AKC 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 12inches. 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 toy-like 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 over done, nor so light-boned
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
deep-set and pig like. 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
egg-shaped 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
hind legs 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 cow hocks 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, longerouter 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.
From the AKC site
