Book Review: Welsh Corgis: Pembroke And Cardigan

My latest read is Richard Beauchamp's Welsh Corgis: Pembroke and Cardigan (Complete Pet Owner's Manuals). It was definitely a step up from the last Corgi-specific book I read. Again, it didn't have a lot about what makes Corgis unique (which is what I was hoping to find from these books), but there was so much good general information that it made up for it, and there were a few useful snippets about Corgi behavior.

This book is fairly short (only about 120 pages), it covers the usual bases like feeding, grooming, housebreaking, etc., and it has dozens for amazing pictures of adorable Corgis. As you can tell from the title, the book covers both breeds of Corgi (Pembroke and Cardigan), and actually spends a little time covering the minor differences between them. Other than the obvious physical differences, and the fact they were bred in different areas of Wales, Cardigans tend to have a more calm, friendliness to them, while Pembrokes are more bold.

This book, like the last I reviewed, tried to do too much, but it did what it did better, I think. There was information in this book I didn't already know, and while it was all interesting, it wasn't all necessary. The end of the book covers how to breed Corgis, which I don't think should have been brought up at all. It was interesting to read, but I would hope anyone looking to actually breed Corgis would find much more in depth information from difference resources than this book.

The book did have some interesting and very detailed information on health, specifically vaccinations and parasites. It not only explained all the different parasites that plague dogs, but also what they look like. Eww! It also detailed the different vaccines that puppies need and why they are needed.

I would recommend this book for someone who is thinking of getting a Corgi, but mostly for people who have never had a dog before and haven't done much research yet. It's a good starting point for getting an idea of what own a dog entails.

What I learned (or confirmed) about Corgis, they are friendly and devoted. They want to be with you all the time. They need something to do, so if you don't live on a farm, it'd be good to do some classes: obedience, agility, herding, conformation, etc. They are small, but they don't know it. They won't back down from a fight with another dog, which I think makes them pretty fearless. They will rule your house, they will rule the dog park, they will rule anything and everything you let them. They won't be content to just curl up at your feet every night, so be prepared to play!