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Australian Kelpie puppy based on what you want in the puppy.

When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Australian Kelpie breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.

You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.

Best Australian Kelpie Breeders

Australian Kelpie Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Australian Kelpie breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Australian Kelpie breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Kanati Kelpies

    Puppy Price: $2500

Adopting or Rescuing the Australian Kelpie

You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Australian Kelpies included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.

These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.

In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.

Below is an adorable Male Australian Kelpie named Thor that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Australian Kelpies like Thor on pefinder.com.

Australian Kelpies like Thor are available for Adoption! It is cheaper to adopt. Image from petfinder.com

Archie is the name of another Australian Kelpie (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.

Archie the Australian Kelpie is available for adoption on petfinder.com. Information from petfinder.com

You can find more Australian Kelpies that are available for adoption on petfinder.

Australian Kelpie
Australian Kelpie

The Temperament of the Australian Kelpie

The temperament of the Australian Kelpie based can be summarized as in the table below.

The table shows the scores of the Australian Kelpie for 13 important dog behavioral factors.

We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.

The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.

See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Australian Kelpie here.

Factor Score
Stubbornness 9.0 percent
Energy Level 76.2 percent
Dog Directed Aggression 69.2 percent
Excitability 57.4 percent
Attachment Attention Seeking 55.9 percent
Dog Directed Fear 54.3 percent
Dog Rivalry 47.8 percent
Touch Sensitivity 46.1 percent
Separation Related Behavior 43.2 percent
Nonsocial Fear 41.2 percent
Prey Drive 35.7 percent
Stranger Directed Aggression 32.0 percent
Stranger Directed Fear 28.3 percent
Owner Directed Aggression 11.0 percent
Australian Kelpie

How Long Australian Kelpies Live

The lifespan of the Australian Kelpie is typically from 10 to 15 years.

Australian Kelpies live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.

Australian Kelpie

Australian Kelpie Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 2 different Australian Kelpie birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Australian Kelpies can have is 4 puppies. Also, the Australian Kelpie can have as few as 3 puppies per litter and as many as 6 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Australian Kelpie will have depends on factors such as the age of the Australian Kelpie, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Australian Kelpie will have and how the litter size of the Australian Kelpie compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Australian Kelpies Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 3 different Australian Kelpies, the average speed of the Australian Kelpie is 27.1 mph (43.7 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Australian Kelpie ran in a race is 27.97 mph (45.0 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Australian Kelpie is 25.83 mph (41.6 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Australian Kelpie compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Australian Kelpie can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Australian Kelpies

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Australian Kelpie ranked by popularity:

  • Thor
  • Oliver
  • Leo
  • Baby
  • Minx
  • Max
  • Jack
  • Austin
  • Screech
  • Wiley
Australian Kelpie
Australian Kelpie
Australian Kelpie

Health Problems in Australian Kelpies and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Australian Kelpie is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Australian Kelpie puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Australian Kelpie breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Australian Kelpies for:

    You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Australian Kelpies here.

    Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Australian Kelpies

    If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Australian Kelpie.

    We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Australian Kelpie:

    • German Pinscher (79 percent match with Australian Kelpie). Learn more about the German Pinscher here.
    • German Wirehaired Pointer (81 percent match with Australian Kelpie). Learn more about the German Wirehaired Pointer here.
    • Mudi (78 percent match with Australian Kelpie). Learn more about the Mudi here.

    Other Things to Know About Australian Kelpies

    Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Australian Kelpie that you need to know about the Australian Kelpie breed:

  1. Australian Kelpies do not have the tendency to drool.
  2. Australian Kelpies do not adapt well to apartment living.
  3. Australian Kelpies are not the best dogs for new dog owners.
  4. Australian Kelpies do not like to be left alone.
  5. Australian Kelpies do not get along well with kids. They are not kid-friendly.
  6. Australian Kelpies are not very friendly towards strangers.
  7. Australian Kelpies are not prone to gaining weight easily.
  8. Australian Kelpies are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  9. Australian Kelpies are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  10. Australian Kelpies are very easy to groom.
  11. Australian Kelpies have a high prey drive. They do not get along well with other pets.
  12. Australian Kelpies are highly vocal. They have the tendency to bark and howl.
  13. Australian Kelpies have a high tendency to wander. They are easily distracted by other animals or objects.
  14. Australian Kelpies are very playful.
  15. Australian Kelpies can tolerate hot weather.
  16. Australian Kelpies are very easy to train.
  17. Australian Kelpies are highly intelligent.
  18. Australian Kelpies are prone to nip and chew at things.
  19. Australian Kelpies have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  20. Australian Kelpies require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  21. Australian Kelpies weigh 25 to 46 pounds when fully grown.
  22. Australian Kelpies are 15 to 20 inches when fully grown.
  23. Australian Kelpies have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.