Interest in cattle dogs has always been high; historically, this was facilitated by the forced need to distill large herds of pasture animals, and today many of them are used as companions, wonderful athletes, and salon dogs.
Among the English shepherd dogs a special place is occupied by the dog of the English Queen - Welsh Corgi Pembroke.
The most popular cattle dog breeds from the UK
Bobtail (or Old English Sheepdog) is the heaviest and largest of this group - up to 54 cm at the withers and up to 45 kg. It was used to drive up to 250 sheep, doing it gently, without much effort. Tall, coarse, intelligent.
Collie - Scottish Shepherd, height up to 61 cm, weight up to 30 kg. Until 1860, the requirements for the exterior of this breed were minimal; first of all, working qualities were valued - the ability to manage herds of sheep, to be an assistant to shepherds. But since 1860, Collie is the favorite dog of the English Queen Victoria. Refinement, intelligence - the epithets that fans still reward this breed.
Sheltie is a shepherd cattle dog, originally named Shetland collie. But at the request of the collie breeders who protested this name, the breed was given its modern name - sheltie. The features of this miniature dog (height at the withers up to 37 cm, weight up to 8 kg) include its incredible ability to chase birds - on the Shetland islands, the Sheltie islands drove away numerous flocks of birds from grazing sheep.
Border Collie - a black and white collie whose name comes from the word "border" (the breed was originally recorded on the territorial division of Scotland and England). In the ranking of the most intelligent dogs, Border Collies take first place. These "clever" can memorize and distinguish through time up to 200 words, which is characteristic only of this breed.
Small shepherd dogs of Great Britain
Welsh Corgi (cardigan and pembroke) - working cattle dogs up to 33 cm high, weighing up to 17 kg.
Welsh Corgi cardigan - initially and now dogs with long tails), slightly higher than Pembrokes, in color there is more black.
Pembroke (the dog of the English Queen) is lower and faster. Both of these breeds came from the shepherd dogs of Wales. During the formation of cardigans, mixing with dachshunds took place, and Pembrokes were mixed with Spitz.
Queen's Dog: Breed
Photos of palace pembrokes can be seen everywhere in the country: on T-shirts, hats, dishes, postcards, posters, stickers.
Welsh Corgi Pembroke (Welsh Corgi from Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is the smallest of shepherd dogs. Her height is up to 30 cm, weight up to 14 kg. The color is predominantly red with various shades. The dog’s muzzle attracts the eye - it’s impossible to turn away from the smile of the “fox”.
The first mention of the Welsh Corgi (Welsh Corgi) was found in 10-11 centuries. Then it was the shepherd dogs that helped the shepherds drive the flocks of sheep. They were required that the animals go in the right direction and quite tightly. Corgi, having a small stature, quickly scurried between animals, biting the legs of those who fought off the herd or changed direction. Such professionalism of dogs has been developed over the centuries. During culling, non-independent, often barking individuals were weeded out.
It is believed that both Pembrokes and Cardigans had common ancestors - the Welsh Corgi - small shepherd dogs. Cardigans retained more traditional features, although they were crossed with dachshunds. Pembrokes are characterized by the presence of some signs of Spitz-shaped dogs. To date, these are two different breeds, although they are often (quite justifiably) combined into one group.
Her Highness and the Welsh Corgi Pembroke: A Joint History of “Reign”
The granddaughter of King George V was only eight years old when she and her sister first met the Pembrokes. The Queen carried love and tenderness to this breed through her whole life. At her eighteenth birthday, she received as a gift a dog named Susan.
The queen's interest in breeding Pembrokes developed gradually, at the same time there were up to thirteen dogs in the palace.
Moreover, in all subsequent litters, the blood of the first dog, Susan, was traced.
As the Corgi was carried away, there were deviations from simple pedigree reproduction - dogs were crossed with dachshunds belonging to the Queen’s sister, Margaret - they were called Dorgi. What dog is the Queen of England now? At the beginning of 2016, the 89-year-old queen had two Pembrokes (Willow and Holly) and two Dorgs. By the way, these two Pembrokes participated in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2012. Elizabeth II rejects all attempts to renew and expand the circle of pets (they are already 12 years old), explaining this by the fear of tripping over a young, frisky dog.
Queen's Dog : Sine Wave of Interest
The Queen very rarely exhibited her dogs. As a rule, interest in this event was huge. Royal Corgi exhibits have a special Windsor mark. They are never sold at breeding, but only given. Elizabeth II herself does this. To receive a gift from the hands of the queen herself - what could be more prestigious? Therefore, for over sixty years now, the inhabitants of the country have been unmistakably answering the question, what breed of dog is the English Queen. On this wave of Welsh Corgi, the Pembroke became a trendy breed in the United Kingdom. Outside the country, the breed is popular in many states. Today, the fashion for the breed is in decline. The English Cannell Club included it in the list of 300 breeds, the reproduction of which has been rapidly decreasing recently. The younger generation of the British shows almost no interest in the "salon" dogs.
Terms and conditions of content: pros and cons
Welsh Corgi Pembrokes, like all shepherd dogs, are independent. Therefore, when living together, this should be taken into account: they learn very quickly, are loyal to others around their own people, with distrust - to strangers, good watchmen are obtained from them when trained.
They play with children, as they say, without regard to decency, but in excitement they can bite their heels.
It is often necessary to comb out the coorgs living together - their long hair requires constant care of the owners. You need to walk with the Corgi a lot, otherwise they can get very well - they have a great appetite.
Pembrokes should be approached with caution; their dominant gene, short tail, is semi-lethal. Therefore, there are few puppies in litters. The low cost of Pembrokes during the sale may indicate the dishonesty of breeders.