Corgi: description, character, types and colors, content

Every year, short-legged corgi are becoming more and more popular. In Russia, this breed of dogs became popular not so long ago, but immediately gained popularity. The number of people wishing to become masters of corgi is growing every year. However, before you have this dog, It is important to get acquainted with the detailed information about its content and proper care for it.

A characteristic spot on the back of the corgi was the reason for a mystical explanation of the appearance of these dogs. According to legend, these animals were used as riders in the world of elves, supposedly from here on their backs and formed areas in the form of a saddle.. In fact, the ancestors of the dogs of this breed were first brought by the Celts to Wales, which has since been considered the birthplace of corgi.

The breed was officially recognized only in 1892. And recently, in an archaeological expedition, researchers found remains of dogs, resembling corgi, dated 500 BC. e.

According to the standard, a purebred dog of the breed should have the following external characteristics:

• the head has a wide skull, the muzzle looks like a fox;
• nose black;
• lips thick, black color;
• scissor bite;
• the eyes are oval, brown in color, the edges of the eyelids are dark;
• ears average, standing shape;
• the neck is long, gently flowing into withers;
• the body is strong, the rib cage is round, the loin is short;
• the tail may be short;
• forelegs strong, short, elbows pointing back, forearms bend inward;
• hind limbs strong, elastic, have moderate angles;
• the coat is dense, of medium length, with a short undercoat, slight waviness is possible;
• height - 26-31 cm at the withers;
• Weight: dogs - 13.5 kg (for the exhibition - 12.2 kg), females - 12.6 kg (for the exhibition - 11.3 kg).

Deviation from the standard is considered if the dog has the following features:

• dislocation of the knee joint;
• nedokus;
• snack;
• long muzzle;
• deep-set eyes;
• long and fluffy wool.

There are individuals who are not allowed to the exhibition. The reasons for this are the following factors:

• exceeding the permissible size limits;
• hanging ears;
• unsuitable color;
• cowardice;
• aggression.

Corgi are easily trained dogs, their talent can be used, for example, in agility. In addition to the inimitable mind, ingenuity and obedience, corgi is distinguished by sensitivity. For example, he always feels the mood of the owner, loves children and does not offend them, approaches well with new people. Corgi get along well with other pets, although they can sometimes be jealous of the host for their four-legged neighbor. Aggression in these animals almost does not occur, so they belong to companion dogs.

There are two breeds of corgi - cardigans and pembrokes. Two types differ not only in appearance, but also in character. For example, cardigans have a more serious temper, they are always focused on exhibitions, they try to fulfill the team perfectly, the opinion of others is not important to them.Pembrokes, on the contrary, are big fans of human attention and try to charm every viewer, so during the exhibition these dogs can be distracted by others to check who they have not yet admired.

Cardigans and pembrokes have a difference in appearance. So, the cardigan is characterized by larger dimensions than its short-footed relative, but the pembrokes have a slightly longer life span. Until recently, this species belonged exclusively to working herding breeds with excellent health, and their lifespan was limited to about 12-15 years.

Nevertheless, only dogs in responsible hands can live up to so many years. The fact is that pembrokes are prone to obesity, and this ailment shortens their lifespan by 2-5 years. The maximum lifetime of a pembroke is 18-19 years.

The average life of a cardigan is 12-14 years, and the maximum is 17-18 years. Diseases of any kind can be the causes of the early death of diseases such as glaucoma, rabies, epilepsy, allergies, raw eczema. All these diseases often attack precisely the representatives of this breed. To maximize the life of a pet, It is important to follow the schedule of vaccinations, process the dog for parasites in time, regularly visit the veterinarian and pass general tests.

Cardigans and pembrokes are the two main groups into which the corgi can be classified. Cardigan is more massive dog, heavy, her back gently bends, and her stomach is tucked up. Her back is narrow. Pembroke - more miniature dog, it has less weight, less stretched body and lighter bones.

There are differences between these dogs in the structure of wool and colors. So, for the cardigan is characterized by coarse, hard wool with close-fitting hairs, the dog looks neat and smooth in appearance. Pembroke, on the other hand, has a soft undercoat, elongated hairs on the chest and legs, which makes it look a little disheveled and shaggy. Excessively soft wool is unacceptable for any variety.

Cardigans are tiger or marble. Sometimes white spots are allowed on the coat, but white color should not be dominant in the color of the dog.

The pembrokes are characterized by colors such as red, sable, fawn, tricolor (black and tan). In this case, an even smaller percentage of white areas is allowed. In general, at the Pembrokes two main colors are considered to be the most common - red and white and tricolor.

Sometimes gray corgi puppies are born, which eventually become red, and, for example, it is quite difficult to recognize a sable color in childhood, since black scurf appears on the head and body only with age.

