Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Outgoing and ready to bark; some nip at heels to herd.
A Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Photo: Electrokardiogram
Adult male
10–12 kg
22–26 lb
Adult female
9–11 kg
20–24 lb
Lifespan
13.2 yrs
Class · Family
also Sport, Working

What it's like

In temperament the Pembroke is bold, outgoing and quick to learn, alert to strangers and ready to bark, and closely attached to its household. The herding instinct persists, and some still try to round up people by nipping at their heels.

Owners in a large survey found Pembroke Welsh Corgis tend to be friendlier with people than dogs in general. On friendliness with other dogs and independence, they were about average. Breed is only a small part of any one dog's personality, so meet the dog before you decide.
Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Keen to work with you
Around the home
Sensitivity
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi right for you?
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Living with one

It has a coat of medium length. Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on brushing a few times a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a small dog, heavier than a Pug and lighter than a Cocker Spaniel. Males end up a little heavier than females. It is one of the heaviest small breeds.

It is a long, low dog on short legs, with a fox-like head, erect pointed ears and a level back. The weather-resistant double coat is of medium length and comes in red, sable, fawn, or black and tan, often with white on the legs, chest and neck. The tail was traditionally docked, and some puppies are born with a natural bobtail. A popular legend holds that fairies rode these dogs, and shading over the shoulders is sometimes called the fairy saddle.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy is already as heavy as a grown Jack Russell. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight6
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0510152m4m6m9m12m18m
0510152m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
2.5–3.0 kg 5.5–6.6 lb
2.5–3.1 kg 5.5–6.8 lb
3 months
3.4–4.1 kg 7.5–9.0 lb
3.3–4.0 kg 7.3–8.8 lb
4 months
4.9–5.8 kg 10.8–12.8 lb
4.4–5.4 kg 9.7–11.9 lb
5 months
6.0–7.2 kg 13.2–15.9 lb
5.3–6.5 kg 11.7–14.3 lb
6 months
6.9–8.3 kg 15.2–18.3 lb
6.1–7.4 kg 13.4–16.3 lb
7 months
7.7–9.2 kg 17.0–20.3 lb
6.6–8.1 kg 14.6–17.9 lb
8 months
8.2–9.8 kg 18.1–21.6 lb
7.1–8.6 kg 15.7–19.0 lb
9 months
8.6–10.3 kg 19.0–22.7 lb
7.4–9.1 kg 16.3–20.1 lb
10 months
8.9–10.7 kg 19.6–23.6 lb
7.7–9.4 kg 17.0–20.7 lb
11 months
9.1–10.9 kg 20.1–24.0 lb
7.9–9.7 kg 17.4–21.4 lb
12 months
9.3–11.2 kg 20.5–24.7 lb
8.1–9.9 kg 17.9–21.8 lb
15 months
9.7–11.6 kg 21.4–25.6 lb
8.6–10.5 kg 19.0–23.1 lb
18 months
10–12 kg 22–26 lb
8.9–10.9 kg 19.6–24.0 lb

Health and lifespan

In North American vet records, lymph node cancer turns up more often in Pembroke Welsh Corgis than in crossbreeds: it is more likely. It can shorten a life. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.
Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name.
  • Lymph node cancer
    More likely
    Impact: life-limiting

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Pembroke Welsh Corgi lived to about 13 years, about average for a small breed.

Where it comes from

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi comes from Pembrokeshire in south Wales, where it drove Welsh Black cattle by nipping at their heels and also took flocks of geese to market. The Welsh-dog authority Clifford Hubbard believed Viking Vallhunds crossed with native corgis gave it its spitz head. The Kennel Club first grouped it with the Cardigan as one breed and separated the two in 19349.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi was kept by farming families in south-west Wales before it reached the show ring in the nineteen-twenties. Much of its wider fame came through the royal family: the Duke of York, later George the Sixth, acquired a Pembroke named Dookie in the nineteen-thirties, and Queen Elizabeth the Second kept the breed for most of her life. As a heeler it worked low, nipping at cattle and ducking their kicks.

Breed standard

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is judged against standard no. 39, in group 1, Sheepdogs and Cattledogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Pembroke Welsh Corgi figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a small breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

Shiba Inu
Spitz & primitive · Small
Swedish Vallhund
Spitz & primitive · Medium
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Dachshund
Dachshunds · Small
Or compare the Pembroke Welsh Corgi with any breed you choose
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Sources

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