by Stephanie S. Hedgepath
Copyright, 1993, All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be republished or used on another website without the express written permission of the author.
Breed type consists of those characteristics
which set your breed apart from all other breeds. Many years ago, Richard Beauchamp,
Editor of the Kennel Review, challenged readers to describe their breed in 5 sentences
or less. Can you do this for the Pembroke Welsh Corgi? This challenge really intrigued
me, and I worked for weeks trying to define the German Shepherd Dog in only five
sentences. It is not an easy task, but it taught me how to recognize those things
that are essential to a breed. First, you must understand what the primary purpose
for which your breed was developed. For most breeds, this is no longer the reason
for breeding, but it most certainly defines why a dog would have certain characteristics
not found in others. Let's see what we can come up with on the Pembroke Welsh
Corgi.
Probably the most important characteristic of the Corgi is his outline,
most specifically, the proportion of height to body length. There are few other
breeds that are moderately long and low like ours, mainly Cardigans, Dachshunds
and Dandie Dinmonts and Skye Terriers. This overall outline combined with his
lack of a tail distinguishes them from it's nearest relative, the Cardigan,
whose standard calls for an even longer dog with a bushy tail. When you realize
that a Pembroke should be 40% longer than high from the withers to the base
of the tail, you quickly realize that from the chest to the end of the bushy
"pants" behind, you have a dog that is roughly twice as long as he is tall.
Several breed characteristics can be seen through the very easily visualized
equilateral triangle described for the head. This gives eye and ear placement
and neatly encompasses the proportionate length of muzzle to skull. If the sides
of the triangle are longer than the top of the triangle, you have a muzzle that
is too long. If the top of the triangle is longer than the sides, then the ears
are set on too low or may be too short in length. Top of triangle too short?
A reason could be ears set on too high. Another triangle is visible when you
view the Corgi head from above.
Another clue is the fact that a Pembroke’s body is "egg shaped". When
viewed from above, the chest area of the body is larger than the hind end which
forms the smaller part of the oval egg shape.
Next, we must remember that this sturdy little dog was used as a drover and
an all purpose farm dog in the rugged land of the Welsh countryside. His structure
must be so balanced that he could work all day at any task his master set before
him. He must be agile enough to be able to move quickly and easily yet still
be able to maintain a comfortable trotting gait all day. Therefore, gait
which encompasses structure and soundness becomes a very important part of breed
type. Combine this ease of motion with a double coat that could withstand
all types of weather, and you begin to get a picture of what our beloved little
dog should be.
A Corgi must have enough substance to enable it to challenge an animal
much larger in size, and yet still be able to control that animal. But because
of it's lowness to the ground, the Corgi could be at a great disadvantage if
it should get too heavily boned or too large - a clumsy dog cannot get out of
the way when a cow kicks!
A Corgi must also have a fearless temperament, because, again, it usually
deals with a much larger animal. We all know that one of the things we love
about our breed is its willingness to take on anything or anyone which challenges
our safety or that of our home. Yet, the Corgi has an amazing capability to
adapt to any situation. They get along well with other species, whether they
be human children or adults, cats, goats, chickens and with other dogs. It is
truly a thinking breed!
I have just scratched the surface on our amazing little-big dogs. I hope that
I have stimulated you to put on your thinking caps. I won't give you my 5 sentence
description, but I have given you some hints on where to start. I challenge
each of you to try to describe the Pembroke in 5 sentences or less!