Cardigan Welsh Corgi Breed Magazine - Showsight

CARDIGAN WELSH CORGI THE

1. Where do you live? 2. What do you do “outside” of dogs?

Does the average person in the street recognize the breed? When I first got into Cardigans in 1995, I would definitely say that it was rare to meet someone on the street who knew what this breed was. Most of the time it’s an Australian Shepherd on short legs or a Collie mix, sometimes I get a Dachshund mix. Us breeders I think have done a great job of putting out more education opportunities and I think the general public will recognize more then the used too but we still get those odd conversations where the person inquiring is convinced our breed doesn’t exist. In placing puppies, you have to be really careful still. My other breed being Border Collies, most people know if they want a BC what they want it for. Cardigans you get a lot of people who have only seen the breed on the internet or took a quiz online and it said it would make the perfect apartment dog. Cardigans were bred to herd cattle, they can be difficult to train at times as they can be stubborn and are super great at outsmarting you. So I tend to do a lot of education still, my home is always open to a visit to meet the Cardigans and get to know them more for someone who has inquired about the breed. How has the breed adapted to civilian life? I would question the fact that few of these dogs really work anymore, they may not all be outside herding but they were bred to be a farm dog and they did other tasks as well around the house that we definitely see today. For instance, family companions, they love their family and want to be with their people. They excel at so many performance activities and have fun doing it. Some of the newer fields have really taken off in our breed and we have many dogs titles in barn hunt, lure coursing, and scentwork. All skills that you could trace back to their days on the farm. What about the breed makes them an ideal companion? Over the years I think we have improved temperaments. You no longer see a ton of extreme shyness or extreme aggression in our breed. But what I say we do see is owners not being the boss and Cardigans figuring out how to get their way. The most important part of them being a great companion is raising them to be a good canine good citizen and not letting them rule the roost too much. Does the breed’s energy level and active brain keep you on your toes? Most Cardigans come in the house, lay around and are happy to be next to you or at your feet. If you get up though and want to go outside they hop up and are ready to play and do fun things. As puppies you might have more activities to do with them to keep them out of trouble but they are definitely great at lounging around. What special challenges do breeders face in our current eco- nomic and social climate? I think our biggest struggle is educating the public on our breed and making it known how much effort we go too to make sure our puppies are healthy, live great lives, and how picky we are with choosing that next generation. It takes a lot of love, sweat, and tears to be a good breeder and financially never make a profit. At what age do I start to see definite signs of show-worthiness? Cardigans being a dwarf breed have a lot more challenges than long-legged breeds. I start evaluating at birth, usually my puppy evaluations last until ten weeks or so. Then we say a prayer that they will hold their potential and most of the time I don’t fully know that potential until my line is at least two years of age or sometimes longer. At birth though I can tell you which puppies I’ll be watching and which I can pretty much rule out as companion puppies. What is the most important thing about the breed for a novice to keep in mind when judging? Since I am part of the CWCCA judges education committee, I get asked this question a lot by aspiring

3. In popularity, these hard-working friends currently rank #68 out of all 192 AKC-recognized breeds. We think everyone on earth should be a fan, but does the average person in the street recognize him? Is this good or bad when it comes to placing puppies? 4. Few of these dogs really “work” anymore. How has he adapted to civilian life? What qualities in the field also come in handy around the house? 5. A strong Herding dog requires a special household to be a perfect fit. What about the breed makes him an ideal companion? Drawbacks? 6. We’ve seen him work in the field and he’s nothing short of fantastic. Does his energy level and active brain keep you on your toes? 7. What special challenges do breeders face in our current eco- nomic and social climate? 8. At what age do you start to see definite signs of show-worthi- ness (or lack thereof)? 9. What is the most important thing about the breed for a novice to keep in mind when judging? 10. What is your ultimate goal for the breed? 11. What is your favorite dog show memory? 12. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate. EMILY (FISH) BARNHART Emily grew up show-

ing and breeding dogs under the Pawcific prefix. Her breeds are Cardigan Welsh Corgis and Border Collies (which she co- breeds with her mother, Kathy Fish, and sister, Jennifer Fish). She has bred many group win- ning dogs, specialty win- ners, and also multiple dogs with top perfor-

mance titles. She is a parent club approved mentor in both breeds. Kathy Fish also breeds Papillons under the Joyvnture prefix and Emily has co-bred multiple Champions in that breed as well. She started judging in 2010 and enjoys being a younger mem- ber of the judging community. As a breeder judge, she has had the opportunity to judge multiple specialty shows across the USA and in 2019 judged at the Border Collie Nationals in Australia. Earlier in November she was granted permit status on the Balance of the Herding Group. She looks forward to being a lifetime student and learning more about each breed. She also the membership chair of Oregon Dog Judges. I live in Camas, Washington. I have my Masters in Music in vocal performance and have a private studio of voice students. Most of my outside time though is devoted to my blended family of five children ranging from 8-16 years of age. I’m also a 4-H dog project leader.

S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , D ECEMBER 2019 • 287

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