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Rescue a Koolie
Koolie Puppies for
Sale
Koolie
(Australian Koolie)
(German Koolie) (German
Coolie)
Where there is Wool, there is a Way...
The Koolie Way!
Koolie Club of
Australia
Australia is
witnessing the re-emergence of a very old breed of working dog, some believe the
oldest working breed bred in Australia, efforts are being made to record and
research this breed, much interest has focused on this breed and the need for
correct information and sound proper protection, is needed to preserve this
breed. I would like to introduce a breed that you may already be familiar with.
It is the Australian Koolie and it has a perplexing and interesting history. All
breeds began from many; the Australian Koolie is no different. History books
show that serious importations of working breeds began around the 1800s; many
books on the Kelpie, Australian Cattle Dog and Stumpy refer to the influence of
the Merle breed in their own breed’s foundations.
 
One such book, by author Angela Sanderson called "Australian Dogs", out by the
Currawong press refers to the Australian Koolie; then called the German Collie.
What is of most importance in her book is her own reference to a much earlier
German writer Von Stephanitz and his book "The German Shepherd In Word and
Picture" released 1925 in which he writes "The Australian grazier were
sufficiently impressed with German sheep dogs to import them”, he then names one
of the breeds which were imported, as the German Tiger (pronounced with a long
"e" not a short "i") and describes them as “long or short coated, prick eared
type of Merle coloring similar to the type already found in Australia called the
German Collie.” ( this proves that German Tigers were imported, but it proves
more importantly that the Koolie was establish and recognized by its own name
before actually recorded imported Tigers arrived).
There is evidence that Elizabeth Macarthur, wife of John Macarthur who began the
Marino industry in Australia transported a German by the name of Joseph Pabts to
her property in Camden New South Wales in 1825 to care for her flocks; Joseph
arrived with his family and a number of his German working dogs, believed to be
Tigers. This report indicates that Tigers could have been in Australia 100 years
earlier. The earlier Tigers would have merged with other working bloodlines,
most commonly the smooth coated Collies which were found readily in the southern
and central regions and possessed the shorter coat desire in this hotter
climate.
German Tiger 1825 Koolie Ancestor
One of the questions most often asked is why hasn’t the Koolie breed been
recognized before now? The answer is simple; the men and women who bred and
worked the Koolie did so to continue an excellent working dog that could adapt
to all terrains and weather conditions. This was a dog that would work until it
dropped just for the shear love of working and still be a loyal companion at
days end. It is only in recent times that we have felt the need to register our
Koolie’s. As people have moved away from the area, the search to find other
Koolies for breeding became difficult, so many Koolie’s were simply bred to
other good working dogs. People became concerned that the Koolie may be in
danger of being bred out of existence.
In 2000 the Koolie Club of Australia was formed dedicated individuals who began
the arduous task of establishing a governing organization to rally like minded
dog owners/breeders together to begin a Koolie Registry. One of the first tasks
of the Koolie Club of Australia was to determine a name best needed to represent
the breed. It was decided to remove the “German” from the Koolie name because
many people mistakenly believed the Koolie was a German breed when in fact the
Koolie is considered one of Australia’s oldest working breeds. It was also
decided the “K” would be adopted to Koolie so it would not be mistaken for the
word Collie. Many members still prefer to spell Koolie with a “C” and according
to a news piece from a NSW newspaper it was once even spelt Kulie. it was
decided by the club that Australian Koolie would best describe the breed and
adopted the name.
Koolie type’s are very diverse, they can have pricked ears, semi dropped ears or
dropped ears. Their coat can be smooth, short or medium, there have also been a
few Koolie’s that have had coats as long as a Border Collie’s but this is not
common. The colors range from Red or Black “better known as Blue” Merle, solid
Red or Black usually with White or Merle points. There are solids, tricolors and
bicolors as well. The one thing that most serious experienced breeders agree
upon is the color must be a strong dark color and that the white points must be
minimal.
The Koolie size has been known to be as large as a Border Collie to the size of
a small Kelpie, bone structure can vary from heavy to fine, the reasons behind
such diversity is in the Koolie’s very ability to adapt to all terrain’s and
situations. The men and women who breed them, bred them for what was needed at
the time, if you worked truck and transporters you needed a small agile hardy
dog that could move quick and work hard. In the paddock on the station or
droving you needed a dog that could eat up the distances and have great stamina
with a short coat, shorter the better to keep off the burrs. In the high country
the dog worked better if the coat was rough and double with a softer water
resistant undercoat to keep out the chill of the snow and up north with the
semi-wild cattle you required a dog with heavy bones to lend strength needed for
this job.
When it comes to sheep you looked for a steady worker that would willingly jump
up on the sheep backs in the yards and bring them to you from the fields. The
Koolie meets all these requirements and responds to the work with a willingness
and devotion that have their owners refusing offers of ten’s of thousands of
dollars when offered for their prized partners. Koolie’s have shown their metal
in every form of work from on the land to Obedience, Tracking, Agility and
Rescue Service, Koolie’s have been used as therapy dogs in nursing homes and as
animal educators for children at school.
Currently many Koolies, are participating in workshop clinics to prepare for
future endeavors with the Sporting Registers Trials and events or just practical
application of the Koolie on the land.
We are making every endeavor to actively
promote and present clinics in Victoria, Nsw and Qld and aim to provide good
strong qualified instruction in the training of Koolies.
The Koolie Club of Australia aspires to meet our members and breeds needs by
focusing on all facets of the working dog, this includes herding workshops,
agility & obedience clinics for the training and DNA testing and genetic
research for the breeding. Koolies registered with the Koolie Club of Australia
Inc. are accepted for registration on the Sporting Registers of both the
Victorian Canine Association, the Royal New South Wales Canine Council & the
Queensland Canine Control Council. Koolies on these sporting registers can now
compete in events run by those bodies such as herding, obedience, agility,
tracking and receive full recognition as Koolies, in all results published and
on certificates. They can also compete without the requirement of being de-sexed
before entering and are no longer noted as an “associate” breed on
documentation.
Genetic Technologies Services Australia have recognized the Koolie Club of
Australia as official collectors of Koolie DNA, this is offered to all members
who wish to have their Koolie tested.
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Koolie Picures 1
Koolie Picures 2
Koolie Info
Understanding Dog Behavior
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