A Kelpie is a GATHERING dog

The Kelpie was developed as a gathering dog, not a driving dog. Seriously, I am not kidding, I am not delusional, and I really need to get this out. There is in fact another breed out there was bred to be able to gather sheep from million acre sheep stations- with absolutely no help. The Border Collie and the Kelpie originated from the same dogs, among them the Smithfield Collie.


The Kelpie's phenotype was selected based on the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. They are longer of leg- to cover ground more easily, and they have a short coat, to lower the incidence of over heating. Other than the obvious phenotypical differences, there really should not be a difference in the gathering work you get from a Kelpie and a Border Collie. Ahhh, but you are saying "they look so different- the Border Collie has the eye, and the Kelpie doesn't". Another falsehood. There is a range of the amount of eye, sort of like the eye in the cattle bred Border Collie, versus the sheep bred Border Collie. In the Kelpie, the difference comes from whether the dog is a "yard" bred or "paddock" bred dog. Yard dogs need hard push, grit, and the need for eye isn't very high, because they spend a lot of time either behind the sheep, pushing them, or on top of their backs- again, not a lot of need for eye. The paddock bred dogs are akin to the sheep work bred Border Collies. They need enough eye to move very skittish Merino sheep through very small gates, and to keep them calm.


Did you know that in Australian three sheep trials, there is no driving? Nope, no driving- well, basically an assisted drive, wherein the dog cannot cross a line on the course as you move through with the sheep and dog. The three sheep trials consist of an outrun lift and fetch, then the handler and the dog maneuver the sheep around the course. There are gates, and bridges, and a pen. The dog must pen the sheep by himself. The handler cannot aid the dog (like we do in ISDS trials). That is where the cover and hold of the Kelpie, that I believe is pretty much unparalleled comes into play. The dog simply must get the job done, and you will see many an Ozzie handler with his hands in his pocket, not whistling much, or saying much. It is quite the sight to see.


A well bred Kelpie should have the following built in: Excellent cover, cast, hold and strong walk up. The walk up is another aspect wherein the Kelpie really shines. Kelpies generally have no issues pushing into the space of sheep, when there is purpose to it, that is, there is a job. Say you have a group of sheep that you need to push, but you also need good cover, because too much push means you get scattered sheep. That cover and walk up serves you (the shepherd) quite well. You should not have to urge a Kelpie to get it's job done. Similarly, Kelpies should be able to handle pressure, and even a fight from a recalcitrant ewe, simply because the job must get done. If they get hit, they simply get up, and keep working. A cardinal sin for a Kelpie is to ignore the "hard" sheep. It is the Kelpie's lot in life to handle the sheep, and that means all of them, no matter how tough. You won't see good Kelpies engage in cheap shots- body grips, or the like. Since Kelpies are strong on the walk up (in general) they will face straight on, a threat, and that means a good grip to the nose, or top knot.


There are variations to the Kelpie, just like in the Border Collie, but make no mistake, the Kelpie is a gathering dog, that should always get their sheep.