You should find that document Toller and post it! Would be very interesting.
Soon I hope I can give a better idea of Koolies, it's hard when I only have my boy and all the rest of my info comes second hand from all the friends and breeders I know.
I don't have it anymore, otherwise I would. It was very helpful to me. Unfortunately my computer wheezed it's last wheeze a few days ago though, and we have a new one now. So I don't have that document anymore. Which is too bad, as I kind of feel like there is a Koolie craze happening right now and the comparisons I made might put things into slightly better perspective. I pretty well decided a year and a half ago that a Koolie would likely be my next dog, but I still wanted to make comparisons and gather as much info as possible, as there was no point importing a Koolie if I'd be just as happy with a more easily available breed. I just hope this Koolie craze sticks to Chaz and doesn't venture to the rest of the world. I'm starting to feel a little over protective of them, much like I do Tollers, and I don't even have one yet, haha.
Basically what I found is that Koolies seem to be sort of a nice balance between Kelpies and Border Collies. I crossed Aussies off the list for now only because they reminded me too much of what I like about Tollers, and if I'm going to have a dog like that, it's going to be a Toller. And I never looked into English Shepherds too much because, as others have said, they're more of a happy all purpose farm dog and that is not what I was looking for. I want a high energy, high drive, willing to please, intelligent, eager to learn dog that I can get serious about certain sports and games with (Agility, perhaps Flyball, and I'm really hoping for another Frisbee dog). And I don't believe, as nice as they are, that an ES is the best fit for that.
The people I've talked to with Kelpies say that their dogs are biddable, but they can also be rather independent thinkers. They try hard and never give up, but often like to find their own way of doing things. At the same time though, they all said that their Kelpies were the most handler orientated dogs they've ever had. Kelpie people also told me that noise sensitivity can be an issue in the breed (though more common in Kelpie/BC mixes), and that while they are people and animal friendly, reactivity seems to be becoming a bigger thing. There also appeared to be a pretty big show and working split, similar to what you see in Border Collies. They like to have fun, but are rather serious also, which again reminded me of Border Collies. And from what people have told me, they seem to have a tougher, no non-sense attitude but at the same time are rather sensitive.
Border Collies, as much as I love them, I worry too much about reactivity and noise sensitivity. This comes from owning a BC mix (who, while mixed, acted way more BC than Toller) and also from talking to other BC owners and getting to know more in person. They also seem more prone to OCD behaviours and neurotic tendencies than Kelpies or Koolies. And to be honest, I had a really hard time finding nice Border Collie people. They seem a very political breed and a lot of people were downright rude to me when I asked about their dogs. Basically, if I wasn't going to work sheep, I would be a terrible owner. So that kind of turned me off. But really, I was set after finding a breed with all of the qualities I liked about Tango's temperament but also a breed that was not prone to her bad qualities (she was extremely noise phobic and dog reactive). And after having Dance, I was also seeking a breed that had a more minimal chance of being people shy or even too reserved. I'd still like a BC one day, but not right now.
Koolies, from talking to Lindsey and other owners, seem to have all of the qualities I was looking for for the most part. The only thing that I don't really care for is the barking, but whatever. I figure most herding breeds like their voices and that's just something that comes with it. And I do like vocal dogs, just as long as I can control actual barking somewhat. What it came down to basically is that Koolies seem slightly more handler focused and people pleasing than Kelpies, everyone I've spoken to says that they are very people and dog friendly (big plus for me), they are not prone to being overly spooky or sensitive to things as much as BCs or Kelpies can be, etc. And they don't seem quite so serious. They like to work but they appear to make everything into a fun game. And again, I prefer that they're more upright than stalky. It's hard to explain why really, but there is just something that clicks for me when it comes to Koolies that is missing with BCs and Kelpies. Both are breeds I seriously thought about getting before I decided to look into Koolies more, and I love both and would like to have both one day (if I live long enough for all these dogs lol), but Koolies just seem more suited to me right now.
There are plenty of similarities between all of the breeds, but the differences are enough to make me go "this is the breed I want, and while I like these breeds, I don't like this, this or this about it".
I was the last person to ever think I'd ever import a dog from anywhere. Especially sight unseen as far as breeders go. But I just feel strongly that a Koolie is a better fit for me right now, and so I'm jumping in and doing it.
The list I'd made was better, as it kind of pinpointed everything cleanly rather than just my jumbled thoughts above, but hopefully that sort of helps anybody trying to find differences. I wish I knew some Koolies or Kelpies in person to give a better review, but I don't. I have met Kelpies, but don't know them, and obviously Koolies are not very common here so I've never met any. I've met lots of Border Collies and talked to lots of owners. And it's also always different living with a breed, too. You can only find out so much about a breed without living with it I think.