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[paxamicus AT earthlink.net]

> The truth is I have
> > three rescue corgis
>
> I've been meaning to ask you about them.  I LOVE herding dogs.  I  
> had a
> German Shepherd as a kid, and as an adult I've had Shelties, border
> collies, and now I have an Aussie.  I have been really looking at
> corgies as a potential future dog.  I especially like the Pembroke  
> Welsh
> variety.  I know they are yappers like Shelties-I'm okay with that,  
> what
> else can you tell me?  I LOVE smart dogs...where do they fit on the
> intelligence scale compared to other herders?

Oh, my house elves, I do love my girlie girls. You might regret asking.

Corgies like every other breed have been "beautified". This AKC  
sanctioned habit of breeding for looks and not content has effected  
them, too. The dumbing down of smart partners to pampered ornament.   
That said, the ones I've been lucky to know retain enough character  
that they are for me a real pleasure to be around.

They are stalwart, sturdy, strong, busy, determined, brave, funny,  
cheerful, vocal, and independent (read stubborn). They keep themselves  
busy, and not in the bad way a bored BC can be "busy", I  mean they  
take in interest in everything around them and will occupy themselves  
rather than lying around. They give themselves jobs and do them  
faithfully. Insofar as they understand their jobs, whatever they are,  
they are extremely canny about getting them done. They are loving and  
affectionate with their own people, but they have that reserved streak  
(some people call it the "he's a one person dog" thing) that keeps  
them from being slobbery over effusive attention hounds. They can be a  
bit dim about changes in routine, that is, although they are  
exceptional in their own little rounds, they remain so dedicated to  
them that it's not always easy to get them to do something differently.

They can be snappy if you don't catch it early. They can be overly  
shy. Their backs have a tendency to give out in old age, and it's  
heart breaking because their brains are still going strong. They can  
have terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible teeth. They are flat  
footed so even if you are religious about manicures you can hear them  
clicking around all over the house. And then there is their  
chattiness....they talk to you, that's all there is to it. If you are  
interacting with them, every single line of an ear or head cock is  
talking back, so when they actually make a noise, to me it's just an  
exclamation mark in the ongoing conversation, but to some people it  
just sounds like yapping, I guess. I don't consider them unnecessarily  
noisy, but then, I wouldn't expect a friend to sit around in my  
kitchen without saying anything, you know?

I love this pic of Sweetpea (who is the self-appointed driveway  
guardian) and Marmalade the cat.   http://www.hopefieldfarm.com/freeimages/dogs/sweetpea/uhoh.jpg 
      She chases him, he chases her, I yell at them both to knock it  
off, I get this...