The Corgi is an affectionate dog that is always full of energy and love. Having a Corgi around the house is a blessing. But as you’re reading that, you may think to yourself: that doesn’t sound like my puppy!
Well your puppy could very well be the opposite of an affectionate dog. But don’t worry, it can all be resolved. Some steps can be taken, and these issues can be prevented.
Not all people get the lovable Corgi experience, and there are a couple of reasons for this. You come home, and your Corgi seems to be in a moody state of mind. Should your dog have so much trouble adjusting to you not being around for a little while?
Let’s say you have guests at your house. Your Corgi seems to have an overreaction to pretty much everything that is happening. Indeed that sounds like it could be a bad thing.
Well, it’s simple; your Corgi could be suffering from an anxiety problem. There are many shapes and sizes of canine anxiety, let us tell you, but worry not – they can all be solved.
So all this begs the question: Are Corgis prone to anxiety?
Well, any dog can get anxious. Some research suggests that Corgis are a bit more prone to anxiety than some other breeds. But more on this a bit later.
There is always something that is causing these problems and behaviors. So you will need to do some detective work and try to solve the mystery. Your puppy is not enjoying anxiety, believe us, so it is very important to deal with it sooner rather than later.
All in all, what we aim to do with this article is to educate both current and potential Corgi owners about anxiety. The first step is always to stay calm! You need to know what’s happening in your little friend’s head – so let get to it and explain.
What Causes Anxiety In Corgis
As we said, there are many shapes and sizes of canine anxiety. Your Corgi could be suffering from any of them. So what are some of these anxiety-related conditions? Well, let us explain.
The most common types of anxiety are the following:
- Fear-related anxiety
- Age-related anxiety
- Separation anxiety
You may have heard about separation anxiety since it is the most common type. But fear and age-related symptoms are just as serious.
Fear
Your puppy can get startled by many things. The Corgi is a shepherd by nature, which means that its senses are quite sharp. A bit too sharp for its own good. The breed is famous for barking at any noise they pick up around the house.
Sure, with proper training, this behavior can be handled. But what if your Corgi is a fearful puppy by nature? Well, this means that it can get startled by any sound from in and around your home. And that’s a scary situation to be in for your pup. It’s not just sounds, by the way; a lot of things can upset your dog.
For instance, new people coming in and out of the house can be stressful for your dog. Stress can turn into anxiety. When this happens, your dog can no longer figure out who’s a treat and who’s not – which means that it can’t relax. And if you or your family have guests over a lot, your dog will not have a good time.
Fear-related anxiety can also occur if your dog gets overly stimulated by new objects or sounds. These kinds of stimulations are different from something like a dangerous noise or a possible intruder. Your dog can get too excited, and when this happens, emotions get confused. Too much excitement can turn into fear.
Too much of any emotion is not good. Dogs process their emotions differently from us; when there is too much of anything – they don’t like it.
Age
Age can also be a factor in canine anxiety. Mental health tends to decline with age. This can mean that your dog gets confused easily – and confusion leads to stress and anxiety.
Some dogs can suffer from cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). When suffering from this condition, your dog’s memory, learning ability, and awareness start to decline.
In this case, it’s important not to overstimulate your dog in unfamiliar situations. A routine is necessary for these dogs – the key is to keep them calm and happy.
Separation Anxiety
The most common reason for canine anxiety is by far separation. Puppies get attached to owners easily. So if there comes a situation in which their owner has to leave the house – they get very emotional about it.
Separation anxiety is a widespread problem with adopted dogs since there’s a great chance that they lost their first owners at some point. Changing a family can be traumatic for dogs, which is why they tend to overreact when they are left alone.
Are corgis prone to separation anxiety?
Corgis get very attached to their families – not only one owner but the whole family. The reason is that these are working dogs that spent thousands of years taking care of their household.
They would work for hours on end, just to come home and start guarding the house against potential intruders. After centuries and centuries of that kind of behavior, Corgis have a very difficult time if they have to be separated from their beloved owners even if they are bad owners!
And it’s not only adopted Corgis that have these problems. Separation anxiety can manifest itself even with all family members inside the house. There are many cases of Corgis getting stressed out when the family is scattered around the house and not together in one room.
Separation anxiety can be dangerous for your Corgi. Sure, you’ll probably come home to some destroyed furniture – but there is a chance of your dog harming itself while you’re away!
It is essential to spot any signs of anxiety in your dog, so you can resolve the problem before it gets serious. There are many ways to do this. You always need to know how your dog should behave. Knowing your dog’s behavior is the first thing on this list.
You have to know the ins and outs of your dog’s personality and moods. Corgis can swing between moods quite quickly, so you need to know if there’s anything specific that is causing these behavioral changes. Once you figure it out, nip it in the bud.
Separation anxiety is much more challenging to get rid of if it’s not dealt with in the beginning. Basically, you need to assure your dog that everything will be fine when it’s alone. A Corgi with separation anxiety is confused and scared. These are the primary emotions that are causing all the trouble.
Learn More: What Are Corgis Afraid Of?
How To Spot Corgi Anxiety
There are many things that can cause anxiety in dogs. But the symptoms are pretty similar throughout. Once noticed, it’s crucial to find the source of the problems and deal with them immediately.
Some of the symptoms include aggression, panting, destructive behavior, depression, excessive barking, pacing, restlessness, and repetitive behaviors.
Aggression
While aggression can have its roots in many behavioral problems, anxiety is the one that causes it most frequently. The best way to figure this out is if your Corgi doesn’t seem to want to be around other dogs or people. While it’s perfectly fine for your dog not always to want to befriend everybody and everything – too much of this can be concerning.
Attacking or growling at other dogs is never okay, and if it happens too often – it means that your dog finds these situations stressful. If your Corgi is adopted, it can mean that it just never learned to socialize with dogs or people.
