Corgi Forums

sweetlychee · **How short are corgis? -** 10-04-2006, 08:23 AM

I was walking in the park yesterday and saw another corgi owner. That corgi was just adorable but noticeably much shorter than my Milo. Milo was not with me at the time but I can definitely tell that corgi has the same long and thick body but older. Milo is rather young. But, that corgi was so low. I know corgis are short in general but I didn't know they vary in shortness and height.

I'm not talking about the height from the withers but their legs in general. My Milo was twice his height but Milo is still a shorty. Does corgi height differs and vary?

Fluffypants · 10-04-2006, 08:35 AM

I'm sure it varies, just like length and bone. I have seen corgis with both longer and shorter legs (not on the same dog

) than Jackie.

Jespah · 09:23 AM

Here is the breed standard directly from the page of the Canadian Pembroke Association - gives you their weights too.

Size
Moderately long and low; well balanced. The distnace from the withers to the base of tail should be approximately 40 percent greater than the distance from the withers to the ground. Height (from ground to highest point on withers) should be 10-12 inches (25-30cm). Weight, in show condition, the preferred size dog of correct bone and substance will weigh approximately 27 pounds, with bitches approximately 25 pounds.

Here is the link to the full standard:

http://www.pembrokewelshcorgis.ca/standard.htm

CeCe · 10-04-2006, 09:38 AM

I have to tell you I was concerned about the differences in sizes of my two boys, Oliver and Skippy - until I joined this board! I have discovered they come in many different sizes, just like other dogs (i don't mean they differ from Chihuahua to Great Dane though!!) Anyway Oliver is 1 year younger than Skippy - he is also bigger. His legs are a bit longer, his feet bigger, his body longer, his ears bigger etc. But he is in proportion for his size, as is Skippy. And even at that unless they're side by side, you don't really realize it. So now I understand what they're talking about in the dog shows when they say they're looking for the dog that best meets the standards for the breed. And I've also started noticing there are size differences in all breeds, i.e. labs, weimeraners, beagles, daschhunds, etc. So now when people tell me Oliver is really healthy, I just agree!

Chip's Mom · 10-04-2006, 09:45 AM

I have noticed that Chip's fur is shorter than some I have seen also.

sweetlychee · 10-04-2006, 09:55 AM

Yeah, I was just thinking of standards. How do they judge all of those criterias and standards? It's a lot! Too much white spots are flaws. If their ears don't stand up are flaws. If they have a tail - flaw. If they are fluffies - they are flawed. (Sorry to fluffy owners...that's what I read on their website that's all.) So does that mean they are deformed or something? Geesh. I know Milo's nose is completely black. I have seen some who has noses that has pink spots and others. Those are flawed too?

Fluffypants · 10-04-2006, 10:24 AM

The breed standard is the description of the IDEAL corgi. It's a standard of perfection that cannot and will not ever be reached. No dog COMPLETELY meets every aspect of the standard 100%. So it's not that they are deformed, just not 100% perfect (who is?). There are some faults (like fluffies, whitelies, bluies, dropped ears, etc.) that are very major from a "standard" point of view. But some others that are subjective, based on the preferences of the breeder or judge. And some judges or breeders feel that some things are more important than others, so they will weight those higher or lower when judging the dog. That's why winning one dog show isn't a guarantee of winning the next. It depends on whether or not that dog is the closest to the standard out of the group that is showing.

Does that help? Or just make it more confusing?

Dillydoodle · 10-04-2006, 11:13 AM

I think the other thing here is that corgi puppies are not filled out yet, so the distance from the chest to the ground appears to be higher than when they get older and the chest fills out, giving an even shorter look to the legs. When Dillon stands his chest is so deep it gives the appearance of really short legs. And yes, some corgis do have longer legs, and some shorter. If you look at photos of the original corgis back in the 1930's you will see they stood taller - to me they look more like the valhund dogs...even in coloring, which was not really a red but more like a grey sable...so it appears. I find it really fascinating to look at those old pictures and compare them to today's corgis...
Emilie

sweetlychee · 10-04-2006, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dillydoodle

I think the other thing here is that corgi puppies are not filled out yet, so the distance from the chest to the ground appears to be higher than when they get older and the chest fills out, giving an even shorter look to the legs. When Dillon stands his chest is so deep it gives the appearance of really short legs. And yes, some corgis do have longer legs, and some shorter. If you look at photos of the original corgis back in the 1930's you will see they stood taller - to me they look more like the valhund dogs...even in coloring, which was not really a red but more like a grey sable...so it appears. I find it really fascinating to look at those old pictures and compare them to today's corgis...
Emilie

Where are the pictures of the original corgis back in the 1930's? I would love to see them.

Dillydoodle · 10-04-2006, 03:45 PM

Most of the photos I have seen of the "old" corgis from the 30's and 40's are black and white and in books...however , after about 45 minutes of surfing the net i found this page for you that shows some of the older dogs, and you can see that some are a bit taller and less heavy looking than the dogs today- also not as long looking... I also am including a photo of a swedish valhund which some thought might be a descendant of the corgi as it is a very ancient breed...

http://www.angelfire.com/id/castellpwc/Oldies.html

here is the valhund

http://swedishvallhund.com/photo3.htm

Emilie

corgimom · 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dillydoodle

Most of the photos I have seen of the "old" corgis from the 30's and 40's are black and white and in books...however , after about 45 minutes of surfing the net i found this page for you that shows some of the older dogs, and you can see that some are a bit taller and less heavy looking than the dogs today- also not as long looking... I also am including a photo of a swedish valhund which some thought might be a descendant of the corgi as it is a very ancient breed...

http://www.angelfire.com/id/castellpwc/Oldies.html

here is the valhund

http://swedishvallhund.com/photo3.htm

Emilie

Great post, I saw Cody's great grandpa, and great, great grand parents on there. I bet there are other Corgis on here that have some of these names in their pedigrees if one checks back further.

Thanks Emilie.

disraeli · 10-04-2006, 07:09 PM

Standards, schmandards. As long as you're dog's not a show dog, it doesn't matter.

Rhys's legs are longer than those of the show Corgis I've seen. Also he is leaner than most of them.

So, those Corgis with faults aren't deformed...they just wouldn't win at a dog show. But don't think of them as faults...think of them as marks of character.

Corgi Forums

How short are corgis?