What colors do Pembrokes come in?
Pembroke Welsh Corgis come in Red, Sable, Red Headed Tri (RHT), and Black Headed Tri (BHT).
Red is the most dominant color, with BHT being the most recessive.
[There is a great chart that shoes how the different colors work, unfortunately I am having trouble finding it!! Once I find it again I will add it on here]
There are other genes that affect the base color of pembrokes as well.
Dilutes (bluies)- Cause a dilution to black color
Mismarks- These dogs have white where white shouldn't be, or are missing white all together
"Whitelies"- This happens when dogs are mostly white. This is an extreme fault but is not associated with any health problems (although dogs with white over the ears and eyes CAN be more prone to be blind and deaf)
Red is the most dominant color, with BHT being the most recessive.
[There is a great chart that shoes how the different colors work, unfortunately I am having trouble finding it!! Once I find it again I will add it on here]
There are other genes that affect the base color of pembrokes as well.
Dilutes (bluies)- Cause a dilution to black color
Mismarks- These dogs have white where white shouldn't be, or are missing white all together
"Whitelies"- This happens when dogs are mostly white. This is an extreme fault but is not associated with any health problems (although dogs with white over the ears and eyes CAN be more prone to be blind and deaf)
Blue Merle VS Bluie
I see many people lately looking for a "Blue Merle Pembroke" or "Blue Merle Purebred Corgi". The only way to get a Purebred Blue Merle is to get a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Blue merle is not genetically found in Pembrokes and any dog being sold as such is a mixed breed dog that is not registered with AKC. Often times breeders will claim they are purebred by registering them with less reputable registries. Blue merle is not the same as a "Bluie" so be careful to know the difference when looking for a puppy. "Bluies" are created from the Dilute gene that IS found in purebred Pembrokes. This gene dilutes the black pigment on all colors of dogs. There are no health issues associated with this gene, where are the merle gene, if not bred carefully, can come with a few health issues.
There are breeders out there who will argue that there dogs tested out as "100% genetically pembroke" after generations of breeding. Since merle is NOT in the pembroke genes, and a merle dog would obviously have the merle gene, this would be a false statement. The mere fact that the dog has the presence of this gene means that at least ONE gene is NOT from the pembroke.
It is important to note that Brindle and wolf agouti are also not genetically found in the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Brindle is another color of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the wolf agouti can be found in a related breed known as the Swedish Valhund (adorable by the way, look them up!)
Although all these colors are beautiful, there are both known and possible unknown health issues related to crossing for color. If your heart is set on one of these crosses please do your research thoroughly and buy from a breeder that is not only genetically testing their dogs but is also completely honest that there dogs are NOT pembrokes and is very knowledgeable about the merle gene and how it works.
There are breeders out there who will argue that there dogs tested out as "100% genetically pembroke" after generations of breeding. Since merle is NOT in the pembroke genes, and a merle dog would obviously have the merle gene, this would be a false statement. The mere fact that the dog has the presence of this gene means that at least ONE gene is NOT from the pembroke.
It is important to note that Brindle and wolf agouti are also not genetically found in the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Brindle is another color of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the wolf agouti can be found in a related breed known as the Swedish Valhund (adorable by the way, look them up!)
Although all these colors are beautiful, there are both known and possible unknown health issues related to crossing for color. If your heart is set on one of these crosses please do your research thoroughly and buy from a breeder that is not only genetically testing their dogs but is also completely honest that there dogs are NOT pembrokes and is very knowledgeable about the merle gene and how it works.
What is a Fluffy?
The Fluffy gene creates a long haired pembroke. These coats are beautiful, but obviously going to be higher maintenance. I personally adore them. When you add in a tail you end up with a beautiful, foxy look. This is a recessive gene and although this coat is considered "undesirable", it will never go away since the carriers of the fluffy gene tend to have that beautiful "plush" coat that show breeders love to have in the ring. At this time I do not have any known fluffy carriers. My dogs have not been tested for it. Based on their coats, either of my males could possibly carry it, I'm highly doubtful that either of my females do though. If you are interested in being contacted if I ever have a fluffy I am more than willing to put you on a list, however, keep in mind, it could be a very long wait!
Bob tail in Pembrokes
Some people are under the false belief that Pembrokes are born without tails. While SOME can be, due to the T-box mutation, MOST are born with full length tails. Even those that have the T-box mutation generally have part of a tail. The T-box mutation is a dominant gene that is deadly as a double dominant. To learn more about this gene, check out the tails page here!