This is one of the finest works published about the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and
is a MUST HAVE for serious breeders and exhibitors as well as being an important
educational tool for new Corgi owners.
***Official Standard for the Pembroke Welsh Corgi***
General Appearance-Low-set, strong, sturdily built and active,
giving an impression of substance and stamina in a small space. Should not be
so low and heavy-boned as to appear coarse or overdone, nor so light-boned as
to appear racy. Outlook bold, but kindly. Expression intelligent and interested.
Never shy nor vicious. Correct type, including general balance and outline, attractiveness
of headpiece, intelligent outlook and correct temperament is of primary importance.
Movement is especially important, particularly as viewed from the side. A dog
with smooth and free gait has to be reasonably sound and must be highly regarded.
A minor fault must never take precedence over the above desired qualities.
A dog must be very seriously penalized for the following faults, regardless of
whatever desirable qualities the dog may present: oversized or undersized; button,
rose or drop ears; overshot or undershot bite; fluffies, whitelies, mismarks or
bluies.
Size, Proportion, Substance-Height (from ground to highest point
on withers) should be 10 to 12 inches. Weight is in proportion to size,
not exceeding 30 pounds for dogs and 28 pounds for bitches. In show condition,
the preferred medium-sized dog of correct bone and substance will weigh approximately
27 pounds, with bitches approximately 25 pounds. Obvious oversized specimens and
diminutive toylike individuals must be very severely penalized. Proportions-Moderately long and low. The distance from the withers to
the base of the tail should be approximately 40 percent greater than the distance
from the withers to the ground. Substance-Should not be so low and heavy-boned as to appear coarse or
overdone, nor so lightboned as to appear racy.
Head-The head should be foxy in shape and appearance. Expression-Intelligent
and interested, but not sly. Skull-should be fairly wide and flat between
the ears. Moderate amount of stop. Very slight rounding of cheek, not filled in
below the eyes, as foreface should be nicely chiseled to give a somewhat tapered
muzzle. Distance from occiput to center of stop to be greater than the distance
from stop to nose tip, the proportion being five parts of total distance for the
skull and three parts for the foreface. Muzzle should be neither dish-faced nor
Roman-nosed. Eyes-Oval, medium in size, not round, nor protruding, nor
deepset and piglike. Set somewhat obliquely. Variations of brown in harmony with
coat color. Eye rims dark, preferably black. While dark eyes enhance the expression,
true black eyes are most undesirable, as are yellow or bluish eyes. Ears-Erect,
firm, and of medium size, tapering slightly to a rounded point. Ears are mobile,
and react sensitively to sounds. A line drawn from the nose tip through the eyes
to the ear tips, and across, should form an approximate equilateral triangle.
Bat ears, small catlike ears, overly large weak ears, hooded ears, ears carried
too high or too low, are undesirable. Button, rose or drop ears are very serious
faults. Nose-Black and fully pigmented. Mouth-Scissors bite,
the inner side of the upper incisors touching the outer side of the lower incisors.
Level bite is acceptable. Overshot or undershot bite is a very serious fault.
Lips-Black, tight, with little or no fullness.
Neck, Topline, Body-Neck-Fairly long. Of sufficient length to
provide over-all balance of the dog. Slightly arched, clean and blending well
into the shoulders. A very short neck giving a stuffy appearance and a long, thin
or ewe neck are faulty. Topline-Firm and level, neither riding up to
nor falling away at the croup. A slight depression behind the shoulders caused
by heavier neck coat meeting the shorter body coat is permissible. Body-Rib
cage should be well sprung, slightly eggshaped and moderately long. Deep chest,
well let down between the forelegs. Exaggerated lowness interferes with the desired
freedom of movement and should be penalized. Viewed from above, the body should
taper slightly to end of loin. Loin short. Round or flat rib cage, lack of brisket,
extreme length or cobbiness, are undesirable. Tail-Docked as short as
possible without being indented. Occasionally a puppy is born with a natural dock,
which if sufficiently short, is acceptable. A tail up to two inches in length
is allowed, but if carried high tends to spoil the contour of the topline.
