Before competing in the 2025 AKC Premier Cup, Erin Stumler joked that her Working Kelpie, “Xcel” (MACH Finix (Ca) Xcelerate MXB PAD MJS PJD XF BCAT CGC), was allergic to podiums. These staggered tiers are a familiar sight at canine sporting events, usually reserved for top-scoring competitors.
“We’re always the dog that’s just off the podium,” Stumler shares. “Last year at AKC Nationals, we were fifth. Well, podiums are only through fourth. At other events, we’re like, ‘We’re fourth!’ and the podium’s only through third.”
The Premier Cup was Xcel’s first event after recovering from a soft-tissue injury. Stumler says that he was a “leftover puppy” from a litter of Working Kelpies whose mom specialized in agility in Canada. For Stumler herself, Xcel’s latest win was a full-circle event.
“I won my first Premier Cup in 2019 with my mixed-breed, ‘Harley,’ so the money that she won helped pay for Xcel,” she says. “I’m just really proud of him. He’s the best leftover puppy.”
A Connection Before They Ever Met
Before Xcel came into her life, Stumler had long been interested in Working Kelpies. She was first drawn to the dog’s unique appearance, but after doing more research, she found the breed’s other traits intriguing. Fast-forward to 2019, when Stumler got a message from a friend about a puppy from a litter in Canada that didn’t have an owner yet.
But this wasn’t just any random puppy — their mother was a renowned agility competitor who had competed on Canada’s World Team and in Europe. If this didn’t seem like a good fit already, here’s something better.
“I realized that, ‘Oh, I’ve followed his mom off and on for several years,’ so I kind of knew who she was and contacted his breeder, and yeah. The rest is history,” Stumler says.
Xcel Took Like a Natural to Agility
Stumler’s canine sporting journey began in 2008 when she took an agility class with her “wild, crazy” 6-month-old Australian Shepherd puppy.
“Like most people that start competing in agility, we’re just going to do it for fun. That’s snowballed, and now we’re going to our World Team tryouts and European Open tryouts and AKC Nationals and Premier Cup,” she says.
One of Xcel’s strengths is that he heavily relies on verbal cues, which aligns with Stumler’s handling style and reflects his herding bloodlines. Stumler shares her observations about the differences between Australian Shepherds and Working Kelpies, having owned both.
“As far as working style, Aussies tend to be more upright working breeds. They don’t use a lot of eye to control stock, and Kelpies are a strong-eyed breed. So I see that a lot, like when we’re playing, Xcel does lots of herding, flanking-type behaviors, more so than my Aussies would do,” she says.
When comparing Working Kelpies to Border Collies, she adds, “Border Collies are obviously very smart also, and so they have good problem-solving skills, but I don’t know. Sometimes, the way Kelpies go about it is humorous, and they just do very clownish things. [Xcel is] just entertaining.”
Stumler Feels In Sync with Xcel While Competing
The road to this year’s Premier Cup wasn’t easy. It was an 11-hour drive from Stumler’s home in Southern Indiana to the competition in Fort Stewart, Georgia. She expected traffic in and around Atlanta, but upon hitting Macon, she feared whether they would arrive on time. Another concern was Xcel himself. He was recovering from a soft-tissue injury that caused his hamstring to tighten, which had arisen after he had “cooled down” from another event.
“We’ve been working with his rehab vet, and hopefully, he holds up,” Stumler shared ahead of the competition.
Another hurdle was the competition itself. Navigating the course’s weave poles, tunnels, and jumps required expert timing and precision from the dogs and their handlers. Executing a clean run wasn’t easy. Still, these obstacles didn’t deter this dog-handler team, and they gave the competition their all.
When Xcel’s excelling in agility, herding, or the occasional Fast CAT competition, Stumler feels in sync with her dog. Even when things don’t go exactly as planned, she approaches the situation with a sense of humor.
She says, “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Where are you going? What was I doing?’ I don’t know. Sometimes, it’s me. ‘What was I thinking there?’ For the most part, yeah, it feels pretty in sync. It’s really cool, especially since I tend to watch my videos over and over and just be like, ‘Wow, look how awesome we were.'”
Is the Working Kelpie the Right Breed for You?
Xcel is a lot of things. He’s an athlete, comedian, and entertainer in a compact frame. But the Working Kelpie isn’t the right breed for everyone. While every dog is unique, Working Kelpies are best suited for high-energy households that can offer a revolving mix of activities, from outdoor romps to indoor puzzle-solving sessions.
“It’s like his volume is stuck at max all the time,” she laughs. “My first agility dog, my Aussie, was also very loud. His name was ‘Gunner,’ and I joked whenever I was searching for my next dog, like, ‘Well, no dog can be louder than Gunner,’ And then Xcel came along and was like, ‘Hold my beer, I’ll show you. Not only do I bark more, but I’m louder.'”
And what is this opinionated dog barking at?
“Everything,” Stumler says. “If you look at him, he barks at you; if you don’t look at him, he barks at you; if you talk to him, he barks at you. Like, anytime he’s doing something. It’s not like a constant stream of barking, but yeah, it doesn’t take much to get him started.”
What Does the Future Hold for This Duo?
Today, when Xcel isn’t sounding the alarm, adventuring with Stumler, or training for his next competition, he enjoys spending time with his family: an Australian Shepherd named “Magnum” and a standard-bred horse.
“I like how he’s just all around such a nice dog,” Stumler says. “It’s nice to have a dog where I can take him all kinds of places, and I don’t have to worry about him. He’s a great hiking dog, he’s easy to live with, he’s a lot of fun. He’s fast and athletic, [and] he likes doing most of the things that I like doing.”
Xcel’s next AKC event will be the AKC International Sweepstakes Championship in October. Stumler also hopes to qualify for the AKC National Agility Championship next year and make the finals for the third year in a row.
“I also keep trying to find time to enter an AKC herding trial, so maybe this will finally be our year,” she says.
The AKC Agility Premier Cup has crowned its winners. See the top-scoring agility teams in each division for the 2025 competition.