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Pembroke Welsh Corgi

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Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Common nicknamesCorgi, Welsh Corgi, Pembroke, Pem
OriginWales
Traits
Height Males 10–12 in (25–30 cm)
Females 10–12 in (25–30 cm)
Weight Males 24–31 lb (11–14 kg)
Females 24–28 lb (11–13 kg)
Coat Medium length, thick, weather-resist double coat
Color Red, Fawn (light red), Black & Tan (tri-colored), Sable (red with black peppering), and White only as a marking color.
Kennel club standards
The Kennel Club standard
Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Dog (domestic dog)
Sable Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy (6 weeks old)

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi (/ˈkɔːrɡi/; Welsh for "dwarf dog"[a]) is a cattle herding dog breed that originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales.[1] The name Corgi is of Welsh origin, and is a compound of the words cor and ci (mutated to gi), meaning "dwarf" and "dog", respectively.[a] The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is not related to the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, but have similar names.

Pembroke Welsh Corgis are famous as the preferred breed of Queen Elizabeth II, who owned more than 30 Royal Corgis during her reign.[2] Although these dogs have been favoured by British royalty since 1933, not many exist in the United Kingdom today.[3]

Prior to 2008 Pembroke Welsh Corgis were not well known in the United States, but then became very popular on social media. Now the United States has the most Pembroke Welsh Corgis in the world. However, that popularity has caused many people to fall victims to: scammers, mix-breeders, and puppy mills whose dogs are not Pembroke Welsh Corgis at all. Therefore, any person considering a Pembroke Welsh Corgi should verify that both parents are breed tested 100% Pembroke Welsh Corgi.[4]

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi has been ranked 11th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, which states that the breed is considered an excellent working dog. Pembroke Welsh Corgis were ranked 11th most popular breed of dog in 2020 according to the American Kennel Club.[5]

Description

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Personality

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Pembroke Welsh Corgis are bold, playful, and kind dogs towards all people and animals. Their expression should be intelligent and interested. A Pembroke Welsh Corgi should not be disobedient, shy, or aggressive with people or animals of any kind.[6] Pembroke Welsh Corgis love to be involved in the family, and tend to follow wherever their owners go. They have a great desire to please their owners, thus making them eager to learn and train. They were ranked as the eleventh most intelligent dog in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs

Pembroke leaving teeter-totter during a dog agility competition.

Appearance

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Pembroke Welsh Corgis should be low, long, strong, sturdy, and active. Female Pembroke Welsh Corgis should weigh 25 - 28 lbs in lean athletic condition, or more as non-herding pets. Male Pembroke Welsh Corgis should be 27-30 lbs in lean athletic condition, or more as non-herding pets. A properly bred Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy typically weighs almost 1 lb for each week of age and still look athletic and strong.[7]

They have erect ears that point up and outwards to form an equilateral triangle with the nose. Pembroke Welsh Corgis only have genes for the colors of Red, Fawn (light red), Sable (red with black peppering), and Black & Tan (Tri-Colored. Each color of Pembroke Welsh Corgi has white marking as 4 white socks, white underbody, and various amounts of white on chest, collar, and sometimes a facial stripe between the eyes. The breed standard for Pembroke Welsh Corgis says dogs must be very seriously penalized for having long fluffy hair, white bodies, blue hair, or white in other areas of the body.[8]

Their coat has lighter markings on each side of the withers caused by changes in the thickness, length, and direction of hair growth.[9]

Due to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi having a double coat, some shed heavily in early and late summer. With regular brushing, their coat is fairly easy to maintain, as well as naturally water- and dirt repellent.[10]

Some Pembroke Welsh Corgis are born with a natural short bob-tail, but the majority are born with long brittle tails. docked is done between 2–5 days to follow centuries of tradition and to conform to the Breed Standard that allow up to 2 inches of bob-tail.[11] Docking is needed for Pembroke Welsh Corgis, because they have brittle tails that often break when stepped on or caught in doors. Docking at an early age prevents tragic accidents and costly removal of broken tails later. At one point the United Kingdom considered dog ownership a luxury under tax law, so to demonstrate that their dogs were herding dogs owners had to dock the tails of all herding breeds to be like Pembroke Welsh Corgis.[12]

Health

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A 14 year old Corgi
A 14 year old Corgi affected by degenerative myelopathy using a wheelchair to walk

