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Are Corgis Good For First Time Dog Owners?

Are Corgis Good For First Time Dog Owners?

It’s not an easy task choosing a breed of dog you’d like as your next, or maybe first dog ever. If you’re thinking about buying a corgi, you might have asked yourself “are corgis good for first time dog owners?”. The answer is not that simple to give, but if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be – yes.

Knowing fully well how much popularity corgis have gained in the last couple of years, the need for an ultimate guide on everything there is about corgis for their future owners has risen. You are not to worry, as I have assembled all of the information that you (as a new corgi owner) need to know before buying one of these popular and truly amazing dogs!

And I mean that – corgis are a fantastic dog breed for first-time owners, but just if you know a thing or two about raising and training them. There are a ton of things you need to inform yourself about and to learn because corgis are no joke. For some people, they might be too much to handle, so before impulsively buying one, I recommend reading this article to the last punctuation.

I guarantee you that in the end, you will feel like a corgi owner instead of a person that is just thinking about buying one. But for that, you’ll need to be patient and dedicate a few minutes of your time to reading this article that will teach you every single important thing before buying a corgi!

Now, let’s jump straight into the article, and at the end maybe I’ll share a few tips and tricks on how to spot the best corgi for your new pet.

Are Corgis Good Starter Dogs?

Where they come from and their genetics? Some might argue that this is the most important information for someone who’s buying a dog that they have never owned before.

I partially agree and that’s because the genetics and the background of the breed you are planning on buying is a big factor in how that dog will behave through its life.

You might have heard that all breeds have their signature characteristics – and it’s true (especially for corgis). Corgis have been bred for herding in the wide fields of Wales. Despite their small stature and short legs, they have been one of the most loved herding dogs in that region of Europe.

These dogs have an extensive history behind them because the breed is quite old despite their popularity spiking up in just the last couple of years thanks to social media. These dogs are known for their cute buts and short legs, but that’s not the main reason to dig deep down into their genetics and predispositions.

Someone who is thinking about buying a corgi needs to know the personality traits of corgis in order to understand what they’re getting into. Corgis do seem cute and friendly, but you need to remember that every dog that has those characteristics probably underwent a serious socialization period and extensive training in order to act that way all the time.

This is the main reason why I’m dedicating a huge chunk of this text to their personality. There are some things that you need to be warned about because some personality traits can cause you a lot of trouble with corgis if not addressed accordingly.

Are Corgis Good For First Time Dog Owners?

Now, let’s jump into some of the most important personality traits that you need to be met with so you know what road lies ahead of you. So, the most important corgi characteristics are:

  • Stubbornness
  • Negligence
  • Prone to not listening
  • Setting their own rules

This might seem like all bad things, but you already know some good things that don’t need to be mentioned right this second. Good things are something that we will be covering much later because the ones that you might not like are far more important than the pros of this dog breed.

Bad Things

Now, let’s start with the first “bad” thing. Stubbornness. Corgis are known for getting their way even with their owners. Sometimes when I see an inexperienced corgi owner it seems like the corgi is the one giving orders and the owner is just mindlessly following.

This can happen in a few ways. I’ll tell you about the most common ones just to give you a heads up so you don’t make these rookie mistakes.

First, owners don’t want to discipline their corgis right at the beginning. I know it’s hard putting your dog into a timeout or using some other nonviolent measure of punishment when your young corgi looks at you with those puppy dog eyes, but it’s quite necessary.

In other words – you have to reward your corgi when they do something good but punish them when they do something that is bad or unwanted. This is not something that can be listed as high knowledge about dogs, but you would be surprised if I told you how many people I know made this mistake and now can’t have any control over their corgi.

Another scenario where your corgi might be stubborn is when you don’t explicitly tell them “NO”. It doesn’t matter if it’s a treat or a new toy, when your corgi is putting tension on the leash that is in your hand wanting to grab something, you have to be determined in telling them no.

Stubbornness indeed is a genetic trait, but it can be amplified or dealt with pretty easily. You have to be more stubborn and show them who makes decisions regarding the majority of their life.

Negligence is quite rare in dogs but can be noticed in corgis semi-often. This is because despite them being working dogs they can easily neglect their working habits. You constantly have to put assignments in front of your corgi in order to stimulate their working ethic and keep them at bay and not destructive.

If they get bored they will most certainly nibble on your new sofa or start peeing indoors just to draw your attention. This is easily preventable just by playing with your dog, teaching them some new tricks, and extensive exercise that will help them get rid of that extra energy they tend to store.

Corgis are also prone to not listening. This is maybe the most fixable one out of the bunch, but it’s certainly the most dangerous as well. When people tell you that you shouldn’t teach your dog obedience and commands while they are young, please don’t listen to them.

You can absolutely teach your poppy a command or two in order to get them used to listening to your commands and understanding what you’re expecting from them. This doesn’t mean that you have to go wild on the commands, just a couple of easy ones like “sit”, “heel”, or “speak” might do the trick.

If you don’t let your corgi not obey your commands (for a lack of a better term), you’ll exclude almost all possibility of them not listening to you. And it’s also quite important to give them these commands every day and not make huge jumps between “working days” as that is all it takes for them to lose their routine.

The last “bad thing” that is associated with corgis is that they have a tendency to set their own set of rules. This happens when they feel there aren’t enough rules in the household and when their owner doesn’t approach them as an “alpha” or the leader of the house.

When corgi sets their own rules, for example, the time when they want to go pee, you will have a really tough time teaching them otherwise. It’ll require much more effort to make them stop implementing that rule and to implement your own later on than to simply make them understand that your own rules are the only ones that will be in power.

Please make sure that this does not happen because people who experience this start talking about how corgis are a hard breed to handle which is not the case at all, it’s just that people don’t know how to implement rules and make them last a long time.

Good Things

Now for the good things. The most recognizable thing about corgis is that they are quite a beautiful breed. Even the queen of England has a couple of Welsh corgis.

Their body is quite unique and social media users have praised them for that. Their legs, ears, and buts have become the staple of this breed. Besides the good looks, corgis have a lot to offer. They are affectionate dogs and are quite good as an anti-stress companion in life so if you find yourself in stressful situations constantly, corgis are a breed for you.

Maybe better than that is that corgis bring discipline in their owner’s life by simply existing. The afternoon walks and constant work on improving the relationship with your pet is something that corgis offer on a completely another level compared to other dogs.

Not to mention that they are extremely energetic dogs and you’ll always have to do something to keep both you and your dog entertained. Grooming-wise, corgis are one of the easiest breeds to take care of in that sense. Regular baths and undercoat trimming will do the trick, but you have to pay extra attention to their ears.

Bacteria and dirt quite often find their way into corgi ears so if you’re bathing them by yourself pay extra attention to that part.

Conclusion

If you’re still asking yourself are corgis good starter dogs, you should re-read this article at least one more time.

It’s quite clear that the pros far outweigh the cons and that corgis are a fantastic choice even for first-time dog owners! There are things that your dog will require you to do such as train them and socialize them while they’re young, but trust me it will be worth it in the end.

So I recommend you start searching for a corgi breeder in your vicinity and start talking to them, it’s always best to talk to the people who sell them as they can tell you the genetic history of a specific puppy and will furthermore give you information that is quite valuable when buying a dog for the first time.

I wish you all the luck and enough patience so you do the things that are necessary to fully experience the amount of happiness and joy that his breed can give to their owner!