Breeds 101: The Cardigan Welsh Corgi
The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is often overlooked due to its more popular cousin, but they’re still pretty darn cute.
The Cardigan Welsh Corgi could sympathize with Kara Danvers of Supergirl. It’s not easy having a much more famous cousin that everyone loves and can’t stop talking about.
That’s why at Dog O’Day we’re running the “Breeds 101” introduction for the Cardigan Corgi first and coming back to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi later.
They were the 69th most popular breed in 2017, the most recent year that statistics are available.
Logically enough, Cardigan Welsh Corgis come from an area in the western part of Wales in the United Kingdom called Cardigan. (A Lord Cardigan was responsible for The Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War, and was responsible for popularizing the sweater bearing his name.)
Corgi is Welsh for “dwarf dog,” because they’re pretty small and funny-looking – 10.5 to 12.5 inches at the withers (shoulders), and extremely long-bodied. Females weigh around 25 to 34 pounds, while males weigh around 30-38 pounds each.
They were and are still used as herding dogs to tend sheep, which means they’re part of the Herding Group in AKC dog shows.
As a smaller dog, they have a fairly long life expectancy of 12 to 15 years.
The Kennel Club of England recognized the Cardigan and the Pembroke Corgis are the same breed in the mid=1920s, but by 1934-35 had separated them as distinct breeds.
The AKC Breed Standard states that the ideal Cardigan Corgi is a “handsome, powerful, small dog, capable of both speed and endurance, intelligent, sturdily built but not coarse.” A previous description of the breed called them, essentially, a miniature Alsatian.
Cardigans’ tails are usually carried fairly low, and when they’re running they fly out parallel to the ground. In appearance the tails are ropy.
The coat is dense but fairly smooth, and can come in a variety of colors.
According to the AKC, “Well-socialized Cardigans are especially fond of kids and agreeable with other pets. These athletic, rugged herders have a love for the outdoors, and they thrive on mental stimulation and physical activity.”
They make great watchdogs, barking a very loud “big dog” bark to ward off intruders.
Cardigans do well when competing in high-energy sports like agility or flyball.
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