Corgi Characteristics

Corgi characteristics often include them being described as very intelligent dogs, able to take commands and always happy as well as ready to please their masters. They are loyal and loving dogs, which is also a distinct Corgi characteristic of their personality, and they are protective of their owners. They are able to interact well with kids provided there is supervision, and they may also exhibit aggressiveness towards other dogs and pets. In this article, you’ll learn more about Corgi characteristics and their history.

Due to their herding instinct, they tend to nip at the heels of people. However, his behavior could be discouraged while the Corgi is still a puppy. Some of them develop small dog syndrome which can be an issue to their owners because it usually doesn’t end well. Another Corgi characteristic, especially with Pembroke, is that they tend to be vocal and they bark a lot at almost anything and most often than not, for no reason. If they see even the slightest change to their environment, this will trigger them to bark and will only stop once you acknowledge the cause. This is also what makes them excellent watch dogs.

Corgi Characteristics: Weight

The average weight of Corgis is between 25 to 30 pounds for males and 11 to 14 pounds for females. The peril you need to look out for is that Corgis gain weight very easily which can lead to health issues later on. They are good feeders which is why you need that their food portions are checked strictly in order to avoid potential obesity problems as this could cause a myriad of other health problems for them in the long run. Another notable Corgi characteristic is that they have very high energy which is why they need to have an outlet through doing physically and mentally engaging activities. You should bear in mind that these dogs used to be herding dogs that spent the whole day out in the fields chasing after stray cattle; they are tough inside out.

Corgi Characteristics: Physical Attributes

Height

The height of an adult Corgi ranges between 10 and 13 inches both for males and females.

Appearance

This breed has a short to medium length coat that has a thick undercoat with a longer and fluffier outer coat. Their undercoat is also water resistant. The coat is longer in the shoulders, neck and chest area. There are four main coat colors in the Cardigan breed. Check it out below:

Sable

This is a unique Corgi characteristic coat of these dogs. The sable color comes with variations that range from light sable to dark sable. Corgis that have this coat color usually have a black cast in their tail head as well as their back part and withers. They also have a black shadow that arches from the top to the point of their eyes in between, this is commonly called the peak of a window.

Black Headed Tri

Corgis that sport a black headed tri coat is usually called BHT. They sport a black shadow on the top of their head, ears and also around their eyes. The undercoat, underbelly and face may be tan but the outer coat is black.

Red Headed Tri

The top of the head is predominantly red. Also parts of the body will be red as well.

Red and White

This is the last coat color and as the name suggests, this Corgi characteristic comes in different shades of these colors.

Some Corgis have longer coats than the others. These are known as the long-haired Corgis or the fluffy Corgis. The Pembroke Welsh Corgis are born with tails, though some are docked when the dogs are still young. However, others have short tails carried over their backs. The Cardigan Welsh Corgi has a long tail.

History

The Welsh Corgi, as the name suggests, originally came from central Europe by the Celtic tribes and was brought to Wales. In fact, the Welsh Corgi is one of the earliest breeds that came to England some 3000 years ago.

The Corgi breed came from the Basset Hound and the Dachshund breed. It was originally used as a herd dog by farmers who live in South Wales. 3000 years ago, the land in South Wales was undivided which is why cattle were all over the land. This was how the Corgi breed was needed to help herd and keep the cattle together. Fortunately, the Corgi’s characteristics were perfectly suited for this task.

The breed usually nipped at the heels of the cattle and sheep to drive them to the desired direction. Because of this nip, the cattle would try to throw kicks at the Corgi, this allowed them to develop their agility overtime to duck the kicks while driving the herd successfully, and this has been something that’s been passed on for generations.

Back in the day, people thought that the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi are one and the same, but as soon as the Corgis started participating in dog shows, the judges eventually decided that these were two distinct breeds due to their obvious Corgi characteristics. These differences were most probably due to the cross – breeding with other distinct breeds. It is thought that the Pembroke was cross bred with the Spitz – type dogs from the Vikings.

Eventually, the Corgis already had no business in herding cattle, and they soon found their way into people’s backyards and became more of a companion and guard dogs than herding dogs.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is the most popular breed between the two. This is partly because it was the favorite dog of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. The particular pet breed was not only popular in Great Britain but also in other parts of the world.

Corgi Characteristic: Exercise

Unfortunately, physical exercise will never enough to keep these dogs happy which is why you need to provide them with something that they can engage in mentally. You have to provide activities that will allow them to think. Puzzle toys are okay to take the edge off, but this will eventually get them bored. They want some sort of training going on in their lives, be it working on regular household obedience, or perhaps doing some frivolous tricks or preparing for a sport. It’s also advisable to get it a good training session at least once a week. We hope you learned a lot about the distinct Corgi characteristics.