Welsh Corgi mixed with unknown; help identify unknown.

Heidi is a thirteen-month old Welsh Corgi/something mix Dad found wandering around our backyard on Friday. We found her masters, but the woman who came to collect her revealed that her husband did not want the dog, so she had been left staked outside for months. Not only is that cruel; in my neighborhood, that is coyote bait. Prior to that, her family had abandoned her when they moved away, so she roamed her neighborhood for months before the pound finally picked her up. She was put on death row for nipping at another dog and rescued at the last minute by the sister of the woman who came to pick her up. For reasons that are unclear, Heidi wound up living with the neighbor, who is too sick to keep up with her, and whose husband would just as well see her dead. So, Dad offered to take her in. The woman said she'd think about it, and dragged her home.

The next day, I woke up to Dad calling around the house after he returned from somewhere. He had Heidi with him. Her owners had surrendered her.

So, we have a dog. And the cats are not amused. She keeps trying to play with them, but they're not having any of it. Heidi is a total sweetheart, but is in dire need of some training. I took her to the dog park yesterday, and she did wonderfully with the other dogs, but she did not listen to a damn word I said. We're working on getting her to walk on a lead without pulling and not to jump on furniture. One small thing at a time. Dad signed up for obedience training at PetSmart. Mom is only allowing her to stay on the conditions that she minds, and that she does not harass the cats. Dad is really jumping into this. He's already fallen in love with her.

That being said, to give this girl the best chance in her new home, I want to know the most I can about her breed makeup. This website has already been very informative on Corgi behavior and needs. If I can identify her other genetic contributions, maybe I can know how to even better serve her.

Please provide some suggestions. What do you think her breed hybrid is?

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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on January 17, 2010 at 5:11am

Awwww.... She's cute as a bug!

In order for her to look like she does, the non-corgi part of her would have to a) have drop ears b) be "ticked" - see the flecking of colors on her legs and muzzle? c) either be irish-marked or spotted, and d) either be or carry the red/fawn color she has. That's because if you breed a corgi to anything that is not spotted, you don't get that big fat white collar. You might get a little chest spot or toes but that's it. And red/fawn is recessive to most other things, so (for example) a corgi x lab would produce an entire litter of solid black puppies, no matter what color the Lab was. Also, coat lengths tend to be reflective of both parents so in this case it would have been short.

So Dad or Mom was a short-haired dog with small drop ears and a white collar (or white spots) and was either red or was of a breed that carries red. That narrows it down a lot.

She looks a LOT like a boxer-Pem mix, but that's not the only option - what are the most common dog breeds around where you live? Maybe a pointer? Pit bull mixes are the most common absolutely everywhere, but she doesn't look bully to me. Something with a bigger head but not a bully head would be my guess.

And, of course, remember that it's not necessarily just two breeds. If you've got a lot of loose dogs around there or a lot of people have random-bred dogs, she could be four or five breeds.

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Permalink Reply by Lauren Cook on February 5, 2010 at 1:39pm

This is extremely helpful. Thank you. I know human genetics, but very little about dog genetics.

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Permalink Reply by Lauren Cook on February 5, 2010 at 1:40pm

I would do the DNA test in my own lab, but we have no dog DNA primers, and my boss would murder me if I used the grant money to order such primers.

She certainly is sassy. Doesn't mind well, but we're making progress with training.

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Permalink Reply by Kathryn Graham on January 17, 2010 at 12:52pm

Give your dad a hug for me-- what a sweet man! And I know that taking her to obedience classes will help her be a good citizen in your household. She's so cute-- her smile is all corgi!

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Permalink Reply by Lauren Cook on February 5, 2010 at 1:41pm

Dad denies up and down he's sweet. He's like Dr. House on the outside--gruff and sarcastic, but he's extremely soft-hearted with animals.

So far housebreaking isn't going as well as we'd hoped.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on January 17, 2010 at 2:22pm

Oh what a cutie! I love her look! Tell your dad "thank you" and that is great that he is being pro-active and signed up for classes already. It will take a little time but it sounds like everyone is working hard. It's not her fault that she doesn't know much because she was never taught! So please be patient and there are things you can teach her about leaving the cats alone...slow...is the word...sounds like this young lady has been through alot and needs a family to love her forever. Glad she found you! Keep us updated. You can find lots of info but you can start by going to American Kennel Club and looking up Pems and then they will give all kinds of info! I just love those pics...you can see that corgi "attitude"

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Permalink Reply by Lauren Cook on February 5, 2010 at 2:06pm

One month later and we're still having trouble with housetraining. It's just this one spot in the living room.

But she's calmed down a lot, and stays off the furnature. The youngest of our cats, who has never been around a dog, is finally approaching her.

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Permalink Reply by Jeny (and Wrigley) on January 18, 2010 at 1:08pm

She is adorable!! I think I see maybe some Aussie Cattle Dog in here. I'm not very good with these things, but my boyfriend's family has one and I see some similar characteristics. Maybe a Red Heeler?