If your Corgi doesn’t know how to socialize, it will perceive others as threats and will try to protect you and your family. Don’t worry, though – slowly putting them in situations where they are around other dogs and people and awarding them when their behavior is acceptable should do the trick.
Just don’t rush anything. You have to understand that it is not easy for your dog to comprehend all the emotions going through its head.
Destructive Behaviour
This symptom is closely connected to separation anxiety, but it can occur when your Corgi is stressed out about something else as well. If your puppy is crying and barking when you leave, chances are you will find some destroyed furniture when you get back.
It is very important to stay calm in these situations. We know that it seems like your dog is destroying things to spite you for leaving – but that is not how it works. Your dog is going through a difficult time, and it needs your help to cope with it all.
The damage will usually be found close to the door. This further proves that your dog is just acting out when you leave. Chances are, all that damage happened in 5-10 minutes. After that comes an episode of depression and laying around.
Dealing with separation anxiety is simple, but it takes time and effort. Awarding acceptable behavior is always the best option. Under no circumstance should you punish your dog for destroying something? By the time you get home, he already forgot what he did, and he won’t know why you’re angry.
Are Corgis anxious dogs?
Well, it may seem so at first glance. They tend to suffer from these problems more than some other breeds, but the cases are not frequent enough for us to classify them as anxious. This doesn’t mean that your Corgis isn’t anxious by nature – we’re speaking in generalities. It all depends on what kind of life your puppy has led.
Read More: Are Corgis Aggressive Chewers?
Depression
Depression is a tricky symptom. While it seems like it’s a much bigger deal than your dog destroyed something in the house, depression can lead to much more problems than a couple of chewed up pillows.
Depression is an answer to all the stress that your pup is going through, and it’s not a pretty sight. While it may seem that he’s just feeling down, depression can lead to some serious problems:
- Loss of appetite.
- A change in sleeping habits.
- Lack of desire to socialize or engage in activities that were once the source of fun.
Stress turns to anxiety, which then turns into depression. Giving your dog a loving home usually does the trick, but if there is something that’s causing depression, it needs to be dealt with. Contact your veterinarian if you feel as if the situation has gone out of control.
Barking, Pacing, And Restlessness
The rest of the symptoms are usually just a way in which your dog is trying to vocalize its problems.
While barking is fine in some situations, it should be stopped in others. Your dog could be fearful because of some strange new sound, and by barking, it is trying to draw your attention to it. For thousands of years, barking was a great way to alert the family in the case of danger.
You can imagine then that it is quite difficult to stop this system. But unfortunately, it’s not just barking. By not dealing with the source of the fear in your dog, it tends to get stressed and scared – this makes them bark and vocalize even more. After some time, the barking can go from an honest alert to an uncontrollable call for help.
Pacing and restlessness go hand in hand with the barking and the stress. Your dog is going through a lot of emotions, and it can’t comprehend why that is. If you don’t help them, these problems will just get more severe with time. All of these smaller symptoms turn into aggression and depression – and then it’s very hard to remedy the situation.
Are Corgis Prone To Anxiety?
We mentioned already that Corgis tend to have problems with anxiety a bit more than some other breeds. With that said, we can’t claim that your Corgi will definitely suffer from these problems. But being on the lookout can’t hurt.
Helping your Corgi lead a healthy and fulfilled life is very important. By doing this and by giving your dog a stress-free environment in your home – you can keep the potential of a problem to a bare minimum.
The Corgi is an energetic dog that can have some bad temperament problems. Teaching them what’s acceptable and what’s not is important. But it is also important to know when your Corgi is just benign a Corgi – and when it is reacting to a complicated emotion that’s bothering them.
What Can You Do To Help?
There are many ways with which you can deal with your dog’s anxiety. Simplicity is the key here. Reward your puppy when it’s doing something good. Now, this method usually comes with a counterpart. People tend to think that if they reward good behavior, they should punish the bad. This is not true.
This is an old and cruel myth that will do more harm than good. There is no proof for the claim that the punishment system works. There is, on the other hand, proof that the reward system works.
So if your Corgi is having a hard time dealing with your absence, make them think that your leaving is a good thing! If your puppy is getting anxious when you’re getting ready to leave, slow down and wait for them to get calm. Once they do, award the behavior.
Practice-leaving is also a great method. Exit your house/apartment and get just far enough for them to not be able to pick up your scent anymore. Your puppy will probably start panicking and scratching the door, but this will stop after a short amount of time. Once it does, go back in and award them. The trick is to reward them when they’re calm.
The worst thing you can do in this situation is to go back in when you hear them crying and scratching. By doing this, you’re essentially telling them that if they act out, they’ll get what they want.
This method may seem simple, and it is, but it’s also effective. It gets a little harder to pull this off in certain situations. For instance, if your dog is aggressive towards other dogs, you can’t stand around and wait for them to get calm to give them the award. In these cases, you need to find the source of the aggression and deal with it.
Final Words
When people read these kinds of articles or encounter the problems that we are talking about – they always have a lot of questions.
Are Corgis prone to depression or aggression? Do Corgis get separation anxiety? And if they do, do they have separation anxiety at a young age only, or is it a problem that will come knocking on your door every once in a while?
Well, we hope we helped. Once you start working on these problems, they will pretty much go away – as long as you’re persistent, that is. Whether you are a worried Corgi owner or if you’re thinking of getting one, it’s important to know what’s what.
As long as you give your pooch a calm and loving home, it will give you more love and care than you can handle! We all need a healthy environment to function properly, and Corgis are no different. Just don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help if something is getting out of hand.
So take care of your Corgi, and enjoy your joyful life with it!
See Also: Are Corgis Nervous Dogs? What Causes Corgis To Be Nervous?
