Feel the ribs
Run your flat hands along the chest. At an ideal weight you can feel each rib easily under a thin layer of fat, without pressing. If you have to push to find them, your Corgi is carrying extra.
Corgi guide
How big do
Corgis get?
A full grown Pembroke Welsh Corgi stands 10 to 12 inches tall at the shoulder and, under the breed standard, weighs no more than 30 pounds for a male or 28 pounds for a female. Most are close to their adult weight by their first birthday, and body shape tells you more about a healthy weight than the number on the scale.
Full grown
How big is a full
grown Corgi?
The AKC standard for the Pembroke Welsh Corgi sets a height of 10 to 12 inches, measured from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders. Weight should be in proportion to size, not over 30 pounds for males and 28 pounds for females. In show condition, the standard prefers males of about 27 pounds and females of about 25.
Corgis are long rather than tall. The standard asks for the distance from the shoulders to the base of the tail to be about 40 percent greater than the height, so an 11 inch Corgi measures roughly 15 inches along the back. That low, solid build packs a medium dog's weight into a small dog's height.
The standard also says obviously oversized dogs and diminutive, toylike ones should be very severely penalized in the show ring, one reason there is no such thing as a recognized mini Corgi.
Growth chart
How much should a Corgi weigh by age?
We built these ranges from the Waltham puppy growth charts for dogs expected to weigh 9 to 15 kilograms as adults, about 20 to 33 pounds. The charts come from the records of healthy, normal weight puppies at US veterinary hospitals. We read off the lines that finish at a typical Pembroke adult weight, converted them to pounds, and checked them against published Corgi charts.
| Age | Typical weight | Share of adult weight |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | 8 to 13 pounds | About 35 to 40 percent |
| 4 months | 12 to 17 pounds | About half |
| 5 months | 15 to 20 pounds | About 60 to 65 percent |
| 6 months | 17 to 23 pounds | About three quarters |
| 9 months | 20 to 28 pounds | About 90 percent |
| 12 months | 22 to 30 pounds | 95 percent or more |
| Adult | Up to 28 pounds for females, 30 for males | Full grown |
Treat this as a rough guide, not a target. Females tend toward the lower half of each range and males toward the upper half by nine months. A puppy from small parents can track below these numbers and be perfectly healthy, and the charts are not designed for puppies under 12 weeks. What matters is a steady curve: Waltham advises talking to your vet if a puppy's weight crosses two centile lines, up or down.
Growing up
When do Corgis
stop growing?
Most Pembrokes are close to adult size somewhere between 9 and 12 months. On the Waltham charts for dogs this size, weight gain slows sharply after about nine months and the curves are nearly flat by the first birthday. Many Corgis keep filling out through the chest for a few more months, which fits PetMD's estimate that dogs of 24 to 59 pounds finish growing at 12 to 15 months.
Bones grow from soft growth plates near their ends, and growth stops when those plates close. Your vet can confirm it with an X-ray, which is worth doing before agility, jogging or other hard exercise. The age of spaying or neutering can affect when growth plates close, one more reason to plan that timing with your vet.
Males and females
How much do male and female Corgis weigh?
Males run a little heavier. The standard caps males at 30 pounds and females at 28, with ideal show weights of about 27 and 25. Both share the same 10 to 12 inch height range, so a male and a female can stand the same height and still differ by a few pounds.
Size runs in families, so the parents are the best clue to how big a puppy will be. Ask your breeder what the parents weigh at a healthy body condition. Keep in mind that the standard is written for the show ring. A pet with a slightly larger frame can be healthy a little over the limit, which is why body condition matters more than the number.
Body condition
How can you tell if a Corgi is overweight?
Vets use a nine point body condition score, where 4 or 5 is ideal. A Corgi's thick coat hides a lot, so use your hands as well as your eyes. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found that 59 percent of US dogs were overweight or obese in 2022, and nearly a third of owners of overweight pets thought their pet was at a normal weight.
Look from above
Standing over your dog, you should see a waist behind the ribs. A straight or bulging line from ribs to hips means too much fat. Feel along the sides if the coat hides the shape.
Look from the side
The belly should rise slightly from the chest toward the back legs. On a short legged dog this tuck is subtle, but a belly that hangs level with the chest or lower is a clear sign of extra weight.
Check the back and tail
Fat pads over the lower back and at the base of the tail build up as a dog moves past ideal. On the WSAVA scale, noticeable fat there plus ribs that are hard to feel puts a dog at 7 out of 9.
Slimming down
How do you help an overweight Corgi lose weight?
Weight loss in a food loving breed takes patience. Plan it with your vet, who can rule out medical causes and set a target weight and daily calories.
Get a target from your vet
Your vet can score body condition, check for problems such as an underactive thyroid, and work out how much your Corgi should eat to lose weight safely.
Measure every meal
Use a measuring cup, or better, a kitchen scale, and feed set meals rather than leaving food down. Everyone in the house needs to follow the same plan.
Make treats count
Take training treats out of the daily ration, break them small, and swap some for praise, play or kibble from the meal. Our guide to the best dog food for Corgis covers choosing a diet.
Add activity gradually
Lengthen walks a few minutes at a time and add short games and training sessions. Avoid sudden hard exercise for a heavy dog, since the extra weight already strains the back and joints.
Weigh and adjust
Weigh your Corgi every two to four weeks on the same scale and recheck body condition. If the weight is not moving, go back to your vet rather than cutting food sharply on your own.
Two breeds
Are Cardigan Corgis bigger than Pembrokes?
Yes. The AKC Cardigan standard calls for 10.5 to 12.5 inches at the shoulder, so Cardigans are only slightly taller, but they are noticeably heavier: ideally 30 to 38 pounds for males and 25 to 34 pounds for females. The standard also describes moderately heavy bone and a deep chest, and Cardigans carry a full, fox like tail.
Pembrokes are the smaller and lighter of the two Welsh Corgi breeds. Our Cardigan vs Pembroke guide compares them side by side.
Questions
Common questions.
Is a Corgi a small or medium dog?
Somewhere in between. At 10 to 12 inches tall, a Pembroke has the height of a small dog, but at up to 30 pounds it weighs as much as many medium breeds. The UK's Royal Kennel Club lists the Pembroke as a small breed, and the AKC places it in the Herding Group.
How long is a Corgi's body?
The Pembroke standard asks for the distance from the top of the shoulders to the base of the tail to be about 40 percent greater than the height at the shoulder. For a dog 10 to 12 inches tall, that works out to roughly 14 to 17 inches of back, before you add the neck and head.
My Corgi weighs over 30 pounds. Is that a problem?
Not always, so check body condition first. The 30 pound limit is a show standard, and a tall, big framed male can be lean slightly above it. In a breed this food driven, though, extra pounds are usually fat. If you cannot feel the ribs easily or see a waist, ask your vet for a target weight.
How do I know if my Corgi is too thin?
On the WSAVA body condition scale, a dog at 3 out of 9 has ribs that are easy to feel, with no fat over them, and may be visible. The tops of the spine show and the hip bones are becoming prominent. Under a thick coat you may only find this with your hands. If your Corgi is losing weight without trying, see your vet.
How can I tell how big my Corgi puppy will get?
The best clues are the parents' adult weights at a healthy body condition and your puppy's growth curve after 12 weeks. A puppy that tracks steadily along the same line on a growth chart is likely to finish near the matching adult weight. Ask your vet to record weight at every visit so you can see the trend.
Keep reading
More Corgi guides.
Next step
Raising a
healthy Corgi?
Read our guides on how long Corgis live and Corgi health problems, or meet the puppies available now.