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Pembroke Welsh Corgi

The breeds · herding

AKC Herding · UKC Herding · FCI standard 38/39

Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

FCI 39 utilization: sheepdog (classified Group 1, Section 2 Cattledogs). UKC: a herding dog, originally used to drive cattle to pasture. RKC: traditional droving dog of Wales; the two corgi breeds 'have traditionally been used as heelers, driving cattle by day and guarding them at night' (RKC Cardigan page). AKC standard: 'a herding dog, which must have the agility, freedom of movement, and endurance to do the work for which he was developed'. PWCCA: used by the Welsh as herding dogs, family companions and guardians of the farm, and still used as working stockdogs.

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.

13.2YRMedian lifespan12.7 to 13.6, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
20–30LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 27 lb (22 to 30); breed bitches 25 lb (19.8 to 28).
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 9.8 to 12 in · bitches 9.8 to 12 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1993

Low and high span AKC/UKC and FCI. The AKC standard very seriously penalizes oversized or undersized dogs. No ideal printed.

Weight

dogs 27 lb (22 to 30) · bitches 25 lb (19.8 to 28)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1993

Center is the AKC standard's printed approximate show-condition weight; the UKC working-condition range (22 to 25) and the FCI band (9 to 11 kg) run lower. Low is the FCI minimum, high is the AKC/UKC maximum.

Coat

AKC: medium length; short, thick, weather-resistant undercoat with a coarser, longer outer coat; ruff on neck, chest and shoulders; body coat lies flat; preferably straight, some waviness permitted; self colors in red, sable, fawn, black and tan, with or without white markings; 'fluffies' (extreme length, exaggerated feathering) are a very serious fault. FCI 39: medium length, straight with dense undercoat, never soft, wavy or wiry

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1993

Shedding

Sheds (RKC 'Sheds: yes'). AKC standard: 'this breed has a shedding coat', and seasonal lack of undercoat is not to be severely penalized. AKC breed page shedding level 4 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · AKC: medium-length coat, short thick weather-resistant undercoat under a coarser longer outer coat, a thicker longer ruff at the neck, chest and shoulders. FCI 39: medium length, straight, dense undercoat

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1993

Derived from the coat description (medium 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

13.2 years (12.7 to 13.6)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Center is the Dogs Trust median; low and high are its 95% CI. The club's 'typically 12 to 15 years' is a stated band, not a measured median, so it stays in the text and out of the interval (as with the AKC page bands).

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. PWCCA: an energetic dog; without a fenced yard it needs several daily walks, and too much inactivity may lead it to find unacceptable activities; prone to weight gain, so regular exercise matters

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 4 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, no trimming except 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 39 utilization: sheepdog (classified Group 1, Section 2 Cattledogs). UKC: a herding dog, originally used to drive cattle to pasture. RKC: traditional droving dog of Wales; the two corgi breeds 'have traditionally been used as heelers, driving cattle by day and guarding them at night' (RKC Cardigan page). AKC standard: 'a herding dog, which must have the agility, freedom of movement, and endurance to do the work for which he was developed'. PWCCA: used by the Welsh as herding dogs, family companions and guardians of the farm, and still used as working stockdogs

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

A heeler: the registries and the club describe driving cattle from behind. The RKC sentence about heelers sits on the Cardigan breed page and names both corgi breeds.

Primary game

Cattle, driven to pasture (UKC). FCI 39 utilization says sheepdog; the RKC page calls the breed the traditional droving dog of Wales

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2008

Also used on

Guardian of the farm and family companion (PWCCA); guarded cattle at night (RKC). Competes in obedience and rally, herding, tracking and agility (PWCCA). The AKC herding program runs its tests on ducks, sheep or cattle (AKC program text, not Pembroke-specific)

Breed clubPembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America

Search pattern

Heeling and driving, working behind the stock: the RKC says the corgis' short legs 'equip them well for the job of driving livestock forward' and that they were traditionally used as heelers. UKC: originally used to drive cattle to pasture. Wikipedia: the herding instinct makes some young Pembrokes nip at owners' ankles, 'what they were bred to do with cattle', and the breed has a tendency to bark. AKC breed page: barking level 4 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Voice on the line and single or pack work are not described by any source read; the heeling description comes from the RKC Cardigan page and applies to both corgi breeds. The Wikipedia and AKC figures are editorial.

Field trial standard

AKC herding program: the Pembroke 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 39: Group 1, Section 2 Cattledogs, 'Without working trial'. PWCCA: Pembrokes are worked in herding as well as obedience, tracking and agility

Breed clubAKC

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

21.9% · 21.9% dysplastic of 17,488 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 76.2% normal; mild 17.9%, moderate 3.6%, severe 0.3%; breed rank 43 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

5.6% · 5.6% abnormal of 2,525 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 94.0% normal; grade 1 4.5%, grade 2 1.0%, grade 3 0.2%; breed rank 74 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

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

Most common disorders

PWCCA Health and Genetics Committee: a true dwarf (chondrodysplastic) breed, 'relatively healthy' with a few health concerns; many breeders test hips, eyes and von Willebrand disease (vWD); other available tests cover elbows, cardiac health and degenerative myelopathy (DM). Questions the club tells buyers to ask include reproductive issues, cancer, cardiac, neurologic and autoimmune disease, hips and eyes. Pembrokes typically live 12-15 years (PWCCA)

Breed clubPembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America

A club statement of what to watch and test, not a prevalence ranking. No VetCompass Pembroke paper was read. The PWCCA also points owners to an OFA breed health survey, whose results were not found.

More

akc bands

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

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. 12 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Pembroke, Pembroke Corgi, Welsh Corgi (Pembroke)

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your pembroke welsh corgi, on the record.

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