Welsh Corgi Pembroke  

 

      

History

Unlike some dog breeds, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi does not have a traceable breed history. Its origins are obscured by tales and folklore and even contain ties to the wee folk of the British Isles. According to legend, two children tending their family's cattle on royal lands found a pair of puppies, which they thought were foxes. When they brought the puppies home, they were told the dogs were a gift from the fairies. Welsh legends tell us that the fairies would use the little dogs to pull their carriages or as mounts for them to ride into battle. If you look, you can still see the marks of the fairy saddle on their shoulders (especially pronounced in the sable color). As the little puppies that the children brought home grew, they learned to help their humans watch over their cattle, a task to become a responsibility for their descendants for the centuries to follow. That's the legend. The more commonly accepted theory traces back to Scandinavian raiders bringing their dogs with them to the British Isles, possibly as far back as the 9th or 10th century. The Swedish Vallhund is seen to bear many similarities to today's Pembroke Welsh Corgi and is presumed to have been bred with native Welsh dogs. Any of the offspring that expressed cattle herding/driving traits were no doubt selectively bred to enhance that skill. It is also thought that the dogs brought over with Flemish weavers, who settled in Pembrokeshire, South Wales in the 12th century, were bred with the local cattle dogs adding the Spitz characteristics that the Pembroke Welsh Corgi expresses today. The name of the breed is as difficult to nail down as is its origin. One school combines the Welsh word "cor" which means "to watch over or gather" with "gi", a form of the Welsh word for dog. This was certainly a responsibility of these small cattle herders and homestead guardians. Another ascribes the word corgi as the Celtic word for dog and that the Norman invaders thereafter referred to any local dog as a "cur" or mongrel. Finally, legend pops up again with the interpretation that the word "cor" means "dwarf". Combine that with the Welsh form for dog "gi" and you have "dog of the dwarfs or "dwarf dog". For many years Corgis (both breeds) were referred to as either 'Ci-llathed' meaning "yard long dog" (we're talking a Welsh yard here) or as 'Ci Sawdlo' due to its nature of nipping at cattle's heels. The breed was first officially exhibited as the Welsh Corgi in England in 1925 and was eligible to compete for challenge certificates in 1927. Both Pembrokes and Cardigans were shown in the same classes as one breed until 1934, when the Kennel Club (British) separated the two breeds. The first Pembrokes registered with the AKC appeared in 1934. Pembrokes were first exhibited in the U.S. in 1936. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, is a longtime Pembroke fancier. In 1933 her father, then the Duke of York (later King George VI), purchased a Pembroke puppy (Rozavel Golden Eagle)as a playmate for his daughters Elizabeth and Margaret. Queen Elizabeth's interest in the breed has continued throughout her life, and several lovely Pembrokes still grace Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty's interest in the breed, coupled with the appearance of a Pembroke family on the cover of Farm Journal and the Disney film "Little Dog Lost", helped fuel America's love affair with the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is recognized by the American Kennel (AKC), United Kennel Club (UKC), the Kennel Club (Great Britain, KC), the FCI, the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) and many other kennel clubs throughout the world. 

 
General Appearance ***  Low-set, strong, sturdily built and active, giving an impression of substance and stamina in a small space.   Should not be so low and heavy-boned as to appear coarse or overdone, nor so light-boned as to appear racy.   Outlook bold, but kindly.   Expression intelligent and interested.   Never shy nor vicious.   Correct type, including general balance and outline, attractiveness of headpiece, intelligent outlook and correct temperament is of primary importance.   Movement is especially important, particularly as viewed from the side.   A dog with smooth and free gait has to be reasonably sound and must be highly regarded.   A minor fault must never take precedence over the above desired qualities.   A dog must be very seriously penalized for the following faults, regardless of whatever desirable qualities the dog may present:   oversized or undersized; button, rose or drop ears; overshot or undershot bite; fluffies, whitelies, mismarks or bluies.

 

Size ***  Proportion **  Substance *  Height ***   (from ground to highest point on withers) should be 10 to 12 inches.   Weight is in proportion to size, not exceeding 30 pounds for dogs and 28 pounds for bitches.   In show condition, the preferred medium- sized dog of correct bone and substance will weigh approximately 27 pounds, with bitches approximately 25 pounds.   Obvious oversized specimens and diminutive toylike individuals must be very severely penalized.
Proportions **  Moderately long and low.   The distance from the withers to the base of the tail should be approximately 40 percent greater than the distance from the withers to the ground.
Substance **   Should not be so low and heavy-boned as to appear coarse or overdone, nor so light-boned as to appear racy.



Head *** The head should be foxy in shape and appearance.   Expression:   Intelligent and interested, but not sly.
 Skull **    should be fairly wide and flat between the ears.   Moderate amount of stop.   Very slight rounding of cheek, not filled in below the eyes, as foreface should be nicely chiseled to give a somewhat tapered muzzle.   Distance from occiput to center of stop to be greater than the distance from stop to nose tip, the proportion being five parts of total distance for the skull and three parts for the foreface.   Muzzle should be neither dish-faced nor Roman-nosed.
 Eyes **   Oval, medium in size, not round, nor protruding, nor deepset and piglike.   Set somewhat obliquely.   Variations of brown in harmony with coat color.   Eye rims dark, preferably black.   While dark eyes enhance the expression, true black eyes are most undesirable, as are yellow or bluish eyes.

