Coat, Ears & Tail

AKC Herding Group · No. 16 in 2025

How to identify a Pembroke Welsh Corgi

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a low, long herding dog with a fox-like head, ranked No. 16 by the AKC in 2025. Look for erect, slightly rounded ears and a tail docked short or naturally 2 inches or less. Colors are red, sable, fawn or black and tan, with or without white.

Photo of a Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Photo: Dog breed facts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Field marks

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

  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

Tell them apart

Pembroke Welsh Corgi or Dachshund?

Check the ears and the tail. A Pembroke Welsh Corgi has erect, pointed ears, a foxy head and a tail docked short or naturally 2 inches or less. A Dachshund’s ears hang, and it keeps a full-length tail.

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
Dachshund

Dachshund

  1. “Low to ground, long in body and short of leg”
  2. Breastbone “strongly prominent in front,” with a dimple on either side
  3. Three coats: smooth, wirehaired (with beard and eyebrows), longhaired
  4. Patterns include dapple (merle), brindle, piebald, and sable

Pembroke Welsh Corgi or Cardigan 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.

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
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”

Test your eye

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