Category: Breed Lifestyle

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Meet the Charismatic Cardigan Welsh Corgi

The post Meet the Charismatic Cardigan Welsh Corgi by Lynn M. Hayner, JD appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is renowned for his adaptability, athleticism and hardiness. Bred for work in the hills of Cardiganshire, Wales, the Cardigan’s chest was developed deep for large heart and lung capacities. His legs were developed short, but don’t misjudge him: He’s tough, capable and (surprise!) speedy.

Looking back

Ancestors of the Cardigan migrated to Wales with Celt warriors thousands of years ago. Cardigans needed great strength in temperament as well as physicality to control livestock.

Originally a genetic mutation, the Cardigan’s dwarfism is called chondrodysplasia. As a herding dog, his short legs became an asset. His low height allowed him to dodge and avoid cattle kicks.

Early Cardigans moved the owner’s cattle to grazing land and kept trespassing cattle off the owner’s property. Farmers also used Cardigans for companionship, general farm work, protection and vermin hunting.

Still busy today

These days, only a few Cardigans are employed moving livestock, but they all thrive keeping busy. Intelligent and biddable (albeit sometimes independent thinkers!), they take honors in dog sports such as obedience, tracking, herding, rally, agility and barn hunt. At home, daily walks, focused training sessions and activities such as ball chasing keep the Cardigan healthy and satisfied. The Cardigan adapts well to urban settings and apartment living, as long as he’s exercised regularly.

Cardigans show reserve with strangers outside the home. Around their own property, Cardigans enthusiastically wear the watchdog cap. The breed, ever vigilant, has no interest in topping any Quiet Dog list. Yes, he tends to bark alarms!

Cardigans do well with animals in their own household, but they may push strange animals around. After all, the Cardigan’s ancestors were taught specifically to chase stray animals off the property. And let’s not mince words: Herding breeds are characteristically bossy!

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Isn’t a corgi a corgi?

Despite name similarities and physical likenesses, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi are distinct breeds with their own histories and ancestors. Both breeds worked with farmers to lead cattle to grazing land and stood guard over the barnyard. But Cardigans (some two thousand years older) were developed in the rocky terrain of Cardiganshire in southwest Wales. Pembrokes were developed in the flatter terrain of Pembrokeshire in southern Wales.

These days, a quick way to tell the Cardigan from his cousin the Pembroke Welsh Corgi: Cardigans have a long, foxlike tail; Pembrokes have tails docked close to the body.

Cardigan extras

Weight: 30-38 pounds (male); 25-34 pounds (female)

Life span: 12 to 15 years

Coat: Double coated. The outer hairs have a slightly harsh texture, and the insulating undercoat is short, soft and thick.

Color: Red, sable and brindle; black, blue merle

Grooming: Easy keepers, requiring mainly weekly brushing

Shedding: Yes, especially seasonally

Best for: Active singles and families

Accurate name: In Welsh, the word Corgi loosely translates to dwarf dog.

AKC popularity rank: 66th

Equipment: The Cardigan isn’t built for strong or prolonged swimming, so get him a life jacket.

Some Cardigans also use portable stairs to help them up on furniture.

Possible health issues: Degenerative myelopathy, hip and elbow dysplasia, canine intervertebral disc disease.

The post Meet the Charismatic Cardigan Welsh Corgi by Lynn M. Hayner, JD appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

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The Border Collie — Mastermind of the Dog World

The post The Border Collie — Mastermind of the Dog World by Allan Reznik appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

The Border Collie is the Swiss Army Knife, the Everything Bagel of the dog world. Whatever you need him to do, he can do with ease, then ask what is the next job on your to-do list. Although considered by many authorities to be the world’s most intelligent breed, nobody calls the Border Collie low maintenance.

This is a lot of dog to deal with in a medium-sized package. Not every Ford driver can handle a tanked-up Maserati, and not every casual pet owner can keep a Border Collie content and engaged. Here are seven fun facts about this super dog.

Border Collie history

The Border Collie originated in the Border country between Scotland and England, where the shepherds’ breeding selection was based on cooperative stock sense and the ability to work long days on rugged terrain. This selective breeding developed the unique working style of the Border Collie gathering and fetching the stock in a wide, sweeping manner, then controlling it with an intense gaze known as “eye,” and a stalking style of movement. As the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed standard states, “Breeding based on this working ability has made this breed the world’s premier sheep-herding dog, a job the Border Collie is still used for worldwide.”

Versatility, thy name is Border Collie

Border Collie experts and the AKC standard agree that this breed “is, and should remain, a natural and unspoiled true working sheep dog.” Not only is the Border Collie a superior herder of livestock, but he has proven himself a formidable competitor in such performance events as obedience, agility, rally, dock diving and tracking. About the only activity the Border Collie has not perfected, or even pretends to be good at, is that of a lazy couch potato.

Exercise requirements

©happyborder; clearviewstock | Getty Images

Due to the breed’s working heritage, Border Collies are demanding and energetic. They do best in households that can give them plenty of exercise and play, with humans or with other canine companions.

