15 Spectacular Corgi Fun Facts That You Will Love

The Welsh Corgi is one of the most popular dogs in the world. It’s so loved in fact, that even Queen Elizabeth II had a few for herself. These dogs are small, fluffy, friendly, and overall amazing family pets. 

But there are many things about the Corgi you haven’t heard yet. In this article, we tell you about the most interesting Corgi fun facts you should know.

Most Interesting Corgi Facts 

• There are two different Corgi breeds – Pembrokes and Cardigans.
• Corgis have old legends where they are said to be ridden by fairies.
• This breed originates since around 1200 BCE.
• The Corgi name comes from the Welsh “cor” – dwarf, and “gi” – dog.
• Queen Elizabeth II loved Corgis and owned around 30 of them.
• Betty White and Steven King are among many celebrity Corgi owners.
• Corgi butts consist of 79.4% air.
• The Swedish Vallhund is the Viking cousin of the Corgi.
• Some Corgi puppies get their ears taped at an early age.
• The beautiful Merle Corgi is prone to deafness and vision problems.

1. There are two different types of Corgi.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi might have similar names but are quite different dogs. In fact, they come from two different ancestors. Cardigans come from the Teckel family of dogs and developed in Cardiganshire, Wales. Pembrokes come from the Spitz family of dogs and developed in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Their most notable difference is the tail. Pembroke Corgis have a docked tail, while Cardigan Corgis have a long tail. The dogs were considered to be the same breed until 1934 when the AKC officially accepted them as different breeds.

2. Corgis are “enchanted dogs” loved by fairies.

As Welsh legend goes, Corgis were used by fairies to ride into battle. One day, two Welsh children stumbled upon a funeral procession of the Tywyth Teg fairy tribe. There, they were gifted two Corgis and taught about the great warrior and herding qualities of this breed.

The stories usually talk only about the Pembroke Corgis, and not the Cardigans. Some Corgis are noticed to have a small dark patch of fur under their shoulders still known as the “fairy saddle”.

3. The origin of Corgis begins 3000 years ago.

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is believed to have been brought to Cardiganshire, Wales by a Celtic tribe around 1200 BCE. This makes the breed around 3000 years old. Compared to that, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi begins its history around 1107 CE when Flemish weavers migrated to Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Even in their earliest history, Corgis were used as herding dogs due to their build. The Corgis’ short legs help them avoid attacks from domestic animals while allowing them to nip at their feet.

4. Corgis are “dwarf dogs”.

The origin of the name “Corgi” is believed to come from two Welsh words. The first is “cor” meaning dwarf, and the second is “gi” meaning dog. Therefore, Corgi means “dwarf dog”.

Some argue that the word “cor” meant to watch over, or to gather, giving it the meaning of a watchdog or herding dog. 

Another interesting Corgi fact is that these dogs are born with a condition called chondrodysplasia, which does literally make them dwarf dogs.

5. Queen Elizabeth II loved Corgis.

In fact, it is believed that the Queen had around 30 Corgis throughout her lifetime. All of the Queen’s Corgis were Pembroke Welsh Corgis. She also had some Dorgis – Dachshund and Corgi mixes.

The first ever Corgi the Queen had was called Dookie and was brought home by King George VI in 1933. Another favorite by the Queen was a Corgi called Susan – the mother of the many other Corgis she owned.

6. The Queen isn’t the only celebrity that owned Corgis.

There are many other notable famous people that own this lovely dog breed. Betty White, from the popular sitcom The Golden Girls, had a little Corgi called Bandit.

Steven King, the king of horror, is another famous person in love with Corgis. He has a tri-colored Pembroke Corgi called Molly, or “The Thing of Evil”.

Other celebrities that love Corgis include Keifer Sutherland, Stephen Fry, Alton Brown, Tallulah Willis, and Kendra Wilkinson.

