I've heard that corgis can be pretty good hunting dogs. I'm sure it's probably rare for corgis to be trained as hunting dogs, as most people obviously prefer dogs that were bred for hunting.

My dad is all for training Scout (my Pembroke) to retrieve pheasants. He's even going to take me to the sporting goods store to get some supplies. My uncle has a Gordon Setter that he takes hunting with him and he's taking me turkey hunting next spring to show me how it's done. I'm not sure if Scout will ever participate in an actual hunt, though it might be an interesting experience to train him. He's already kind of good with tracking and retrieving. Usually he's only retrieving a biscuit and bringing it back to me, though, because I haven't gotten any dummies yet. XD

I guess my question is, has anybody heard anything about using corgis as hunting dogs? I thought I heard something about the older corgis from hundreds of year ago being used to hunt seabirds, and I've heard the occasional tale about modern corgis being used as bird dogs as well. Is there anybody here who has experience in hunting and could give me some tips?

Thanks!

-Anneliese

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I guess it is possible since they were bred to be an all purpose farm dog. The only problem would be that corgis don't generally have a "soft" mouth. They might tear the bird to shreds before you get to it! However mine retreives tennis balls very happily! I would love to see a corgi retreive a biscuit!! Mine would only retreive food by carrying it in their stomachs!
Probably as much as you could train a terrier to be a retriever. My Corgis (especially Jinksy) have all had a good hunting instinct; but it's been mostly as mousers and ground squirrel exterminators. Jinksy had a soft mouth. I think that was because when he was a pup I'd just moved into the ranch house and it was infested with mice. He would bring them to me- as gifts- alive. Later he just killed them outright- after one of the ground squirrels fought back- and it got personal. He had a huge amount of patience when it came to hunting. He would lie down at the prairie dog and wait until one of the pups would poke it's nose out- and boom- gone. Ginny also loved to kill prairie dogs. She was a rescue from a puppy mill. The first day on the ranch she killed 3 prairie dogs. She didn't eat them- she ate baby birds instead. Contrast that to the other herding breeds I've owned-Shelties and Pulik- and Corgis definitely are better hunters. The Shelties and the Pulik think you should bark at something until it dies.
Lexus, our 12 year old fluff, loves to go hunting with my husband. She's been squirrel, rabbit, dove, and duck/goose hunting. She gets "girly" as we call it when there's blood involved. She'll run to the kill and "herd" it by circling around it but won't pick it up if there's blood. She will retrieve the shot gun shells and put them into a pile for my husband. {He did not teach her this; she watched him do it a couple of times and then just started doing it on her own.} She will tree squirrels, but has never actually caught one my husband hasn't shot. ... In MO, dogs are not allowed to go turkey hunting or deer hunting. She pouts something fierce when he doesn't take her with him. He's only forgiveness is that when he gets back she gets first sniff at the car and any kills before the boys do. ...She won't retrieve anything from the water. We believe it's because her legs are soo short and her fur so long and thick. it's hard enough for her to swim but add any additonal weight and she just cannot do it. ...By the way, make sure to have an orange bandana or vest to mark your pup as a dog. Corgi's aren't what other hunters typicaly see in the woods and might mistake your pup for something else. Lexus wears a one or the other after she was almost shot because the other hunter thought she was a fox. Scary.. ...Lexus does retrieve hunting dummies --scented and unscented. She also knows basic hand signals. So it is possible to train a corgi to hunt. Just dont expect them to be as good as other "hunting" dogs. Good luck.
Even the fluorescent tape flagging doesn't always show up well, and in some states, foxes are considered vermin and unprotected :

Brodie has brought down a bird and a couple of rabbits (thie bird night have been because my husband told him he'd never catch one... "I'll show you" type of thing)
I met a bow hunter at a trailhead in the Washington Cascades who remarked offhandedly that his brother used to hunt BEAR with 4 corgies (!) back when bearhunting with hounds was still legal here. "...good noses, not afraid, but smart enough to know when to back off". It should be noted that this would presumably entail a lot of up-and-down in steep, uneven terrain with thick brush. In my experience, they go thru brush well (under it) unless it's crosswise alder low to the ground (this is nearly impenetrable).

I always flag my dog gaily with day-glo fluorescent survey ribbon. I trust 99% of hunters, but the other 1% might take a corgi for a skunk, a fox, or a marmot. Corgis have foxlike faces/ears, and a red, esp. with a tail, looks just like a red fox.
i have a 3 year old pembrooke. took him pheasant hunting last year. he's very good at geting thru brush. will stay about 20 feet in front of me. he actually kicked up a couple of roosters but can't retrieve. have been working with him this summer and when i say hunt em up he'll run right into the brush and has kicked up pheasant/partridge/doves. i don't hunt ducks, but i've never seen a dog like mine that loves water and swimming. i can throw anything out and he will retrieve it. its funny, he will go after in the same way a lab will...full speed. had him try it off the dock once...not good...to much weight and he sunk to the bottom before coming up. he doesn't want anything to do with that anymore. try taking your dog into the brush and get him used to it. is your dog gunshy?
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I cannot get mine to retrieve a ball let alone a bird, but my fathers lab does it happily. My problem is my corgi is terrified of loud noises. If you can get the dog used to the sound of the gun, I think you stand a good chance of teaching him/her to hunt. The problem is some people just take them out off leash and assume they will retrieve the bird the same way they did the decoys and then they loose the dog when the gun goes off. Take them to the range and let them get used to the noise. Offering chicken every time a gun gos off worked for my Dad's lab. Miranda was too busy cowering to want anything other than sanctuary. She is one of those personalities ... tortured artist I believe, she is too sensitive. But I think a strong, independant corgi can definately be trained to go hunting!

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