Breeding Pembroke Welsh Corgis
Thinking about breeding Pembroke Welsh corgis? – The Instagram corgi dog pics don’t show the $10K vet bills and 2 AM emergencies. Here’s what you actually need to know.Thinking about breeding Pembroke? The Instagram photos don’t show the 2 AM whelping emergencies, the $4,000 vet bills, or the heartbreak of losing puppies. This isn’t a hobby you dabble in. It’s a years-long commitment that’ll test your patience, drain your bank account, and maybe – just maybe – produce dogs worthy of the breed’s legacy.
Why Most People Shouldn’t Breed Their Corgi
Let’s get real for a second. Your Pembroke is adorable. Everyone at the dog park says so. Your mom wants a puppy from her. You’ve seen those corgi dog pics all over TikTok and figured you could make some money.
Stop right there.
Breeding dogs responsibly costs more than you’ll ever make back. I’m talking actual numbers here. Health testing both parents runs around a grand each. The stud fee? Another $1,500-$2,500 if you’re using a quality male. Prenatal vet visits, emergency C-sections (common in Pembroke), puppy vaccines, quality food for mom and babies – you’re looking at $5,000-$8,000 easy. And that’s assuming nothing goes wrong.
Things go wrong a lot.
Key Takeaways
- You’ll spend more breeding one litter than you’ll make selling puppies
- Health testing isn’t optional – hips, eyes, and genetic panels are baseline requirements
- The pembroke welsh corgi tail genetics can kill puppies if you don’t understand them
- How long do corgis live? Depends partly on how well you bred them
- Temperament matters more than looks, despite what social media tells you
The Health Testing You Can’t Skip
OFA hip evaluations. CAER eye exams. DNA panels for degenerative myelopathy, von Willebrand’s disease, Exercise-Induced Collapse. These aren’t suggestions. They’re the bare minimum.
Here’s what kills me about backyard breeders – they skip all this, charge $2,000 per puppy anyway, and act shocked when buyers come back three years later with a dog that can’t walk because of hip dysplasia. That’s on you as the breeder. Every single time.
Good hips matter in Pembroke more than people realize. Yeah, they’re low to the ground already, but bad hip structure means arthritis by age six. Joint supplements and pain medication for the next decade. Maybe surgery that costs more than the puppy did.
The personality of a corgi is mostly genetics too. Anxious parents produce anxious puppies, no matter how much you socialize them. Aggressive dogs pass that on. You need temperament evaluations from someone who actually knows what they’re doing, not just your cousin who “knows dogs.”
That Tail Thing Everyone Gets Wrong
The pembroke welsh corgi tail situation confuses people constantly. Most Pembroke you see either have naturally short tails or got docked as newborns. But genetically, this gets complicated fast.
Natural bobtail is a dominant mutation. One copy gives you that cute stumpy tail everyone loves. Two copies? Dead puppies. Seriously – the embryos don’t survive, or if they do, they’ve got severe spinal problems that mean euthanasia.
Never breed two natural bobtails together. Ever. You’re literally gambling with dead puppies.
Breed a bobtail to a full-tailed dog instead. You’ll get a mix – some short tails, some long. Who cares? In most of Europe, docking is illegal anyway. Full-tailed Pembroke are becoming normal. The tail doesn’t change anything about the dog except aesthetics.
Corgi Cross Breeds Are Not Your Job
I know, I know. Corgis mixed with Huskies look cool. Corgi-Poodles are hypoallergenic, supposedly. Australian Shepherd crosses give you a herding dog with normal legs.
Not your problem.
When you breed Pembroke, you’re preserving a specific breed with predictable traits. Families buying pembrokeshire corgi puppy know what they’re getting – size, energy, grooming, temperament. Mix in random breeds and you’ve created a grab bag nobody asked for.
“Hybrid vigor” is mostly marketing nonsense anyway. You don’t magically get healthier dogs by randomly mixing breeds. You get unpredictable health AND unpredictable temperament. Great job. Responsible purebred breeding with health testing beats designer mutts every time.
The First Eight Weeks Make or Break Everything
You know how long do corgis live? Twelve to fifteen years usually. You know what determines if those are good years or anxious, fearful years? What happens between birth and eight weeks old.
