There's a Cardigan and a Pembroke Welsh Corgi?!! What's the difference?
- BUDDY PETS COLLECTION
- Mar 15, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 20, 2020
By: Eloi McMars
Yes! There are 2 distinct breeds of these cute ball of energy. Here's what you need to know about the Corgi breed of your choice.
Welsh Corgis are among the sought after breed of choice in the recent years. I myself considered it to be my next dog and still trying to convince my wife to get these active cute furry little buddies.
With this said i researched more on Welsh Corgi's and these are the things i discovered.
These two breeds often Intermingled and inter bred, these two types of corgis were registered as one in 1925 that gave a lot of stress among breeders.
There are 2 distinct breeds of Welsh Corgis
Since the late 1800s, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and Pembroke Welsh Corgi is distinctly a different breed from each other. But of course they are considered cousins and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is the older one. These two breeds often Intermingled and inter bred that resulted to being registered as one breed in 1925. It gave a lot of stress among breeders due to some judges favors one breed over the other, which then lead to controversies at dog show events. In 1934 they were finally considered each a unique breed of its own in the United Kingdom.
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
It is the older breed of the 2 types of Welsh Corgi. The Cardigan Welsh Corgi comes from the same line of dogs the Teckel family which included the Dachshund. They are among the oldest of all British breeds. Celts brought ancient corgis from Central Europe to Wales to Cardiganshire 1200 BC during the mass migration to Britain. This means corgis have been in Wales for over 3000 years herding cattle.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Pembroke Welsh corgi dates back to the year 1107 when Flemish weavers relocated to Wales. The era’s best weavers were centered in Flanders, now northern Belgium. These craftsmen wanted to have the same process of producing their weave in Flanders when they moved to their new homes. This included the breed of dogs they had in herding their cattle and sheep. The Spitz-type dog they bred and the original Cardigan corgis produced the Pembroke Welsh corgis we love today.
Well, enough with the history i read and let's talk about what are the differences between these 2 breeds of Welsh Corgis when you spot one.
Height at Withers
Pembroke: 10-12 inches.
Cardigan: 10.5 – 12.5 inches.
Body Size
Pembroke: Pembroke is shorter
Cardigan: Cardigan Corgi is longer
Legs
Pembroke: Has straighter legs.
Cardigan: Has bowed legs due to chondrodystrophic conformation.
Ears
Pembroke: Has smaller and more pointed ears.
Cardigan: Has larger ears, which are not very pointed.
Calmness
Pembroke: Pembrokes are not as calm as Cardigan Corgis.
Cardigan: Cardigan Corgis are calmer than Pembrokes.
Coat Color
Pembroke: The coat may be present in black and tan, fawn, red, and sable with white markings on chest, leg, neck, and face.
Cardigan: The coat may exist in few colors including black, red, sable, and brindle with white areas on chest, legs, neck, face, and tail tip.
Coat Texture
Pembroke: The coat is short to medium in length, and composed of an undercoat and coarser outer coat.
Cardigan: This breed has a double coat with medium length.
Grooming
Pembroke: Routine grooming is necessary.
Cardigan: Low to moderate grooming is necessary.
This diagram above is the most detailed differentiation i saw based on my research.
Though i can't help but notice that the taillessness of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is downplayed... I do understand why.
When you look at corgi breeds, one of the key difference of the Pembroke Welsh Corgis with Cardigan Welsh Corgi is through their Tail. Pembroke Corgis are tailless while the Cardigan are not.
The reason is "breed standard", it is not because majority of Pembroke Welsh Corgis are born without tail rather most of them are docked (Cutoff) as a young puppy. But of course it does not mean that a Pembroke Welsh Corgi with undocked tail is not a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.. Of course it still is, and this is i think the intention of them not including in the list above.
A Pembroke Welsh Corgi that conforms to the breed standard will need to have a docked tail. In fact, it should be as short as possible without creating an “indentation.”
If the Pembroke Corgi were to have a natural bob, then a tail up to two inches in length is sufficiently short and acceptable for the breed standard. Following this will help raise the value of Pembroke Welsh Corgi breeders pups.
In conclusion, based on following the breed standards the easiest way to distinguish one from the other is through their hindquarters: Cardigans have tails; Pembrokes do not. I also learned that there are more colors that is unique for Cardigan Welsh Corgis such as brindle and marble colors, so this could be another recognizably quick way to identify them.
In the end any of the these 2 Welsh Corgi breeds is a great companion. You can choose by the looks or if you want to go deeper choose based on their personality that fits yours.
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References:
1. Bell, Jerold, et al. Veterinary medical guide to dog and cat breeds. CRC Press, 2012. 2. Palika, Liz. The Howell book of dogs: the definitive reference to 300 breeds and varieties. John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
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