Of the two Welsh Corgis, the Cardigan is thought to be the older breed, a dog brought to Cardiganshire, Wales  (known today as today as Ceredigion) around 1200 BCE by a warrior tribe of Celts. Doing the math results in learning that this is a dog that has been in Wales for over 3,000 years!  As early as the 10th century, the Welsh were using the short dogs as “nippers” – herding dogs that darted amidst the hooves of cattle munching on unfenced pastures, and occasionally thrusting a foot at the pesky dog at its heels. Brevity in height enabled the dogs to easily dodge the blows.

In its early days, the dog was called a “cur,” the old word for drover. “Ci” (also seen as “Gi) was Welsh for dog, so reasonably, people used “Curgi” to refer to the dog, though it should be said that others think that the breed’s name comes from “cor” for dwarf or “to gather,”and “gi” for dog. Certainly both derivations fit, but as is so often the case, dog breeds can be known by many names. In its native Cardiganshire, the dog was the “yard long dog,” or as the locals said it, Ci Llathaid. He was also known as Ci Sodli, or heeler dog.

But wait!

The original Corgi was also sometimes also referred to as the Bronant Corgi. Bronant was a small village in the heart of the Cardiganshire hills, and until around 1870, it was about the only place in Wales where no other dog breed but the Cardigan Welsh Corgi could be found. Some people, however, took a “10,000 foot view” of the dogs, and since they lived in Cardiganshire, the Corgis also became known as Cardiganshire Corgis, a name that “stuck,” and became shortened over time to Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

Image: Cardigan Welsh Corgi by DJ Rogers – k9artgallery
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