Before going on acquaintance with a puppy, a potential owner needs to think about their lifestyle. If this is a homebody who prefers to bask in the bed all weekend, it is better to give preference to another breed. Corgi - active, mobile creatures that require vigorous exercise, frequent jogging, regular training.

The owner of this dog should be a person who has free time for long walks and active activities with a pet. In addition, the corgi are contact creatures that need human interaction. A busy person will not be able to give the dog proper attention and competently care for her and therefore you need to think a few times before you start a dog of this breed.

If the potential owner of the corgi has taken into account all the peculiarities of keeping the animal, then We recommend to read the following recommendations for choosing a puppy.

• Choose a dog cub from a breeder through a canine club, to be guaranteed to become the owner of a purebred puppy. Do not take the dog through the site ads.
• Choose a healthy and active puppy. He must be curious and not cowardly.
• For breeding and participation in exhibitions suitable dog with a straight long tail without creases. If this is a pembroke, then give preference to individuals with short tail. For European events do not fit dogs with docked tail.
• Purebred Pembroke has dark brown eyes of a darker color than wool. Marble cardigans can have both brown and blue eyes, with different eyes allowed.
• Purebred corgi must have a medium length coat. If you need a dog to participate in the exhibition, then refuse to buy a puppy with a soft long hair, as this cute external feature is considered a marriage and this individual will not be allowed to the exhibition.
• Do not forget to carefully study the whole pedigree. and documents provided by the breeder. Make sure it is a decent seller, look for reviews about it.

Corgi have a good appetite, which often becomes a real problem. Small glutons tend to gain weight quickly.. A dog with obesity often develops diabetes, heart disease, vascular problems, diseases of the digestive system. In addition, too dense dogs are not allowed to participate in the exhibition. To avoid these problems, it is important to find a balance between the daily intake and physical activity.

For better feeding premium or super premium ready-made dry food. Manufacturers usually indicate on the package the volume of the daily portion depending on the weight of the dog, but it is still recommended to consult a veterinarian on this matter. Let the doctor calculate the daily rate for a particular animal, taking into account the age, weight and state of health.

If the owner prefers natural feeding, then It is important to make protein foods the basis of the diet. One third of the menu should be occupied by raw meat (except pork), treated with boiling water for a couple of minutes. Boiled liver and steamed sea fish will do. Also, the diet should include carbohydrates, such as rice, buckwheat, raw and boiled vegetables. Sometimes it is permissible to treat a dog with boiled eggs.

Do not harm the corgi and dairy products in small quantities. Excluded feeding sweets, smoked, salty, sour foods, food from the table. For a healthy diet it is important to develop special schedule and feed the dog at certain times.

Up to three months of age puppies should be fed about 4-5 times a day. Further, the number of meals is reduced to 3-4 times, and from the age of six months the dog needs to be transferred to 2-3 meals a day. It is recommended to feed the puppy just brought into the house with the same ones that the breeder fed him. If the new owner is not satisfied with this type of feeding, then the transition to another diet should be made gradually.

Also, breeders recommend that at first feed a puppy with a meal that is unfamiliar to him for a little bit, at the same time, so as not to overfeed with a new product that is still weak. It is customary to clean up a bowl of food in 10-15 minutes in order to get the dog to eat the whole portion at once.

In the case of feeding a puppy with dry ready-made food, it is important to soak the pellets in water up to three months of age; When feeding dry food, an animal should always have free access to clean water. If the owner has chosen for the pet a natural type of feeding, then it is important to supplement it with vitamins and minerals.

To educate and train corgi is quite simple. These dogs are distinguished by high intelligence and insight. For example, a dog that wants to play, will not bother with this to the owner, seeing that he is not in the mood. During training, all teams representatives of this breed seize instantly. Canine experts offer several recommendations for the training of corgi:

• As a reward for a correctly performed exercise, the pet should receive a treat;
• pronounce the commands smoothly, clearly, calmly, with the same intonation;
• take breaks between classes for recreation and games;
• do not let other people raise a dog;
• from the very first days of the appearance in the puppy's house, show him that you are the owner.

The first stage of education should be schooling to a diaper. The fact is that dogs should not be allowed out before vaccination, and vaccinations begin no earlier than two months of age.. Until that time, the dog will go to the toilet in the house and will need to be taught to the diaper. It is recommended to put a diaper in a convenient place for the animal. If the pet went to the toilet in another corner, then you need to moisten the diaper in the liquid waste and leave it in the right place so that the dog will smell by smell where next time you need to empty it.

Once the vaccination period is over, the dog should be trained to a leash and collar. It is better to start doing this before the first walking occurs. First, it is recommended to acquaint the pet with the leash at a distance, then put it next to the stove bench or bowl so that the dog is convinced of the safety of the new object. For the first time having attached a collar to the neck of an animal, one may encounter its resistance.

