Does anyone have a Corgi?

[redshoes]

My parents had to put their dog (a dachshund) down a few weeks ago and they are starting to think about getting a puppy in the next few months. They are currently looking at two breeds: A beagle or a corgi. They know some beagle owners but they have not met any corgi owners. If you own one, tell me the good and the bad about the breed.

 

[DisneyGirl2005]

I have had a Corgi for about a year and a half. I love her. She is the sweetest. But I will say Corgi's do have some drawbacks.

First and foremost in my book is the shedding. Holy cow does she shed. My corgi is actually a bit on the fluffy side so she may shed more than the corgi's with short hair, but from everything I read before we got her, all corgis shed.

Corgis also tend to herd anyone/anything they are around. This can be annoying to some people, but it has never bothered me. We were able to get her to stop for the most part now she only herds us occasionally. By the way by herd I mean she will push the back of your legs with her nose and sometimes nip at the back of your legs. Corgis are herding dogs so it is their natural instinct to do this.

Corgi's can also be high energy. I have 2 boys and another dog that play with her constantly and she is quite happy with that. It is amazing to me how corgis will adapt. Sometimes we will play with her for about 15 minutes and then tell her ok we're done. Off she will go and go to sleep. But if one of the boys wakes her to play, she is ready in an instant.

There really are so many wonderful things about corgis. They are very smart and easily trained. Ours is also very loving. Sometimes I think she thinks she is a lap dog. And believe me she is too big to be a lap dog.

I hope this helps some. There are several good websites out there just do a search for either pembroke welsh corgi or cardigan(not sure of spelling) corgi.

I added a picture of my sweet corgi - Callie

 

[DMickey28]

I have a male corgi. He just turned two. He is awesome. My mom has a beagle, and while I love him, I just love my Lobo. He does shed, but not anymore than other dogs I thought. He is small, without being too small. He is higher energy, but very adaptable. He loves to play fetch and will do so until he makes himself sick. It's simple for me because I just have to throw the toy down the hall or outside!! Because his legs are so short a simple morning and afternoon walk around the block or up to a mile are just enough for him. Again, adaptable.

He is very smart. With food, he will learn tricks in a matter of an evening and remember it. He is great with crate training, going into his room at night and before work. He also goes in there when he is tried.

The only drawback that I have with him right now is that he doesn't just chill. He is a little high strung and jumps up at any little noise. He is not a barker though, unless something is really amiss. He is only 28lbs but he is all muscle and very strong. He'll sleep on the couch if I am sitting there but as soon as I move, he's up.

This little guy is having a problem with his housetraining and seems to be going backwards.. I think part of that is because we just moved and he is adjusting the being in an highrise apartment, the heat which makes him drink more and going outside at set times, as opposed to having someone home during the day.

Here's a pic of him when he was little, he pretty much looks exactly the same!!

 

[bettyann29]

I think corgis are soooo cute.. My ex boss had a boy and a girl.. The boy was named Elvis and the girl was named Priscilla..

 

[Anne34]

I have had a Corgi for about a year and a half. I love her. She is the sweetest. But I will say Corgi's do have some drawbacks.

First and foremost in my book is the shedding. Holy cow does she shed. My corgi is actually a bit on the fluffy side so she may shed more than the corgi's with short hair, but from everything I read before we got her, all corgis shed.

Corgis also tend to herd anyone/anything they are around. This can be annoying to some people, but it has never bothered me. We were able to get her to stop for the most part now she only herds us occasionally. By the way by herd I mean she will push the back of your legs with her nose and sometimes nip at the back of your legs. Corgis are herding dogs so it is their natural instinct to do this.


She will play with her for about 15 minutes and then tell her ok we're done. Off she will go and go to sleep. But if one of the boys wakes her to play, she is ready in an instant.

There really are so many wonderful things about corgis. They are very smart and easily trained. Ours is also very loving. Sometimes I think she thinks she is a lap dog. And believe me she is too big to be a lap dog.

