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Cardigan Welsh Corgi History
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The name “Corgi” is derived from the Celtic word for dog, and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is believed to have been brought by the Celts to the area known as Cardiganshire, Wales, in about 1200 B.C. The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is a descendant of the Teckel family of dogs, which counts the Dachshund among its members.
During a time when the land available to a Welsh tenant farmer, or crofter, was determined by the acreage his cattle covered, the Corgi was trained to act as a kind of anti-herder. The little dog, often described at the time as possessing almost human intelligence, was trained to drive cattle as far afield as possible by barking and nipping at their heels, thereby expanding his master’s realm. In addition to its cattle dog role, the Corgi served as family guardian and pet, as well as a vermin exterminator. When the common lands were finally partitioned off among the crofters, however, the Corgi found his services no longer in need; some were kept as companions and guards but to most farmers, the Corgi was a luxury they could not afford.
The primary strains of today’s Cardigan Welsh Corgi go back to the Bronant Corgi, so named for the village of their origin, with a slight blend of brindle herder blood. Until 1934, both the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the Pembroke Corgi, descended from the Spitz, were considered one breed in England, and only 59 Cardigans were registered at that time.
Mrs. Robert Bole of Boston was the first to import a pair of Cardigan Welsh Corgis to the US in 1931, and the American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1935. Though the Cardigan has never enjoyed the same popularity as his smaller cousin, the Pembroke, the dog can still be seen in many homes throughout the US and Britain, most often as a house pet. The dog’s days of herding and driving are all but numbered.
