Breed # Australian Kelpie The Australian Kelpie is a foundation stock service breed from Australia, standing 15–20 in at the withers, weighing 29–42 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–15 yrs. ![A photograph of the Australian Kelpie](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/australian-kelpie.webp) Breed group Foundation Stock Service Origin Australia Height 15–20 in Weight 29–42 lb Lifespan 12–15 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Australian Kelpie is taller than 27% of the measured breeds, heavier than 29%, one of 64 in the Foundation Stock Service group, one of 9 from Australia. Compare the Australian Kelpie with another breed ## Living with the Australian Kelpie Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Australian Kelpie’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 2 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 4 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 5 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 5 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 2 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 3 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 5 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Australian Kelpie on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/australian-kelpie/)[Australian Kelpie on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/australian-kelpie) ## Breeds that look like the Australian Kelpie A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Australian Kelpie. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/ryukyu-inu.webp)Ryukyu Inu](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/ryukyu-inu/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/taiwan-dog.webp)Taiwan Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/taiwan-dog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/black-norwegian-elkhound.webp)Black Norwegian Elkhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/black-norwegian-elkhound/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/tahltan-bear-dog.webp)Tahltan Bear Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/tahltan-bear-dog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/croatian-sheepdog.webp)Croatian Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/croatian-sheepdog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/schnauzer-giant.webp)Schnauzer (Giant)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/schnauzer-giant/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Australian Kelpie15–20 in 2. Ryukyu Inu18–19.5 in 3. Taiwan Dog18–21 in 4. Black Norwegian Elkhound18–19 in 5. Tahltan Bear Dog12–15 in 6. Croatian Sheepdog16–21 in 7. Schnauzer (Giant)25.5–27.5 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Australian Kelpie29–42 lb 2. Ryukyu Inu33–55 lb 3. Taiwan Dog31–40 lb 4. Black Norwegian Elkhound35–44 lb 5. Tahltan Bear Dog15–20 lb 6. Croatian Sheepdog29–43 lb 7. Schnauzer (Giant)77–104 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Australian Kelpie12–15 yrs 2. Ryukyu Inu12–13 yrs 3. Taiwan Dog10–13 yrs 4. Black Norwegian Elkhound12–15 yrs 5. Tahltan Bear Dog10–12 yrs 6. Croatian Sheepdog13–14 yrs 7. Schnauzer (Giant)10–12 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Australian Kelpie on the breed map Read about the Australian Kelpie on Wikipedia