Quick Facts
Origin: Wales
Height: 10”-12”
Weight: 24-30 lbs
Color: Black & tan, Fawn, Red, Sable with the potential for White markings
Lifespan: 12-13 years
Temperament: Bold, Intelligent, Loyal, Spunky
Overview
Cheerio it’s the Pembroke Welsh Corgi! So many pups can claim their ancestors have sat on the laps of crowned royalty. But with this breed, we get to see it in action. Queen Elizabeth II is known for her love of these eager and intelligent pups; best known for their short legs, docked tail, and pointed ears.
Bred as cattle herders, Pembrokes are small but muscular and mighty. The word corgi translates into “dwarf dog”. These pups are enthusiastic to train. They make brilliant family dogs; they are especially good with well-mannered children. They are chummy with other pets inside the home, provided they were raised with them. They are attentive watchdogs.
Celebrity Owners
Jerry Brown, Stephen King, Ava Gardner, Betty White, Kirstie Alley, Tallulah Willis, Alton Brown, Queen Elizabeth II
Fun Facts
- You can the two corgi breeds apart easily. Cardigans have long tails, where the Pembrokes have docked stubby tail.
- There is a Welsh legend that Pembroke Welsh corgis pulled fairy coaches, herded fairy cattle and were the fairy warriors’ mounts.
Health
Pembrokes are generally healthy dogs. As with all long and low dogs, prevent your pup from jumping from furniture, which can cause spinal injuries. Consider getting puppy stairs to help them safely get on and off furniture. Some health issues to be aware of include:
- Hip dysplasia: This condition is when the socket joint in the hip isn’t large enough, or more often too shallow, for the femoral head.
- Elbow dysplasia: This condition is an abnormal development in the elbow joint.
- Cardiac issues: There’s a myriad of causes of heart disease in dogs. Age, health and nutrition all play a vital role. With 95% of heart diseases coming in small dog breeds who are 5 years or older, thinking about preventative care and coverage is smart to do.
- Progressive retinal atrophy: Atrophy is a wearing or wasting away of a body part. In this case, it is the retina in the eye, which eventually leads to blindness.
- Degenerative myelopathy: This disease effects the spinal cord. Over time, the hind limbs lose strength and feeling. This condition can eventually lead to paralysis.
- Von Willebrand disease: Caused by a deficiency of von Willebrand factor, a protein in the blood that helps platelets, this disease is a bleeding disorder.
- Epilepsy: The most common neurologial disease in dogs, siezures affect about 1% of dogs.
Always request health screens from your breeder for both parent pups.
While you always hope your pet will live a long and healthy life, it is always a good idea to invest in pet health insurance.
Keeping your dog’s mouth clean and problem free goes a long way to your pup’s overall health. Dental hygiene can be the cause or can be the byproduct of other serious health issues.
Visual inspections can be performed to keep track of the signs of potentially waning oral health. These signs can be anything from bad breath to abnormal chewing to loss of appetite.
Keeping ahead of these warning signs can pay dividends. A preventative approach can delay and stop many of the common dental problems from arising.
Oral health can be tackled in five basic steps:
- Brushing your dog’s teeth to prevent an undesirable buildup of plaque
- Feed your dog a diet where the high quality dog food has dental benefits
- Regularly give your dog dental toys and treats
- Use mouthwash, to help where brushing misses
- At the sign of any abnormalities, consult a vet. You can even do it virtually, from the convenience of your home.
Dogs are just like humans in that they can experience anxiety. The degree to which they are susceptible to anxiety and how they deal with anxiety is breed specific. Left unchecked, initial signs of anxiety could give way to an anxiety disorder. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can lead to a myriad of behavior issues.
Knowing the signs and symptoms will best equip you to keep ahead of it and to nip it in the bud at the earliest signs. There are options available to help with anxiety.
Grooming
Pembrokes have a double coat, a course outer coat and a soft undercoat. Your pup will shed year-round with an increase of shedding during two seasonal shedding periods. You will need to brush your pup’s coat at least once a week to help remove dead hair. Bathe your pup every 6-8 weeks, or whenever they get exceptionally dirty.
During shedding periods, increase brushing to daily with a deshedder to help contain the discarded hair. Bathing will help to loosen hair during these periods, but do not brush your pup again until the coat has fully dried. Always keep your pup’s eyes and ears clean and clear of debris. Trim their nails every 2-3 weeks. Brush your pup’s teeth several times per week.
Exercise
Bred as cattle herders, Pembrokes are happiest when they have a task to accomplish. Long walks or playing in the park will make your little pup thrive. Plan on spending around an hour a day on this.
Nutrition
Your Pembroke will eat around 2 ½ cups of food per day, preferably over two meals. The exact requirements for your dog will vary with age and activity level. Be mindful that little dogs that receive lots of treats and or table scraps end up overweight. A little dog that is overweight is significantly more likely to develop other health issues.
We’ve taken a look at some premium dog foods, high in nutrition here.
Training
As with all dogs, early socialization with humans and other dogs is key. Pembrokes tend to be shy around strangers, don’t let that shyness evolve into fear. This breed will take to training like a fish to water.
They love a job to do and going through training will feel just like that to you pup. Always keep sessions filled with positive feedback. Harsh admonishments will likely make your dog shut down rather than course correct. Early in training be sure to dissuade barking, as unchecked it can become an issue.
Proper training is essential to ensuring the safety of your dog and those around you. Having your dog come when they should, and in general having them listen is something you want to address early in your pup’s life, as it will pay dividends down the line. There are many tried and true training programs to accomplish this training – faster and better than you might think!
Unless you’re living on a farm, or have the space, a yipping dog, or one that barks all day when you are gone could be an issue with the neighbors and/or landlord. Historically, dogs would bark to communicate with the rest of the pack when hunting and bark as a warning shot to predators eyeing up their flock. Barking is deep rooted in dogs and manifests itself in many ways and for a variety of reasons.
Just like any habit or instinct, there are effective ways you can train this issue away.
Supplements
A solid Glucosamine Supplement for hips and joints will go a long way to helping your furry friend.
Other helpful supplements include full-spectrum hemp oil or CBD oil. Fish oil skin and coat supplement.
Ensuring a comprehensive preventative vitamin and mineral plan is essential to keeping your dog healthy. Truth is, there are vitamins and minerals that your dog needs, but doesn’t produce naturally. While many of these vitamins and minerals can be found in your dog’s current diet and dog food, the question becomes, are there enough vitamins to ensure they aren’t deficient.
Poor nutrition can lead to some of the most common health issues, such as weak joints, compromised immunity, increased allergies, and low energy.
Vitamins play a vital role in your pet’s health and overall life expectancy. Here are some multivitamin and joint relief options.
As regulations around marijuana have eased, the emergence of CBD oils for humans and dogs have sprung up.
Just to begin to dispel the negative stigma, CBD extract comes from Hemp, marijuana’s cousin. Unlike its cousin, there are no psychoactive qualities in CBD oil. An emerging number of clinical and institutional studies have shown the wide variety of healing qualities in CBD, including pain management, and the containment of seizures and epileptic episodes.
Explore this remedy further to see all the health benefits that have transformed the lives of so many dogs to date.
The Good
Great family dog
Easy to train
The "Ruff"
Prone to barking
Shed year-round