Active exercise is important for this dog, so it is advisable to take the animal for a walk to the places where he can be pulled off the leash. Let it be a special dog playground. If there is access to the reservoir, then the corgi will gladly refresh in the water.

An important point in education is timely stopping the amused pet.. The fact is that, due to the specific build, these dogs cannot jump, as these movements create too much strain on the weak ligaments of the spine and joints. Seeing that the puppy is jumping too actively, The owner needs to stop these actions dangerous for the dog.

By the way, the peculiarity of this breed is the ability not to freeze during a winter walk. The presence of a warm undercoat eliminates the owner from buying expensive dog clothes. In six months, the corgi begin to teach the basic commands "fu", "place", "lie", "sit." Already later begin training to collect the herd.

In the choice of the nickname for a puppy corgi there are no special rules. However, the owner himself should like this name and associate it with something good. Then it will be more pleasant to pronounce a nickname.

A name too long should not be chosen; it will be difficult for a dog to remember it. If the owner certainly wants to call the pet a beautiful long foreign name, then it is better to shorten the heavily pronounced name in the usual everyday life. For example, if Cleopatrathen let the dog get used to the name Klepa or Cleo, and Cassiopeia can be cut to cassi.

You can name a dog in honor of your favorite place, city or even car brand or model. Now you can find quite a lot of corgi, whose name is Mazda, Lexus, Vesta, Lambo. It is allowed to give the dog the name of your favorite domestic or foreign artist: Bilan, Timati, Nyusha, Sogdiana, Bieber, Aguilera, Beyonce.

Art lovers can seek help from literary works and their authors (Pushkin, Byron, Shakespeare, Hamlet). Do not forget about the famous dogs: Belka, Strelka, Balto, Hachiko. You can recall the cartoon characters and motion pictures: Marley, Milo, Lessy, Volt, Scooby-Doo.

For boys, the following neutral names are suggested: Archie, Barney, Lloyd, Eugene, Casper, Monty, Caesar, Oliver, Rolf, Chase, Henry, Justin, Buddy, Sheldon. Corgi girls like these names: Jesse, Alma, Suzy, Sheldi, Stacy, Goldie, Perry, Lucky, Nick, Sandra, Bella, Fiona.

Elizabeth II is famous for her love for the representatives of this breed. For all her life she had at least 30 Corgi dogs. Almost all known breeders of Great Britain are familiar with her, and in the 50s the queen independently discovered a new species of breed - dorgi. The dog was obtained by crossing corgi and dachshunds, but the specimen has not yet been recognized by expert canine experts.

Queen's dogs rarely participated in exhibitions, because, according to their owner, there was absolutely nothing for the pets to prove. In addition, the owner never sold their pets, but always gave in good hands. Basically, the children of Elizabeth herself became the new owners of the royal puppies.

For each pet, the queen set in her residence a basket for sleeping, so that all dogs sleep warmly, not on the floor and not in a draft. Eating royal corgi has also always been top notch. Corgi and dorgi menus were developed by the best vets and chefs at Buckingham Palace. The basis of the diet consisted of special biscuits, steaks, poultry and rabbit meat.

The queen often took care of the education and training of her pets.. For example, she taught young individuals to skip ahead to eating more adult relatives. In general, nutrition was given almost a key place in the content of the royal corgi. So, one footman, a joker who added whiskey and gin to a dog saucer for humor, was dismissed by the queen in 1999 with scandal.

In connection with her love for this breed, Elizabeth II is often depicted hugging her beloved dogs. Even the monuments of corgi were built, and in 2012 three royal dogs withdrew together with the hostess and actor Daniel Craig in a short video about the adventures of James Bond, timed to coincide with the Olympic Games in London.

It is very hard for the queen to experience the death of each pet. Almost all individuals are buried in Sandringham in a separate cemetery. The last royal corgi, nicknamed Willow, passed away at the age of 14 on April 15, 2018.

The hosts of the corgi speak of their pets extremely positively. Such pembroke traits as good nature, friendliness, sensitivity, playfulness are noted.. These dogs love to communicate with people.

Among the advantages stands out loyalty, which is compared with the loyalty of the shepherd. It is no coincidence, because the Welsh Corgi belong to the family of shepherd dogs. In addition, owners like these dogs to rarely bark.

Cardigan owners say that these dogs have a more serious and thoughtful character; they, like the Pembrokes, do not mind playing, but choose a more suitable time and place for this activity. That is, for example, during training, the cardigan will not be distracted by the game.

It is noted that Cardigans are less jealous when sharing with other pets than Pembrokes. In general, both varieties are excellent for children, they are quickly trained in commands, they are well obeyed by the host.

About the features of the breed of corgi, see below.