Did Ewe Know?

Cardigans are one of the oldest herding breeds.

We believe in preserving the rich history and tradition of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

Originally used as a scout, shepherds in Wales would use their cardigan to go ahead and clear the way of predators so cattle could graze. This led to them eventually being used as cattle herders, their style is what we call “drover” meaning they drive large groups of cattle from close behind. Their short stature coming in handy for missing those pesky kicks from stubborn cattle. Around this time shepherds began crossing in other sheepdog breeds to create the versatile cardigans we know and love today.

Free range farms in the countryside are hard to come by these days, especially in southern California where we call home. Instead, we keep our dogs happy and herding at a local training facility called The Oaks Ranch. We also participate in herding trials through two of the major organizations: AKC [American Kennel Club] and AHBA [American Herding Breed Association]. A third major organization is ASCA [Australian Shepherd Club of America], which we hope to break into soon.

Our dogs are introduced to stock at a young age, around 8-10 weeks we will bring them out to test their drive on a small set of sheep. We have even had puppies attend clinics to gain more experience on stock as adults. Below is one of our puppies named Ice at his first herding clinic. Our dogs are worked on all stock including sheep, goats, cattle, geese, and ducks. Not only do they trial, but our dogs are working ranch dogs. Quill and Rosie reside at the Tiki Ranch in AZ, a small farm specializing in 4H and FFA project stock including sheep, goats, and cattle. Larka is the resident short chore dog at the Oaks Ranch, helping us move and sort a flock of over 75 sheep.