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Some examples of Cardi outline. See if you can determine which
of these have the correct proportions of 1.8 : 1
Ratio page 1
Ratio page 2
The ratio pages have been designed by Kathleen Carter,
Wyntr. Thank you Kathy.
Height
- Length ratio, article by Patrick Ormos, PDF
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The Cardigan
Outline:
UK: General Appearance
Sturdy, tough, mobile, capable of endurance. Long in proportion to height, terminating in
a fox-like brush, set in line with body.
SIZE
Height: ideal 30 cms (12 ins) at shoulder. Weight in proportion to size with overall
balance the prime consideration.
BODY
Chest moderately broad with prominent breastbone. Body fairly long and strong, with deep
brisket, well sprung ribs, clearly defined waist. Top line level
USA: General Appearance
Low set with moderately heavy bone and deep chest. Overall silhouette long in proportion
to height, culminating in a low tail set and fox-like brush. General
Impression- a
handsome, powerful, small dog, capable of both speed and endurance, intelligent, sturdily
built but not coarse.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Overall balance is more important than absolute size. Dogs and bitches should be from 10.5
to 12.5 inches at the withers when standing naturally. The ideal length/height ratio is 1.8:1 when measuring from the point of the
breast bone (prosternum) to the rear of the hip (ischial tuberosity) and measuring from
the ground to the point of the withers. Ideally, dogs should be from 30 to 38 pounds;
bitches from 25 to 34 pounds. Lack of overall balance, oversized or undersized are serious
faults.
Body long and strong.
Chest moderately broad with prominent breastbone. Deep brisket, with well sprung ribs to
allow for good lungs. Ribs extending well back. Loin- short, strong, moderately tucked up.
Waist well defined. Croup- Slight downward slope to the tail set.
THE
OUTLINE OF THE CARDIGAN WELSH CORGI
What is "Outline" and why is it so
important?
The
outline, or actual silhouette, of a dog helps define its breed type.
Therefore correct outline is a key component of correct breed type -
or the lack thereof! When
viewed from a distance, the silhouette, or outline of any dog should
immediately indicate whether or not the animal being observed is of a
particular breed.
While
the world-wide breed standards for the Cardigan do not have an exact
section named OUTLINE, nonetheless, it is the consensus of breeders
around the world that the Cardigan outline is a major component of
correct breed type. The
proportions of the various body parts (the balance), and most
importantly, the ratio of height to body length, help create the
silhouette of any dog. The
moderately long, low profile topped by pricked ears followed by a
streamlined shape flowing down to the sweep of a bushy tail, typifies
the expected "outline" for the Cardigan Welsh Corgi.
Breed
type is that unique accumulation of characteristics which, when taken
collectively, differentiate one breed from another.
**footnote: The Importance of Breed Type", American Kennel Club Gazette, December
1991, p. 72
It
has been suggested by one of our well-known breeder-judges, that when
standing at one end of a soccer/football field, we should be able to
identify a dog as a Cardigan simply by its outline and shape.
So, what is a correct outline for a Cardigan Welsh Corgi and
what should it look like, when viewed from a distance away?
When
looking at a Cardigan the first impression should be of a long, low to
ground, sturdy dog, made up of a series of curves rather than sharp
angles, starting at the tip of the ears and flowing all the way down
to the end of the tail, and again starting from the tip of the nose
and down over the prosternum and then flowing up again along the
underline to show the length of ribcage and well defined waist. When
those two upper and lower visual outlines are taken together, then we
will get a strong impression of a Cardigan, rather than any other
breed.
Although
the upper outline of the dog immediately draws our eye, the underline
of the dog is also an intrinsic part of outline and breed type.
Remember the Cardigan is made up of CURVES.
The deep chest curves with a prominent prosternum and the curve
of the well-defined waist is evident from the tuck-up of the loin as
seen from below.
Viewed
from the front, forearms curving about a well-sprung rib cage bring
the wrists closer together and are supported by big, well padded and
rounded feet, which turn out slightly.
The correct, rounded outline of the Cardigan Corgi hindquarter
is due to the muscular hindquarters in combination with a slightly
sloping croup and lower tailset than that of a Pembroke.
The Cardigan croup should not be squared off, truncated, or
appear to end abruptly. This is an important feature of Cardigan BREED TYPE and loss
of breed specific traits gives way to a more generic short-coupled dog
tending towards squareness.
The
Cardigan Corgi, theorised to be derived from Basset or Teckel origins,
displays these long, soft flowing curves which help make up its unique
outline. On the other
hand, the Pembroke Corgi, which appears to have a background more
closely related to "spitz" breed-type origins, is a slightly
squarer shaped dog, with a more closely coupled and tapering body (viewed
from above) and usually does not show an apparent downward slope to
the croup.
There should also be BALANCE of all the parts.No sharp angles – never blocky nor squared off.
From forechest to rear croup – nothing but natural, flowing
curves . All this is
Cardigan breed type. A
dog which is balanced will "fill the eye" -- you'll see the
whole dog and not just individual parts.
How
do you look for the whole? In
training your eye you can squint a little, and will lose the focus on
details and begin to pick up only the whole - especially outline. Each
breed will have its own proper balance, and a judge needs to learn
that balance if they are to be competent.
In trying to help people understand the concept of "outline",
it is suggested that a number of outlines of dogs be traced from
photographic images onto solid colored paper, and then cut out.
Lacking any detail or markings, the cutouts will give a good
sense of what is meant by "outline."
Another method is to hold a photograph up to the light and view
it from behind, this will also remove details and focus attention
solely towards the outline of the dog.
Below
we have examples of good outlines.
Article on Type by P. Ormos
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