Meet the Breeds: Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Meet the Breeds: Pembroke Welsh Corgi

[Music] the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a social media star in the USA and a beloved member of the royal family in the United Kingdom this short sturdy dog with a big personality has a documented history going back a thousand years and a prominent place in the myths and legends of its native country Wales but in spite of all that the breed was only recognized by the American Kennel Club and the Kennel Club UK less than a century ago in 1934 they didn’t come into even being registered until Queen Elizabeth decided that as a princess that she would own them they became registered for the first time of their centuries of being in existence because they couldn’t quite have you know set orally have an unregistered dog [Music] one of the oldest herding dog breeds corgis have been herding sheep geese ducks horses and cattle since as far back as the 10th century some of their ancestors came to Wales along with Viking invaders and others arrived with Flemish Weaver’s and farmers who move to Wales from the European mainland in the 1100s they just used them as general farm dogs Hitler otters they drove some cattle they drove the geese to market the name Corgi comes from Welsh meaning dwarf dog or cur ancient wealth law imposed severe penalties on anyone caught stealing these highly valued farm dogs today the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is the smallest member of the a Kasey’s herding dog group they’re herding breed they do that very well for generations and centuries they gather up livestock and they bring them together they’re short Swift legs enable them to duck and dodge kicks from cattle that might knock a taller dog down they’re remarkably tough and surprisingly agile they’re also virtually rain proof thanks to their double layered coat the short thick undercoat is covered by a longer more coarse outer coat like its bigger cousin the Siberian Husky the Pembroke is descended from northern Spitz dogs its nearest relatives are the Schipperke the Swedish Val hunt and of course the cardigan Welsh Corgi Pembroke’s and cardigans were originally classified as one breed under the single heading of Welsh Corgi before their differences were officially recognised the cardigans are bigger bigger boned they do have bigger ears and the cardigans are more rounded the pin Brooks a little more pointed on the tips and lengths the cardigans slightly longer the modern-day evolution of the breed really started less than 100 years ago which is amazing for how long they actually existed according to AKC breed standards the Pembroke is low set sturdily built and active males stand about 10 to 12 inches from the ground to the top of their withers and weigh between 26 and 30 pounds their fox-like head has erect firm ears the taper to a rounded point the face has an intelligent attentive look with a distinctive smile unlike the cardigan which has a wider range of color true Pembroke’s come in four colors only red sable fawn or black and tan any other color is not purebred everyone you speak to they’ll tell you that it’s a big dog in a little package but they’re unbelievably fast people don’t realize how incredibly athletic they really are the Pembroke would actually be considered a mid-sized dog except for one thing well for things their short legs are not a disability people think because they have short legs that they’re placid and laid-back but they’ll go out with any big breed and run all day they’re not a breed for just laying on the couch all day according to well myth corgis were bred in the woods by fairies who rode them into battle in fact that patch of white around the corgis collar they call it a fair heat saddle legend says that to Welsh children playing in the forest came across the funeral of a fairy warrior the fairy mourners gave the children a pair of Cordys that had belonged to the fallen hero and ever since corgis have lived with humans helping them farm now the corgis taken in by the farmer prospered in the care of his children but the fairy spirit was in the dogs should you doubt this ancient story look and see the saddle markings where the fairy warriors rode them when it comes to notable breeders of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi we’ve already mentioned one whom you probably know about when queen elizabeth ii was a seven year old princess her parents acquired a red-coated Pembroke named Roosevelt golden eagle Elizabeth preferred to call him Dukey for her 18th birthday she got her own named Susan and when Susan had puppies the Royal Corgi line began over the years the Queen bred fourteen generations of Pembroke’s all tracing the lineage back to Susan her corgis co-starred with her and Daniel Craig for about a billion viewers during the opening of the London Olympics and on the crown coin that was minted for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee a Corgi was at her side if Prince Philip was jealous he kept it to himself Pembroke Welsh Corgis had virtually no presence in the US until the Queen made them famous American children’s book author Tasha Tudor also bred corgis and helped popularize the breed in the US with her korg evil book series today some Pembroke Welsh Corgis still work with herds on fawns and some are competitive champions in conformation tracking and agility in fact the first dog ever to take the agility triple crown taking three different national championships all in the same year was a Pembroke named Becky in 1997 trained by Ken Boyd but most PEM’s are pets loyal and affectionate to their families and always ready to play indoors or out it’s an incredibly healthy breed I think because it was such a poor man’s dog they ended up just being incredibly healthy because you know the survival of the fittest they are incredibly good family dogs with children and everything however if you’re allergic to dog hair you might want to consider a different breed edible in the last decade these small dogs have made an unexpectedly big splash here in America Pembroke’s are incredibly popular on social media they’re everywhere through hundreds of Instagram and Facebook accounts with millions of followers viewers the world over are falling in love with these intelligent active energetic big little dogs they’re popular among people who are active and athletic but have to live in the city and live small areas corgis and their owners don’t only gather online they love to get together in real life as well Corgi beach day held three times a year in Huntington Beach California is the biggest of the many Corgi Kong’s that have sprung up across the u.s. their beach days to draw huge crowds it’s amazing and it’s a two-day event and they have events there and they have just lots of fun stuff that goes on just to celebrate the breed the first beach day event in 2012 through 15 dogs but the latest meetup had over 1100 corgis in attendance from all over the US and as far away as Japan and if your Corgi is looking for some competition that’s fun silly and not exactly a KC sanctioned you might want to head for your local racetrack here we go folks the first of the Corgi races the stakes aren’t exactly big but neither are the runners so what is it exactly that makes the Pembroke Welsh Corgi one of today’s most popular breeds perhaps it’s their affectionate nature they love to follow their owners wherever they go or maybe it’s their gentle sweet way with families and young children or it could be their surprising athleticism or their brains they’re highly ranked among the most intelligent dog breeds or it might just be their herding and guarding skills bred into them over a thousand years they may be small but they’ve got all the fame glamor attitude and heart they’ll ever need [Music] [Music] [Music]