The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a royal personage, a four-legged favorite of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, a “shepherd dog in a case” and the most faithful four-legged friend of the family.
The Pembroke is a small, robust dog with a zorrune face. Its medium-sized smooth coat is waterproof and can be red, sand, cinnamon, black and brown, with or without white spots.
Although his adorable appearance, with his elongated body and short legs, can make us believe that this is an easy-to-train dog and ideal for all types of people, the truth is that the Pembroke Welsh Corgi has a special temperament that requires professional training to avoid becoming aggressive over time.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi photos
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Physical characteristics
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a stocky, compact and strong dog. The length of the body (from the withers to the base of the tail) is about 40% greater than the height from the withers to the ground (25-30 cm).
The weight of the animal is proportional to its size and can go up to 12.7 kg for females and no more than 13.6 kg for males.
Show representatives of the breed should have less weight – about 11.4 kg and 12.4 kg, respectively.
Distinctive features
- Head: The skull is rather broad, flat, moderately pronounced stop, black nose, narrow muzzle. The length of the muzzle should be 3/5 of the length of the skull.
- Jaws: The upper incisors are in contact with the external face of the lower ones, forming scissors, uniformly located in the jaw.
- Ears: Medium size, erect, slightly rounded.
- Eyes: Round, medium large, brown, the color of the coat.
- Torso: Medium length, horizontal topline. The chest is wide
- deep, well let down between the limbs. The ribs are curved. The tail is docked, in some individuals it is short from birth.
- Legs: Oval-shaped, with strong, well-arched toes. The middle toes are slightly larger than the side toes. The pads are strong, the nails should be short.
- Coat: Of medium length, dense, rather harsh in texture, with a dense undercoat. the color is allowed in red, fawn, black and tan tones. Possible white spots on the limbs, chest, neck.
Character and behavior
The temperament of this dog is similar to that of the Welsh Corgi Cardigan. This dog is active, intelligent and good protector.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi is generally friendly and very loyal to his family, but he is not one of the most sociable dog breeds.
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi tends to be booked with strangers and aggressive with unknown dogs. Therefore, it is very important to socialize this dog at an early age to avoid problems of aggression and shyness in adulthood.
In addition to good socialization, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi must undergo dog training. It’s not something optional with these dogs because they require a lot of mental stimulation. To provide them with such stimulation, while educating them properly, it is best to use positive training methods, such as clicker training.
Health
Among the diseases of dogs frequent in this breed are intervertebral disk disease and hip dysplasia. Less frequently, the Welsh Corgi is also predisposed to presenting the following pathologies:
- Epilepsy
- Von Willebrand disease
- Progressive retinal atrophy
- Dislocation of intraocular lenses
- Urolithiasis
To prevent the occurrence of these conditions or to detect them in time, it is advisable to follow the veterinarian’s instructions for periodic examinations, as well as to update the schedule of vaccines and deworming.
Care
The coat of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi should be brushed once or twice a week, and that is enough. Always keep your dog’s ears clean, as their size tends to collect a lot of dust, especially when walking. But this must be done with care, as their ears are a very sensitive part of the body.
Eyes should be cleaned daily. The claws are cut three times a month, the dog is bathed at least once a month.
Exercise
It may have very short legs, but the Pembroke Welsh Corgi was raised to guide the cattle. This corgi therefore needs a lot of exercise and companionship.
Logically, being small dogs, they do not require as much exercise as a German Shepherd or a Belgian Shepherd, but they require two moderate walks and a few hours of recreation every day.Fun facts
- The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is considered one of the most ancient dogs.
- Despite their small stature, these dogs do an excellent job with various active tasks.
- Corgi lends itself well to training, provided that it is started from an early age.
- For dogs of this breed, an early socialization process is required.
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi will be able to live in any house, regardless of size.
- Taking care of a pet of this breed is very simple.
- It is better not to buy Corgis for families with many children.
History of the breed
The origin of this breed originates in Wales, which explains its name – “Welsh”. But the meaning of the word “corgi” is only overgrown with conjectures. It is believed that the name comes from the Welsh “cor” – “to collect”, “gi” – “dog”, which is inherent in his shepherd’s instinct. According to another version – from the word “cor”, which means “dwarf”, which also fits the description of this short-legged dog.
There are opinions that the emergence of the breed falls on 500 BC. e. Archaeologists have unearthed a corgi-like skeleton dating from the 8th-9th centuries AD during excavations in South Wales.
There is a version that in the 9th century corgi were brought to England by the Vikings.
For the first time, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi breed is mentioned in the laws of the kingdom dating back to the X century. According to the law, the owner of a corgi grazing cattle had the right to demand a whole bull if the dog suddenly dies not by its own death. No other dog breed has had the same value. Even if it belonged to the king, no one was worth more than one ram. This was due to the fact that corgis were able to graze livestock themselves, without a human being. They bravely defended the herds from wolves, returned the stray cattle without loss, working as a well-coordinated team with their brothers.
These dogs looked after not only sheep, but also herds of ponies and poultry such as wayward ducks and geese. Corgis fully performed the function of a shepherd, so they were worth their weight in gold.
Corgis were first shown in England in 1924. Then Pembrokes and Cardigans were considered one breed, but with all the similarities and differences, it was very difficult to evaluate them at exhibitions. These dogs, different in size and body structure, were clearly not competitors to each other. Therefore, a year later, it was decided to formally separate the two breeds and breed them in isolation from each other in two different counties in Wales. Two neighboring counties, separated by a mountain range – Pembrokeshire and Cardinganshire – eventually became the birthplace of two different dogs: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi.
Their popularity overtook them after appearing at Buckingham Palace. In 1932, the Duke of York presented a Pembroke Corgi puppy to his daughter, Elizabeth II. To this day, representatives of this breed do not leave the palace, actively participate in official receptions and are rightfully called royal dogs. And Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is not for nothing that she is the world’s most famous connoisseur and connoisseur of corgi.