Choose a Pembroke if
You love the classic foxy look, want the slightly lighter and more compact of the two, and would like more breeders to choose from. Pembrokes are far more common, so finding a well bred puppy within reach is usually easier.
Corgi guide
Cardigan vs Pembroke Corgi: what is the difference?
Cardigan and Pembroke Welsh Corgis are two separate breeds, not two versions of one dog. The quickest tell is the tail, which the Cardigan always keeps, but Cardigans are also heavier boned, bigger eared and longer bodied, and only Cardigans come in merle and brindle. Both are clever, sturdy herding dogs, and the choice usually comes down to looks, availability and the kind of dog you want to live with.
The basics
Is a Welsh Corgi a Pembroke or a Cardigan?
Both. Welsh Corgi is the family name, and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi are the two breeds in it, so every Pembroke is a Welsh Corgi and so is every Cardigan. A search for "Pembroke vs Welsh Corgi" or "Corgi vs Welsh Corgi" is really comparing a breed with the family it belongs to.
Most Corgis you meet in the United States are Pembrokes. In the AKC's 2024 registration rankings the Pembroke placed 15th of 210 breeds and the Cardigan 60th. The name itself is usually traced to the Welsh words cor, meaning dwarf, and ci, meaning dog.
Origins
Where do Cardigan and Pembroke Corgis come from?
Both come from southwest Wales and take their names from neighboring old counties, Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire. Both were cattle dogs that moved herds by nipping at their heels, which is where the Corgi habit of herding ankles comes from.
The Cardigan is the older breed. The AKC calls it one of the oldest of all British breeds and notes that its ancestors may have arrived with the Celts some 3,000 years ago, and its AKC history places it in the same line of dogs as the Dachshund.
The Pembroke's traditional story starts in 1107, when Henry I invited Flemish weavers to settle in southwest Wales and they brought their herding dogs with them. The AKC lists spitz type breeds such as the Schipperke, Pomeranian and Keeshond in its ancestry, which fits its foxy head and lighter build. These origin stories are hard to prove in detail, but they match the differences you can see today.
Two breeds
When did Cardigans and Pembrokes become separate breeds?
For a long time they were not. The two types were freely interbred, and when the Welsh Corgi Club formed in 1925 and the dogs began to be shown under the Kennel Club in Britain, Pembrokes and Cardigans were registered and judged as one breed. Disputes in the show ring followed, and in 1934 the Kennel Club split them into two breeds.
In the United States the AKC recognized the Pembroke in 1934 and the Cardigan in 1935, after the first breeding pair of Cardigans arrived in 1931. Since then each breed has had its own standard, parent club and stud book.
The Pembroke became the better known of the two partly through the British royal family. Princess Elizabeth was given a Pembroke named Susan for her 18th birthday in 1944, and as Queen she kept Pembrokes, along with Corgi and Dachshund crosses called Dorgis, for most of her life.
Side by side
What are the differences between Cardigan and Pembroke Corgis?
Measurements and descriptions come from the AKC breed standards. Life expectancy is the AKC's breed profile estimate.
| Trait | Pembroke | Cardigan |
|---|---|---|
| Tail | Docked or a natural bob in the US; full where docking is banned | Always kept: long, low set and brushy |
| Height | 10 to 12 inches | 10.5 to 12.5 inches |
| Weight | Up to 30 pounds for males, 28 for females | 30 to 38 pounds for males, 25 to 34 for females |
| Bone and body | Sturdy, moderate bone, neither coarse nor racy | Moderately heavy bone, deep chest, longer outline |
| Ears | Medium, erect, tapering to a rounded point | Large, erect, slightly rounded at the tip |
| Front feet | Oval, pointing straight ahead | Large and round, turned slightly outward |
| Colors | Red, sable, fawn, black and tan, with or without white | Red, sable and brindle; black or blue merle, with or without tan or brindle points; white flashings usual |
| Temperament in the standard | Bold but kindly, never shy or vicious | Even tempered, loyal, affectionate and adaptable |
| Life expectancy | 12 to 13 years | 12 to 15 years |
| AKC recognition | 1934 | 1935 |
Tails
Why does the Cardigan have a tail and the Pembroke not?
Because of docking, not because Pembrokes lack tails. Many Pembroke puppies are born with full tails and some with a natural bobtail, and the AKC Pembroke standard asks for a tail docked as short as possible, so in the United States Pembroke tails are usually docked in the first days of life. The Cardigan standard calls for a tail set fairly low, reaching well below the hock and never curled over the back, so Cardigans keep theirs.
Where docking is banned, as in the UK, Australia and much of Europe, Pembrokes keep their tails and the tail test stops working. An undocked Pembroke tail is often carried higher, curving up or over the back, while a Cardigan's hangs low like a fox's brush. Our guide to Corgi tails covers natural bobtails and docking in detail.
