Cardigan vs Pembroke Welsh Corgi

So similar yet pretty different. We are talking about Cardigan and Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Pembroke is the younger breed, that was developed from Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Of course they have more ancestors, probably northern spitz dogs. Pembroke was bred by Pembrokeshire breeders while Cardigan was bred by Cardiganshire breeders. We dont know for sure, what are the ancestors of Cardingan, it might be Dachshunds, Swedish Vallhunds or maybe Kesshond or Schipperke.

The biggest difference and the way how you can always differentiate these two breeds is, that Pembrokes have short bobbed tail while Cardigans have long tail. Other appearance difference are not that important but lets mention them as well.

As i said in the beginning, Pembrokes ancestors are northerns Spitz, while Cardigans have different ancestors. This means, that their temperament is different as well. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is not that reserved and aloof as Cardigan and they are more outgoing. This makes them, in my opinion better choice as family or companion dog.

Cardigan is on the other hand better as a watchdog. They are aloof dogs, they dont like strangers that much. It is because one of their purpose in the past was to be guards of kids. Other temperament traits are pretty much the same, both breeds are friendly and loving towards their family and both can be little bit stubborn from time to time.

Interesting fact is, that Cardigans belongs to the same group with other Dwarf dogs like Basset or Dachshund – that means that they are large dogs with Dwarfism. Pembroke is actually not a Dwarf breed, but just a small dog.

Watch our full comparsion here: