Yes. I understand the appeal, I do. Corgi butts are adorable. They’re fluffy, they’re attached to stumpy little legs, the Pembroke ones are traditionally tailless which makes them look like a little bunny or bear or something. I get it. I do.
But as a corgi owner, I have to say I do get a little disappointed when all anyone ever seems to have to say about corgis is that their butts are so cute. The corgi-butt thing has gotten a little bit old for me.
Because you know what? It’s not actually the best part of the corgi. In fact, it doesn’t even make my top ten. Plus, I think if I were able to ask Delia about it, she’d be a bit miffed that the internet has reduced her to nothing more than her butt. So on her behalf, I would like to present to you 10 things about Pembroke Welsh corgis that are better than their butts.
And I’d like to attempt to do it without having to type “butt” any more times. Please and thank you.
1. Their Fluttery Ears
Corgis have such beautifully expressive ears. They’ll swivel to catch the slightest noise, prick forward at the sound of favourite words (walk, biscuit, park, etc.) lean back when they’re sassing you, flutter joyously when they’re happy, among countless other things. There’s just such a wide range of expression.
And my personal favourite:
Oh, and the sleepy ears! They fold back like butterfly wings.
And I know we’re talking about Pembrokes today, but have you seen Cardigan ears? If not, go do yourself a favour.
2. Their Coats
This is also one of the drawbacks of course, because there is a lot of shedding involved. But proper Pembroke coats are amazing. Delia can get as muddy, sandy, dusty as she wants to. I throw a towel down in the car, and by the time we get home, all of the dirt has fallen off onto the towel and her little boots are sparkling white again.
Now, it’s possible that this is because she shed out her entire coat and grew a new one in those 15 minutes or so. Who’s to say? By the amount of dog hair in my car, we can’t rule it out as a possibility. But I’m just thrilled that I can let my dog be a dog without her ever tracking mud into my house. Trigger (golden retriever) and Eleanor (the Australian shepherd) both have very weatherproof coats, but they just don’t shed dirt the same way. Delia’s coat is almost magic.
And another thing: I love that her coat doesn’t have any feathering! It’s really hard to keep a golden or an Aussie from matting, let alone looking good. Really hard. I can brush Delia, trim her nails, and tidy her feet in 20 minutes easily. During her heavy coat blow before her heat, brushing took a bit longer, but still not bad. With Trigger, to do a really good and thorough job can easily take an hour. I love him and he’s worth it, and it helps that he really enjoys it because it feels good to do something nice for the goodest of boys, but still. I’m grateful that Delia’s coat is such an easy keeper.
(And if you’re thinking of getting a corgi, just remember that even though the fluffies are very cute and do occur sometimes in well-bred litters, you need to be aware that their coat will not offer any of these perks—which is the reason it is a fault: it is not practical for a working dog. So you will need to consider whether you’re willing and able to commit to the upkeep. Stumps and Rumps has a good article about fluffies.)
3. Their Noises
Like the coat, this is a pro and a con. Corgis are cattle dogs, and they are vocal. They bark a lot. But they also make a whole range of other vocalizations which are very endearing. Howls, well-I-never sort of huffs, rrrr-rrrr-rrrr sounds, grumbles, contented little sighs, frustrated sighs… Corgis are vocal.
The only more vocal dog I’ve lived with was Eleanor, who in addition to a similar repertoire of sounds as Delia, had this adorable chirping sound she did when she was happy. It was truly bizarre and not like any dog I’ve ever met, but it made me so happy.
4. Their Kisses and Snuggles
When I say kisses, I’m not talking about licking, which they also do. I’m talking about pressing their nose softly to your cheek or your forehead. This is not an exclusively corgi thing, (I mean, nothing on this list is, really. Dogs are dogs at the end of the day) but it is something that a lot of corgis seem to do. There was a whole conversation about it on my breeder’s Facebook group once. Just one more way that corgis express affection for their hoomans.
Not all corgis are snuggly, and even the snuggly ones are somewhat more on the independent end of the spectrum of dog breeds. So it makes their snuggles feel very special. Because they don’t feel any obligation to cuddle with you if they don’t want to or feel they have something better to do. So if they’ve chosen to curl up with you, it feels like an honour.
Delia is extremely snuggly, and she especially will come seek comfort any time she’s scared or upset, just like a little toddler. But also like a toddler, there’s no forcing her to cuddle if she doesn’t want to!
5. The Way They Run
They run like little rabbits. It’s truly adorable, also extremely majestic. It’s especially spectacular in the snow.
That is all.
6. Their Smiles
I can’t have a bad day with Delia around. Sometimes I really, really try to. But then she’ll smile at me, and it’s all over. I’m happy again. Her smiles cover a broad spectrum too.
There’s the “Yes, give me that treat!” smile.
There’s the Mona Lisa
There’s the smugly-caught-you-not-sharing-your-snacks disappointed grimace.
The smile of pure joy and fun times:
There’s the, “Really? You’re ignoring me?”
There’s the “I just love you so much.”
There’s the smile of pride over a favourite new toy.
There’s the absolute derp:
And she even smiles in her sleep.
7. Their Personalities
Corgis have so much personality in such a small package. They’re brave, they’re funny, they’re tough, they’re sweet, they’re enthusiastic, they’re opinionated, they’re fun-loving, they’re down-to-earth, they’re… It goes on and on.
They’re a lot of the things you love about dogs, but they’re not actually dogs. I’m not entirely sure what kind of creature they are. But there will never be a dull or lonely moment if you have a corgi in your life.
8. Their Eyes
This is right in line with the previous one, because all of that personality shines through in their eyes. Their eyes are so expressive—as if they needed another means of expressing themselves, with those voices of theirs!
Often when I’m relaxing on my bed, Delia will come and lay her front paws and her head on my chest and just gaze into my eyes with this soft, sweet expression. It’s as good as saying “I love you.” And it’s yet another reason why I’m pretty sure she isn’t actually a dog.
9. Their Brains!
I really wanted a smart dog, and corgis are extremely smart. On Stanley Coren’s controversial list of smartest dog breeds, they came in at 11. This put them at the very top of the second tier. Second tier dogs tended to learn a command in five to fifteen repetitions and obey on the first command at least 85% of the time. But personally? I think the fact that they only obeyed 85% of the time actually speaks to them being smarter than some of the top tier dogs. By which I mean to say, golden retrievers are the goodest good dogs ever, embodiments of sunshine, will do anything to make you happy and that includes learning whatever you want to teach them…and they are actually dumb. I will die on this hill. Because when we think about how often it actually matters that our dogs immediately drop everything and obey a command, 85% is probably about right. The other 15%, it’s not the end of the world, and sometimes not even we care that much.
But anyway, those rankings are not very meaningful, and I’m not the first person by any means to question them. The methodology was to survey obedience trial judges on the performance of each breed in obedience trials. So these rankings are based on performance in the obedience trial ring. A very artificial and high-pressure environment that no breed was specifically developed for. I never realised that until just now when I was confirming my memory of where corgis ranked! I assumed this was an experiment done in a controlled lab environment.
I could excuse the fact that at the very bottom are the ancient breeds who have retained the keen wit and sharp intelligence of a wild animal, and probably definitely could do just fine without their human slaves. I could explain that away by saying that the test actually measures, not intelligence at all, but the ability to work closely in cooperation with a human, something that these breeds were not developed to do. But that doesn’t explain in what universe Australian Shepherds are ranked at 42!! Under what training methodology does it take 25 to 40 repetitions to teach an AUSSIE? And how on earth is it that the dog who has such a self-reinforcing drive to work with her human, almost to the point of neuroticism, only responds 50% of the time?! No. This survey does not rank dogs according to their potential for working with and learning from humans. All it measured was their performance in the obedience ring. You cannot extrapolate that data to a natural setting. It just doesn’t work like that. But wow, do I ever digress! That was a whole rant for a different post, but I am going to leave it here.
The point was: corgis are smart.
The things that Delia figures out and comes up with on her own are absolutely insane. Her ability to assess situations and act accordingly is remarkable. It doesn’t take long at all to teach her a new behaviour, and it takes even less time for her to learn something I don’t want her to learn.
If you want to get an idea of how smart corgis truly are, go check out Maslow the Trick Corgi!
10. Their Hearts
I saved the most bestest one for last. Corgis just have the most amazing hearts. The origin of the name Cordelia is somewhat murky, and I used the Welsh-origin’s meaning in her registered name because I love the poetry of it. But the possible French origin, which would be coeur de lion, is incredibly appropriate. A corgi certainly has a lion’s heart. They don’t think of themselves as small dogs—they couldn’t, or they would never take on a herd of cattle!
Delia handles novelty so well and seems to almost have a sense of adventure. I think this is true of many corgis, especially when they are well-socialised. As a group they tend to be bold, outgoing, adventuresome dogs. Up for anything, but not in that go-with-the-flow way that a lab or golden would have, necessarily. They’re always an active participant with a lot of opinions.
There is room for a lot of friends in a corgi’s heart. They are incredibly social and revel in getting attention from new people. But as is true of most dogs, and I think especially with the herding breeds, they have a very unique and close bond with their particular human.
Yeah, according to Coren’s test, your corgi might let you down 15% of the time. But not one of those percents will be when you need her the most. Your corgi will come through for you when it counts. They’re so tuned into their people. That’s something I notice is very similar between Delia and my golden, Trigger—they have something you might call empathy.
I’m still in my first year of life with Delia, and at the risk of sounding too soppy, she has already filled such a special place in my heart during this short while. She has been the buddy I really needed, and it’s a little staggering to think that this bond will just continue to grow with time. What a beautiful thing has begun, and how much more beautiful it will become over the course of many years.
And that is the best thing about Pembroke Welsh corgis. It is also the best thing about dogs, full stop. And I’m sure that so many people reading this are glancing away from their screen to the dog that fills that role for them. Or maybe you don’t have a dog just yet, and in that case, whether it’s a corgi, another of the hundreds of dog breeds there are to choose from, or a mix, may you find the right dog for you and experience the same.
Woah, I feel like I got a little sentimental there at the end, but there it is. I’m not going to apologise for it. I hope next time you see a corgi, you’ll look past the adorable butt, and—
Nah, actually it’s cool. Enjoy the corgi butts. I’m not actually shaming you for that. I just wanted to highlight some other great things about the corgi, but if the butts are still your favourite, that’s perfectly valid. You’re wrong, but that’s perfectly fine! Nothing—er, wrong with being wrong. Especially if you’re able to admit that you’re wrong and I’m right and move past it.
I’m kidding. Or am I? Who knows anymore. Anyway, if you like being confused, why not subscribe to my blog? There’s a nifty little box at the bottom of the page. Or, if you prefer, you can follow us on Facebook (also a link at the bottom of the page) where we’ll share links to all future posts and, allegedly, also post other updates and bonus content.
And have a lovely day!
Have had many different types of cattle dogs in my life. You might be working cattle all day and you need a dog thank can think for itself. Can not babysit them all day, thus the independence of the corgi. My corgi is 5 months old and I find everything you wrote to be true, enjoyed your article!