Cardigans and Pembrokes:
Chess club vs. Cheerleaders
While these dogs are both Corgis, they’re completely separate breeds. “Corgi" simply translates to “dwarf dog” in Welsh. It’s a descriptor just like “hound” or “shepherd”.
Take a look at their distinct and shared histories, their personality traits, and their different physical characteristics.
Cardigan Welsh Corgis are the older of the two breeds. Though they likely originated elsewhere in Europe, it is believed that the Celts developed them from the Teckel family of dogs (the same line that has the Dachshund) and brought them to modern day Wales over 2000 years ago. Some infer that there may have also been Spitz-type dogs that contributed to the appearance of the original Cardigans as well. It is better known that the Vikings brought with them Spitz dogs when they invaded Britain hundreds of years later. These Spitz dogs interbred with Cardigans to produce what became the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. The names of the two dogs come from the regions in Wales where they originated
Corgis, regardless of breed, were only popular among farmers towards the end of the twentieth century, and they became less and less useful as technology advanced. Luckily, kennel clubs and dog history enthusiasts helped keep these breeds around. In the 1920s, the Kennel Club out of Great Britain officially recognized Corgis, but they were considered to be just one breed despite their numerous differences in origin, personality and physical traits. This didn’t sit well with Corgi lovers and caused serious issues with breeder and judge preferences. It wasn’t until nearly a decade later that the two were correctly distinguished as the separate breeds they were. Since then, both breeds have been reestablished to celebrate their history and differences.
History
Cardigan Welsh Corgi images from the CWCCA and AKC websites
Characteristics
It’s easy to see that the Corgis in these historic photos don’t look exactly like the Corgis we see today. Selective breeding took place before and after their merger by the Kennel Club to create more refined, attractive dogs who can still do the work they were intended for. Each breed has a written standard crafted by their parent clubs and followed by the main kennel club. For example, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America wrote their standards, and the American Kennel Club upholds them.
The most notable physical differences between the two Corgis in America is tail vs. no tail. Cardigans always have low, bushy, fox-like tail. Pembrokes can be born with tails or may have natural bob tails, but the tails are generally docked off completely a few days after they are born. Historic reasons for the docking are twofold. For one, Pembrokes tend to have a higher tail set which is more prone to injury when working cattle. The other reason was for taxation purposes. Some claim that farmers had to pay taxes on their animals based on number of tails. Docking helped them get around that. It should be noted that tail docking is illegal in many countries, so you may still see Pems with tails.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi images from the AKC and Spruce Pets websites
Other than tails, size and structure would be the next most obvious difference. Cardigans are larger and longer than Pembrokes. While both of these dwarf breeds have arms that curve in towards the middle along the breast bones, Pembrokes have straight fronts and Cardigans can be turned out slightly. The head of each dog is rather different. A Pembroke will be more fox-like in look with somewhat smaller ears whos tips should create an equilateral triangle when one draws imaginary lines from ear tip to tip and ear tip tips to the center of the nose. A Cardigan at an alert carries their longer ears a bit higher. Each dog has a double coat which sheds tremendously twice a year. Both breeds can come in red, sable, and tri-coloring with white markings, but the Cardigan, given their ancestry from the Treckel line of dogs, can also come in brindle, merle, and black with white markings.
Both breeds are low and long, making them agile enough to move swiftly to herd livestock. Their height allows them to avoid deadly blows to the head by cattle.
As for personality, both dogs are strong and brave with a desire to work and please. These are dogs that can get bored easily if they don’t have something to occupy their minds. This being said, the Pembroke tends to be a bit more temperamental while the Cardigan is more willing to do what is asked of them. It is said that Pems sometimes have a more terrier-like attitude compared to their more laid back Cardigan counterparts. Pembrokes tend to act first think second, while Cardigans are far more calculating.
We highly encourage you to check out the AKC breed standards to see what we breed for and to describe them physically in more detail.
There are no such breeds as “Cowboy Corgis” or “American Corgis”
If you see this as an advertisement from a breeder, run away! These are Corgi mixes, generally either a merle Cardigan bred to a Pembroke or a merle Mini American/Australian Shepherd bred to a Pembroke to try to create something that looks more like a Pem, but has the merle color pattern. This is a completely unethical practice to try to create something “new” or “cool” as merle is very popular right now. This is taking dogs with completely different structure with no regards to their standards to make a profit. Mixed breed dogs are amazing, but no dog should be bred mixed on purpose for the sake of looks, especially when you’re taking high energy, intense breed whose puppies will be unpredictable. If you want a merle mix, go to a shelter!