Corgi
Origin
The Corgi goes all the way back to the Early Twelfth Century. But most likely originated in Britain. He was used as a guardian of the farm. He helped collect and keep the domestic fowl from being taken by predators. The corgi was used to help take the geese to market. As the Geese were a source of income for Wales. The corgi was silent enough and could anticipate the moves of the geese. The corgi became know as a good herder of smaller animals. Although some were used to herd cattle, that was not there specialty. Possibly the decided to save that for the bigger dogs.
Appearance
The corgi has a sharp pointed muzzle, a foxy face, and tall, erect pointed ears. The coat is usually medium hair, that does shed. His coat is usually black and tan, red, fawn. They usually have white markings on them as well.
The size of the corgi is about 24lbs. The males can reach up to 30lbs. The corgis life span average is about 12 to 15 years. Because of there hardy, solid body they are prone to back problems.
They only other health issue that corgis are known for is glaucoma, or PRA (progressive retinal atrophy). This is common in many dogs as they age, but more so for the Corgi. PRA causes the dog to be night blinded, for lack of a better word.
They lack the ability to adjust their vision to dim light. Later on, as the PRA progresses the daytime vision also gets poor.. As their vision deteriorates, affected dogs will adapt to their handicap as long as their environment remains the same. At this point it is a good idea not to cause situations that require excellent vision. An example would be, to keep there bed, or cage and food and water in the same place all the time. This way, they know where it is. It is not a time to start challenging them. You will begin to see shine in the their eyes. What happens is the eyes stay dilated to attempt to get more light into the eye. The appearance of the eye will become cloudy resulting in a cataract.
Temperament
This is a hardy little guy, that is highly intelligent. He loves to be trained, but start the training early in his life and he will be very obedient.
He is protective of his family, devoted, and very good with children. Because of this Corgis make good guard dogs. On the down side, they tend to bark a lot. Some people see it as a downside, others don't.
Grooming
The easiest way to groom the coat of a Corgi is to comb it daily. The corgis hair should lay close to its body, not stick straight out. So, be sure to get a brush that removes the hair that is ready to fall out, and not too much healthy hair. A shampoo that works well on corgis is Show-Sheen. This is a horse product. You just spray it on a damp clean coat and comb it through before your blow dry. This protects the coat and repels dirt too. Don't use a cream rinse on your corgi, that leaves the coat too soft.
Exercise
These hardy little guys can be very energetic. I have heard of many who like a stroll around the block, to others who like 4 mile hikes in the woods. Corgis usually enjoy chasing a ball and swimming if started when they are pups.
Summary
This is a hardy little guy with quite the personality. His large ears and character make him somewhat of a clown. If you are looking for a good guard dog, and a family dog, he has the right personality for you. If you are looking for a dog that just lays around all day and does nothing, then you may not enjoy your corgi, because he is a mover and shaker.
For more information about Corgis, please read
