| Cardigan Welsh Corgis: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Cardigan Welsh Corgi personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, including these excerpts:
"Spirited and athletic, steady and dependable, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is a big dog on short legs.
Herding, obedience, agility, or chasing balls (with surprising speed) are enjoyable outlets (both physical and mental) for his enthusiasm and desire to work.
If his days include such moderate exercise, along with the companionship of his family, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is adaptable and easy to live with.
He is polite with guests, reserved with strangers, and makes a sensible watchdog.
Most are fine with other family pets, but territorial with strange dogs and cats -- one of his responsibilities was to chase strays away from his own farm. He is wonderful with livestock, including horses.
This attentive breed learns quickly and responds well to obedience training. Yet he has the independent judgment of a true herding breed, so you must have the confidence to establish and consistently enforce rules, or he may make up his own.
Cardigan Welsh Corgis prefer their flock (family members and other pets) to be gathered together and may try to accomplish this by circling and nipping. Barking can be a problem."
History
In Cardiganshire, Wales, he drove his master's cattle onto the common land to graze. He also drove off trespassing cattle and hunted vermin. He is related to the Dachshund, hence his low-slung build and slightly bowed front legs. In Welsh, cor means dwarf and gi means dog.
Size
11-13 inches and 25-40 lbs. Most folks who see a Cardigan up close are surprised by the heavy bone packed onto his short legs. From nose to tail tip, he is at least three feet long. |
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Cardigan Welsh Corgis
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- Is a "big dog" with short legs, i.e. built long and low to the ground, but with a robust body, heavy bone, and a working dog temperament
- Is spirited and athletic, but needs only moderate exercise to maintain his muscle tone
- Has a short easy-care coat in a variety of colors
- Is steady and dependable
- Is polite with guests and makes a sensible watchdog
- Is usually fine with other family pets, and especially good with livestock
A Cardigan Welsh Corgi may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- Providing lots of mental stimulation that fulfills his desire to work and gives him something productive to do
- Destructiveness when bored or left alone too much
- Territorial aggression toward dogs and cats he doesn't know
- Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take charge
- Chasing and nipping at things that move: children, joggers, other animals, bikes, cars
- Barking
- Heavy shedding
A Cardigan Welsh Corgi may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a Cardigan Welsh Corgi... |
My major concerns would be:
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. With their short legs and long body, Cardigan Welsh Corgis don't need or want miles of running exercise, but they MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and to use their busy minds to do interesting things. Otherwise they will become bored -- which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing.
| I strongly recommend that you get your Cardigan Welsh Corgi involved in obedience classes at the intermediate or advanced level, agility (an obstacle course for dogs), tracking, or herding. Corgis were never intended to be simply household pets. Their working behaviors (chasing, nipping, poking, barking) can be a nuisance in a normal household setting. Trying to suppress these "hardwired" behaviors, without providing alternate outlets for their energy, can be difficult. |
- Chasing other animals. One of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi's responsibilities was to drive away strange dogs from their owner's farm and flock. Many Cardigan Welsh Corgis are dominant or aggressive toward dogs and cats they don't know. Because they also hunted vermin, some have strong instincts to chase small fleeing creatures.
| If you have small children, I do not recommend Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppies. The temptation to grab or nip at moving people is simply too strong in many young Corgis. Small children may also lift and hold a Corgi puppy incorrectly, which can damage his long back. |
- Mind of their own. Cardigan Welsh Corgis are not Golden Retrievers. The best Cardies are versatile working dogs, capable of learning a great deal, but they have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. They can be manipulative or willful, and you must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
- Barking. Cardigan Welsh Corgis are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them. If you work all day and have close neighbors, Cardigan Welsh Corgis are not a good choice for you. For the same reason, Corgis should NEVER be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. To make matters worse, some Corgis have intense, high-pitched barks that can set your teeth on edge.
- Heavy shedding. Cardigan Welsh Corgis shed a lot. You'll find hair and fur deposited all over your clothing, upholstery, carpeting, under your furniture, on your countertops -- even in your food. Frequent vacuuming will become a way of life.
| Not all Cardigan Welsh Corgis are alike! |
- There are energetic Cardigans, and placid Cardigans.
- Hard-headed Cardigans, and sweet-natured Cardigans.
- Serious Cardigans, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Cardigans, and Cardigans who love everyone.
| If you acquire a Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
| If you're considering an adult Cardigan Welsh Corgi... |
There are plenty of adult Cardigan Welsh Corgis who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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