Ever since we got our first corgi, we have loved and breed and wanted to preserve it.  We strive to breed to the AKC breed standard with great temperament, trainability, and a loving demeanor. A pembroke should be bold but kindly, never be shy nor vicous. 

 

We are a family of 8 living near LaGrange WY. We farm organic crops, and raise black angus cattle, quarter horses, sheep, and Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Our kids are actively involved with 4H, AKC junior showmanship and the junior angus association, and their horses.

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We started here at Merrygold with a love of Pembrokes and a history of ranching. We started with dogs who had incredible herding skills, freewhelped litters, and were excellent mothers who raised pets with stellar dispositions for family pets. As we learned more about breed type, structure and movement, we began using show lines with titled CH dogs with great health and longevity, but somewhere along the way we lost ourselves. Over the last few years we have had more c-sections that we hoped for in a lifetime, temperament has been less consistent and the dogs ability to breed naturally, whelp their own litters, and mother without assistance wasn't there.... The lack of available vet care across the counrty during covid was the wake up call we needed..  which brings us to getting back to our roots. Our cattle horses and sheep are selected for breeding early in the season, giving birth and mothering with minimal assistance... We still believe God knew what he was doing and these fantasic little herding dogs we love so much should be bred for healthy reproduction, immune systems, and longevity. We want easy going family dogs who know when its time to work livestock or time to relax with family. We still show and title our dogs in conformation, as we will always select for good structure and movement, but we won't breed to the sire of the month or the popular sires. You will see us using dogs whose history we know well, and focusing on improving the lines we have here on the ranch. Along the way, we expect some really nice pets to be available to loving pet homes who love this breed as much as we do! We don't expect our puppies to turn a profit - we want to keep our prices reasonable enough to cover our expenses and allow you to choose a well bred puppy in the same price range as those who are being mass produced and marketed without any health history or guarantee.Our main goal is to always produce healthy puppies with ! We have chosen to breed in order to preserve the traits we dearly love about this breed, while also improving the lines and individuals in our great temperaments that stay sound into old age, just like you want from your favorite horse.  We plan each litter carefully to make slight improvements in health, type and structure while trying hard to preserve the type, health, and longevity we currently have. We must be very honest about our dog's flaws and virtues to actually make improvements, which is one reason we take showing so seriously. Breed type describes characteristics that distinguish one breed from another. We want to make sure we are preserving these important traits that we all so dearly love about pembroke welsh corgis, so that in the future this great breed still exists as it is today. (To learn more about what preserving a breed means, click here). If we are not careful when breeding, the breed can drift and look or act nothing like a corgi in a very short amount of time. Most poorly bred corgis look nothing like a well bred corgi, and it is a myth that those are "herding line" dogs.  Well bred pembrokes are very capable of herding and I've seen very snipey leggy agressive "corgis" that don't have any instint or breed type that don't herd at all. 

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Sound structure impacts all dogs, no matter their role in life. Angulation - the size, length, and angles of the bones in your dog's shoulders and hips govern how effortlessly your dog moves, and if your dog feels any pain during movement. Better structure allows a better gait, and a better chance of remaining sound and comfortable into old age. A balanced dog will be more sound than an unbalanced dog, even if the angles aren't quite ideal. A dog with poor angulation or structure is more likely to be seriously injured. A well built dog will move with less effort and strain than a poorly built dog. 

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The AKC breed Standard states "Correct type, including general balance and outline, attractiveness of headpiece, intelligent outlook and correct temperament are of primary importance. Movement is especially important, particularly as viewed from the side. A dog with a smooth and free gait has to be reasonably sound and must be highly regarded! 

 

The AKC website states "Among the most agreeable of all small housedogs, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a strong, athletic, and lively little herder who is affectionate and companionable without being needy. They are one of the world's most popular herding breeds" We find this to be very true for our dogs, and a correct disposition is very important to us. We want a bold puppy who is interested in new things, not a timid shy or aggressive puppy.

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Corgis are a herding breed, and we do select for this trait! We like all of our stock to pas the herding instinct tests at a minimum and plan to further in the training on those with the most drive. This does not make them more likely to chase or nip if they have the correct temperament!

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To ensure we are raising the healthiest puppies possible, we do OFA hips as well as OFA CERF eyes through a licensed ophthalmologist as required by the parent club. We do follow the PWCCA code of ethics when breeding, and also test our breeding adults for DM and vWD1, as well as OFA elbows and basic cardiac. There is no reason every breeder, even those who don't show, shouldn't be testing their dogs before breeding and following the breed club code of ethics.

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Why is showing important for a breeder?

The official term for dog shows is "conformation" - as in the act of conforming to or producing conformity. Dogs are not being compared to each other, rather they're being measured by how closely they conform to the standard of their particular breed. The closer a dog's appearance is to the breed's standard, the better that dogs ability will be to produce puppies that meet the standard(taken from AKC website). If a dog is reasonably sound and lacking major faults, he should be able to receive his conformation title, meaning judges think he meets the standard, and herding tests their natural instinct - the original purpose of the breed. While our heart is in the whelping box with moms and babies, and the planning of the next generation, showing is how we test our efforts and measure our progress, as well as fellowship with other ethical breeders and shows like regional or the national specialties let us see the very best in the breed and aim even higher.

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As breeders we are like the builder of a home. We plan the breeding then try to find the puppy who got all the desirable traits to carry forward. Most breeders will tell you their dogs are beautiful and meet the standard, however anyone can breed a dog, or build a building that doesn't meet code. Judges are like a building inspector, an unbiased inspections. 

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The first step towards becoming a responsible corgi owner is making sure you acquire your puppy from someone who is "building to code" and improving the breed with every litter produced. Ethical breeders will follow the PWCCA code of ethics, and breed to improve. This means they don't let you put a deposit on a newborn puppy. If a breeder is breeding to improve, they will evaluate the whole litter at 8-12 weeks before making their final selections on type temperament movement and testing. They don't sell pick of the litter as a pet nor do they sell all puppies on full registration. They will match puppies to their forever with a puppy first mentalilty - not allowing you to chose your favorite puppy but matching puppies to homes based on the puppies personality and activity level!

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Both breeders and buyers alike are responsible for preserving the future of the breed! Please shop responsibly and don't encourage unethical breeding!

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                                                                                          Merrygold Corgis