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AKC Official 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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