dog to drop quickly, thus missing a blow from the hoof of a kicking cow. The upper arm wraps around the deep chest; the strong pasterns and feet that support the chest should not be set forward of an imaginary plumb line dropped directly from the withers to the floor. The feet may turn out slight- ly, think no more than eleven and one on a clock face; they should be large and round. The Cardigan should be penalized if it does not have round bone. Round bone is one of the distinct features that differentiates the Cardigan from the Pembroke, along with an outline that is a series of curves. In contrast, the Pem- broke has oval bone and a more angular silhouette. Again, think of the Cardi- gan’s silhouette: a deep chest with a dis- tinct tuck-up at the belly; a level top line that slopes into a long fox-line bushy tail at the croup. Soft curves. The Cardigan’s double coast is harsh, medium length and dense. A soft, long and/or silky coat, even if trimmed, is a working fault and should be penalized. The only permissible trimming is to tidy up the feet. Well scissored grooming may attempt to disguise a long coat but it cannot after a soft or silky texture. Cardigans exhibit a variety of coat colors with white markings on the
head and body, however white should not predominate and should never sur- round the eyes. The dog should appear to have a colored coat with white sports or markings rather than a white coat with colored spots or markings. The Welsh farmer’s Cardigan was a working dog and as such required an easy, effortless gait to do a day’s work. Today’s Cardigan is no different, wheth- er in the show ring or competing in companion or performance events. The standard clearly describes this attribute: Gait: Free and smooth. Effortless. Viewed from the side, forelegs should reach well forward when moving at a trot... Hind legs should reach well under the body, move on a line with the forelegs, with the hocks turn- ing neither in nor out and in one continuous motion drive power- fully behind, well beyond the set of the tail. Last, but definitely not least, is temperament. The standard says: “Even-tempered, loyal, affectionate and adaptable. Never shy nor vicious.” Adaptability is key. A loud noise may cause a reaction, but a well-tempered Cardigan will recover. Some Cardigans dislike the table examination. They tol- erate it, but you can clearly see a return to a confident personality after all four
paws are on the ground, which is where expression should be judged. Although the Cardigan’s popularity has not changed position significantly in AKC ranking, the breed’s successes in the show ring have significantly increased. For many years, the Cardi- gan struggled to gain recognition at the group level. Today, however, Cardigans are placing and winning every weekend in the herding group and BISs are not out of reach for any of these excellent representatives of the breed. The CWCCA invited all those inter- ested in learning about the Cardigan Welsh Corgi to join the club and to attend our National Specialty. Meet our dedicated mentors and club mem- bers who are always available to share information about the breed. First-time attendees are even afforded a special ringside viewing section. The parent club website, CWCCA club , which has recently been rede- signed, is a valuable resource for own- ers, breeders and judges. Click on the drop-down menu under “Education” to access the “Resources” page to view the new movement video, the Judge Edu- cation Committee’s (JEC) article/posi- tion statement on white markings and a number of articles about the Cardigan in general and judging in particular.
“THE WELSH FARMER’S CARDIGAN WAS A WORKING DOG AND AS SUCH REQUIRED AN EASY, EFFORTLESS GAIT TO DO A DAY’S WORK.”
S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A UGUST 2018 • 265
Powered by FlippingBook