MyDogBreeds
Both Koolie and Australian Collie are originated from Australia. Koolie may grow 20 cm / 8 inches higher than Australian Collie. Both Koolie and Australian Collie are having almost same weight. Both Koolie and Australian Collie has same life span. Both Koolie and Australian Collie has same litter size. Koolie requires Low maintenance. But Australian Collie requires Moderate maintenance
The Koolie's ancestors were both the smooth coated blue merle Collie as well as the Black and Tan Collie. The dog hails from Australia.
Looking much like the Heeler dog, the Koolie is thought to have got its name from German immigrants to Australia who couldn’t pronounce the name ‘collie’ properly, so the name came out as Koolie. The Koolie of today is a product of a cross between the German Koolie and the Australian Dingo.
The dog has been around for a long time and in 2000, the Koolie Club of Australia was formed. It was in 2004 that the Koolie was recognized by the Australian Sporting Registrar. In May 2006, the Stockdog Committee of the Australian Shepherd Club of America accepted the Koolie as a recognized and accepted herding breed.
The Koolie, as a breed we know today, originates from Australia. But, before they were breed and imported, they were the mix made of Britain smooth coated blue merle Collie and the Black and Tan Collie from the Highlands of Scotland. The Koolie came to Australia to work as a kennel dog since they are known as the working, farm dog that can adapt to any weather condition. They were bred to be agile and non-aggressive quiet herding dogs, and they have kept most of those good characteristics until today.
Known also as the German Koolie or German Collie, the Koolie is a working- or herding dog standing at between 40 – 60cm in height and weighing up to 24kg.
The Koolie's coat is a merle coat pattern in red or black and possibly with some tan and is mostly short and smooth, though it can be medium length too. Depending on the coat color – red or black – the nose and eyes can be either brown or black, although eye color can also be blue or yellowish.
The Koolie is such a wonderful pet who has some excellent characteristics to his name. He is active, energetic, fun, clever, friendly and playful, but if you have him trained and socialized he becomes even more of a great family pet. He is intelligent too and will require an owner who is steady, firm, fair and consistent. You wouldn't call him an aggressive dog
Koolie is a medium bred. Their head is small, with a pointy jaw. Ears are pricked, semi-dropped or dropped. Their coat can be smooth or rough, short or medium length, always with the undercoat. The colours can be Red or Blue Merle, solid Red or Black, sometimes with minimal white or cream speckles. They are usually two-coloured or tricoloured, but some of them are actually one-coloured.
Some Koolie have one or two blue, green or yellow eyes. Eye colour is, of course, affected by the gene that creates the coat pattern and eye colour as well.
They are athletic dogs, with fine bone structure but great stamina. Actually, they were breed to be like that – to work hard, be noticeable among the sheep, eat little and be loyal to one person.
Many people today like the idea of a ‘wild’ animal as a pet, and the Koolie, with his Dingo ancestry, can be a challenging dog breed to keep. People eventually blame these animals for having a poor temperament – meantime all they are essentially, are high-energy animals.
If you keep a Koolie, it will be better if you were a firm, kind, patient, consistent dog owner who understands the special needs of these kinds of dogs. They’re an energetic, care-free animals who will do better on a large property or farm as he is lively and will need a good deal of exercise.
He is quite capable of being a splendid pet with training and socialization and will settle down well to family life when he is loved and cared for.
Koolie is naturally energetic, playful and affectionate so they are naturally very good to raise with children.
They are known as great obedience dog. They are very famous as the tracking dogs.
Some of them are successful as the rescue dogs, therapy dogs or educators for school children.
This is not a type of dog that will be alone in the house, wait for you and then be quiet while you rest. They need a great deal of activity and they are not such great choice for indoor life anyways. The best thing for them would be the large yard, with somebody home most of the time. They are great if raised in a family, with children and active owners. They will be great for a loner at the farm as well since that is in their blood. They need enough place to run, chase, play, rest on the sun and be active as they please. They get affectionate towards their families, but they will be accepting their new home when they are older just fine.
They are very good at learning. Intelligent, yes, but yet very silly and playful to do what is told all the time. They will surprise you with how quickly they will pick up the new trick but not feeling like doing it every time you would like them to. Everything is a play for them, so it would be best if you know how to play, be affectionate and friendly to become a good owner of this breed.
The Koolie is a long-lived dog and there are records of it being able to reach 18 years of age. Because they have a diverse gene pool, you won’t find many genetic problems with this dog.
It is always wise when you’re the owner of a dog, to look out for his health and wellbeing -
This is to prevent your Koolie picking up fatal diseases such as distemper and parvo-virus. Dogs can be vaccinated from 6 weeks of age for protection.
Working dogs like the Koolie are susceptible to parasites such as tapeworm. Worming of your dog can be included in your vet visit. Dogs with worms may show tell-tale signs such as being pot bellied, very pale gums, anemia and a dull, thinned coat.
A look at his droppings may reveal white segments or worms. Fleas are another kind of parasite and they breed quickly in warm months. Mange is a skin disease caused by small parasitic mites which can actually live inside the hair follicles of dogs. Veterinary treatment will be required.
This is when your pet’s temperature rises out of control. Dogs pant to reduce their body temperature so a dog puffing heavily is putting in extra work to reduce his body temperature.
Never leave you pet in a boiling hot car as the body becomes weak and he has difficulty with breathing. Without immediate treatment, the dog will collapse and die.
If you are careful enough, you will choose your Koolie form patiently chosen breeders, after checking the health history of the pup and the pup’s family. Advisable is to do these things in person and never to buy a Koolie from a pet shop.
Sometimes, pups can be born blind or deaf pups. They have the great chance of joint problems because of their extreme activity. Their need to run, jump and play all the time may result in damage to cartilage and ligaments, especially since they are not aware of their age most of the time.
There is a chance that pup has skin allergies or immune system issues if they are growing on a farm near the chemicals used for plants, so be careful what kind of herbicide you use if you have a Collie.
In some rare cases, they suffer from seizers. If untreated, they can cause death. If you decide to take him to a regular vet check, you will have a happy and playful life together.
The Koolie is an intelligent dog that will benefit from training and socialization to make him obedient and able to cope in diverse situations.
These dogs show an untiring enthusiasm for exercise and work and wherever you live, you will need to ensure that he gets regular exercise.
Only the very best - both home-made and commercially manufactured food - will be good enough for this energetic dog. Good quality food ensures health and longevity. Always see that there is a constant supply of fresh, cool water.
Make sure that your dog has a warm, dry place to sleep inside and that when outside, he has a cool, sheltered spot from the sun.
Whether you choose canned food or dry food, treats as biscuits or left-overs, the quantity is the safest way of keeping the balanced diet for your Collie. They like raw meat and raw bones. Make sure not to feed them with cooked bones because they can do more harm than good.
Since Koolie coat can be very short with the undercoat or a bit longer with undercoat, bristle brushing every 3 or 4 days will be enough for them. Some of them like the water and some of them don’t and that is perfectly fine since there is no need for a regular bath.
Lots of activities and lots of love. They express their love all the time and you can learn a lot from them actually. They like raw bones and from-the-table delicious treats but make sure not to overfeed them.
Games that need them to be fast and think quickly. Running with them, driving a bike with them (but not on the leash!) would be a great fun for them. Why not leash? They are so playful and happy and they tend to jump and run to the side to chase a butterfly or catch the falling leaf.