As of 2025, Pembroke Welsh Corgis should receive 8 health tests before being bred. Those 8 tests include: Degenerative Myelopathy to prevent paralyzed legs, Von Willebrand's Disease to prevent blood that doesn't clot, Exercise Induced Collapse to prevent seizures, Progressive Retinal Atrophy to prevent blindness, X-Linked Severe Combined Immunity Disease to prevent death at young ages, Dilute Locus to prevent Alopecia Skin Disease, Copper Toxicosis to prevent kidney disease, and IVDD to prevent spinal disc ruptures. The first six health issues have existed since 2018, and are preventable if a breeder performs those 6 tests and finds parents with Clear results. Copper Toxicosis and IVDD are newer tests, more dogs have bad genes, so it's rare to find a Corgi tested and safe from Copper and IVDD. Pembroke Welsh Corgis became very popular in 2008 when only 3 of these tests existed, and over the past 17 years most Corgi breeders have not kept up with modern science to do all 8 needed today.[13]

A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 13.2 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.[14]

Pembroke Welsh Corgis are achondroplastic, meaning they are a "true dwarf" breed.[15] Pembrokes are also prone to obesity given a robust appetite, characteristic of herding group breeds.[16]

History

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A red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi lying on the floor wearing a bandana. The traditional "fairy saddle" pattern of fur is visible on the Corgi's back.
A "fairy saddle" on an 11 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, as seen from above.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi lineage has been traced back as far as AD 1107.[1][17] Even with their smaller stature and shorter legs, they are very agile, and were excellent herding dogs.[18] It is said that Vikings brought the dogs with them as they invaded Wales. Some popular stories give Corgis a creation myth connected to fairies. One story states that two children were running through a forest and stumbled upon the funeral of a fairy. The mourning fairies gave the two children two small corgi puppies and the children took them home, thus giving the breed popularity.[19] Stories also state that Corgis played the role of war horses for fairies before they became herding dogs for humans. At the base of the haunches of Corgis, there is a line of slightly rougher fur called the fairy saddle. These folktales about the Pembroke Welsh Corgi breed have been hard to verify, as they do not appear in older Welsh books or older written folktales. It is speculated that the fairytales originated from breeders in more recent times. These legends are harder to trace as none of it is written and usually travels through word of mouth.[19]

In December 1925 the Corgi Club was founded by Jack Howell of Solva, Pembrokeshire, Wales for owners of modern day Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Then his club was accepted by the United Kingdom's Kennel Club, but to meet rules for club names they had to change their name to the Welsh Corgi Club.[20]

After the Welsh Corgi Club for Pembroke Welsh Corgis was founded and accepted by the UK Kennel Club, people from Cardiganshire wanted to join with Cardigan Welsh Corgis. Mr Howell said no. Then he explained that Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Cardigan Welsh Corgis are 2 different breeds with different characteristics and histories. In 1926 the people of Cardiganshire tried to appeal to the United Kingdom's Kennel Club, so they could join the Welsh Corgi Club. The Kennel Club did not want to upset Pembroke or Cardigan owners. The Kennel Club declared there would be 2 types of Welsh Corgis the Pembrokeshire type and the Cardigan type, both would have 2 different breed clubs, 2 different breed standards, and shown in different categories. The UK Kennel thought that would stop all the fighting, but it persisted into the 1930s. Therefore instead of 2 different types of Welsh Corgis they became Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Cardigan Welsh Corgis.[20]

Pembroke Welsh Corgis are becoming more popular in the United States and rank 20th (24th) in American Kennel Club registrations,[21] as of 2015 (2012). However, corgis are now listed as a "vulnerable" breed in the United Kingdom; the decline has been said to be due to a 2007 ban on tail-docking (the practice of cutting off the animal's tail) in the UK, as well as the lack of breeders in the UK[22] In 2009, the corgi was added to The Kennel Club's "At Watch" list of British breeds when annual registrations numbered between 300 and 450.[23] In 2014, the breed was put on the Club's "Vulnerable Native Breeds" list when registrations dropped under 300.[23] In 2018, the breed came off the "At-Risk" list with 456 puppies registered in December 2017.[23] The Kennel Club has credited the renewed interest in the breed to the popular Netflix television series, The Crown,[23] and others.[24] The Pembroke Welsh Corgi has also appeared in the American television Brooklyn Nine-Nine as the pet dog of Captain Raymond Holt and Kevin M. Cozner and is shown to be extremely loyal. Ein, a Corgi with human-level intelligence, is one of the 5 main characters in the TV show Cowboy Bebop.

