Every Litter Is an Evaluation
One of the questions we hear most often is, “How do you decide if a dog will have another litter?”
The answer is simple: every litter is an evaluation.
At Shadey Lane Corgis, producing puppies is never the end goal. Our goal is to continually improve our breeding program by producing healthy, structurally correct Cardigan Welsh Corgis with stable temperaments that can thrive as beloved family companions.
Each litter teaches us something.
No matter how much planning goes into a breeding, we don’t truly know how a pairing complements one another until those puppies begin to grow. That’s why every litter is treated as a learning opportunity.
We Evaluate the Parents
Before puppies are even conceived, we evaluate the sire and dam individually.
We consider:
- Health testing
- Structure
- Temperament
- Movement
- Genetic compatibility
- Pedigree strengths and weaknesses
- Longevity and health behind the pedigree
The goal isn’t to breed perfect dogs—because perfect doesn’t exist. The goal is to pair dogs whose strengths complement one another while minimizing weaknesses.
Then We Evaluate the Puppies
Once puppies arrive, the real work begins.
As they grow, we’re constantly watching them develop.
We look at:
- Overall structure
- Bone and substance
- Head type
- Topline
- Front and rear assembly
- Movement
- Temperament
- Confidence
- Drive
- Recovery from new experiences
- Growth patterns
Not every puppy develops exactly the same, and that’s expected. We’re looking for consistency across the litter rather than perfection in every individual puppy.
Finally, We Evaluate the Breeding Itself
The most important question isn’t, “Did we get pretty puppies?”
It’s:
Did this pairing improve the breed and our program?
Sometimes the answer is yes.
Sometimes the answer is no.
And that’s okay.
Every breeding gives us valuable information that helps shape future decisions.
Because our responsibility isn’t just to today’s puppies—it’s to the generations that come after them.
