| Country of Origin: | Australia |
| Registries: | KCA, ASAP, VGAP, ANKC, NZCCC, AHBA, ASCA, TWBF, APRI, DRA; Not recognized by any major kennel club |
| Breed Group: | Australian Koolies/Coolies have been recognised on the Australian Sporting Registrar, the American Herding Breed Association’s Registrar, the New Zealands Obedience Registrar and the Finland Herding Association.Koolies/Coolies registered with the Koolie Club of Australia are accepted to the Canine Control Sporting registers in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland |
| Occupation: | Working, Herding, Sport |
| Size: | Height: 34 – 60 cm (13 – 23 inches) Weight: 15 – 24 kg (33 – 53 lbs) |
| Longevity; | 18 + years |
| Exercise: | Daily, long walk or jog |
| Training: | Obedience, socialization |
| Grooming: | Very easy |
| Colors: | Tri Merle, Chocolate, Red Merle, Tri-color, Blue Merle and Merle Black |
The Koolie is also known as the Australian Koolie, and is an Australian dog breed. This is a working dog, and exists in Australia since the 19th century. This dog breed was bred from imported British working dogs. As a matter of fact, the Australian Koolie Club defines this breed on its ability to work and not on its conformation. Koolie is rather a breed than a type of dog.
Koolie is a “heading dog”. It has a natural instinct to cast out sheep and bring them back to the owner. This dog breed is silent, working dog.
The Koolie’s ancestors were the British Collie as well as the Black and Tan Collie from the Highlands of Scotland. It is believed that the Koolie is a descendant of the same Collie types that were brought to Australia for kennels of Thomas Hall who was the originator of the Australian Cattle Dog.
According to some records, Koolie’s been around for around 160 years. This dog breed varies from 40 to 60 cm’s. Their fur ranges from short and smooth to short or medium and not long. This dog breed is slightly longer than it is tall. As for the color of the fur, these dogs can be solid, tri color, bi color, tri merle or just merle. For example, black Koolie’s will normally have a black nose and black eyes, chocolate and red Koolie’s will have red or chocolate nose and brown eyes. This dog breed can have eyes of different color, where one is usually blue and the other one black or brown.
This is a very energetic dog breed, tireless and athletic. They are loyal and eager to please their owner. They are also very good with children and very protective. Also, this dog breed is not dog-aggressive, and if properly socialized, it will not harm other pets.
Koolies live about 18 years. They have a diverse gene pool, therefore they don’t suffer from genetic problems. Two known problems are blindness and tendency to deafness.