The spotlight shines on a special team that is composed of all Corgis. All 4 One, based at Zen Dog Agility in Utah, has three Cardigans and one Pembroke. But don’t let those short legs fool you. This team puts in some great times and last season, joined by an Aussie teammate, won the Limited Sophomore Reserve Team Championship. And the all-Corgi team is currently in first place this season! Captain Lori Nichol tells more about running with Corgis and how the team happened.
Team Name: All 4 One
Division: Limited Freshman
Captain: Lori Nichol
City/State: Salt Lake City, Utah
Handlers: Lori Nichol and Jim Hager
Dogs:
- Call Name: Sapphire
Registered Name: Coedwig’s Blue Moon Martini RA BCAT ACT1 ACT1J CGCA TKA
Breed: Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Age: 8 years old
- Call Name: Penn
Registered Name: Bingo’s It’s All About The Pennjamins ACT2J CGC TKA
Breed: Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Age: 5 years old
- Call Name: Samin
Registered Name: GCH CH Windfall’s Tea, Spice, And Everything Nice RE BCAT ACT2 ACT2J RATN CGCA CGCU TKE VHMA VHMP VSWB FITG
Breed: Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Age: 3 years old
- Call Name: Froo
Registered Name: Windfall’s Little But Migh-Tea ACT1 ACT2J CGCA CGCU TKA VHMA VHMP VSWB FITG
Breed: Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Age: 3 years old
How did you get involved with Corgis, and what are some of the things you love about the breed?
When we were thinking about a dog years ago, my husband and I were watching the Westminster Kennel Club show and saw the smart, sassy personality of the Pembrokes and immediately knew that was the breed we wanted to have. We loved the idea of the big dog in a shorter package.
Pembrokes and Cardigans are definitely distinct breeds. It’s like Golden Retrievers and Flat-coated Retrievers. The Pembrokes are outgoing and always up for a good time. The Cardigans are thoughtful, intelligent, and love to do things with their people.
Do you find many differences in working with and training Pembrokes and Cardigans ?
Neither breed likes to be drilled, so when we are training we keep it fun and light, like we are teaching tricks or playing games. The Cardigans take things a little more seriously, and once they’ve learned something, they do incredibly well. They usually take their time to think through things and make sure they’re getting it right and then they let go and enjoy. The Pembrokes remind me more of dealing with preschoolers where you start to teach them something, and they listen a little bit and then they are just raring to go, even if they’re not exactly sure what they’re supposed to be doing.
How did the idea come to form a team of all Corgis? How is it worked out?
Honestly, it just sort of happened. We had enough dogs for a team and thought it would be fun to run the Corgis together. This is our second time running this team together. We did another team with Corgis and an Aussie in the Sophomore division. It’s amazing to see these little guys do so well. They are keeping up with the big dog teams, even though they have little legs.
What do you and your fellow handlers enjoy most about League?
The Zen Dog Agility crew love that League is so accessible to beginners as well as seasoned teams. It brings agility competitors together in a different way where everyone can be supportive of each other in a more casual environment. It’s great to see new teams succeed with everyone cheering for each other. It’s also fabulous for dogs that aren’t as comfortable in a trial setting or are still getting ready to trial.
We really appreciate all the work that the Agility League team does to make this so accessible for so many.