Australian Herding Breeds

British Herding Dogs c 1800

Australia's first British settlers arrived in 1788 and brought some cows and a few fat tailed sheep bred for meat. It would be 37 years before the first herding dogs as such were imported into Australia. People shepherded live stock until 1825 when 2-3 pairs of rough 'colley dogs' arrived on a ship called the 'Hugh Crawford'^[6] . It must be remembered that during the 18^th and early 19^th centuries, 'colley' was a generic name for all British herding dogs.

Australian Cattle and Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog

The Australian Cattle Dog and Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog were extremely important in the initial settlement of Australia as a colony. Stemming from a cross between the Australian Dingo and an assortment of British herding dogs, these two breeds were originally developed to muster and drive mobs of cattle from remote unfenced outback areas to the sale yards of ... »» Read more...

Australian Kelpie

The Australian Kelpie was initially developed in the late 1800's as to work on Australia's sheep stations which had expanded into wide open spaces with no fences. Today he has been made famous by the Australian iconic film, 'Red Dog'. This lithe, active, supple dog is never weak, so is capable of untiring work with his natural instinct to work ... »» Read more...