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| Collies and kelpies have different natural instincts. (ABC/Stock Chick Films: Melissa Spencer ) |
By Georgia Hitch and Andrew Chounding
The rivalry between kelpie and collie fans and owners can be fierce.
They’re two of Australia’s most popular working dog breeds, but when it comes to their characteristics, Australian working border collies and Australian kelpies have a number of stark differences.
In season three of ABC iview's Muster Dogs, airing this Sunday, the two breeds are tested against one another to see which one comes out as champion muster dog.
But which makes the better pet? And what should you think about if you've got a country dog in the city?
What are the key differences?
Kelpies | Collies |
Colouring is black and tan, or red and tan | Traditionally black and white, but some are tri-colour |
They live around 10 to 13 years | They can live up to 15 years |
Have short coats | Have short or long hair |
Considered more instinctual working dogs and are more suspicious of strangers | Considered more intelligent, trainable and social
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In collie breeder Mick Hudson's opinion, collies are "more trainable", whereas kelpies bring a greater "natural ability".
"Farmer gets him [kelpie], takes him into the paddock and he learns the job himself," he told ABC iview's Muster Dogs: Collies and Kelpies.
"At the end of the day, they're both Australian-bred dogs and both breeds will do the job.
"It's just like do you drive a Ford or do you drive a Holden," Mick laughed.
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| Collie breeder Mick Hudson believes the breed are more trainable. (ABC/Stock Chick Films: Melissa Spencer ) |
Breed to suit your personality
When it comes to choosing the right dog — be it for farm work or companion — veteran dog trainer Neil McDonald says what you're like is equally as important as the dog's qualities.
"Really, to be successful with dogs we've got to do a bit more self-assessing," he said.
"Are you the kind of person that's got all your dishes washed, put away … all the tools back on the shadow board?
"Or are you a 'She'll be right, things are untidy but you always seem to get by'?
"Because border collies are left brain, they like a procedure, things in sequential form, they like things to be organised.
"Whereas a kelpie is very much a 'She'll be right, I missed it that time but I'll get it next time'."
McDonald said that sometimes people need to find a dog that matches them, or the flip side — some need to have the opposite in nature to themselves.
"Our hope in showing these collies and kelpies side-by-side is to get people to understand the attributes of each dog and then be able to make a wiser decision when they actually pursue a dog for the future," he told Muster Dog: Collies and Kelpies.
"Then [hopefully] have more success than what they've had in the past."
Which one makes the best pet?
Blake Robinson is a stock manager and kelpie breeder at the sheep farming town of Wagin 230 km south of Perth in Western Australia's Wheatbelt.
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| Blake Robinson thinks collies are a more patient dog. (ABC: Andrew Chounding) |
He said while kelpies can make great pets, they can fall into destructive behaviour if they're not stimulated.
"You see a lot of people that get them and then they looking for a new home after six months because they're just tearing everything up," he said.
"I mean, all my dogs are pets, they're family, but they're also here for work."
Donna Smith, also a sheep farmer near the town of Katanning, an hour west of Wagin, has been breeding border collies for the past five years.
She agrees collies make better pets, for most people.
"I find mine are really affectionate and have to be touched 24 hours a day … it's just a very, very affectionate breed," Donna said.
"You see in his face, he's the real clown dog where I think my kelpies are more serious."
While the two breeds are tested against each other in this season of Muster Dogs, Blake and Donna already have strong views on who they think comes out on top.
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| Kelpies are considered to have more natural instinct on stock than collies. (ABC/Stock Chick Films: Melissa Spencer) |
Blake reckons kelpies win hands down.
"What makes a collie such a good trial dog is a lot of the time they'll wait for that next command," he said.
"They've got the instinct to do what they need to do but they're a little bit more patient.
"Whereas a kelpie is like, 'Nah that's not right, let me show you how it should be done'."
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| Donna Smith started breeding collies five years ago. (ABC: Andrew Chounding) |
Despite her passion for collies, Donna says she prefers to use kelpies in her day-to-day farming.
"You can send kelpies out into the bush to bring back sheep and that's what they'll do, but with the border collie, you have to go with it and tell it all the time," he said.
Tips for pet owners
Animal behaviourist Dr Kate Mornement said people who own either breed should accept that their dogs' natural instinct has been bred into them over hundreds of years.
"As an example, and our border collie does this, he will stalk things," she said.
"We don't have sheep available for him in our big backyard, but there are plenty of birds, and so he will find an outlet for that natural desire to stalk, and he's chosen birds.
"Working dogs will often look for ways to satisfy their innate drive to do what they've been bred to do."
Her advice is to set realistic expectations and not try and stop the behaviour but instead redirect it.
"When we got our border collie, I had two toddlers at the time, and he used to kind of round them — which is a normal border collie instinct," she said.
"But it's not ideal when you've got little children.
"We redirected that behaviour, so I would engage him with toys and positively reinforce him for engaging and chasing the toys and bringing them back."
Both breeds also need plenty of exercise to make up for the hours of running around they'd get on a property, Dr Mornement said.
She also made the point that as a lot of collies and kelpies are bred in rural areas, when they become pets in the city there are a number of things they'll need to be introduced and socialised to.
"As a behaviourist, I see so many working dogs who come into family homes in the city, but they've never seen a kid on a skateboard or an old person with a walking stick or a tram or a bus," she said.
"They can develop fear and anxiety-based issues as a result."
Find out which breed is named champion in the brand new series of Muster Dogs: Collies and Kelpies this Sunday, February 2 on ABC iview or on ABC TV at 7:30pm.
First published at ABC News, January 31, 2025
