Koolie facts for those who just need to know

When first researching the Koolie back in 85 there was nothing about the breed, you learned about them by getting to know those who bred them, farmers, stockman and most were in their 70s, and your own efforts.

Slowly over the years I have compiled Koolie information and presented it to the general public through countless Koolie friendly websites, the majority of information on the Internet today came originally from me or through the Koolie club of Australia, so here's the most current information my research has uncovered. 

​Note; This information is free to use but please include my name as the Author.   click to see more photos

What's in a Name

​This has to be one of the most confusing and useless hurdles for the Koolie as a re-emerging breed to overcome, "its name". The name of the Koolie has caused splits and arguments between groups who wish to keep the breed’s name as German Coolie and those who wish to acknowledge the breeds origins which is Australia and use the name Australian Koolie.

So, in the hope of resolving a very confusing issue for the general public here are the Facts on the Koolie’s name.

Originally, shortly after the breed’s formation back in the early 1800s, they were mistaken for a German’s Collie, because many German sheep herders used a German herding breed which they called a Tiger, it had a medium coat, was medium sized like a Collie and many were Merle.  The then mostly English population mistook them and their early progeny the Koolie for Collies.



Fact 1. There has never been a German Collie breed according to the Germans, they do not have any Collie bloodlines in their country. Note; (This may prove to be an incorrect assumption on Germany's part, as further research reveals more about the origins of all herding breeds, but currently no Collie bloodlines are recognised as being part of Germany's herding breeds, according to that county.)

Then we have the traditional name the breed was known as "The Germans Koolie" which was over time shortened to German Koolie.

Fact 2. Upon asking an Alpine German farmer to pronounce the written word Collie I was not surprised to learn it sounded like Koolie. So we have a mispronunciation of the word Collie and everyone is calling them Koolies.  In several news clipping of that era the two names are confused, even at times both names appear to identify one dog.

As for the spelling, it is only in recent times the need to write the word regularly has arisen, so many spelled it with a soft "C" whilst others spelled it with a hard "K" Note; There is no soft "C" in the German alphabet.

You can read your history to reveal the truth.

Fact 3. In the 2000 abridged version of A.J. (Bert) Howard’s book, 'Over Hauling the Colony' originally written in 1990,  Bert writes and I quote " The word "Collie" had its origins in the Icelandic & Germanic languages from the word KOL meaning black, or the colour of a piece of fuel. From this evolved the word COAL. The hardy breed of small black faced sheep in the Scottish Highlands were called COALY sheep because they had coal coloured faces. Therefore the breed of dogs that worked these sheep were called COALY DOGS. Over time this has changed to become Collie Dogs. However, as previously stated in his book, the dogs used by shepherds in the Scottish Border regions, and Highlands, working Cheviot sheep, were known as the Shepherd’s Dog, and the dog used by drovers was known as the Drover’s Dog etc.(This was also the case in colonial Australia) They named their working dogs according to the work done by that particular dog.

The Drover's Dog of Northumberland was often referred to as the CUR. However the word should not be confused with modern connotations. The Icelandic & Germanic languages had the words KUR and KURRE which virtually described an important dog used for guarding property and stock. Their language came to Britain in ancient times. Over a long period the English usage changed. The letter K gradually gave way to be replaced by the letter C. Therefore KUR or KURRE became CUR in the English language." End of Quote.​

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So, looking back through history and the English settlers’ influence upon the German language it is not surprising to see the same thing has occurred here in early Australia. Put simply the English spell everything with a soft "C" the Germans maintain and continue to use the hard "K".

Conclusion; If we were to use the true traditional name for the Koolie it would be spelled with a "K" as everyone believed this breed’s origins were German, hence it would have been known as a German Koolie. However, the Germans deny there ever being any Collie bloodlines in Germany. Therefore, you have an Australian breed incorrectly named, because of the mispronunciation of the word Collie, and the influence of the English over time on the letter K.  Note; Germany had nothing to do with the Koolie, other than the German Tiger’s influence as an ancestor.

So why continue to incorrectly name a breed that has originated in Australia.

In April of 2000 the Koolie club of Australia in order to register and run the legal/official side of the newly launched club adopted the name Australian Koolie to acknowledge the breeds origins and used the hard "K" to avoid the breed being mistaken as a misspelling of the word Collie and to recognise the Germany Tigers influence in the formation of the breed. 