Because of their great need for mental stimulation, many Border Collies will develop problematic behaviors in homes that are unable to meet these requirements. To cure their boredom, Border Collies are notorious for chewing holes in walls and furniture, digging and other destructive activity. Border Collie clubs and rescue groups advise that anyone considering the breed first make sure they can provide the exercise needed as a suitable outlet for the Border’s high energy and great stamina.

A working Border typically runs many hours a day, using his personality and intelligence to control challenging livestock. The breed becomes distressed and frustrated if left in isolation, ignored or inactive. They can be motion sensitive and may chase moving vehicles and bicycles, behavior that can be corrected with appropriate training. Border Collies will also express their strong desire to herd by herding small children, cats and dogs.

Show vs. working vs. performance

Border Collies that come from dog show bloodlines will look the most alike, as their breeders are producing dogs that meet a written standard that describes the ideal Border Collie in size, silhouette, head and body shape, and overall appearance. Those from working bloodlines will display the least uniformity, as it is the dogs’ stamina and herding ability that are most highly prized, and physical looks are of little importance. Border Collies from performance bloodlines, bred to excel in agility, rally and other dog sports, will lie somewhere in between.

More than black and white

While the vast majority of Border Collies seen are black-and-white, the breed comes in all colors, combinations and markings. The AKC standard states that “All colors are to be judged equally with no one color or pattern preferred over another.” You’ll find Border Collies in tricolor, chocolate, blue and blue merle, and red in all shades from copper to blond.

Border Collies also come in two coat lengths. Close-fitting, dense, weather- resistant double-coats are required in both, but the more common rough coat variety has feathering on the forelegs, chest and haunches, while the smooth variety has a short coat over the entire body, usually coarser in texture than the rough.

Border Collies in the media

Few breeds have been seen more often on TV and in movies than the Border Collie, and that visibility has certainly played a big role in their popularity. Besides Borders in many dozens of TV commercials, we remember Bandit from the TV series Little House on the Prairie and Shep, the star of the British children’s show Blue Peter. Border Collies to star on the big screen included Nana in Snow Dogs, Fly
in Babe, Jessie in Animal Farm, Raffles in the animated Rover Dangerfield, and Mike in Down and Out in Beverly Hills.

Celebrities cross over to the Border

Not surprisingly, plenty of actors, singers, musicians and sports figures are passionate about their Border Collies. The star-studded list includes James Dean, Anna Paquin, Tiger Woods, Dierks Bentley, Jerry Seinfeld, Ethan Hawke and Jon Bon Jovi.

The post The Border Collie — Mastermind of the Dog World by Allan Reznik appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

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Herding Dog Breeds

The post Herding Dog Breeds by Rachel Brix, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Herding dog breeds are wicked smart and originally bred to round up and protect livestock. These high energy breeds will keep you on your toes In addition to herding livestock these breeds were bred for intelligence and working closely with humans.

Some of the most popular pet herding breeds are:

The most popular smallest herding dog breeds are:

The American Kennel Club (AKC) currently recognizes 32 herding dog breeds in the Herding Group. The AKC organizes dogs into groups based on the jobs a particular breed was originally bred to perform. Initially part of the Working Dog group, a more specific grouping for herding breeds was created in 1983.

Herding dog behavior

Instinctually, herding dogs are driven to control livestock by gathering and protecting them, so these dogs flourish working on farms. Some herding breeds, such as the Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, flourish at protection work, such as Schutzhund, and various police work roles like narcotics detection and cadaver searches.

Key traits of herding dog breeds:

  • high energy
  • highly intelligent
  • loyal
  • athletic
  • active
  • protective
  • fun to train
  • industrious
  • very responsive to their handlers

Training is a must for herding dogs, and they’ll need to go beyond basic obedience skills, especially since they tend to nip as part of their instinctual behaviors. You need to work to minimize this tendency from the outset. Bored herding dogs can often be a behavior challenge and may start to herd children or even adults without solid training and proper outlets for their instinctual drive. Also called stock dogs, they are sensitive to sound and especially movement, so they may chase wildlife and even cars; therefore, training and adequate and appropriate stimulation and engagement are key.

Since herding dogs’ needs are best met by giving them a job, they do best in an active family with time to devote to meeting their mental and physical needs. But even if your working dog doesn’t have a flock to tend to, he can still get his genius groove on with mental/physical activities you can try in your backyard or with a class/group.

The best activities for herding dog breeds:

The American public came to love smart and family-oriented herding dogs like Lassie, the Collie and Rin Tin, the German Shepherd Dog. More recently we fell in love with Chaser, behavior psychologist John W. Pilley’s Border Collie, who knew over 1000 words! Today these brainy and spirited dogs are part of many families.

Herding dog breeds make great companions, but they’re not couch potatoes, spa day divas or walk-around-the-block dogs: herding dogs require a lot of mental stimulation and physical activity to thrive emotionally, physically and behaviorally. Herding is in their DNA, so finding your stock dog a job will keep you both active and happy for the long haul.

The post Herding Dog Breeds by Rachel Brix, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Certified appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.