The Welsh Corgi or Corgi, plural Corgis, is a small type of herding dog that originated in
Wales. The name corgi is derived from the Welsh words cor and ci (which is
mutated to gi), meaning "dwarf" and "dog", respectively. Two separate
breeds are recognized: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh
Corgi. Physical differences are seen between the two breeds. According to
the breed standards, overall the Cardigan is larger, both in weight and
height. Their tails are of different shapes, and docking was previously
performed on Corgis before the practice was largely banned. Historically,
the Pembroke has been attributed to the influx of dogs alongside Flemish
weavers from around the 14th century, while the Cardigan is attributed to
the dogs brought with Norse settlers, in particular a common ancestor of
the Swedish Vallhund. The Pembroke is the more popular of the two, yet
still appears on the Kennel Club's vulnerable dog breeds of the United
Kingdom list. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi gained in popularity because
Elizabeth II had personally owned more than 30 Pembrokes or
Corgi-Dachshund crosses, known as dorgis.
