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Originally Posted by Checkers
Anyhow.. my question is how come the CWC's do not have their tails docked but the PWC's do? Are CWC's never born a natural bob tail and therefore it never was a part of the breed standard? At what point was the natural bob tail so regular that it caused it to be made a part of the breed standard for PWC's. I love my boy's little nub, as we call it, and if I were a breeder I would continue to dock tails but I'm just curious why the difference between breeds?-Cheryl
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They are two separate and distinct breeds developed from different backgrounds and originated in separate regions of Wales. They are not varieties of each other like Smooth and Rough Collies for example. And depending upon the eye one is looking at the two breeds with, they really don't look much alike. I don't think my Cardigans and my Pembrokes look much alike at all. Bone shape, ear shape, front assemblies, rear assemblies are different. When one does see a Pembroke with a tail, the tail sets and carriage are very different (or should be) between the two breeds.
Cardigans are from a Teckel hound background (Basset and Dachshund family). Natural bobs are not a part of their historical gene pool.
Pembrokes are from a Spitz background which does include natural bobs in the family background. Clifford Hubbard makes reference to a natural bob-tailed dwarfish dog in Pembrokeshire pre-dating any shows. There was some inner breeding in the early 1900's and that is when it is thought that perhaps the tail gene got firmly entrenched in the Pembroke breed. Another factor is the inheritance mode of the bob tail gene.
This is just a very brief overview. I've written some longer posts on the subject which can be dug up in the archives if you want to read more.
Debbie