Looking For Information From All of the Owners of Corgis!

Hello :)

I'm very VERY interested in buying a Corgi sometime in the next few weeks, and I was hoping I could get some tips, suggestions, and advice from anybody that's owned a Corgi pup. I've read a few other threads about things to do for the first weeks and such, but I just wanted to make sure all my questions were answered.

1) What in the world am I going to do about all the shedding?! I'm dedicated to vacuuming daily if need be to keep the house looking nice, but I'd be more interested in finding ways to prevent the dog from shedding so much in general.

2) Will the dog be okay (at a few months old) home alone for 4 hours 4-5 days of the week? I've heard that Corgis are very independent, but I'm still not really comfortable with leaving the pup alone for long when he's that young.

3) Is seeing an obedience trainer a necessity? It would be great if I didn't have to spend money on it.

4) What is any other information I need to know about Corgis?

Thanks (:

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Permalink Reply by Laura Jones on July 12, 2011 at 8:50pm

maybe I should have read more before I put in my opinion lol, This is very much what I wanted to convey.

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Permalink Reply by Jenny, Tucker, & Zoey on July 11, 2011 at 1:26am

1) Tucker used to shed a ton. I started taking him monthly to the groomers. They use Furminator shampoo on him and then Furminate him for 15 minutes. This has greatly reduced his shedding. However, he still sheds and there is still hair to be vacuumed and sticky-rolled. My dog is not allowed on the furniture and he does not test that.

2) I would think so, especially if the puppy is crated.

3) If you can do it yourself, great. If not, see a trainer. The corgi is a high-drive, independent, and very intelligent dog. If you don't set rules, they will make their own.

4) A corgi is not just a "dog". Somehow they manage to take over your whole life. It's not a bad thing, just be prepared to be that person who carries pictures of their dog and owns a dozen "Corgi" items. :)

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Permalink Reply by Laura Jones on July 12, 2011 at 8:04pm

At our house everyone knows that corgi hair is an accessory and sometimes a condiment. Although that last one is not on purpose lol. I have to say that two of my corgis I don't notice the shedding as much as the third one. Don't know why.

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Permalink Reply by Laura Jones on July 12, 2011 at 8:44pm

I just have to say something else. I love this site because there are so many people to give advice and recomendations. And they all love this breed and want people to be serious about wanting a corgi and taking care of it. But just like with human kids, you can get advice and do your homework all day long for a week, a month, a year, 10 years. But only you know when you are ready and as ready as you think you are there will always be something that you will stop and go "I didn't expect that". Take everyones advice into consideration. Bookmark this site because you will come back to it OFTEN! But if you find the dog that feels like it is yours go with it. And just like with the human kids, you have to do what works for you and your dog. You will figure it out.

I have three corgis, we don't have a normal excercise routine, they have a yard and kids to play with. They do get monitored on their food, but we don't buy them expensive food. They are perfectly happy to stay in the house all day and be lazy or go outside and play. None of them went to obediance classes, we just made sure we taught them the basics ourselves, we have no desire to do agility or other things like that with our dogs so for us this works. We did socialize them as puppies with friends and family and their dogs. They are all crate trained, this is great for a lot of reasons, they don't use them as much now as they did as pups but it definatley has its perks. The only time any of mine have been to the vet so far is to be fixed and get rabies shots. We are not perfect corgi parents but we did research the breed and I had always said I want a corgi, we are close with our breeder and know the parents and even grandparents of our dogs. Anybody who meets our dogs will tell you that they are healthy, happy dogs and love their family. Just like everyone elses corgis on here.

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Permalink Reply by Bob and SparkPlug on July 12, 2011 at 9:03pm

Very well said. That's what it's all about.

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Permalink Reply by Bob and SparkPlug on July 12, 2011 at 8:24pm

Embrace the hair! I vacuum Sparky a couple of times a week. He loves it.

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Permalink Reply by steve smith on August 9, 2011 at 8:48pm

You should get a corgi. Both of mine do not shed very much. Only once a year. All year long. It is a good idea to take to the groomers on a regular schedule.

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Permalink Reply by Shelley Garland on August 10, 2011 at 3:46am

1.) I had NO IDEA how bad the shedding would be. Luckily, it doesn't really get on our furniture. But the carpet - oh the carpet! And our clothes! You need to INVEST in some lint rollers! We use the Furminator brush (now they have a model that pushes the hair out of the comb - wish I had that one), but I can still just pull hairs out of her coat after I use it. It's just who they are. If you vacuum daily, you probably won't have TOO much of a problem. But like I said, you WILL need lint rollers! We also vacuum out our car about once every other week (black interior makes it stick out). I don't know of anything that will "prevent" it - like I said, it's who they are.

2.) Emma (1 year, 3 mo.) actually has what I (a NON-vet) diagnose as mild separation anxiety. I don't really know if she does, BUT she shows her anger/anxiety by tearing up ANYTHING paper on the floor (or a cardboard box if there's one around) sometimes when we're gone. She KNOWS she's done something wrong when we get home (tries to run out the front door or cowers under the table), but it's like she can't help it when she does it - I don't know.

Many people choose to kennel their dogs (crate train), and we did at first. But I'm a REALLY BIG worrier. We live in a second floor apartment - one door in, one door out. If ANYTHING were to happen while we were gone, she would have no chance to get out if she were in a kennel. If you do kennel, I heard (not read) that a new puppy shouldn't be in their kennels for more than 4 hours. Especially with a puppy, I would crate (not one of these travel carriers - I mean a big kennel, with food and water and a comfy toy or something). I don't want to imagine the (potty) mess you would have when you got home.

3.) We still haven't put Emma through any training. She knows all the tricks we teach her at home (Come, Sit, Stay, Roll Over, Dead...). And when there are no other dogs/new people/birds/squirrels/plastic bags around, she's an ANGEL. Take her into PetsMart and she becomes a devil child. Seriously, a devil child. I get so embarrassed. Especially when she starts jumping on the dog(s) walking around the store who are IN training (she' VERY friendly)! She pulls on her collar/leash so hard she starts hacking and everyone looks at her like she's infected with some illness that will kill their dog. Yeah... With that having been said, I think we have a pretty high strung corgi. I mean way more hyper than many. I may be wrong, but even our breeder gets stressed when Emma is there (we visit her about once a month). I would wait until you really see your pups personality. Males, typically, are much more mellow. And even many females are way more chill than this dog... As I type this, she's the most relaxed little dog - back feet out, chewing on a bone, glancing up to watch TV every now and then. Why can't the people in PetSmart (or any other public place) see this side of her?

4.) At this point, I've probably scared you off from Corgis. I hope I haven't because they are the most brilliant little dogs. We had Emma potty trained within a week and crate trained within 48 hours - no lie! Yes, she sheds, and she's more high strung than I am, but when she tilts her head every time I say "outside," or crawls in my lap for some "mommy and me" time, or lays down and plops her little back legs out, my heart melts. I LOVE these dogs (I've had a Collie, Lab, German Shepheard, and Bijon throughout my life) and I'm not sure I will ever own another breed :)

I hope this helps a little :)