 There are a greater number of colours of coat present in the Cardigan breed than the Pembroke, with the breed standard allowing for a variety of shades of red, sable and brindle. White markings are expected on this breed of Corgi, and one with a black coat is allowed to have tan or brindle points under conformation show rules. Merle markings are present in the breed, although this is normally restricted to blue merle. There are several disqualification criteria in the breed standard for the purpose of conformation showing. This would include drop ears, a white coat, blue eyes or non-solid black noses in dogs without merle colouration.
