As dog owners, you are well aware that some breeds are more aggressive than others and take special ways to calm down. Some dogs fall under the influence of the owners. However, others become even more unbearable.
They become overactive, which can pose a problem both to the owner and other dogs around. This type of situation occurs because of inappropriate eye contact, touch, or language.
According to professional dog breeders, there are different ways in which you can “tame” your pet. So, if you have been wondering how to calm down a corgi, there is more than one solution. But be careful. This is a tricky breed. Corgis are known for their liveliness, but you can teach them how to become calmer and less excited and aggressive in some cases about everything around them.
If you want to find out ways in which you can calm down your dog after he has shown signs of aggression and how to apply some training tips as well so that this does not happen in the future, continue reading our article.
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6 Ways To Get Your Corgi To Calm Down
If you have a corgi puppy in your household, then you are 100% aware that these dogs sometimes don’t know when enough is enough. They have this inexhaustible energy that keeps them jumping around the entire day. There have certainly been times when you have felt exhausted and just wanted to sit down and put your legs up, but your corgi said NO.
They still have a lot of energy, and they want to play a bit longer. Do corgis calm down, ever?
This can quickly turn into a problem – your corgi can get overly-excited and injure himself because you have decided to back out for a while. This is the mild option. Sometimes, this excitement can turn into anger and aggression – take it that your corgi might start thinking that you are deliberately rejecting his call to play. You are not doing this, of course, but they might have a hard time figuring that out.
We are here to help you and offer you a couple of solutions to how to calm down a corgi who is overly-excited:
Provide Your Corgi With A Safe Place
Some corgis have a specific “sleeping area”. This can include your corgi’s favorite blanket, some toys, or even a dog bed that he takes his naps in. Try to use this to your advantage by bringing it to the living room or wherever it is that you are playing. Corgis are smart dogs, and they should notice that it’s time to slow down and maybe take a nap.
This is also beneficial for reducing stress with corgis. Toys and bed equipment usually have a calming effect on the dog.
Don’t Hype Up Your Corgi Without Reason
This is a common mistake a lot of owners make. Since corgis are already affectionate and lively dogs, their owners usually excite them without any reason by raising their voices, jumping around, and then they just stop. Don’t do this with your corgi. You can show your excitement as well by using a calm and soothing tone.
Try Slow Petting Instead Of Quick Methods
When petting your dog, try to slowly do it by “brushing” through his entire body. Don’t focus on just the ears, for example, and avoid using any fast movements with his legs or snout. He will think that it’s time to play, while on the other hand, you just want to lie down for a little bit.
You Can Play Some Soothing Music
Believe it or not, playing soft music in front of dogs actually helps. This is very useful when you have a corgi adapting to a new home and looking for ways to make him feel comfortable.
There is nothing better than playing some calm melody while he sniffs around. He might even fall asleep to it after some time. Turning to some soothing music for help is a perfect solution on how to calm down a corgi puppy.
Always Have A Chew Toy By Your Side
If you don’t have the time or energy to deal with your corgi’s excitement, you can always give them a chew toy to tire them out. This is a great way to keep them distracted and to soothe their teeth before they fall asleep. Luckily, today there are hundreds of choices when it comes to smart toys for dogs, and they are very affordable.
A great example of this is SmartBones SmartSticks Chews for Dogs – they are made with chicken and turkey flavor and very easy to digest. This way, you will both feed and entertain your dog.
Teach Your Corgi The Importance Of The Command “Stay Calm”
Good behavior and adequate training are the essential factors in dog training. It would be best if you taught your dog the importance of obeying his owner and listening to the commands you say. In this case, the command “stay calm” is of the essence. If you have adequately trained your dog, at the mention of this, he will stop with this overly-excited demeanor and behave well. If this does not happen, you know what to you.
Call up a professional or grab some dog training books and do it the old-fashioned way.
Does Maturity Come With Age?
Some dog owners claim that maturity comes with age – both humans and puppies. But in most cases, this is not true. Just like humans, there are dogs who stay childish even after “growing up” and “getting old.” A perfect example of this is the corgi breed.
