KENAI
Cardigan Welsh Corgi

The breeds · herding

AKC Herding · UKC Herding

Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

FCI 38 utilization: herding and companion (Group 1, Section 2 Cattledogs). UKC: a herding dog, originally used to drive cattle to pasture. RKC: traditional droving dog of Wales; 'the two breeds have traditionally been used as heelers, driving cattle by day and guarding them at night'; the older of the two corgi breeds, once called the Yard Dog (Ci Llatharid). AKC breed page: every aspect of its makeup suits it to moving cattle. AKC standard: a herding dog with the agility, freedom of movement and endurance to do the work for which it was developed. CWCCA: excels as a herding dog on sheep and cattle farms and ranches and as a family companion.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13.1YRMedian lifespan12.5 to 14.4, measured on real dogs.
12 / 12INHeightdogs 11.8, bitches 11.8. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
25–38LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 30 to 38 lb; breed bitches 25 to 34 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayUp to 1 hour per day (RKC). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 11.8 in (10.5 to 12.5) · bitches 11.8 in (10.5 to 12.5)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1995

Center is the FCI ideal (30 cm = 11.8 in); the AKC and UKC print only a range, which sets low and high.

Weight

dogs 30 to 38 lb · bitches 25 to 34 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1995

The standards print the ideal as a range, so center is blank. FCI prints no weight.

Coat

AKC: medium length, dense, double; outer hairs slightly harsh, never wiry, curly or silky; short soft thick undercoat; ruff, 'pants' and a brush; a distinctly long or fluffy coat is an extremely serious fault. Colors: all shades of red, sable and brindle; black with or without tan or brindle points; blue merle. FCI 38: short or medium, hard texture, weatherproof, good undercoat, preferably straight

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1995

Shedding

Sheds (RKC 'Sheds: yes'). AKC standard: 'this breed has a shedding coat', seasonal lack of undercoat not to be severely penalized. AKC breed page shedding level 3 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · AKC: medium length but dense as it is double; outer hairs slightly harsh, weather resistant, insulating short soft thick undercoat; slightly longer ruff and pants. FCI 38: short or medium, hard texture, weatherproof, good undercoat

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1995

Derived from the coat description (medium dense double coat = 3). Not a measurement.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13.1 years (12.5 to 14.4)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK pet-dog sample, small for the breed. Not in Teng 2022. The AKC page 'Life Expectancy' band is deliberately not used.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day (RKC)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60.

Exercise need

RKC: up to 1 hour per day; small house, small to medium garden, town or country. AKC breed page: energy level 4 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5. CWCCA: active dogs that love to work

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page: energy level 4 of 5, playfulness 4 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5, barking level 5 of 5, trainability 4 of 5

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); AKC breed page coat grooming frequency 2 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3.

Grooming

RKC: more than once a week; short coat that sheds. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 2 of 5. AKC standard: shown natural, trimming only to tidy the feet and remove whiskers

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 38 utilization: herding and companion (Group 1, Section 2 Cattledogs). UKC: a herding dog, originally used to drive cattle to pasture. RKC: traditional droving dog of Wales; 'the two breeds have traditionally been used as heelers, driving cattle by day and guarding them at night'; the older of the two corgi breeds, once called the Yard Dog (Ci Llatharid). AKC breed page: every aspect of its makeup suits it to moving cattle. AKC standard: a herding dog with the agility, freedom of movement and endurance to do the work for which it was developed. CWCCA: excels as a herding dog on sheep and cattle farms and ranches and as a family companion

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

A heeler: the RKC says so directly. The Cardigan was always undocked (RKC).

Primary game

Cattle, driven to pasture (UKC); CWCCA adds sheep on farms and ranches

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2008

Also used on

Sheep (CWCCA); guarded cattle at night (RKC). Competes in herding, obedience, rally, agility, scent work, Barn Hunt and FASTCAT as well as conformation (CWCCA). The AKC herding program runs its tests on ducks, sheep or cattle (AKC program text, not Cardigan-specific)

Breed clubCardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America

Search pattern

Heeling and driving: the RKC says the corgis' short legs 'equip them well for the job of driving livestock forward' and that both breeds were used as heelers, driving cattle by day. UKC: originally used to drive cattle to pasture. AKC breed page: barking level 5 of 5 (the highest band)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Voice on the line is only the AKC page's barking score (editorial). Single or pack work and the style of heeling are not described by any source read.

Field trial standard

AKC herding program: the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is an eligible breed. Non-competitive Instinct Test, Herding Test and Pre-Trial test in a fenced arena on ducks, sheep or cattle; competitive trials at Started, Intermediate and Advanced levels on Courses A, B and C. FCI 38: Group 1, Section 2 Cattledogs, 'Without working trial'. CWCCA lists herding among the breed's competition sports and quotes the AKC herding-trial purpose

Breed clubAKC

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

24.3% · 24.3% dysplastic of 4,151 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 73.7% normal; mild 20.6%, moderate 3.4%, severe 0.3%; breed rank 38 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher. OFA figures are US dogs; they are not mixed with the UK sources.

Elbow dysplasia

5.4% · 5.4% abnormal of 1,379 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 94.4% normal; grade 1 4.4%, grade 2 0.9%, grade 3 0.1%; breed rank 79 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same voluntary-registry caveat as hips: under-reported, skewed toward breeding stock.

Most common disorders

CWCCA: 'in general a very healthy breed' with a few concerns that also affect other breeds: hip dysplasia; progressive retinal atrophy (PRA, with a genetic test); degenerative myelopathy (DM), a progressive paralysis that 'seems to only affect very old Cardigans' and whose DNA test identifies dogs at risk; and intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), which occurs in the breed, a dwarf (chondrodysplastic) type prone to Type I disc disease, though the club has no reliable statistics or risk factors. RKC: Cardigan is listed as a vulnerable native breed

Breed clubCardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America

A club statement of concerns, not a prevalence ranking. No VetCompass Cardigan paper or UK Kennel Club survey result was read.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 5; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 4; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 4; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 11 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Cardigan, Cardigan Corgi, Welsh Corgi (Cardigan)

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Your cardigan welsh corgi, on the record.

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