Genomic characterisation of external morphology traits in Kelpies does not support common ancestry with Australian Dingo

The Kelpie breed is an iconic dog breed developed in Australian in the late 19th Century from Scottish smooth collie and farm collie stock. The breed is renowned for its resilience to working in harsh (hot, dry, and prickly) conditions in the Australian outback. Since its inception the Kelpie population has become divided as particular lines were developed for exceptional performance in specialist aspects of working dog performance. In addition, one group from the population was separated to participate in dog conformation showing. This breed division has resulted in several readily visible phenotypic differences between the groups. In common with the Dingo, both breed varieties most commonly exhibit upright ears (pricked as opposed to drop-ears). Our analysis of variants in Kelpie and Dingo will determine the mutational basis of commonly observed external morphologies in the kelpie breed varieties for which variants have been described.