Coat, Ears & Tail

AKC Herding Group · No. 65 in 2025

How to identify a Cardigan Welsh Corgi

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is the long-tailed corgi, ranked No. 65 by the AKC in 2025. The long, low body ends in a fox-like brush that reaches below the hock. The ears are large and prominent. Colors include brindle and blue merle, which the Pembroke doesn’t have.

Photo of a Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Photo: FatFairfax · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Field marks

These four marks are the ones the game gives you as clues. They paraphrase or briefly quote the AKC Cardigan Welsh Corgi standard.

  1. Long, low body ending in “a low tail set and fox-like brush” that reaches “well below hock”
  2. Ears “large and prominent” for the dog’s size
  3. Red, sable, brindle, black (with or without tan or brindle points) or blue merle
  4. White flashings on the neck, chest, legs, muzzle and tail tip, but white should “never surround the eyes”

Tell them apart

Cardigan Welsh Corgi or Pembroke Welsh Corgi?

Check the tail and the ears. A Cardigan has a long, fox-like brush reaching below the hock and large, prominent ears. A Pembroke’s tail is docked or naturally no longer than 2 inches. Brindle and blue merle mean Cardigan.

Cardigan Welsh Corgi

Cardigan Welsh Corgi

  1. Long, low body ending in “a low tail set and fox-like brush” that reaches “well below hock”
  2. Ears “large and prominent” for the dog’s size
  3. Red, sable, brindle, black (with or without tan or brindle points) or blue merle
  4. White flashings on the neck, chest, legs, muzzle and tail tip, but white should “never surround the eyes”
Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Pembroke Welsh Corgi

  1. Head “foxy in shape and appearance”
  2. Erect, medium ears “tapering slightly to a rounded point”
  3. Tail docked as short as possible, or naturally no longer than 2 in
  4. Red, sable, fawn, or black and tan, with or without white, on a long, low body

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