Forequarters-Legs-Short, forearms turned slightly inward, with
the distance between wrists less than between the shoulder joints so that the
front does not appear absolutely straight. Ample bone carried right down into
the feet. Pasterns firm and nearly straight when viewed from the side. Weak pasterns
and knuckling over are serious faults. Shoulder blades long and well laid back
along the rib cage. Upper arms nearly equal in length to shoulder blades. Elbows
parallel to the body, not prominent, and well set back to allow a line perpendicular
to the ground to be drawn from tip of the shoulder blade through to elbow. Feet-Oval,
with the two center toes slightly in advance of the two outer ones. Turning neither
in nor out. Pads strong and feet arched. Nails short. Dewclaws on both forelegs
and hindlegs usually removed. Too round, long and narrow, or splayed feet are
faulty.
Hindquarters-Ample bone, strong and flexible, moderately angulated at
stifle and hock. Exaggerated angulation is as faulty as too little. Thighs should
be well muscled. Hocks short, parallel, and when viewed from the side are perpendicular
to the ground. Barrel hocks or cowhocks are most objectionable. Slipped or double-jointed
hocks are very faulty. Feet-as in front.
Coat-Medium length; short, thick, weather-resistant undercoat with a
coarser, longer outer coat. Over-all length varies, with slightly thicker and
longer ruff around the neck, chest and on the shoulders. The body coat lies flat.
Hair is slightly longer on back of forelegs and underparts and somewhat fuller
and longer on rear of hindquarters. The coat is preferably straight, but some
waviness is permitted. This breed has a shedding coat, and seasonal lack of undercoat
should not be too severely penalized, providing the hair is glossy, healthy and
well groomed. A wiry, tightly marcelled coat is very faulty, as is an overly short,
smooth and thin coat. Very Serious Fault-Fluffies-a coat of extreme length
with exaggerated feathering on ears, chest, legs and feet, underparts and hindquarters.
Trimming such a coat does not make it any more acceptable. The Corgi should be
shown in its natural condition, with no trimming permitted except to tidy the
feet, and, if desired, remove the whiskers.
Color-The outer coat is to be of self colors in red, sable, fawn, black
and tan with or without white markings. White is acceptable on legs, chest, neck
(either in part or as a collar). muzzle, underparts and as a narrow blaze on head.
Very Serious Faults: Whitelies-Body color white, with red or dark markings.
Bluies-Colored portions of the coat have a distinct bluish or smoky cast.
This coloring is associated with extremely light or blue eyes, liver or gray eye
rims, nose and lip pigment. Mismarks -Self colors with any area of white
on the back between withers and tail, on sides between elbows and back of hindquarters,
or on ears. Black with white markings and no tan present.
Gait-Free and smooth. Forelegs should reach well forward without too
much lift, in unison with the driving action of the hind legs. The correct shoulder
assembly and well-fitted elbows allow a long, free stride in front. Viewed from
the front, legs do not move in exact parallel planes, but incline slightly inward
to compensate for shortness of leg and width of chest. Hind legs should drive
well under the body and move on a line with the forelegs, with hocks turning neither
in nor out. Feet must travel parallel to the line of motion with no tendency to
swing out, cross over or interfere with each other. Short, choppy movement, rolling
or high-stepping gait, close or overly wide coming or going, are incorrect. This
is a herding dog, which must have the agility, freedom of movement, and endurance
to do the work for which he was developed.
Temperament-Outlook bold, but kindly. Never shy or vicious. The judge
shall dismiss from the ring any Pembroke Welsh Corgi that is excessively shy.
Approved June 13, 1972 Reformatted January 28, 1993
Copyright, 1993, The American Kennel Club, Inc.
