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Permalink Reply by Beth on December 8, 2012 at 12:53pm

I would not encourage my Corgis to back-flip either, but both of mine are heavier in front and a bit longer than this guy; the one in the video has a balanced build more like a big terrier.  

Ludi, I have to say that if a dog should not be allowed to negotiate stairs, then they should seriously look at revising the standard, because when you reach the point where your dog has a reasonable chance of getting hurt by going up and down steps, then you have chosen to breed to an extreme in conformation that is inherently detrimental to the dog.  When a full-grown dog with no injuries needs to be kept from doing routine activities, then there is a problem.  

My breeders' dogs jump on and off couches, in and out of the back of the van, etc on their own with no assistance, and so do several other Pems I know who are show dogs and breeding dogs.   Not to mention the number of Corgis who do full-sized A-frames and compete at 12" at the highest level of agility.   Jack jumped 20" in agility class one night by mistake; I wouldn't encourage it but he did it with ease from a standstill.

I think the down side of the teeter has as much force as the landing from a flip, though lacks the twisting motion.

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Permalink Reply by Ludi on December 8, 2012 at 1:32pm

Well Cardigans are definitely getting bigger and heavier, and with tons of bone it's not a surprise that some of them would be pretty hefty for actively zipping up and down stairs. But what I meant with "unmonitored" use of stairs is that sometimes they'll decide to skip the bottom (or two, or three) steps and fly off, and I think we can agree that it's not ideal to be doing that super often! When I take Ace down a flight of stairs I always make him run down to the last one and don't let him skip it, just as a precautionary measure.

Ace jumps and climbs very well since I've kept him trim and fit, and of course in agility we try our best to ensure that the dog doesn't come off worse for wear from contact work and we do "condition" our dogs for it. But unsupervised zoomies on and off stairs are a bit of a no-no for these people, anyway, since we're not there to make sure they don't pull a Superman and launch into flight four steps before the end. :-D

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Permalink Reply by Beth on December 8, 2012 at 4:19pm

Ok, I getchya!   Sorry if I sounded a bit b!#chy!!    I DO think some Cardis are getting too heavy and long and other lines are quite athletic looking.  Perhaps judges should stop putting up the massive dogs; I think breeders should always keep in mind that this is meant to be a poor man's all-purpose farm dog and breed accordingly.  I have had both of mine decide to run headlong up (and down!) very steep hillsides (think "cliff) rather than take the switchback trail, much to my consternation.  They were surprisingly agile and it made me realize that the low center-of-gravity that comes with those stubby legs serves many useful purposes.

My dogs have never tried to take flying leaps off stairs and I think it's because the stairs are wood so they are always mindful of their footing.   I have had each of them try to take a flying leap off the full-height vet table, so I agree that it can be necessary to protect them from themselves!   

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Permalink Reply by Ludi on December 8, 2012 at 4:32pm

The massive dogs do tend to be put up as that's what catches the eye more, it seems, in the Group ring. Flashy, big, tons of reach, lots of bone, and really thick, sometimes what I would dare to call "soft" coats - a LOT of them to be seen in the show ring these days! Ace on the other hand is a tiny 10 kilo male, not very coated at all, but I know he'd work tirelessly on the farm. :-D

And yes, their low centres of gravity really do come in handy. Ace is known as the Master of Dodging to our dog-owner friends. He manages to escape and outmanoeuvre lanky Border Collies with ease. Lady is in a stage right now where she looks to be entirely legs, and she's quite nimble but definitely very much a gawky child. She can bolt ahead for the ball in a straight corridor, but if there's any turns or corners involved, Ace will certainly get to it first and then play Keep Away to great results from her. :-D

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on December 8, 2012 at 11:47pm

I would be wary of smooth stairs.  I mixed a lot of nonskid sand into the paint for my basement stairs.  They jump off the sofa, so I try to keep soft nonskid throw-rugs at landing zones.  I'd think a slip when jumping onto a smooth floor could injure someone. 

I've been surprised how well Al & Gwynn do on steep terrain, including mountain snow and rocky talus (we avoid bouldery terrain).  I've watched them learn routefinding skills ("Whoa, too steep here, let's go back and try another way...").  I often offer a "corgi toss" (a standard command) over a log or something, and they just laugh at me and jump the obstacle.  They can ascend heather slopes that are so steep I wouldn't want them descending them.

But I'm going to be more conservative with terrain and distance.  Al lamed-up on day 6 of a backpacking trip last Sept., seems fine now but I don't know what happened or how well it's healed.  I suspect knee, either an unseen trauma or just overuse.  The trip was not especially challenging for him, but we had been in 3 miles of heavy blown-down trees the day before.  Might have tried to jump a log too high?  My bad; I'd come to regard him as indestructible.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on December 9, 2012 at 10:30pm

Henry is crazy about the snow, he'd probably do this if I let him lol. I wouldn't encourage it though, it kind of freaks me out!

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