NOTE: See the photos at the bottom of the page for examples of the colors. If 9 photos do not appear, refresh the page.
The most common colors of Pembroke Welsh corgis are:
- Red and white
- Tris (red-headed)
- Tris (black-headed)
- Sable
In recent years a fifth color (having a diluted black) has become popular with some owners. This dog also has either blue or almond colored eyes which makes them known as Bluies.
There are several common mistakes made when identifying a dog’s color. One common mistake is among tris.
Tris are not identified by the color of the head, rather the color on the inside of the ears. A red-headed tri has red on the inside of the ears while a black-headed tri, has black-tipped inside ears. Red-headed tris may have more black than red on the body… but it’s all about the inside of the ears.
The hardest color to identify is sable… and they are sometimes misidentified as a red and white.
A sable corgi, once it becomes an adult, will have “darker” hair either on its back, shoulders, above the tail, and/or some scattered dark hairs in the side loin area. You can see from the photos below how subtle the color difference can be and why most people will think a sable is a red and white. On a rare occasion, a sable puppy may even appear as a tri and only reveal itself to be a sable as it grows older. (click here to see sample photos of a tri turned sable)
A sable can also have a light or darker “brown” coat instead of the darker “reddish” coat. If you like the red and white coloration, then you should also like a sable. Below is a photo of our breeding male Cowboy and two of his pups. You can see the different colors of their coats.
A Bluie is a tri with diluted black fur (slight grey color) and distinctive blue or almond colored eyes. Loved by some, they have not yet been recognized as an official color by the American Kennel Club which simply means you cannot show them in competition. As they grow in popularity, we believe in time they will become a recognized breed color.
The photos below show the different colors of corgis.
