Why Do Corgis Have Short Legs?

A peculiar characteristic that distinguishes corgis from other herding breeds is their short legs with a bowed appearance.

Corgis have short legs due to a random mutation and, historically, selective breeding to improve their herding skills. The short legs make ducking down and nipping the ankles of livestock easier but the feature puts the dog’s joints and back at risk for problems. The trait is dominant, so any corgi mix puppy inherits short legs.

Many people believe that corgis are dwarf dogs but they are not. Their torsos are medium but their limbs are disproportionately short for their bodies.

A Genetic Mutation Caused Short Legs

The physiologic process that causes short legs is the calcification of the growth plates of long bones due to excessive amounts of a particular protein. It is called chondrodysplasia.

Pekingese, Scottish terriers, basset hounds, and dachshunds are also among the breeds affected by chondrodysplasia.

A researcher at NIH’s National Human Genome Research Dr. Elaine Ostrander conducted a study to determine the exact cause of the condition in dogs. Her team studied DNA samples from 835 dogs. The dogs included 76 breeds – several with chondrodysplasia and the rest without the condition.

Ostrander’s team identified the specific mutation that caused a DNA insertion thousands of years ago, sometime after dogs separated from wolves as a species. Dogs affected by chondrodysplasia have an additional copy of the gene that codes for the fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4), a protein that promotes growth.

The researchers suggest that genetic mutation activates the growth of the long bones at the wrong time during fetal development. As a result, affected dogs are born with disproportionately short limbs.

Corgis Were Bred To Have Short Legs

A random mutation caused the trait, so it was passed on only to some animals. So, how did the entire breed end up with such a distinctive physical characteristic?

People selectively bred short-legged dogs for specific purposes. Dachshunds and beagles were mostly employed as hunting animals, for example. Short legs made it easier for them to burrow through soil or bushes to retrieve a bird.

Historically, corgis were used to herd livestock and guard their owners’ property. Other herding dogs do not have short statures but having short legs can benefit professional herders.

• Short legs make it easier for a dog to duck down to dodge a kick from a sheep or a cow.
• Being short also makes it easier to nip at the ankles of sheep trying to wander off.
• The duties of farm dogs included catching mice and other undesirable rodents. Similar to hunting dogs, short-legged corgis had the edge of being able to burrow through bushes or soil to catch vermin.

Do Corgi Mix Dogs Always Have Short Legs?

Generally speaking, a corgi mix puppy will always inherit the corgi parent’s short, bowed legs.

Chondrodysplasia is a dominant trait, so only one parent needs to have the condition to pass it on to the offspring. The puppy might not resemble corgis much at all but he or she will inherit the peculiar feature of short legs.

Do Short Legs Cause Problems For Corgis?

The peculiar physique does make corgis vulnerable to certain types of injuries:

• Corgis are highly susceptible to joint problems, including arthritis and hip dysplasia.
• The breed is also predisposed to intervertebral disk disease and other back injuries because their short legs support relatively mighty torsos.

There are activities your corgi may have trouble with, especially as the dog gets older:

• Walking up and down the stairs
• Hiking up and down a steep hill
• Any high-impact activity, such as jumping and running causes excessive stress on the joints

If your corgi’s behavior changes suddenly, for example, your pet loses appetite or refuses to move, the pain might be the problem. If that happens after a particular activity – a hike or an active game – your pup might be in pain due to back or joint issues.