Activities

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Pembroke Welsh Corgis can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests.[25] Corgis, despite their dwarfism giving the illusion of small slow legs, can reach up to 25 mph if they are healthy and fit. This is because Corgis tend to use more upper body strength to run than most dogs, giving them enhanced abilities with such activities as agility and herding and racing.

Royal corgis

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Main article: Royal corgis

At a young age, the Queen's passion for this breed started when her father, King George VI, brought home their first royal corgi who was later named Dookie.[26] The Queen ceased breeding corgis around 2012 so as not to leave any behind after she died; her last corgi, Willow, died in April 2018.[27] She was gifted two new corgi pups by her family in 2021.[28][29]

On 3 April 2019, the film The Queen's Corgi was released.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Wheeler, Jill C. (2010). Welsh Corgis. ABDO. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-61613-641-3.
  2. ^ "Queen's Diamond Jubilee: Just how many dogs does she own?". Christian Science Monitor. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  3. ^ The Kennel Club. "Vulnerable Native Breeds". The Kennel Club. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  4. ^ Ho, Eric (17 November 2017). "How I Became The Leader Of The New York City Corgi Meet Ups". Medium. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  5. ^ "THE MOST POPULAR DOG BREEDS OF 2020". Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  6. ^ https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/PembrokeWelshCorgi.pdf
  7. ^ https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/PembrokeWelshCorgi.pdf
  8. ^ https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/PembrokeWelshCorgi.pdf
  9. ^ Debra M. Eldredge, DVM (25 February 2009). Pembroke Welsh Corgi: Your Happy Healthy Pet, with DVD. John Wiley & Sons. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-470-44364-4.
  10. ^ Debra M. Eldredge, DVM (25 February 2009). Pembroke Welsh Corgi: Your Happy Healthy Pet, with DVD. John Wiley & Sons. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-470-44364-4.
  11. ^ "PWCCA Standard of Perfection". Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  12. ^ Kennel Clun. "Pembroke Welsh Corg". Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  13. ^ https://www.gensoldx.com/product/pembroke-welsh-corgi-2/
  14. ^ McMillan, Kirsten M.; Bielby, Jon; Williams, Carys L.; Upjohn, Melissa M.; Casey, Rachel A.; Christley, Robert M. (1 February 2024). "Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death". Scientific Reports. 14 (1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 531. Bibcode:2024NatSR..14..531M. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 10834484. PMID 38302530.
  15. ^ "From the Genetics Committee of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America, Inc". Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  16. ^ E. Hywel Burton (18 October 2011). Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Kennel Club Books. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-59378-890-2.
  17. ^ "Pembroke Welsh Corgi - HISTORY". Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Gale - Product Login". galeapps.gale.com. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  19. ^ a b Allison, Sarah (2023). "The Fairy Mythology of Corgis". University of Chichester: Gramarye (24): 19–24. ISSN 2050-2915 – via EBSCohost.
  20. ^ a b Debra M. Eldredge (27 January 2009). Pembroke Welsh Corgi: Your Happy Healthy Pet, with DVD. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 21–. ISBN 978-0-470-39061-0. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  21. ^ "AKC Dog Registration Statistics". American Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  22. ^ "Dog Gone! Why You're Seeing Fewer Corgis". ABC News. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  23. ^ a b c d "Corgis and the Queen: Celebrating the breed that the Queen made popular". www.thekennelclub.org.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  24. ^ Rebecca Seales (3 June 2022). "Corgis: How the Queen fell in love and started a phenomenon". BBC News. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  25. ^ Hartnagle-Taylor, Jeanne Joy; Taylor, Ty (2010). Stockdog Savvy. Alpine Publications. ISBN 978-1-57779-106-5.
  26. ^ "What Are the Queen's Corgis Called? All About Elizabeth II's Dogs". animalwised.com. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  27. ^ Wilkes, Joseph (3 December 2020). "Queen left with just one dog as her beloved dorgi Vulcan dies 'of old age'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  28. ^ Corbin, Tianna (20 March 2021). "Queen's new corgi pups are named after relative and favourite beauty location". The Cornishman. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  29. ^ Brazell, Emma (13 June 2021). "Queen 'given corgi puppy' by Andrew on Philip's 100th birthday". Metro. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  30. ^ "The Queen's Last Corgi Is Dead and the Internet Is Inconsolable". Time. Retrieved 10 August 2018.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b See Wiktionary: corgi § Welsh
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