Australian Kelpie puppies

About the Australian Kelpie

The Australian Kelpie was bred in Australian sheep country from imported collies to work large flocks in heat and dust, covering long distances and casting out on their own initiative. A Kelpie is a lean, agile dog of 43 to 51 centimetres with a hard weather resistant double coat and a permanently switched on expression. Kelpies are extremely alert and intelligent, quiet workers by nature, and they carry a strong inherited urge to gather and move stock.

Exercise means a long run or a hard workout every day paired with mental work such as obedience training, or the dog will start their own project. Grooming is a weekly brush or comb and the occasional bath. Kelpies do have an off switch indoors once the work is done, but they are not suited to flats. With children they rate three out of five, and they will try to herd them. Try not to confuse trainability with low maintenance, or you may find yourself outrun by your own dog.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Australian Kelpie puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire them out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Cerebellar abiotrophy, detectable by DNA test for the LINGO3 and VMP1 variants identified in the breed
• Collie eye anomaly, detectable by DNA test for the NHEJ1 mutation and by ophthalmoscopic examination of puppies at 5 to 7 weeks
• Progressive retinal atrophy, avoided only by DNA testing breeding stock before mating, since there is no effective treatment
• Hip dysplasia, screened by hip radiographs scored under a formal scheme at 12 to 18 months
• Patellar luxation, detected by manual palpation of the stifle for a kneecap that slips out of its groove
• Degenerative myelopathy, detectable by DNA test

Your Australian Kelpie puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Australian Kelpie.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 15.9 to 22.7 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 22.7 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Australian Kelpie

Previous: Australian Cattle Dog · Next: Australian Shepherd

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Australian Kelpie breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/australian-kelpie/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Bashyr at Dutch Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.