I hope this helps some. There are several good websites out there just do a search for either pembroke welsh corgi or cardigan(not sure of spelling) corgi.

I added a picture of my sweet corgi - Callie

Our Corgi is named Callie too!!!! Talk about strange. Our dog is 5 years old and is very sweet. She was very easy to train and is great with our three kids. She did herd the kids i n the beginning, but we nipped that in the bud quickly. Her only real drawback is the shedding -- quite a lot!!!

I can make some comparisons -- we had a beagle efore this dog. A beagle does have a lot more energy and will require more walking. They are also diggers and like to run (hunt). Both are very good with children. Our beagle barely shed -( yeah!!!) but was a little harder to train. He potty trained all right, but didn't listen as well when walking or following commands.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

We have a Corgi. He's the smartest, and friendliest dog I've ever had. I'll never get another one. He sheds a toy poodle every week.

 

[DisneyGirl2005]

Our Corgi is named Callie too!!!! Talk about strange. Our dog is 5 years old and is very sweet. She was very easy to train and is great with our three kids. She did herd the kids i n the beginning, but we nipped that in the bud quickly. Her only real drawback is the shedding -- quite a lot!!!

I can make some comparisons -- we had a beagle efore this dog. A beagle does have a lot more energy and will require more walking. They are also diggers and like to run (hunt). Both are very good with children. Our beagle barely shed -( yeah!!!) but was a little harder to train. He potty trained all right, but didn't listen as well when walking or following commands.

I didn't realize how popular Callie was when we picked it. It is funny though when it is another Corgi named Callie, cause you don't see them much. Her formal name is Calla Lily. When we are playing I actually call her Wags, I think it has something to do with her not having a tail. I don't know but Wags works.

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

Corgi's are Queen Elizabeth's favorite dogs. One bit her a few years back and she was quite upset as she loved them so.

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

I had a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. They're a little bigger than the Pems.
Radar was a wonderful dog, but he was very dominant and needed a very firm hand. Even with that, I could barely trim his nails without a fight.

From my own experiences, as well as the ones I've seen from a professional standpoint, I think they are very intelligent dogs but they need training. In the right hands, they're wonderful.

 

[ilovepcot]

Sheree beat me to it. I was going to say the queen has some but apparently they all don't care for her!

 

[Minnie_Moo]

My 12 year old male Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Teddy, is much as described by the others who have posted. Even at 12, he still has quite a bit of energy and is fairly highstrung - he quivers sometimes. We thought he would mellow a bit more with age. Like another poster said, he is quite smart and easily trainable with food.

He did herd us some when he was younger, but never nipped our legs while doing it. However, he can occasionally get ornery when we try to get him to do something he doesn't want to do (like getting his toenails trimed).

When he was younger, he got away a few times and made a bee-line for the neighbors' property so he could get close to their horses and sheep (probably due to that herding instinct). He sheds somewhat less than our German Shepherd did. He loves to go for car rides and overall is very good company.

I have mixed feelings about whether I'd get another corgi. We lost our German Shepherd a couple years ago. If I could have another dog like him, I'd do it in a heartbeat. He was smart like Teddy, but never ran off and was much more laid back.

 

[Nickimouse]

I had a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. They're a little bigger than the Pems.
Radar was a wonderful dog, but he was very dominant and needed a very firm hand. Even with that, I could barely trim his nails without a fight.

I always said if we ever got a male corgi I'd name him Radar!

We have a female tri-colored corgi named Sassy.
She is very sweet,loves people,especially kids! She plays with our kitty and keeps us laughing. She's quite the character!! She is on the small side at 20 pounds.
She loves to play, chasing tennis balls is her favorite.
She has a protective personality. She barks if the kids fight and if my DH and I hug. We nipped that in the bud very quickly though. I think she thought of my DH as hers.


With exercise and a firm hand a Corgi is a great pet!

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

Here is a better picture of Radar. Cardigans can come in blue merle, but that color isn't allowed for Pembrokes. Sadly, I lost Radar to cancer just a few months ago. He was an original.

