{"data":{"slug":"australian-kelpie","name":"Australian Kelpie","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/australian-kelpie","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/dog-atlas-api/v1/breeds/australian-kelpie","also_known_as":["Kelpie","Working Kelpie","Barb Kelpie"],"kind":"breed","extinct":false,"group":{"key":"herding","label":"Herding","fci_group":1,"fci_group_name":"Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs"},"size":"Medium","origin":"Australia","countries":["Australia"],"height_cm":{"min":41.0,"max":51.0},"weight_kg":{"min":14.0,"max":20.0},"life_expectancy_years":{"min":10,"max":14},"temperament":["Intelligent","Energetic","Loyal","Alert","Hardworking"],"exercise_level":"High","wikipedia_views_60d":34255,"summary":"The Australian Kelpie is a tireless, highly intelligent sheepdog that can muster stock with little guidance, famous for running across the backs of sheep.","photo":{"url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/photos/australian-kelpie-a0c3f0403d-1280.webp","small_url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/photos/australian-kelpie-a0c3f0403d-640.webp","width":788,"height":568,"author":"Pertti Kärppä ","license":"Public domain","license_url":null,"source_url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hilu_the_Australian_Kelpie_dog.jpg"},"updated_at":"2026-10-15T13:58:15Z","ratings":{"energy":5,"exercise":5,"grooming":1,"shedding":3,"trainability":5,"barking":3,"kids":4,"other_dogs":3},"coat":"Short, smooth or rough, sometimes double coat","colors":["Black","Black and tan","Red","Red and tan","Blue","Blue and tan","Fawn","Chocolate","Cream"],"fun_fact":"A Kelpie will famously jump onto the backs of packed sheep and run across them to reach the other side and clear a jam.","sections":{"overview":"The Australian Kelpie is a medium-sized herding dog developed in Australia to muster sheep, cattle and goats over large distances. It is lean, athletic and exceptionally keen to work.\n\nThe breed exists in working and show lines, and the working type in particular needs a great deal of activity and a real job.","history":"Kelpies descend from collie-type dogs brought from Britain in the nineteenth century and bred for working sheep with little supervision. The first dog called Kelpie, a black and tan pup, was bought around 1872 and named after the Celtic water spirit.\n\nHer daughter's success at the 1879 Forbes Trial made the type famous, and the strain was soon known as Kelpies. Today the breed has been exported worldwide and is used for herding, tracking and search work.","appearance":"The Kelpie is a lean, athletic, medium-sized dog with prick ears and a soft, close coat. It typically stands 41 to 51 cm and weighs 14 to 20 kg, though working dogs vary more.\n\nColours include black, red, blue, fawn and cream, with or without tan. Show Kelpies have a double coat, while working dogs may have short, smooth or rough coats.","personality":"Kelpies are bright, alert and devoted, with a work ethic that borders on obsessive. They are good with family and children, but their herding drive may lead them to nip at heels.\n\nWithout enough exercise and mental stimulation, they become bored and may bark, dig or chew. They are quick learners and excel at agility and herding trials.","care":"A Kelpie needs hours of vigorous activity each day plus problem-solving tasks, so it is best suited to active owners or farms. Running, herding, agility and obedience are good outlets.\n\nGrooming is easy: weekly brushing, with heavier shedding in spring. Early training and socialisation help channel their drive.","health":"Kelpies are hardy with few health problems, though they can suffer from cryptorchidism, hip dysplasia, cerebellar abiotrophy and luxating patella. A UK study estimated a life expectancy of about 12 years."},"recognition":{"fci_number":293,"fci_standard_url":"https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/293.html","akc_url":"https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/australian-kelpie/"},"sources":{"wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Kelpie","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37520","wikipedia_revision":1380201910},"profile":{"written_by":"AI model (Claude Sonnet) from the sources above","written_at":"2026-10-15T13:37:29Z"}}}