|
Size, Proportion, Substance
Height (from ground to highest point on
withers) should be 10 to 12 inches. Weight is
in proportion to size, not exceeding 30 pounds for
dogs and 28 pounds for bitches. In show condition, the
preferred medium- sized dog of correct bone and
substance will weigh approximately 27 pounds, with
bitches approximately 25 pounds. Obvious oversized
specimens and diminutive toylike individuals must be
very severely penalized.
Proportions--Moderately long and low. The
distance from the withers to the base of the tail
should be approximately 40 percent greater than the
distance from the withers to the ground.
Substance--Should not be so low and heavy-boned
as to appear coarse or overdone, nor so light-boned as
to appear racy.
Head
The head should be foxy in shape and appearance.
Expression--Intelligent and interested, but not
sly. Skull--should be fairly wide and flat
between the ears. Moderate amount of stop. Very slight
rounding of cheek, not filled in below the eyes, as
foreface should be nicely chiseled to give a somewhat
tapered muzzle. Distance from occiput to center of
stop to be greater than the distance from stop to nose
tip, the proportion being five parts of total distance
for the skull and three parts for the foreface. Muzzle
should be neither dish-faced nor Roman-nosed. Eyes-Oval,
medium in size, not round, nor protruding, nor deepset
and piglike. Set somewhat obliquely. Variations of
brown in harmony with coat color. Eye rims dark,
preferably black. While dark eyes enhance the
expression, true black eyes are most undesirable, as
are yellow or bluish eyes. Ears-Erect, firm,
and of medium size, tapering slightly to a rounded
point. Ears are mobile, and react sensitively to
sounds. A line drawn from the nose tip through the
eyes to the ear tips, and across, should form an
approximate equilateral triangle. Bat ears, small
catlike ears, overly large weak ears, hooded ears,
ears carried too high or too low, are undesirable.
Button, rose or drop ears are very serious faults.
Nose--Black and fully pigmented. Mouth--Scissors
bite, the inner side of the upper incisors touching
the outer side of the lower incisors. Level bite is
acceptable. Overshot or undershot bite is a very
serious fault. Lips--Black, tight with little
or no fullness.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck--Fairly long. Of sufficient length to
provide over-all balance of the dog. Slightly arched,
clean and blending well into the shoulders. A very
short neck giving a stuffy appearance and a long, thin
or ewe neck are faulty. Topline--Firm and
level, neither riding up to nor falling away at the
croup. A slight depression behind the shoulders caused
by heavier neck coat meeting the shorter body coat is
permissible. Body--Rib cage should be well
sprung, slightly egg-shaped and moderately long. Deep
chest, well let down between the forelegs. Exaggerated
lowness interferes with the desired freedom of
movement and should be penalized. Viewed from above,
the body should taper slightly to end of loin. Loin
short. Round or flat rib cage, lack of brisket,
extreme length or cobbiness, are undesirable. Tail--Docked
as short as possible without being indented.
Occasionally a puppy is born with a natural dock,
which if sufficiently short, is acceptable. A tail up
to two inches in length is allowed, but if carried
high tends to spoil the contour of the topline.
Forequarters
Legs--Short, forearms turned slightly inward,
with the distance between wrists less than between the
shoulder joints, so that the front does not appear
absolutely straight. Ample bone carried right down
into the feet. Pasterns firm and nearly straight when
viewed from the side. Weak pasterns and knuckling over
are serious faults. Shoulder blades long and well laid
back along the rib cage. Upper arms nearly equal in
length to shoulder blades. Elbows parallel to the
body, not prominent, and well set back to allow a line
perpendicular to the ground to be drawn from tip of
the shoulder blade through to elbow. Feet--Oval,
with the two center toes slightly in advance of the
two outer ones. Turning neither in nor out. Pads
strong and feet arched. Nails short. Dewclaws on both
forelegs and hindlegs usually removed. Too round, long
and narrow, or splayed feet are faulty.
Hindquarters
Ample bone, strong and flexible, moderately angulated
at stifle and hock. Exaggerated angulation is as
faulty as too little. Thighs should be well muscled.
Hocks short, parallel, and when viewed from the side
are perpendicular to the ground. Barrel hocks or
cowhocks are most objectionable. Slipped or
double-jointed hocks are very faulty. Feet--as
in front.
Coat
Medium length; short, thick, weather- resistant
undercoat with a coarser, longer outer coat. Over-all
length varies, with slightly thicker and longer ruff
around the neck, chest and on the shoulders. The body
coat lies flat. Hair is slightly longer on back of
forelegs and underparts and somewhat fuller and longer
on rear of hindquarters. The coat is preferably
straight, but some waviness is permitted. This breed
has a shedding coat, and seasonal lack of undercoat
should not be too severely penalized, providing the
hair is glossy, healthy and well groomed. A wiry,
tightly marcelled coat is very faulty, as is an overly
short, smooth and thin coat. Very Serious Fault--Fluffies--a
coat of extreme length with exaggerated feathering on
ears, chest, legs and feet, underparts and
hindquarters. Trimming such a coat does not make it
any more acceptable. The Corgi should be shown in its
natural condition, with no trimming permitted except
to tidy the feet, and, if desired, remove the
whiskers.
Color
The outer coat is to be of self colors in red, sable,
fawn, black and tan with or without white markings.
White is acceptable on legs, chest, neck (either in
part or as a collar), muzzle, underparts and as a
narrow blaze on head. Very Serious Faults:
Whitelies--Body color white, with red or dark
markings. Bluies--Colored portions of the coat
have a distinct bluish or smoky cast. This coloring is
associated with extremely light or blue eyes, liver or
gray eye rims, nose and lip pigment. Mismarks--Self
colors with any area of white on the back between
withers and tail, on sides between elbows and back of
hindquarters, or on ears. Black with white markings
and no tan present.
Gait
Free and smooth. Forelegs should reach well forward
without too much lift, in unison with the driving
action of the hind legs. The correct shoulder assembly
and well-fitted elbows allow 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 should drive well under the body and move on
a line with the forelegs, with hocks turning neither
in nor out. 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
Outlook bold, but kindly. Never shy or vicious. The
judge shall dismiss from the ring any Pembroke Welsh
Corgi that is excessively shy.
- Source: The American Kennel Club
Last revised:
January 03, 2008
|
