The Australian Kelpie is a medium sized dog descending from different breeds of sheep dogs that the English and the Scots imported to Australia in the early 19th century. From these herding dogs stem another type of dog which became an invaluable help to the sheep farmers.
The Australian Kelpie of today is a very versatile breed that has put its best paw forward in a number of areas all over the world. Apart from presenting the breed at dog shows and using it as a herding dog, the Australian Kelpie has scored successes in a number of dog sports, as therapy dogs and also in military patrol, search and rescue, detection, etc.
The first breed standard was written in 1902 when breeding was only based on herding ability and the model was thus a functional and working dog. Since then, only minor changes have been made to the standard and photographs of the famous King's Kelpie show that the exterior type is still the same.
During the 20th century the breeding selections concentrated on the dogs’ working capacities, but eventually breeders’ different objectives caused two types of dogs to form. The Australian kelpie and the Australian Working kelpie. These two types are viewed differently depending on where in the world you are, but they are often registered as two separate breeds.
The Australian Kelpie is registered in the Australian National Kennel Council Ltd. (ANKC), and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). The Working Kelpie is registered in the Working Kelpie Council of Australia (WKC).
The Working Kelpie is not a recognised breed with either the ANKC or the FCI. It is, however, recognised in the American Kennel Club (AKC), and the Kennel Club, United Kingdom (KC), which the Australian Kelpie is not.
In some countries, both types are called Australian kelpie with only the breed name, but are registered in different registers. Finland has this procedure. This means that the kelpie from the different registers can be mated with each other and their offspring will be registered as Australian kelpies.
The Kelpiegallery is predominantly concerned with the Australian Kelpie. The Working Kelpie is presented on pages under the breed’s proper name or the abbreviation WK.