AUSTRALIAN WORKING DOGS -Part 3 - KOOLIES

The Koolie

This is the breed that started me off on this exploration of Australian Working Dogs. I recently read about them and had previously never even heard of them let alone seen them - or recognised them anyway.

This may be because they look very much like a crossbreed combination of Cattle Dog and Border Collie and Kelpie which is how the new breed probably originated.  They are, however a recognised breed as in 2010, the Australian Koolie's own unique signature gene was discovered through ASAP laboratories in Victoria Australia, making them the first Australian breed recognised by their DNA before the controlling canine body of their home country.

There is a huge range of colours and coat types with both long and short coats, solid and colours mixed with white and the interesting " merle ".

Merle is a pattern in a dog's coat that is commonly incorrectly referred to as a colour. The merle gene creates mottled patches of colour in a solid or speckled coat, blue or odd-coloured eyes and can affect skin pigment as well.

 

Health issues ( deafness and blindness) are more typical and more severe when two merles are bred together, so it is recommended that a merle be bred to a dog with a solid coat colour only.

 

To quote from one of my sources:

 



"Koolies are much sought-after in rural Australia, and interest is now being shown in America, Canada, Germany, Finland, New Zealand, Switzerland and Holland.

 

According to Geoff Broughton, past president of the Koolie Club of Australia for 7 years, the Koolie will:

head (move to the front or head of the stock to push them back towards you), 

heel or drive, (push the stock from behind), 

cast (move out and around the stock), 

block (hold the stock or block them from in front, in three sheep trials this action is called the pick up) and
 back (literally jump onto the backs of their charges to herd them if necessary).

 

 Koolies have a reputation for being upright workers with a good eye, who can easily shift their focus from holding the group to casting around a flock or gathering breakaways. They are not known for having "sticky eyes" (focusing on the sheep in front only).

 

Unlike other working breeds, which are noted for their crouched form or style and preference for either yard or field work, Koolies are known as silent, upright, working dogs. 

 

 Koolies are at ease working in closed surroundings such as yards or trucks and being out in paddocks and droving.

 

 

 

As well as working anything from ducks to bulls like all dogs of their kind they will herd family members and children in the absence of other charges.

 

Many farmers say these breeds are harder workers than many men. "