Ears, feet and bone
How else can you tell a Cardigan from a Pembroke?
Look at the ears. A Pembroke's are medium sized and firm and taper to a slightly rounded point; its standard says a line from the nose through the eyes to the ear tips should form a rough equilateral triangle. A Cardigan's ears are large for the size of the dog, moderately wide at the base and slightly rounded at the tip, and its standard counts small or pointed ears as a serious fault.
Look at the front. A Cardigan's forearms curve around its deep chest, and its large, round front feet turn slightly outward, by no more than 30 degrees from center. A Pembroke's forearms also turn slightly inward, but its oval feet point straight ahead.
Then look at the whole dog. Heights overlap almost completely, but the Cardigan carries more bone and a longer body, which is why a Cardigan male's ideal weight starts where a Pembroke male's limit ends. Our Corgi size and weight guide covers how big each grows.
Colors
Do Cardigans and Pembrokes come in the same colors?
Partly. Both come in red and sable, and both can be black with tan, which in a Pembroke is the tricolor pattern registered as black and tan. The Cardigan adds colors a purebred Pembroke never has: brindle, black with brindle points, and blue merle, a marbled gray and black pattern. Black and white is a standard Cardigan color but a mismark in a Pembroke.
So a merle or brindle Corgi is either a Cardigan or a mix. Both national breed clubs say merle and brindle do not occur naturally in Pembrokes. Among Cardigans, merle to merle breeding risks double merle puppies with a high rate of deafness, and the Cardigan club's code of ethics allows members to breed blue merles only to black dogs. The full picture is in our Corgi colors guide.
Temperament
Is a Cardigan's temperament different from a Pembroke's?
Less than the looks suggest. Both are smart herding dogs that bond closely with their people, bark at what they notice and will herd children if nobody gives them a better job. The AKC rates the two breeds the same, 4 out of 5, for energy, trainability and openness to strangers, and rates the Cardigan a little higher for barking.
The standards hint at a difference in style. The Pembroke's calls for an outlook that is bold but kindly, while the Cardigan's asks for a dog that is even tempered, loyal, affectionate and adaptable. Breed descriptions often present the Pembroke as the more outgoing of the two and the Cardigan as steadier and more watchful, and Vetstreet's breed profile calls Cardigans naturally suspicious of strangers, which makes early socialization especially important.
Within either breed, the parents' temperaments and how a puppy is raised matter more than the breed label. Our Corgi temperament guide goes deeper.
Choosing
Which Corgi is right
for you?
Neither breed is the better dog. These are the questions that usually decide it.
Choose a Cardigan if
You want a little more dog, love a long brushy tail, or have your heart set on brindle or blue merle. Expect fewer breeders and possibly a longer wait for the right litter.
Either way, plan for
Daily exercise and training, a dog that wants a job, and plenty of hair. Both breeds have weather resistant double coats that shed year round with seasonal coat blows, as our shedding guide explains.
Ask about health testing
Both breeds can be affected by inherited conditions such as degenerative myelopathy, hip dysplasia and eye disease, so ask any breeder which tests the parents have had. Our Pembroke parents are screened for DM, hip health, CAER eyes, PRA and vWD1, and families can ask about the testing behind any puppy.
Questions
Common questions.
Can Cardigans and Pembroke Corgis be bred together?
They once were, freely, until Britain's Kennel Club separated them in 1934. Today a Cardigan and Pembroke cross is a mixed breed dog: it cannot be registered as either breed, the Cardigan club opposes crossbreeding, and a name like American Corgi does not change that. If you want predictable traits, choose one breed.
Which Corgi is better with children?
Both can be lovely family dogs, and the AKC describes both breeds as good with young children under supervision. Either may chase and nip at running children, because that is herding instinct, so teach children to stand still rather than run, and give the puppy a quiet place to retreat. Young children should not carry a Corgi of either breed, because of the long back.
Is a Cardigan just a Pembroke with a tail?
No. They are separate breeds with their own standards and histories. Beyond the tail, the Cardigan has larger, rounder ears, heavier bone, a longer body, front feet that turn slightly out and a wider range of colors, including brindle and blue merle. And a Pembroke can have a full tail too, wherever docking is not done.
Are Cardigans harder to find than Pembrokes?
Usually, yes. Far fewer Cardigans are registered each year, which means fewer breeders and fewer litters to choose from, so a search can take longer and may mean traveling farther. If you have decided on a Cardigan, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America is a good place to start looking for a breeder who health tests.
Keep reading
More Corgi guides.
Next step
Leaning toward
a Pembroke?
See how we raise our puppies on our program page, or meet the Pembroke puppies available now.