Early neurological stimulation sounds fancy but it’s simple. Gentle handling. Briefly exposing tiny puppies to mild temperature changes. Different textures under their feet. Weird sounds at low volume. This literally changes their brain development. Better stress tolerance. Better problem-solving.
Then comes socialization. By week four, you need different people handling those puppies. Not just you and your family. Different ages, different voices, different energy levels. Car rides. Doorbells. Vacuum cleaners. The goal is making normal life feel normal.
Skip this and you’re sending nervous wrecks home to families. Dogs that startle at everything. Bark at nothing. Maybe develop aggression because they’re terrified all the time. That’s on you as the breeder. You had one job during those eight weeks.
What Pembroke Personality Actually Means
The personality of a corgi isn’t what Instagram shows you. Sure, they’re cute and funny. They also bark at everything, herd children by nipping ankles, and think they’re smarter than you (they might be right).
These dogs were bred to move cattle. Actual cows that weigh 1,200 pounds. That takes confidence bordering on arrogance. Your Pembroke has that same attitude in a 30-pound package. Without proper training and outlets for their energy, they’ll destroy your house creatively.
They’re not Golden Retrievers. They don’t love everyone automatically. Most Pembrokes are reserved with strangers until they decide you’re okay. Some are straight-up suspicious. That’s normal. That’s the breed.
Anyone breeding Pembrokes needs to select for stable temperaments while keeping that working dog drive. You want confident, not aggressive. Alert, not neurotic. Biddable enough to train, but still retaining that independent Corgi attitude that makes them special.
Screening Puppy Buyers Without Being Weird About It
You’re not selling PlayStations. You’re placing living animals that’ll be around for fifteen years. Act like it.
Ask real questions. What’s their daily schedule look like? Do they work from home or gone ten hours? Have they owned dogs before? What happened to those dogs? Why do they want a Pembroke specifically?
Red flags include people who want a puppy “for the kids” (the parents better want that dog too), anyone who balks at your price, and folks who want to breed their pet-quality puppy later. Hard pass on all of those.
Contracts matter. Spay/neuter requirements for pets. Return clauses if things don’t work out. Health guarantees with specific terms. Actually enforce these. Check in six months later. One year later. Make sure your puppies ended up okay.
Some breeders maintain waiting lists for years. That’s normal when you’re only doing one or two litters. Quality over quantity. Always.
The Money Talk Nobody Wants to Have
Pembroke puppies sell for $2,000-$3,500 typically. Sounds like good money until you do the math.
Pre-breeding health testing: $2,000 (both parents). Stud fee: $2,000. Progesterone testing to time breeding: $300. Prenatal vet care and x-rays: $500. C-section if needed: $2,500. Puppy vaccines and microchips for a litter of seven: $1,000. Premium food for pregnant/nursing mom: $400.
That’s $8,700 before you’ve sold one puppy. Sell seven puppies at $2,500 each? You made $17,500. Subtract $8,700 in direct costs leaves $8,800. Now subtract all the years of showing dogs, maintaining your breeding adults, continuing education, equipment, your time.
Most serious breeders barely break even. The ones making money are cutting corners somewhere. Usually health testing. Sometimes puppy care. Always at the dogs’ expense.
Common Questions People Actually Ask
My vet said my Pembroke has great hips. Can I breed her?
Your regular vet’s opinion doesn’t count. You need OFA certification with actual x-rays submitted for evaluation. “Looks good” isn’t a health clearance.
How many litters should one female have?
Maximum four or five over her lifetime. Many responsible breeders stop at three. The dog’s health matters more than your breeding program.
Can I breed my seven-year-old Pembroke?
Probably not. First-time mothers should be under five. Dogs with previous litters might safely go to six or seven, but risks increase significantly.
What if my puppies don’t all sell?
Then you keep them. You don’t dump them at shelters or sell them cheap to whoever shows up. You created these lives. You’re responsible for them.
Is breeding Pembrokes profitable?
Only if you cut corners. Done right, it costs more than you make. Do it because you love the breed, not for money.
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