By Heidi Clayton
One of my favorite dogs to work with and quite frankly to watch walk from behind (Corgi people will understand that!) is the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. While Queen Elizabeth is the most famous of all Pembroke breeders and owners, these little dogs have been around and popular since about 1100 A.D. If you are looking for a fun little dog to bring into the family that is down with just about anything, the Pembroke is your dog.
There are two very distinct breeds of Corgis, the Pembroke and the Cardigan. What distinguishes the two apart is the tail. Pembrokes are born with what appears to be a docked short tail, while the Cardigan has a much longer tail.
The Pembroke can be traced back to the year 1107 A.D. when England’s Henry the First brought a group of weavers to the Pembrokeshire area of Wales from Belgium. These weavers brought their short-legged little farm dogs with them that were used to herd the cows into the barn for milking and to kill vermin. They also made excellent little guard dogs. The all-around farm dog quickly became popular among the British.
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi became an officially recognized breed in England in roughly the 1800s. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America was formed and recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936.
Queen Elizabeth’s lifelong love affair with the Pembroke began in 1933 when Thelma Gray of the famed Rozavel Kennels gave the then Duke of York and his family a male Pembroke named Dookie. In 1944, the then Duke of York gifted Princess Elizabeth her very own Pembroke whose registered name was Hickathrift Pippa, who became known as Susan. Queen Elizabeth ran a secretive but successful breeding program of Corgis where those involved in providing the studs would not betray the Queen’s confidence and disclose their involvement. The Queen had 14 generations of Pembrokes down from Susan. The last one, Willow, who died in 2018 was said to be particularly sad for the Queen who decided she did not want young dogs in her aging years to leave behind and ended her breeding program.
The Pembroke is a long, low, boxy-looking dog that stands between 10 to 12 inches and weighs about 25-27 pounds. They have a double coat that is weather-resistant. The undercoat is shorter than the outer. The only acceptable colors that occur in the Pembroke Welsh Corgi are red, fawn, sable, or black and tan with or without white markings. Pembrokes are also known for their adorable butts. Google Corgi butts, and you will see some of the cutest dog butts known to man.
Lately, there are those that are looking to capitalize from this and are breeding “rare” Corgis that come in such fad colors of blue merle or brindle. These dogs are marketed as the Queen’s Corgis or for their cute butts. The Pembroke club has released a statement based on science that the colors blue merle and brindle do not occur genetically in the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. So if you come upon one of these dogs, it is not a purebred Pembroke. The AKC does not accept registration of such colors.
Because they were bred to herd farm animals, the Pembroke will need some training. A good Pembroke will have a bold but rather kind temperament. Normally, they train easily. They are known for excelling at agility and obedience. Overall, they are just great dogs with darn cute little butts!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
