Australian Kelpie

A herding dog that likes to think

A Kelpie pays close attention to what is happening around it. Movement rarely goes unnoticed, and many are immediately ready to join in. That attention helped their ancestors move sheep across large areas. In family life, a dog may also follow running children or other animals and try to control their movement. Adults should supervise these situations and help the dog learn an alternative, such as coming to them or settling on its bed.

A Kelpie can learn quickly and also work out for itself what is worth doing. Short exercises with clear cues and a suitable reward are more useful than constantly increasing the demands. A dog that enjoys working also needs opportunities to switch off. Learning to lie quietly nearby should have a place alongside recall practice and exercise.

Day-to-day care

The short coat has a firm outer layer over a dense undercoat, the softer hair beneath it. Weekly brushing is often sufficient between seasonal sheds. When the undercoat is coming out, loose hair needs removing more frequently. A Kelpie can shed noticeably despite having short hair. Baths are mainly needed when the dog is genuinely dirty.

After walks through long grass, the paws and coat should be checked for trapped plant material. Teeth, ears and nails also need regular care. Slowly introducing gentle handling of these areas from the outset makes later examinations easier.

Health

When choosing a Kelpie, the parents’ health reports and any known conditions among relatives should be discussed. Depending on the breeding programme, relevant checks include hip and eye examinations and appropriate DNA tests. Hip dysplasia is abnormal development of the hip joint and can cause pain and joint wear. X-rays help assess the parents, but cannot prevent every later joint problem in a puppy.

Inherited conditions have also been described in Kelpies. Cerebellar abiotrophy, or CA, damages cells in the cerebellum, a brain region involved in coordinating movement. Affected dogs may walk unsteadily, have involuntary head movements or lift their feet unusually high. Intestinal lipid malabsorption, or ILM, prevents the gut from absorbing dietary fats properly. Puppies may grow poorly and pass unusually greasy, soft stools. These changes need veterinary investigation.

CA tests do not all provide the same information. Some assess genetic features linked to a higher risk, although not every dog with that feature develops the disease. Others test for a particular disease-associated change in the DNA. Results need to be appropriate for the dog and its ancestry and can be discussed with the vet. A clear DNA result is not an overall certificate of health.

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