 

Ears:   Erect, firm, and of medium size, tapering slightly to a rounded point.   Ears are mobile, and react sensitively to sounds.   A line drawn from the nose tip through the eyes to the ear tips, and across, should form an approximate equilateral triangle.   Bat ears, small catlike ears, overly large weak ears, hooded ears, ears carried too high or too low, are undesirable.   Button, rose or drop ears are very serious faults.
 Nose **   Black and fully pigmented.
 Mouth **   Scissors bite, the inner side of the upper incisors touching the outer side of the lower incisors.   Level bite is acceptable.   Overshot or undershot bite is a very serious fault.   Lips-Black, tight with little or no fullness.

 

Neck ***  Topline ** Body *mNeck ***   Fairly long. Of sufficient length to provide over-all balance of the dog.   Slightly arched, clean and blending well into the shoulders.   A very short neck giving a stuffy appearance and a long, thin or ewe neck are faulty.
Topline:   Firm and level, neither riding up to nor falling away at the croup.   A slight depression behind the shoulders caused by heavier neck coat meeting the shorter body coat is permissible.
 Body **   Rib cage should be well sprung, slightly egg-shaped and moderately long.   Deep chest, well let down between the forelegs.   Exaggerated lowness interferes with the desired freedom of movement and should be penalized.   Viewed from above, the body should taper slightly to end of loin.   Loin short.   Round or flat rib cage, lack of brisket, extreme length or cobbiness, are undesirable.
 Tail **  Docked as short as possible without being indented.  Occasionally a puppy is born with a natural dock, which if sufficiently short, is acceptable.   A tail up to two inches in length is allowed, but if carried high tends to spoil the contour of the topline.


Forequarters ***  Legs*   Short, forearms turned slightly inward, with the distance between wrists less than between the shoulder joints, so that the front does not appear absolutely straight.   Ample bone carried right down into the feet.   Pasterns firm and nearly straight when viewed from the side.   Weak pasterns and knuckling over are serious faults.   Shoulder blades long and well laid back along the rib cage.   Upper arms nearly equal in length to shoulder blades.   Elbows parallel to the body, not prominent, and well set back to allow a line perpendicular to the ground to be drawn from tip of the shoulder blade through to elbow.
 Feet **  Oval, with the two center toes slightly in advance of the two outer ones.   Turning neither in nor out.   Pads strong and feet arched.   Nails short.   Dewclaws on both forelegs and hindlegs usually removed.   Too round, long and narrow, or splayed feet are faulty.


Hindquarters *** Ample bone, strong and flexible, moderately angulated at stifle and hock.   Exaggerated angulation is as faulty as too little.   Thighs should be well muscled.   Hocks short, parallel, and when viewed from the side are perpendicular to the ground.   Barrel hocks or cowhocks are most objectionable.   Slipped or double-jointed hocks are very faulty.
 Feet **   as in front.


Coat ***  Medium length  short, thick, weather- resistant undercoat with a coarser, longer outer coat.   Over-all length varies, with slightly thicker and longer ruff around the neck, chest and on the shoulders.   The body coat lies flat.   Hair is slightly longer on back of forelegs and underparts and somewhat fuller and longer on rear of hindquarters.   The coat is preferably straight, but some waviness is permitted.   This breed has a shedding coat, and seasonal lack of undercoat should not be too severely penalized, providing the hair is glossy, healthy and well groomed.   A wiry, tightly marcelled coat is very faulty, as is an overly short, smooth and thin coat.
Very Serious Fault *   Fluffies - a coat of extreme length with exaggerated feathering on ears, chest, legs and feet, underparts and hindquarters.   Trimming such a coat does not make it any more acceptable.   The Corgi should be shown in its natural condition, with no trimming permitted except to tidy the feet, and, if desired, remove the whiskers.


Color *** The outer coat is to be of self colors in red, sable, fawn, black and tan with or without white markings.   White is acceptable on legs, chest, neck (either in part or as a collar), muzzle, underparts and as a narrow blaze on head.
Very Serious Faults *  Whitelies *   Body color white, with red or dark markings.   Bluies   Colored portions of the coat have a distinct bluish or smoky cast.   This coloring is associated with extremely light or blue eyes, liver or gray eye rims, nose and lip pigment.   Mismarks     Self colors with any area of white on the back between withers and tail, on sides between elbows and back of hindquarters, or on ears.   Black with white markings and no tan present.


Gait *** Free and smooth.   Forelegs should reach well forward without too much lift, in unison with the driving action of the hind legs.   The correct shoulder assembly and well-fitted elbows allow a long, free stride in front.   Viewed from the front, legs do not move in exact parallel planes, but incline slightly inward to compensate for shortness of leg and width of chest.   Hind legs should drive well under the body and move on a line with the forelegs, with hocks turning neither in nor out.   Feet must travel parallel to the line of motion with no tendency to swing out, cross over or interfere with each other.   Short, choppy movement, rolling or high-stepping gait, close or overly wide coming or going, are incorrect.   This is a herding dog, which must have the agility, freedom of movement, and endurance to do the work for which he was developed.



 

 

 
Temperament *** Outlook bold, but kindly.   Never shy or vicious.   The judge shall dismiss from the ring any Pembroke Welsh Corgi that is excessively shy.

Faults *** Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note ***  Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

 

 

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