The Cardigan Welsh Corgi, or Cardi, as folk like to call him, is the cousin to the more well-known Pembroke Welsh Corgi. They have a similar look and build; one distinctive feature is that the Cardigan Corgi has a tail while the Pembroke does not.

Cardigan Corgis are an affectionate, loyal, and popular dog worldwide and are number 68 0f 197 breeds on the AKC (American Kennel Club) charts. Because of their background as farm dogs, the AKC has put them in the herding group.

Cardigan Welsh Corgi History

The Cardigan Corgi is a descendant of the same family of dogs as the Dachshund and the Bassett. Migrating tribes of Celts brought the dog to Wales from central Europe over 3000 years ago.

As with any dog in this time, owners put them to work on farms. They would chase off any predators lurking around, looking for an opportunity to kill any cattle that strayed from the herd.

The Cardi would also have driven cattle to be sold at the market. Some of the local English sheepdogs could well have been crossed with the Corgi to improve their versatility.

Dogs weren't kept around for their companionship so much those days; they had to work for their keep. So a dog with more diversified talents would have been valuable.

It's not known for sure, but there is a belief that invading Vikings brought a Spitz-type dog with them and crossed those dogs with the original Corgi; the result was the Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

In the late 1800s, machines began doing much of the work dogs were bred for; thankfully, it also coincided with the early versions of dog shows. The dog shows helped to keep many dog breeds from going extinct.

By the 1920s, the term Corgi was regularly in use describing the dog, but not until 1925 was the Corgi shown under the Kennel Club of Great Britain. The mistake the Kennel Club made was registering the Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgi as one dog.

Breeders of both dogs treated this mistake with a lot of disdain and were not happy because it led to the two dogs being cross-bred. Finally, in 1934 the Kennel club rectified their mistake and separated the dogs into two distinct breeds.

In 1932 the first two Cardigan Welsh Corgis were taken to the United States, and in 1935 the Akc recognized the dogs as two separate breeds; 1935 saw the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America is founded.

Cardigan Welsh Corgi Temperament

If the Cardigan Welsh Corgi had long legs, he would be a large dog. The truth is no one has told the Cardigan Corgi he only has short legs, so he honestly believes he is a big dog.

In the dog's past, they were hard-working and tough herding dogs, so much of that personality still exists in the modern Cardigan Corgi.

Because of his history, the Cardi can be territorial with strange animals, dogs and cats; he will need watching with this; he can tend to try and drive them away.

But if he's grown up with them in the home, he's usually happy and friendly around them.

The Cardi is typically an easy-going dog and loves to be with his family, including the kids. He's generally okay with guests but can be on the reserved side until he meets them a few times.

The Cardi is an intelligent dog, so he learns quickly, but he's an independent thinker due to his background and likes to do things his way.

Owners must be confident and project it to the dog; it’s imperative that the Cardigan has the ground rules firmly and consistently applied at all times, or he will undoubtedly make up his own rules.

Cardigan Welsh Corgi Characteristics

Cardigans are undoubtedly longer in the body than they are tall; they grow up to twelve inches at the shoulder and weigh up to thirty-eight pounds. If you look at the Cardi from the front, their legs will appear slightly bowed.

At the start of the article, I mentioned the main distinctive difference between the two Corgis is the tail. The Cardigan has a thick and reasonably long tail, whereas the Pembroke doesn't have any tail.

Their coats are both double and short to medium length. Another fairly noticeable difference, although not as striking as the tail, is the ears.

Pembroke’s ears are triangular with a point at the top, while the Cardigans are rounded and slightly more prominent.

Final Thoughts

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is a happy and cheerful dog; he loves to play, especially with the family's children. He's also very intelligent with a mind of his own.

They are notorious barkers, and you will need to socialize early to try and curb this, or your neighbors might object. A Cardi is not difficult to train, providing you are patient, kind, and consistent.

You can read more about Cardigan Welsh Corgi here - [ Ссылка ]

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