Introduction
It's important to gather as much information as possible before you take the plunge to share your home with a furry friend.
The Ultimate Corgi Dog Manual will answer the questions you may have when researching this purebred herding canine. If you are considering sharing your home with the active and friendly Corgi, this Manual is for you.
Learn all about this low riding canine with the large, erect ears, including facts and secrets, and how to care for every stage of the Corgi's life.
This articles contains all the information you need, from choosing a breeder and finding the perfect puppy to how to care for an aging dog.
As well, you will learn about transitioning through house breaking, adolescence, daily care, health problem inherent in the breed, feeding, grooming, training, first commands and beginner hand signals as well as end of life, so that you can make an educated decision when deciding whether or not the happy and energetic Corgi is the breed for you and your family.
As well, this manual contains valuable information, tips and tricks that can easily be applied to any breed of canine.
The Corgi
The "Corgi" is a small sized purebred canine that is both an all-purpose farm dog and the smallest member of the herding dog category.
There are two separate breeds of Corgi, each named after the county in Wales where they first originated, and although both are very similar, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is named after the county of Pembrokeshire and has no visible tail, whereas the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is named after the country of Cardiganshire and has a long. Huffy tail.
Although both the Cardigan and the Corgi breeds are very similar in size and shape, with their large erect ears and narrow, fox shaped heads, the more commonly recognized Corgi is the Pembroke.
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi
The Cardigan Welsh Corgi
The Corgi loves children although they may try to herd them by nipping at their heels.
This low riding small dog with the large ears can be a good apartment sized dog, so long as their guardian is careful to curb their barking tendencies and is able to exercise them several times a day outside of the home.
It is important to keep in mind that the Corgi was trained to-herd various animals as well as geese by nipping at their legs and barking, so the barking tendency comes very naturally to them.
This is also a dog that will bark when playing and whenever they hear or see anything that they consider to be out of place or different. This could be something as simple as the neighbor arriving home, or you forgetting to close the garden gate.
Corgis also tend to be motion-activated barkers, which means that they will bark when playing or chasing a ball or Frisbee or when another dog runs past, or to encourage another dog or person to move or play.The appearance and size of the Corgi will largely depend upon the appearance and size of both parents.
When measured at the shoulder, the Corgi will usually stand between 10 and 12/4 inches (25.5 and 30.5 centimeters) and weigh between 25 and 27 pounds (11 and 12 kilograms) or more, depending on the size of both parents.
The Corgi will usually be a friendly high-energy dog with great stamina that will love to run and play and will excel at whatever activity their guardian has the time to teach.
The intelligent and often vocal Corgi can also be stubborn and need a strong, consistent hand during training.
This small dog has a very strong herding instinct, which means that they may try to herd other animals and children during play by nipping at their heels, even when they are young puppies.
Perhaps the most endearing features of the Corgi are their short legs, sturdy body and very large, upright ears.
While the most recognized coat coloring is fawn with a white blaze running through the center of the dog's head, coat colors can also include red, sable or tri-colored (black, tan and red) with white markings.
This athletic, surprisingly speedy, amiable and happy canine will be a good watchdog that will bark if they hear an unfamiliar sound, and with those extra large ears, they will hear every little noise.
One of the reasons the Corgis is amongst the top 10 most popular family dogs is because they are gentle with children, people oriented dogs that love to be part of the family at all times.
Corgis generally get along easily with other pets and dogs, so long as they are properly socialized throughout their life.This is a loyal, thinking dog that may have a nose for mischief, especially if food is anywhere near and guardians will need to make sure that human foods harmful to canines are kept well out of reach.
The Corgi is a loyal, social and enthusiastic dog with great stamina that enjoys lots of exercise, and in fact, if this food motivated canine does not receive plenty of exercise, they will easily become overweight.
History/Origin of the Corgi
The friendly, intelligent and active Corgi is originally a versatile working dog specializing in herding cattle, that is also used to herd sheep and Welsh ponies as well as geese.
This small herding dog, although more often a companion, is still currently used for herding purposes.
It is usually challenging to know for certain what the true history of a particular breed may be, especially when records were rarely kept for working breed dogs because their owners were understandably more interested in breeding the dogs to do the job they needed them to do, rather than worrying about keeping accurate breeding records.
In any event, some historians believe that the Corgi is originally descended from Swedish cattle dogs (“Vallhunds”), which were a type of Spitz dog that closely resembled the Corgi, and were brought to Wales by Viking invaders as long ago as the 9th and 10th centuries. Still other historians believe that this herding dog might have their origins with dogs that were brought to Wales during the 12lh century by Flemish weavers.
The Corgi is considered to be one of the oldest breeds of dogs in the United Kingdom, having been a prized and versatile working member of the family, valued for guarding children, hunting game, ratting, herding cattle, and other livestock, including flocks of geese and ducks, and keeping interlopers away from gardens for over 3,000 years.
The Corgi was very talented at gathering ducks and geese that were wandering freely about the farmyard, so they could be safe from predators and housed for the night. T his dog was especially proficient at “marketing", which involved driving a large flock of quarrelsome geese along a road to the local town market.Working islander families in Wales kept large flocks of geese and ducks in order to supply the heavy demand for fine feathers and pate throughout Britain’s more affluent population. Historians have also noted that the Spitz type dogs, like the Corgi, were utilized along the Welsh coastline, in caves and cliffs to hunt out live birds and to supply the trade with seabird eggs and feathers.
The Corgi was officially recognized by the UK Kennel Club during the 1920’s, at which time both types of Corgi were known as the Welsh Corgi. During this same time both the Pembroke and Cardigan Corgi were considered the same breed and as such were shown in the same class.
Mrs. Lewis Roesler (an American breeder in Massachusetts) brought the first Corgis to the United State in 1933. Mrs. Roesler purchased a female Corgi for the price of twelve pounds ($19) and then a mate, which formed the basis of her breeding program.
It was not until 1934 that the UK Kennel Club officially recognized the Pembroke Corgi and the Cardigan Corgi as two separate purebred canines.
Black Sea Imperial Kennel