About Biscuit & Bean Corgis

Biscuit and Bean were our first two Corgis. Bean came first, in 2013, a black-headed tri with opinions about the mail carrier. Biscuit arrived two years later: red and white, bossy, and the best dog either of us has owned. She became our foundation dam. Bean is 13 now, neutered since he was a teenager, and still supervises every litter from the couch.

We're Tess and Andy. We live in Southeast Portland with a fenced yard, a permanent pile of rain towels by the back door and six Corgis. We've bred Pembrokes since 2017, two or three litters a year, every one of them born and raised in our living room.

Pembrokes are sturdy dogs with a few known weak spots, and we would rather talk about them than around them. Every parent has OFA hips and a current CAER eye exam, and is DNA tested for degenerative myelopathy (DM), von Willebrand disease type 1 (vWD1), exercise-induced collapse (EIC) and the fluffy coat gene. DM is common in this breed. Every pairing we make has at least one parent who tests clear, so none of our puppies can inherit two copies.

The other thing we will nag you about is weight. A Corgi is a long dog on short legs, and every extra pound lands on the spine. Ours are kept lean, they use ramps instead of launching off the couch, and you'll learn how to feel for ribs before your puppy leaves our house.

Puppies get Early Neurological Stimulation from day 3 to day 16, then a steady supply of new surfaces, household noise, car rides, nail trims and visitors of every age. By the time they leave they have started crate training and a potty routine, met the vacuum, and had a first bath and blow dry. In a breed that sheds like this one, that last part matters.

They go home at 9 weeks, not 8. The extra week with mom and the littermates does a lot for bite inhibition, and this is a breed that was built to nip heels.