Cardigans: The dog without a downside.

How’s that for a bold statement? It’s what someone said to me when I first researched the breed, and I’ve found that it’s truer than I ever dared to hope. As you’ll read below, the Cardi does have its “sins,” but this really is a wonderful breed.

1) Cardigans are notable for getting along beautifully with other dogs. There are very few with true dog aggression.

They tend to be tolerant of things that many dogs their size won’t put up with, so they are great kid dogs. Mine absolutely adore all children, and will pull me toward any kid they see.

2) They’re incredibly healthy and long-lived; even those with hip problems will rarely show symptoms. The longer you’re involved in dogs, the more you realize how wonderful this is. This is a breed with very few problems, very few cancers, very few disorders. They live forever and a day and they’re generally healthy to the end.

3) They’re smart and willing workers, and extremely adaptable. If you want a dog to hang out with you on the couch most of the day, the Cardi will do it. If you want a dog who can go go go, who will run agility on the weekends and track once a month and herd all week long, the Cardigan is ready and able.

4) You have many options for getting involved in dogsport when you own a Cardigan. They are successful show dogs, therapy dogs, obedience dogs, rally dogs, agility dogs, herding dogs, and tracking dogs – often all at once!

5) Because of the short legs, you get more bang for your buck in terms of exercising them. One good long walk a day (and lots of pee breaks) keeps them healthy and happy.

6) They’re the perfect size – between 25 and 35 pounds – to tote around, but they’re not fragile.

The Cardigan’s Sins

Cardigans are a wonderful fit in many families, but be aware of their few drawbacks:

Don’t get a Cardigan puppy if:

1) You don’t like your kids, your neighbor kids, your spouse, and your visitors getting herded, rushed, dragged by a pants leg, and pushed around. Cardigans are herders, plain and simple, and if they decide that the party needs to move into the living room they’ll do their best to make it happen. Gentle but firm, consistent training is needed in puppyhood, and if you don’t clearly tell them what they’re allowed to herd and what they are not, they’ll retain the desire to turn anything that moves past them.

2) You must maintain a gorgeous house or lawn. Cardigans shed, and they are extremely scent-oriented. With paws that end right at nose level, some digging is inevitable, especially when they are babies.

3) You can’t tolerate barking. Cardigans are not the loudest breed by any means, and they don’t yip, but they do feel the need to tell you if something is out of whack. In my house, Clue defines “out of whack” as “there’s a car in the driveway” or “the UPS guy is here.” She barks only a few times a day. Bronte defines “out of whack” as “a bird flew by overhead” or “I felt a minute shift in the gravitational field of the earth.” She barks a LOT. If you have neighbors who hate dogs and won’t tolerate any barking at all, this may not be the breed for you.

4) You won’t take care of dog nails. This is kind of a funny one, but it’s true. Cardigans’ nails grow VERY fast, I’m tempted to say freakishly fast, and long nails can permanently deform the dogs’ feet, even cripple them. If you can hear the nails on the floor, they’re too long. We’ve found that you have to attend to the nails (we use a dremel-type grinder) once a week or they get out of control. The Danes used to be able to go a month or more.

5) You don’t like being authoritative. Cardigans are convinced that they are really in charge, and you’ll need to be firm and consistent. Training is a daily, sometimes minute-by-minute process, and if you’re not comfortable taking a leader’s role this is not the breed for you. If you DO train them, they return the investment a hundred-fold.

6) You are unwilling to take advice and obey your breeder. Your breeder has got to be your source of counsel, a shoulder to cry on, and (hopefully) a good friend for the next twelve to fifteen years. She has spent years and years obsessing over this breed, discussing every facet of health and temperament and training and breeding with many other breeders. She is likely to know more than your vet, often more than your trainer, and definitely more than your cousin Jarvis about this breed. By far the greatest number of unsuccessful puppy placements are because the owner did not let the breeder know about the problems when they were still minor and/or did not follow the advice of the breeder when it was given. That’s why it’s so vital to make a good match with a breeder–this is a relationship, not just a purchase.

7) You are not absolutely confident of the temperament, health, and care given to that puppy. We show breeders get a little nutty about perfect heads, toplines, and expressions, but really what you are going to care about is temperament and health. Temperament is your responsibility once you leave with the puppy, but it’s just plain foolish to not start with the best possible beginning. That means a friendly, healthy mom, puppies raised IN THE HOUSE, and a breeder who cares about temperament as much as you do. Thankfully, serious health problems are rare in this breed, but give yourself a head start by going to a breeder who health-tests all his or her breeding animals. There’s no such thing as a perfectly healthy pedigree, so a breeder who knows what he or she is dealing with, and is willing to fully disclose any problems in the pedigree, is your best bet.

Some additional notes:

Some Cardigans are prone to shyness. They are generally not fearful and I’ve never EVER seen one bite, but they may be “soft,” and, if they are not well socialized, they tend to flatten and hide. Be aware of this. There is a wide range of temperaments in the breed, so go visit the breeder and see how her dogs live and how they react to you. If you’re comfortable with her personal dogs, you’ll probably be comfortable with the puppy you bring home.

They have long backs and short legs. Don’t put them through experiences that will hurt their backs. Cardigans are MUCH less prone to back injuries than dachshunds or even Pembrokes are, but the possibility exists. Just use common sense – they shouldn’t be jumping onto or off of high platforms, and they may need help up and down stairs as puppies.

One final caution: They get fat. On NOTHING. They are very “easy keepers” and can eat a shockingly small amount and get overweight. You’ll need to control their portions carefully, because a fat dog is an unhealthy dog.

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