- Self colours in Red, Sable, Fawn, Black and Tan, with or without white markings on legs, brisket and neck.
- Permissible: Some white on head and foreface
About the Welsh Corgi Pembroke
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-13 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 12-14 kg
- Female
- 11-13 kg
- Height
- 25-30 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs)
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- 5 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Welsh Corgi Pembroke?
A low-set, strong, and sturdily built herding dog with short legs, fox-like face, alert expression, and naturally bobbed tail. Known for their intelligence, sturdy build, and distinctive appearance.
Welsh Corgi Pembroke history and origins
Ancient herding breed from Pembrokeshire, Wales, brought by Flemish weavers in 1107. Developed as a cattle herding dog, their low stature allowed them to nip at cattle's heels and avoid being kicked. Closely associated with British royalty.
Welsh Corgi Pembroke appearance and size
Males typically weigh 12-14 kg and females 11-13 kg.
Welsh Corgi Pembroke temperament and personality
Generally described as intelligent, affectionate, alert, outgoing and playful.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Sheepdog
Quoted from FCI standard n°39. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Sheepdog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 4 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 3 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 5 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Welsh Corgi Pembroke
What you get with the Welsh Corgi Pembroke
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Sheepdog”
- Commonly described as: “Intelligent, affectionate, alert, outgoing”
What you are taking on
- 4 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in bones & joints and brain & nerves. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; The Dog API; OFA — Chondrodystrophy with Intervertebral Disc Disease (CDDY/IVDD). One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Welsh Corgi Pembroke
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
- Medium length
- Straight with dense undercoat
- Never soft
- Wavy or wiry
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°39 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Temperament
Intelligentaffectionatealertoutgoingplayful
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Welsh Corgi Pembroke in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Welsh Corgi Pembroke
Known hereditary risks for the Welsh Corgi Pembroke breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
5 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Bones & joints
Chondrodystrophy with intervertebral disc disease (CDDY/IVDD)
SeriousInherent to the breed
The same FGF4 gene insertion that gives the breed its short legs and long back also causes early degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae, making disc rupture in adulthood far more likely — this can range from back pain to sudden hind-leg paralysis needing emergency surgery. Because the short-legged build the breed standard calls for IS this variant, the risk cannot be bred out while keeping the standard's proportions; screening tells you the degree of risk, not its absence.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the 12-FGF4 retrogene insertion, on both parents, from a laboratory such as the University of Missouri (via OFA) or UC Davis VGL — OFA's own disease page names Pembroke Welsh Corgi among the breeds affected.
Hip dysplasia
Monitor
Malformation of the hip joint that can progress to arthritis and lameness.
What to ask for
A hip evaluation via OFA or PennHIP, on both parents.
Brain & nerves
Degenerative myelopathy (SOD1 risk variant)
Serious
A slow, progressive breakdown of the spinal cord's nerve fibres starting in the hind legs, usually from around 11 years old in this breed. As in the German Shepherd Dog, the SOD1 variant is a risk factor with incomplete penetrance, not a diagnosis: a homozygous 'at-risk' result does not confirm a dog will develop signs, and cannot be used to diagnose a dog that already has them.
What to ask for
A DNA test for the SOD1:c.118G>A variant, on both parents, from a laboratory such as the University of Missouri (via OFA) or Embark.
Blood
Von Willebrand disease Type I
Serious
An inherited bleeding disorder caused by low von Willebrand factor, which can turn routine surgery or whelping into a serious haemorrhage.
What to ask for
A DNA test for von Willebrand disease Type I, on both parents.
Digestion & liver
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)
Serious
Destruction of the pancreas's enzyme-producing cells leaves the dog unable to digest food properly, needing daily enzyme replacement for life once diagnosed. Research has found the same DLA-DQB1 risk allele associated with EPI in the German Shepherd Dog is also a risk factor in this breed.
What to ask for
No commercial pre-breeding DNA test currently exists for this risk allele. A symptomatic dog is diagnosed on a serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity (TLI) blood test, not a breeding screen; ask the breeder whether the condition has occurred in the line.
How long the Welsh Corgi Pembroke lives, in the records
Median survival 13.2 years
95% confidence interval 12.7–13.6 years, from 221 recorded deaths among 655 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.72 (0.63, 0.82) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
Gallery
No photographs yet
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Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Welsh Corgi Pembroke breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.