7. Corgis have “bubble butts”.

You might be familiar with this Corgi fact if you’ve seen the ways Corgis walk. But the interesting thing is that if you drop a Corgi in water, you will notice its butt floating on the surface.

This happens because Corgi’s butts consist of 79.4% air. This gives their butt a hollow structure that allows it to float in water. Most other mammals have their butts filled with high-density muscle fibers instead of air.

8. The Swedish Vallhund is the rare cousin breed of the Corgi.

Swedish Vallhunds (known in Swedish as Västgötaspets) are small to medium sized dogs originating from Sweden. Used by Vikings, these dogs are believed to be at least 1000 years old. They were used as herding dogs, just like their cousin breed.

They have long bodies with short legs that bring them closer to the ground. An intelligent, affectionate, playful, and bossy temperament makes them an obvious relative to the Corgi.

9. Corgi puppies get their ears taped by their owners.

We all know the Corgi for its fox-like upright ears. But young Corgi puppies are actually born with large folded floppy ears. This is because their ear muscles and cartilage are still underdeveloped at birth. Usually, their ears will fully develop and straighten up at the age of 8 weeks, but some take longer.

Some owners are worried that their Corgi’s ears will stay floppy and resort to taping the ears upwards. They believe this helps ease the maturation process.

10. Some Corgis inherit a “fluffy” trait.

Corgis with long fluffy coats are one of the rare varieties they can have. These Corgis have such a long double coat due to the recessive FGF5 fluff gene they inherit from their parents. They require a lot of brushing to prevent knots and mats from forming.

Another Corgi fact is that although wanted by many dog lovers, this mutation is deemed undesirable by the AKC. This means that these dogs won’t do good in dog competitions.

11. Merle Colored Corgis are prone to congenital deafness.

A Merle-colored dog means its coat is colored in different colors and patterns making the dog look unique. It also affects the dog’s eyes making them strikingly blue or different colored.

The Merle gene is the reason for this coat. This gene is also known for its connection to serious health issues like deafness and vision problems. In fact, a study was done proving the larger occurrence of congenital deafness in dogs with the Merle gene.

12. There are male Corgis born without balls.

When born, male Corgis have their testicles still inside their body, somewhere near the kidneys. At the age of 2 months, the testicles drop and find their way into the scrotum. This can sometimes happen late, but usually until 6 months of age.

A condition called cryptorchidism can happen in some Corgis where the testicles don’t reach the scrotum. This causes a lot of problems in later life, like cancer. These dogs need to be neutered.

13. Your Corgi may try to herd you.

One interesting Corgi fact is that the breed was originally bred to herd animals. Its small size helped the dogs to avoid the attacks of domestic animals and to have access to their feet. 

Because of their herding history, these dogs are naturally bossy and will even try to herd their owners. They do this by barking and nipping at the feet. But Corgis aren’t aggressive dogs overall so you don’t have to worry.

14. Corgis are chatty with their owners.

Corgi owners know how much their pets like to talk and mumble. They make all kinds of sounds from barking, to grumbling, whining, and chirping. They have a need to tell you everything and they will do it with big smiles on their face.

They might have such a need to communicate due to being some of the most intelligent dogs. They were the 11th smartest dog in the world in Stanley Coren’s book The Intelligence of Dogs.

15. Corgi owners are social and talkative.

People say that owners choose their pets according to their own personalities. It is common we see people on the street walking with dogs that look just like them.

Owners who love Corgis will be as playful and excited as their little pups. They enjoy being the life of the party. They are intelligent and alert, but can also get very stubborn about things. At last, Corgi owners are also foodies and enjoy eating.

Did You Like These Corgi Fun Facts?

Corgis are beautiful small fox-like dogs loved by many people in the world. They are such good dogs that many celebrities owned one, even Queen Elizabeth II of the UK.

We hope you enjoyed learning something new about these amazing dogs. If you are someone who is in a dilemma about getting one, we can only tell you that this is the perfect dog for anyone, even first-time owners.