 

~~~~~
So there you have it.

I 'll keep my eyes open now to see if I ever encounter a Koolie though I think they will be difficult to spot as they vary so much in appearance and are probably pretty rare in the city.

Of course the other breed of working dog found here in Australia is the wonderful Border Collie.

like our own Miss Scout.

They are used mainly for sheep as wild cattle require a tougher dog.

( Australian cattle dog at work ) 

 

 

Cheers.

 

* Photos today from the Internet

 

AUSTRALIAN WORKING DOGS -Part 2

The Kelpie

When I think of a Kelpie I immediately think of a chocolate brown dog but in fact Kelpies also come in solid black.

They are also very common with tan coloured ear, throat and leg markings and often have the characteristic spots above their eyes.

From Wikipedia :

" The first "Kelpie" was a black and tan female pup with floppy ears bought by Jack Gleeson about 1872 from a litter born on Warrock Station near Casterton, owned by George Robertson, a Scot. This dog was named after the mythological kelpie from Celtic folklore. Legend has it that "Kelpie" was sired by a dingo, but there is little evidence for or against this. 

In later years she was referred to as "(Gleeson's) Kelpie", to differentiate her from "(King's) Kelpie", her daughter. The second "Kelpie" was "(King's) Kelpie", another black and tan bitch out of "Kelpie" by "Caesar", a pup from two sheep-dogs imported from Scotland. 

 "(King's) Kelpie" tied the prestigious Forbes Trial in 1879, and the strain was soon popularly referred to as "Kelpie's pups", or just Kelpies. The King brothers joined another breeder, McLeod, to form a dog breeding partnership whose dogs dominated trials during 1900 to 1920." 
 

 The claim that Kelpies come from crossing domestic dogs with dingos has some credibility, as they share the Australian Dingo's resistance to paralysis ticks, but it is not borne out with genetic testing.  It is more likely that, with a mix of good fortune and skill, the Kelpie was born from a few strains of Scottish working dogs, owned by the Rutherford family, which were crossed together.

The Kelpie was first registered as a breed in Australia in 1902, one of the earliest registered breeds in Australia. This was actually four years before the Border Collie was registered as a breed in Britain.

The Australian Kelpie is primarily a working dog that demands a great deal of exercise, preferably with some kind of job to do. Their energy levels are extremely high!! They are workaholics and will run until they drop! They are capable of covering 60 kilometres in a day's work.

Kelpies are most valuable in the paddocks and yards, gathering a mob of sheep, driving them to the yards and pens and forcing the sheep through races, up ramps and into sheds and trucks. Always alert and watchful, the Kelpie is required to be an independent thinker, though will also rely on various whistle commands made by its owner.

They are very good at breaking up jams when sheep become jammed in tight places like narrow runs .

 If you choose to keep a Working Kelpie as a pet, that very same animal may become a high maintenance dog. Daily, extensive exercise is required, and any animal which is not able to express its normal behaviour is prone to develop behavioural problems - like excessive barking and nipping (or biting ! ) which can ultimately make its keeping that much more difficult. Obedience training is essential, although there really are many other breeds of dog which are more suited as a family pet.

Recently there are more and more Kelpies bred for city and suburban life without these problems but still needing lots of exercise.

                                        ~~~~~~~

More Australian Working Dogs next time.

Cheers.

AUSTRALIAN WORKING DOG BREEDS - Part 1

Recently I came upon an article about Australian Working dog breeds which mentioned the three breeds which have specially been developed in Australia as well as the wonderful Border Collie which is so popular both as a working dog and a pet here.

In our family our first dog was an Airedale terrier - a wonderful pet who grew up with our kids and bounced her way into everyone's heart. She lived for 12 years and survived an epic battle with a King Brown snake by biting its mouth closed so it couldn't bite her !!

Our next two dogs ( and we had decided "no more dogs ! " ) were Sally's two, Dash and Baker.

 

 



Both from working dog breeds and both from the outback but neither were working dogs. A Border Collie and a Cattle Dog X ( who lucky for her had been dumped in Sally's front yard !).

We minded these dogs for five years while Sally worked and travelled overseas then kept them ( for another 5 or 6 years ) when she returned as they she didn't have space for them in her city lodgings so they became our dogs.

 

 



Given the choice at the time I seriously doubt we would ever have chosen these breeds as our preferred breed for a pet although Border Collies have always been popular as pets and there are more and more Cattle Dogs as city dogs too.

So when I read this article about our unique breeds I was surprised to learn of a new one to me - the Koollie - and thought I'd write a post (or two, or even three !) about Australian Working Dogs.

Australia has produced three wonderful working dog breeds that are quite unique to us -
The Australian Cattle Dog, The Kelpie and the Koollie.

The Australian Cattle Dog

The Australian Cattle Dog is a sturdy, muscular, compact dog that gives the impression of agility and strength and comes in two colours - blue and red.

Both red dogs and blue dogs are born white (except for any solid-coloured body or face markings) and the red or black hairs grow in as they mature. The distinctive adult colouration is the result of black or red hairs closely interspersed through a predominantly white coat.



In the 19th century, New South Wales cattle farmer Thomas Hall crossed the dogs used by drovers in his parents' home county, Northumberland, with dingoes he had tamed. The resulting dogs were known as Halls Heelers.
 After Hall's death in 1870, the dogs became available beyond the Hall family and their associates. They were subsequently developed into the modern breed: the Australian Cattle Dog. -

From Wikipedia
 

The Australian Cattle Dog is energetic and intelligent with an independent streak. It responds well to structured training and was originally bred to herd by biting ( or heeling.) 

 

 

Thus the common name Blue or Red Heeler



They form a strong attachment to their owners, and can be protective of them and their possessions.
Woe betide the reckless person who dares to touch anything left in the back of a workman's "ute" when a Cattle Dog is left waiting in the back of the vehicle!

Although originally bred to work cattle these days many are kept as pets. They are affectionate and playful with their owners but can be reserved with people they don't know and are cautious in new situations.

They are wonderful at keeping out intruders as they are inclined to let intruders inside their owners' property but not out !! The sight of one usually makes a robber look for another house to rob !

 

Many of a Cattle Dog's natural behaviours are undesirable in a pet: barking, chewing, chasing, digging, defending territory, and nipping heels ( especially of running children ! ) so puppies from a working dog line are not ideal. It is better to choose a puppy from a suburban line which has been socialised to exhibit more acceptable behaviours. They live for 12 to 14 years and need plenty of exercise, companionship and to be kept busy in both mind and body.

 

Our Dash was a Cattle Dog X and a wonderful pet. The herding instinct was still there and on a walk she would bump the straggler along by hitting the back of your leg with her nose ( usually me !). She would play and interact for a while then take herself off a little way where she liked to sit and observe a little way out of the action.
Cattle Dogs form strong bonds with their owners and can be very protective and in tune with their owner's emotions, often springing to their defence without waiting for a command. On two occasions Dash saved me from an attacking dog, freeing herself from her lead by ducking her head out of her collar in one quick movement ( they have strong, thick necks ) and launching herself bodily at the attacking dog - on one occasion a large German Shepherd which she sent packing !!

It's been nice looking at these old photos and remembering Dash.
More on Australian Working Dogs tomorrow.
Cheers.