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Official
AKC Standard of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi
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General
Appearance
Low set with moderately heavy bone and deep chest. Overall
silhouette long in proportion to height, culminating in
a low tail set and fox-like brush. General Impression-A
handsome, powerful, small dog, capable of both speed and
endurance, intelligent, sturdily built but not coarse.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Overall balance is more important than absolute size.
Dogs and bitches should be from 10.5 to 12.5 inches at
the withers when standing naturally. The ideal length/height
ratio is 1.8:1 when measuring from the point of the breast
bone (prosternum) to the rear of the hip (ischial tuberosity)
and measuring from the ground to the point of the withers.
Ideally, dogs should be from 30 to 38 pounds; bitches
from 25 to 34 pounds. Lack of overall balance, oversized
or undersized are serious faults.
Head
The head should be refined in accordance with the sex
and substance of the dog. It should never appear so large
and heavy nor so small and fine as to be out of balance
with the rest of the dog. Expression- alert and gentle,
watchful, yet friendly. Eyes- medium to large, not bulging,
with dark rims and distinct corners. Widely set. Clear
and dark in harmony with coat color. Blue eyes (including
partially blue eyes), or one dark and one blue eye permissible
in blue merles, and in any other coat color than blue
merle are a disqualification. Ears large and prominent
in proportion to size of dog. Slightly rounded at the
tip, and of good strong leather. Moderately wide at the
base, carried erect and sloping slightly forward when
alert. When erect, tips are slightly wide of a straight
line drawn from the tip of the nose through the center
of the eye. Small and/or pointed ears are serious faults.
Drop ears are a disqualification. Skull-Top moderately
wide and flat between the ears, showing no prominence
of occiput, tapering towards the eyes. Slight depression
between the eyes. Cheeks -flat with some chiseling where
the cheek meets the foreface and under the eye. There
should be no prominence of cheekbone. Muzzle- from the
tip of the nose to the base of the stop should be shorter
than the length of the skull from the base of the stop
to the high point of the occiput, the proportion being
about three parts muzzle to five parts skull; rounded
but not blunt; tapered but not pointed. In profile the
plane of the muzzle should parallel that of the skull,
but on a lower level due to a definite but moderate stop.
Nose -black, except in blue merles where black noses are
preferred but butterfly noses are tolerated. A nose other
than solid black in any other color is a disqualification.
Lips- fit cleanly and evenly together all around. Jaws-
strong and clean. Underjaw moderately deep and well formed,
reaching to the base of the nose and rounded at the chin.
Teeth strong and regular. Scissors bite preferred; i.e.,
inner side of upper incisors fitting closely over outer
side of lower incisors. Overshot, undershot, or wry bite
are serious faults.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck- moderately long and muscular without throatiness.
Well developed, especially in males, and in proportion
to the dog's build. Neck well set on; fits into strong,
well shaped shoulders. Topline- level. Body- long and
strong. Chest- moderately broad with prominent breastbone.
Deep brisket, with well sprung ribs to allow for good
lungs. Ribs extending well back. Loin- short, strong,
moderately tucked up. Waist well defined. Croup-Slight
downward slope to the tail set. Tail- set fairly low on
body line and reaching well below hock. Carried low when
standing or moving slowly, streaming out parallel to ground
when at a dead run, lifted when excited, but never curled
over the back. High tail set is a serious fault.
Forequarters
The moderately broad chest tapers to a deep brisket, well
let down between the forelegs. Shoulders -slope downward
and outward from the withers sufficiently to accommodate
desired rib-spring. Shoulder blade (scapula) long and
well laid back, meeting upper arm (humerus) at close to
a right angle. Humerus nearly as long as scapula. Elbows
-should fit close, being neither loose nor tied. The forearms-
(ulna and radius) should be curved to fit spring of ribs.
The curve in the forearm makes the wrists (carpal joints)
somewhat closer together than the elbows. The pasterns-
are strong and flexible. Dewclaws -removed. The feet-
are relatively large and rounded, with well filled pads.
They point slightly outward from a straight-ahead position
to balance the width of the shoulders. This outward point
is not to be more than 30 degrees from center line when
viewed from above. The toes should not be splayed. The
correct Cardigan front- is neither straight nor so crooked
as to appear unsound. Overall, the bone should be heavy
for a dog of this size, but not so heavy as to appear
coarse or reduce agility. Knuckling over, straight front,
fiddle front are serious faults.
Hindquarters
Well muscled and strong, but slightly less wide than shoulders.
Hipbone (pelvis) slopes downward with the croup, forming
a right angle with the femur at the hip socket. There
should be moderate angulation at stifle and hock. Hocks
well let down. Metatarsi perpendicular to the ground and
parallel to each other. Dewclaws removed. Feet- point
straight ahead and are slightly smaller and more oval
than front. Toes arched. Pads well filled. Overall, the
hindquarters must denote sufficient power to propel this
low, relatively heavy herding dog efficiently over rough
terrain.
Coat
Medium length but dense as it is double. Outer hairs slightly
harsh in texture; never wiry, curly or silky. Lies relatively
smooth and is weather resistant. The insulating undercoat
is short, soft and thick. A correct coat has short hair
on ears, head, the legs; medium hair on body; and slightly
longer, thicker hair in ruff, on the backs of the thighs
to form "pants," and on the underside of the
tail. The coat should not be so exaggerated as to appear
fluffy. This breed has a shedding coat, and seasonal lack
of undercoat should not be too severely penalized, providing
the hair is healthy. Trimming is not allowed except to
tidy feet and, if desired, remove whiskers. Soft guard
hairs, uniform length, wiry, curly, silky, overly short
and/or flat coats are not desired. A distinctly long or
fluffy coat is an extremely serious fault.
Color
All shades of red, sable and brindle. Black with or without
tan or brindle points. Blue merle (black and gray; marbled)
with or without tan or brindle points. There is no color
preference. White flashings are usual on the neck (either
in part or as a collar), chest, legs, muzzle, underparts,
tip of tail and as a blaze on head. White on the head
should not predominate and should never surround the eyes.
Any color other than specified and/or body color predominantly
white are disqualifications.
Gait
Free and smooth. Effortless. Viewed from the side, forelegs
should reach well forward when moving at a trot, without
much lift, in unison with driving action of hind legs.
The correct shoulder assembly and well fitted elbows allow
for 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, when trotting, should reach
well under body, move on a line with the forelegs, with
the hocks turning neither in nor out, and in one continuous
motion drive powerfully behind, well beyond the set of
the tail. 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
Even-tempered, loyal, affectionate, and adaptable. Never
shy nor vicious.
Disqualifications
Blue eyes, or partially blue eyes, in any coat color other
than blue merle. Drop ears. Nose other than solid black
except in blue merles. Any color other than specified.
Body color predominantly white.
Approved December 13, 1994 Effective January 31, 1995
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