Showdog Saturday, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Wider head, smaller frame, more pointed ears

\

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi

More narrow head, larger frame, rounded ears

Once again, it is Saturday and since I have not come even close to running out of dog breeds, I am checking out another one.  Isn't the internet great?  Alot of my information comes from the AKC site, as well as Dogtime.com and Dogbreedinfo.com. This time it is the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, with a little bit about their cousin the Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

Both types of corgi have descended from the Keeshond, Pomeranian, Schipperke and Swedish Vallhund.  The Cardigan is said to have come from Cardiganshire around 1200 BC while the Pembroke is said to have been brought by Flemish weavers to the Celts around 1100 AD. They were considered to be the same breed until a show judge decided they were too different and should be separate breeds.

The Pembroke has become more popular than the Cardigan.  I've definitely seen more of the Pembroke breed so sounds true to me.  I was told the easy way to remember which is which is by the tail; the Pembroke "broke" it's tail off.  They do usually have docked tails, at least here in the U.S.

An interesting story I came across on Dogtime went as follows:

According to Welsh legend, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi sprang from the lairs of fairies and elves!

As the legend goes, one day two children were out in the fields tending to their family's cattle when they found a couple of puppies. The children thought they were foxes, but recognizing something different about them, bundled them up and took them home. Their parents immediately saw that the pups were not foxes, but dogs, and told their children that the pups were a gift from the fairies that lived in the fields. The fairies used them to pull their carriages and sometimes ride into battle.

As proof that Pembrokes were indeed the mounts of fairies, the parents pointed to the marks on their backs where the fairy saddle had been placed on their shoulders. The children were delighted and cherished their pups. As they grew, the dogs became treasured companions and learned to help the children take care of the family's cattle.

Interesting note; Queen Elizabeth has had corgis throughout her reign and the British royalty have kept them for the last 70 years.  

I've seen a surprising number of corgis at agility trials.  They are really active little guys and love to learn so agility works great for them.

They were bred to herd, with a low profile to help keep them out of kicking range. They use barking and nipping to push the herd more than physical position. 

They are also great watch dogs because they are vocal and alert.  They are a bit stubborn and need to be trained early to respect leadership.  A consistent calm hand and daily walks go a long ways toward keeping these guys happy.