Are corgis calm dogs? No way. When do corgis settle down? Never.
Corgi dogs are born herd dogs, and they need to have a purpose their entire life. This means that even when they are old in dog years, they will still feel the need to go out and explore. So, if you were wondering when do corgis start to calm down – the answer is never.
This breed is not getting calmer any time soon – so if you are planning on owning a corgi, you better have a good amount of energy to keep up with this dog.
If you were wondering how to tire your corgi up, you wouldn’t come across a definite solution, but here are a few ideas where they will use up their energy the most:
- Play tug of war with your corgi
- Play fetch with your corgi
- Go on adventures in nature with your corgi
Corgi dogs will always be childish and ready for an adventure with their owner.
What About Aggression?
As we mentioned earlier, aggression can develop from excessive excitement because the dog might get the wrong idea that you don’t want to spend time with him. Although this might not necessarily be the case, your corgi might turn to loud barking and aggressive behavior.
When it comes to gender, there are some differences between the male and female corgis.
Corgis are dogs packed with personality, charisma, and sometimes aggression. However, this is not the case with all corgis, and it depends on many factors. Female corgis tend to be more aggressive than males in the sense that they are more territorial. This is why they also require a lot more attention on a daily basis, both from their partner (if there is a male corgi involved) or from the owner himself.
Aggression doesn’t just apply to corgis, and it can be viewed with other dog breeds as well. Corgis do not go along with other breeds around them if they are not already familiar with them. There might even be some biting involved.
If you thought that aggression is common just with adult corgis, you are wrong. Corgi puppies are also aggressive by nature, especially if they do not receive proper training at a very early stage. They already have a louder bark, so if you don’t teach them to calm down and behave well, you will be hearing a lot of this – more than you can take.
An aggressive corgi puppy can also be the fault of the breeder himself. Before buying a corgi puppy, you should most definitely visit the premise where your breeder is keeping them. There is a high chance that the environment is not suited for a puppy and that he is not cared for properly.
What are the reasons behind the aggression, and how to get your corgi to calm down?
The major reasons for a corgi’s aggressive behavior are:
- Fear: your corgi might not feel safe in the environment he is in at the moment, and the only way he can “protect” himself is by displaying aggressive behavior.
- Herding habits: since corgis are herd dogs, they are very stubborn, and they will most likely get angry and aggressive if something is not according to them.
- Something is wrong with their health: when the pain is unbearable, your corgi might show you that something is bothering him by acting aggressively.
In order to calm down your corgi from being aggressive around you and other dog breeds, you have to:
- Sign up for proper training
- Have a lot of patience
- Show authority from the very start
- Not spoil your corgi with food, toys, and attention.
So, when do corgis calm down? Not with age, but when you take your breeding skills seriously.
Training A Corgi Dog
The question remains: Are corgis calm dogs? No.
Can you make them calm just for a bit? Yes, with proper training.
When it comes to training methods, they vary from breed to breed. Some are harder, and some are easier to train – and this is all natural and normal.
Although you might think it is impossible to train your corgi, you are not using the right tactic. They are lively and impatient dogs, and they will respond differently.
When training corgi breeds, here are the elements that you need to include:
- Space limitation
- Housebreaking
- The daily routine
- Leash walking
- The crate
- Socialization
- Commands like “sit,” “stay,” and “come.”
Let’s explain this.
- Space limitation: Corgis are one of the liveliest dogs, and once you bring them home, they want to be all over the place. This is acceptable a couple of times, at first, but don’t let this turn into a habit. They are also very clumsy and might end up breaking some of the objects in your home. They need to be disciplined as soon as you bring them home – but you shouldn’t do this in a violent manner.
- Housebreaking: This doesn’t refer to your corgi breaking into other people’s homes. It has to do with their bladder control. As puppies, this is not fully developed, and you might find yourself cleaning after your corgi more than enough. With age, you must set a time when they go outside – this usually happens right after breakfast in the morning, around noon, and before they go to sleep. A trained corgi will come up to the door and let you know that he needs to go out.
- The daily routine: The daily routine for corgis is play, play, and more play. For a day to be considered accomplished, they need to spend most of it outside or indoors (depending on the weather) playing and going on walks with the owner.
