Welsh Corgi Pembroke

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a cheerful herding dog of English origin. It’s daring but good-natured and friendly with children and other pets. Nowadays it’s predominantly kept as a companion animal although herding instincts are still strong in this breed.

The Pembroke is more agile, excitable, sensitive, and also more popular than it’s “brother” – Cardigan.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi has a long and eventful history. Most experts are agreed that its forefathers arrived to England from the continent with Flemish weavers in the XII century. Eventually these foreign dogs were interbred with local canine population and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi was born. Other theory assumes the breed traces its pedigree to the Vallhund, Swedish cattle dog, which was imported to Wales by Vikings in the IX and X centuries. Unfortunately the full truth of its origin can be hardly discovered as the first breeders were much more preoccupied by working prowess of their dogs than by their genealogies or conformation.

The major assignment of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi was herding and guarding cattle, sheep and horses. Thanks to its quick reflexes and low-slung statue this dog was treasured for its capability to nip at the heels of domestic animals and still evade being kicked. It was also utilised to drive sizeable flocks of geese to market. Little by little its sweet disposition, extreme loyalty and unpretentiousness in care made this breed a widespread household companion in its homeland.

The striking likeness of the Pembroke and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi has actual historical reasons. The two canine varieties were interbred in the XIX century, when farmers from Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire brought Cardigan’s puppies. Such outcrossing was practised well into the XX century but presently breeders strive to preserve the distinct differences between the Cardigan and the Pembroke.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi was formally recognised as a separate breed in the 1934 by both the UK Kennel Club (KC) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). Queen Elizabeth II is reckoned among its most passionate fans and always keeps a few of these dogs at her home at Buckingham Palace. When she was presented with her first specimen of the Pembroke, Rozavel Golden Eagle or «Dookie», in 1933, the breed experienced a huge boost in popularity and currently greatly outnumbers its Cardigan siblings. Today the Pembroke can be frequently seen in various canine competitions and conformation shows although today its most common role is one of a highly tender and nice family dog.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a mischievous, vivacious and clever little dog which loves being in the centre of your attention. It seeks to become a full-fledged family member and can’t stand being alone for any considerable length of time. Being a typical extrovert it tends to demonstrate its affection towards its favourite people in a rather undisguised manner. This dog is very reliable with children although it doesn’t have enough patience to put up with their overly harsh games. Make sure to teach your kid to treat the breed member with the respect it definitely deserves.

The specimen of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi will always provides a cordial welcome to all guests in your house. It’s usually quick to feel confidence for unfamiliar people and loves making new friends. However it can be trusted with the work of a watcher as it always stays vigilant and reacts to every suspicious sound or object with a resounding barking. It’s rather unwise to charge this dog with guarding duties because of its kind and people-oriented nature.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a companionable dog, which gets on perfectly well with other canines. It can co-exist especially successfully with the dogs with similar temperament and size. The herding instincts are firmly ingrained in the nature of the Pembroke so it can be frequently observed as this dog tries to herd group of kids or non-canine pets. Since such an activity involves nipping them by the heels it must be weaned from this tendency as early as possible. Other than that the Pembroke is great with non-canine pets in the house provided it has had an opportunity to interact with them since its puppyhood.

The most common problems for the breed include:

· eye problems;

· degenerative myelopathy;

· Ehler-Danlos syndrome (curtaneous asthenia);

· canine hip dysplasia;

· intervertebral disk disease;

· hypochondroplasia;

· ectopic ureters;

· von Willebrand’s disease.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is an easy-to-groom breed. The master should brush its medium-length coat only weekly in order to minimize the amount of loose hair accumulating in the house. In spring and fall the dog sheds much more heavily and will need some additional brushing during these periods.

Bathe your pet only when it’s really necessary since water can destroy the layer of natural protective oils, which cover its skin. The rest is routine care, which consists of regular nail trimming and weekly teeth brushing.

The training of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a fairly arduous task because of its somewhat stubborn and independent character. It’s usually glad to please its master but don’t expect your pet to be docile. This dog will never look up to a weak or indecisive person and therefore will completely ignore his/her commands.

Food incentive is the best motivator for its specimen although its amount should be kept under control (this breed is predisposed to obesity). Be mindful that negative reinforcement will only aggravate the problem with its obstinacy and finally make this dog totally unmanageable.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a moderately energetic dog, which will be quite satisfied with a long daily walk. With its small size and rather calm disposition it adjusts well to any living condition and can be equally successfully kept both in a spacious mansion and small city apartment. Nonetheless this dog was developed for working purposes so it requires a great deal of mental exercise.

Take your pet through some advanced training course in order to keep it fully content with its life. Such behavioural deviations as excessive barking, unmotivated aggressiveness and hyperactivity are commonly observed in those dogs, which are not provided with sufficient amount of mental and physical stimulation.