The club makes no demands on their members to follow this spelling, saying it is each person’s right to spell the name as they choose, but when registering their litters they always write Australian Koolie.

Fact 4. If a person was to DNA their German Koolie/coolie and the dog carried the Koolie signature gene then their test results would confirm that their dog no matter what they chose to call it would be recognised by its own DNA as an Australian Koolie.

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​What's in a colour
When you find a breed that can produce so many traits and colour/type variations it is easy to get stuck on a favourite or even get overwhelmed.

Most people recognise the merle colour/pattern of the Koolie breed, it is still the most requested colour but what many people new to the breed are shocked to learn is that the Merle gene is the only colour/pattern gene that can impact upon the physiology of the dog as well. In the hands of an inexperienced breeder this can lead to a lot of heart ache.

So a little colour knowledge is a good thing.

German Tiger

Thomas Hall c. 1832

​Fact 1. Breeding Merle to Merle carries a high risk of breeding deaf and/or blind pups. It is not a matter of when will it happen,  more a question of how many pups will be affected and how badly.

The worst case of Merle to Merle breeding I have seen resulted in a pup that was totally deaf and born without eyes, others can have myopic (small) eyes, star burst eye, (no pupil) elevated eyes (turned up) some can have the third eyelid still extended over the eye, partially formed eyes, empty opened sockets or a range of problems with vision, lessened, obscured, double, fractal etc.

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​Fact 2. The Koolie can carry a dilution gene which will change a chocolate/red dog to tan/fawn and a black dog, to grey/blue or slate, in the Merle the dilution gene effects the pattern colour changing it from black or chocolate to grey or fawn. Note; The Koolie Club of Australia encourage breeders not to breed from a Koolie carrying the dilution gene.

Fact 3. The Koolie can carry the E Loci masking gene this changes the coat colour of a chocolate dog to cream/yellow . Note; Until more is known about the effects of either the dilution gene or the E Loci masking gene I will in future check the DNA of every Koolie pair I intend to mate and choose not to breed from those who carry these genes with other Koolies carrying the same genes, As a precautionary step in our efforts to breed healthy balanced Koolies.

Fact 4. The Koolie can carry the Merle gene but not display it and appears as a solid coloured dog, these Koolies are called cryptic Merle and in a Merle to Merle mating can still produce defective pups.

Fact 5. The Koolie is and always has been an intelligent, healthy, loyal, hardworking breed, bred for agricultural work, with abilities that see it just as comfortable in service, sport and companion roles, the nature, bid ability and character of the Koolie is what sets this breed apart, not it's different colour/coat, types.

By focusing on any one trait/colour, placing it above the rest, we breed the koolie out of balance, we only need look at our own recognised pure breeds of the show ring and see what focused breeding has done to them, not only increased the number of life threatening genetic inherent diseases but shortened their lives, where getting to ten is a celebration of longevity.

Fact 6, ​A defective Koolie is normally white, but it has been recorded that Merle deaf/blind defects, can also occur in strong coloured pups from Merle to Merle mating.

Fact 7. A Koolie with a white base coat colour regardless of how strong the Merle pattern colour might be is called a double merle because it carries one set of Merle gene from each of its parents, these Koolies are the highest risk for breeding defective litters if bred back to a Merle.

Fact 8. For the safest results in breeding healthy Koolies, a solid colour DNA tested for the merle gene to a Merle is encouraged

Fact 9. Before 2000 over half of the solid, bi and tri coloured Koolie pup were either put down by breeders or sold off as Kelpies or Border Collies, others just dumped in the pound.  Since the launch of the Koolie Club of Australia in 2000 the number of breeders adopting the safe breeding practices has risen, resulting in less solid colour dogs being lost. A safe mating using a solid Koolie will on average produce two/three solid colour pups, this includes bi and tri, the rest will be Merle.

Fact 10. The market is run by the demand of those who wish to buy. Those who truly value the Koolie breed go in search of the best Koolie they can find to meet their needs. Not because they have a pretty coat. We believe in our bloodlines and will never sell a pup just for profit, we will place our Koolies into the best homes that meet the needs of the Koolie breed.