- Leash walking: If you are planning on going to town to finish some errands, and you want to take your corgi with you – a leash is a must. These dogs are not so well-behaved that they will steer clear of outside sources and stay with their owner. Be sure to buy one of those modern leashes which can spread so that your corgi doesn’t start choking when he wants to move a little further.
- The crate: This is your corgi’s safe place, and it should be clean and filled with his toys all of the time. Don’t go round sniffing around his things – he won’t like it. The crate’s shape shouldn’t be intimidating to look at, which is considered a must when traveling.
- Socialization: Socialization is essential for this breed. They need to be around someone else and explore. Although this is not the calmest breed out there, corgis will always get along great with their owner and still be happy to accompany him on his trips, walks, or bike rides.
- Commands “sit”, “stay”, and “come”: Commands like this should be taught to the dog at the very beginning of the training. If they do not master this during the first years of their life, the owner will have a lot of trouble taking them anywhere among the public.
While some people think the best way to train their corgi is by hiring a professional to do this for them, others believe that the best training they will get is from the owner himself (with a little help from some training books).
This is entirely up to you to decide – you know what’s best for your pet.
Stop The Barking
Barking makes this breed unique. Unlike with other breeds, you will hear your corgi bark a lot. Surely, sometimes this gets on your last nerve, and you wish you could just make it stop instantly.
Lucky for you, there are certain methods that help minimize your corgi’s loud bark.
It is important to mention that barking does not only come from insufficient play-time or boredness. Sometimes, it is a cry for help – maybe there is something wrong with your corgi’s health.
Some of the most common reasons for your corgi’s barking are:
- The habit of controlling the herd
- They are communicating with you
- They are under stress, or they are afraid
As a herding dog, corgi’s need to bark all the time to keep the stock in line was necessary. This transferred to other aspects of life, and nowadays, they bark whenever they feel in control. As they grow up, this becomes more frequent and sometimes even slightly irritating for the listener.
It is not unusual that your dog will try to communicate or seek your attention by barking from time to time. The only problem is that a corgi needs a lot of attention, and if you don’t grant it to them – the barking will become louder and louder. Efficient training takes care of this.
Like we mentioned, a dog’s bark can be a cry for help. Corgis tend to use their bark as a sign of anxiety or stress.
These dogs can suffer from “separation anxiety” when they are separated from their owner for a long time. They don’t go quite as some breeds dogs do – they get pretty loud. This can also be the sign that something is hurting them – so you might as well take a better look at your dog.
You can control your corgis’ barking by:
- The bark on command method – finding a way to make your dog bark at your command and labeling it with a command “bark.”
- The quiet method – unlike the previous method, this one involved practicing the command “quiet” and teaching your dog that being quiet is proper behavior.
You should never consider the bark collar – this is just a cruel device for any pet. This is a way of punishing your corgi for barking – and you can’t do something like that. It would be like preventing people from speaking.
Conclusion
The corgi breed is known for its loud bark and lively personality, but however cute this might be, it can still get on your nerves – and this is where the problem starts. How do you calm down your corgi?
To be honest, it will be slightly more challenging with this breed because they are used to running around the entire day, and it seems like they will never run out of energy.
You will not be able to “tame” your corgi in the long-run, but you can help him calm down for a little bit. You can do this by providing your corgi with a safe place, not exciting him up for no reason, having a chew toy by your side, or just letting him listen to soothing music.
Maturity doesn’t come with age, and your corgi doesn’t plan on settling down any time soon. Your corgi needs a lot of exercises, and there are ways in which you can tire them up just a bit – playing Tug Of War, playing fetch, or going on walks together.
Sometimes, excitement can turn into aggression, which is not uncommon for a corgi dog. When it comes to gender, female corgis will show more aggression than males. Puppies can also display aggressive behavior due to an improper environment.
When it comes to training, you should pay attention to housebreaking, leash walking, and socialization most – these are the crucial factors in an adequate exercise of a corgi. Also, there are two methods in which you can help minimize your corgis’ barking – there is the bark on command and the quiet method.