 

[dixipixi]

We have a male Corgi mix. His name is Shorty. We adopted him a little over a year ago from a local rescue organization. He is super smart. He is not a full blood, so he doesn't have the long hair, but he still sheds.

We also had a dachshund that passed away last July. We had her for 11 wonderful years. We adopted Shorty just a few days later because the house was so empty.

We find Shorty to be wonderful with kids. But since he was rescued, he is kind of skittish. It doesn't take much to scare him and he is terrified of thunderstorms.

I would highly recommend them. I think they are great dogs. Very smart and easy to train.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

OMG!! I love Corgi's!! I've never had one but Corgi butts are one of the cutest things in the world!!! LOL!! Someone that lives near us has 2 fat little ones. I can be in the worst mood, when I'm driving home, and I'll see those little Corgi butts wiggling down the street and just start laughing!! Totally shifts my mood!......And to add to the crazy factor, since I'm already well into the zone.......I call Corgi's, Snausages!

 

[DMickey28]

One thing to add....unless you start early and often, forget about doing there nails. Lobo needs to be taken to the vet to do them. I can go to PetSmart and have them do it but it's such an ordeal. He pees on them, he needs to be muzzled and then I need to hold him and talk to him while they do it... I have tried to do it a few times myself and after an hour fight he gives up and let's me do it, but its too much of an effort. He screams and yells when you even get close to his paws....he does need to be muzzled for that.

Now of the small breed dogs, I would not hesitate to get another Corgi. I think my baby needs more consitancy in his training but I love him. I would take him over any of the other small breeds..... however a golden or lab would probably be an easier dog to own, or perhaps a corgi mix...

 

[DisneyGirl2005]

I am so glad to hear others have the problems with clipping the nails. I thought Callie was the only crazy one. My husband and I have to work as a team to do it. We don't need to muzzle her but we find that if we keep her from seeing what is going on it helps, so we just hold her in a position that she can't see her feet. It ends up feeling like we are playing twister.

 

[DisneyGirl2005]

OMG!! I love Corgi's!! I've never had one but Corgi butts are one of the cutest things in the world!!! LOL!! Someone that lives near us has 2 fat little ones. I can be in the worst mood, when I'm driving home, and I'll see those little Corgi butts wiggling down the street and just start laughing!! Totally shifts my mood!......And to add to the crazy factor, since I'm already well into the zone.......I call Corgi's, Snausages!

I think maybe that is part of where I got Callie's nickname from, her cute corgi butt. I mean she's got no tail to wag, so her whole back-end pretty much "Wags". It started out as Callie-Wags and developed into Wags.

 

[LSURyan]

We must have the oddball. Our corgi, Milo, is a bit ornery. He does not to be touched when he is sleeping. Really though other thatn the don't touch me when I'm sleeping thing he is a great dog. He is indifferent twoard our three year old. He is not mean, just really doesn't care or ignores the kid.

Milo was not outgoing, but lately he has been opening up to strangers more. He is about five years old now. Again, not mean, but just indifferent.

Milo doesn't let us clip his nails either. He will grown and snap at us. He does ,however, let the fine folks at petsmart clip his nails with no fuss.

Milo also has a sensative stomach and neeeds special food. But at around 35 pounds it is obvious that he eats well.

The only true negative is the shedding. When we read about Corgis there was mention of the shedding, but you will not be prepared for the ammount of shedding. He must shed a small to medium dog every week. Be prepared for the shedding and they will be wonderful pets.

My wife, Skuttle knows how to post pictures. Maybe she will later.

 

[DMickey28]

Honestly I haven't noticed the problem with shedding but we have always had labs and german shepards so maybe it's similar!

Maybe the sensitive stomach is a Corgi thing too. Lobo was on Eukanuba Puppy chow and was fine, but he couldn't handle the adult version. He eats Nature's Balance from PetCo and that works great for him. IT's all natural and I don't give him anything else. I tried to switch to something from PetSmart because it's more convient but he couldn't adjust. I just buy a big bag at a time and it's not too bad, it's not anymore expensive really than the other good brands either.