As we all know, Corgis are very sociable dogs. As much as people love to have them around, the company brings twice as joy to our favorite pet breed. Corgis seem to glow when they are amongst kids and other human beings.
But, no pet owner can be with their pets 24/7. At some point, we will need to leave our puppies home alone and hope they will be able to go through the day without creating some mess. And knowing how energetic and hyperactive the corgis are, the opportunities for mess won’t be lacking.
This is one of the rare situations when Corgis’ high spirit can be seen as a bit of offset.
That brings us to some important questions like can puppies be left home without human supervision and, if so, how to train a Corgi to stay alone.
Let’s try to find out.
How Long Can Corgis Be Left Alone?
This is the question on which the entire following discussion will depend on, and we are happy to report that yes – Corgis can be left alone at home for some time. However, the same rules don’t apply to all corgis. How long they will be able to stay safe and don’t create an excessive mess around your home will depend on four main factors:
- How old the Corgis are?
- How close you are to the Corgis?
- Are the Corgis sick?
- How well the Corgis are trained?
Let’s break these requirements one by one.
The Age Of The Corgi
As for the age of the Corgi, adult puppies (1 year and older) won’t have too much problem waiting for you to come home for less than a day. Take the regular 8-hour work shift as some reasonable time frame. Young puppies, on the other hand, will be petrified of staying alone, so you will need to have someone watch out for them even if you are going to go out for a couple of hours).
As they grow older (past six months), you can start adjusting them to alone time in the intervals of about 4-6 hours.
Relationship To The Puppies
The other factor is the closeness between the owner and the puppies, and it works both ways. Sure, Corgis will miss their owners more if they are attached to them. On the other hand, some toys and objects used for shared play will cut these hours of loneliness much shorter.
What To Do With Sick Puppies
Sick puppies should never be left home without supervision. In this condition, Corgis are vulnerable even to the things they usually find attractive, and they need constant care and attention. So, be a responsible owner and ask some of your friends to take care of the puppies while you are away.
Helpful Tips For Training Your Corgis To Stay Alone While You Are Away
All three requirements we have mentioned above are very important. Still, when all things are said and done, how long your puppies will be able to stay alone at home will ultimately depend on how well they are trained.
That is why we will dedicate the following section to some valuable tips that will help you train your puppies to become fully independent while you are at work or absent for some other reason.
Leave Your Puppies Space But Don’t Give Them The Entire House
Allowing your Corgis more freedom to explore the whole house may seem to empower at first, but it’s not the best solution long-term. For instance, allowing the puppies to climb the stairs when you are at home will probably give them the idea to do the same when you are away.
But, running up and down the stairs is dangerous, and your puppies can easily slip and break their hips.
So, be sure to make some parts of the house like stairs and kitchen absolutely off-limit while giving pets enough space to explore and play.
Don’t Be Overly Clingy And Possessive
As we already mentioned, people love Corgis. Their owners usually make the mistake of snuggling their pets all day long without allowing them to spend some quality time on their own. This creates dogs that are unable to independently create some fun diversions and throw tantrums whenever they are not at the center of attention.
The easiest way to mend this problem is to give your pets enough individual time, even if you are present at home. Parting toys like snuffle mats and bone chewing toys will keep them occupied and learn to stay entertained even without human assistance.
If you want to go one step further, you can get one of those twist-and-treat toys that will reward your puppies for problem-solving and turn their free time into genuinely engaging experiences.
Give Your Corgi Workout Before Leaving The Home
Corgis are incredibly energetic and love good exercise, but even this joyful breed can’t go on for an entire day without taking a good rest. So, make sure that your pets fire on all cylinders before you leave them alone at home.
This way, they will spend most of their free time resting or looking for food which is, admittedly, a pretty manageable situation.
Ideally, you should give your puppies one good long walk before you leave the house, but that is very time-consuming, especially if you are in a hurry to get to work. If that’s the case, you can get the same results with some other high-intensity, short-burst workout.
Give Your Corgis Their Favorite Treats Before You Leave The House
Feeding your puppies into submission is not really something you should do on a daily basis if you want them to grow into happy, active, and slender dogs. But, if you serve the treats after you give the Corgis good exercise, they shouldn’t pack excessive weight in the long run.
Once you are done with the training, take puppies to the home area where they spend most of the time and leave enough treats to keep the Corgis busy while you are away. The treats will create a very positive association and, in combination with toys, occupy the puppies’ attention for more than a couple of hours.
Dog Proof As Many Things As You Can
Aside from the injuries the puppies can inflict on themselves if they are not supervised and the feeling of loneliness they experience in that period, damage to the furniture and other household items is probably the third biggest concern of the working Corgi owners.
With that in mind, energetic Corgis can be somewhat of a nuisance, knock down a couple of vases, scratch the upholstery and leave their marks on wooden pieces.
Here are a couple of tips that will help you to avoid these problems and allow your pets enough room to freely roam around the house:
- Use latches to prevent dogs from opening cabinets
- Place essential fragile items on high shelves
- Keep trash cans latched
- Keep toilet lids closed
- Hideaway small items that can be easily swallowed
- Keep laundry, shoes, and electrical devices behind closed doors
- Cover wooden floors with more coats of finish
- Cover upholstery with a cheap, durable cloth
- Give dogs their own beds
Give Your Puppies Their Own Personal Space
Your dogs will feel the urge to explore the house, especially while they are still very young. But, they will feel less inclined to do so if you make some part of the house their own. Corgis are a very cozy breed, and they like to spend time where they feel pleasant.
This exclusive dog area should meet a couple of essential requirements:
- It should be flat so that the dogs can access it without too much effort
- It should be spacious enough so the dogs can have room to walk
- The temperature should sit at 78-87° Fahrenheit (25-30° Celsius)
- It should be devoid of any curiosity-sparking items like loose screws
- There should be no other animals in this area
Once you make sure all these things are checked, you should inhabit this area with a dog’s bed, bowl, toys, and all other stuff Corgis find attractive. You should also try to spend as many shared hours in this environment so the dogs know that is the place where they should look for fun.
Try To Have An Established Playtime Schedule
Much like human beings, dogs are creatures of habit. When they got used to some specific schedule, going out of the routine will bring them very little joy.
So, schedule the play hours before and after you are back from work. We have already mentioned the perks of giving your puppies a good walk before you leave the house. Well, the same rules abide for the afternoon time you are back at home. If you train them to play at these specific hours, your Corgis will spend most of the time in-between resting, feeding, and anticipating your arrival.
A good afternoon workout will also help your puppies fall to sleep far, far easier.
Learn More: Are Corgis Trainable? How Long To Train A Corgi?
Conclusion
We hope these few tips will help you train your Corgis to spend their free time while you are away from home in a fun and engaging manner that won’t bring them into any danger or damage the items around your house.
Corgis are a very lively and energetic dog breed. So much so that one could assume they are an absolute train wreck when they are left alone for more than a couple of hours. But, you should give your best friends a bit more credit. With enough effort on your behalf, Corgis can grow into well-behaved dogs that have no problem spending eight or so hours alone.
Read Also: Are Corgis Inside Or Outside Dogs?