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The Corgi

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Breed Traits and Characteristics

According to the American Kennel Club, here are some breed characteristic you can find in Corgis. 

 

  • Height

    10-12 inches

  • Weight

    Up to 20 pounds (male), up to 28 pounds (female)

  • Life Expectancy

    12-13 years

  • Coat Type/Length

    Double/Short

  • 100 Affectionate with Family
  • 60 Good with Young Children
  • 80 Good with Other Dogs
  • 80 Trainability Level
  • 80 Energy Level
  • 80 Barking Level
  • 80 Shedding Level
  • 20 Drooling Level

History

Some find it hard to believe that a dog the size of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi was bred for herding cattle, but its deeply entrenched instincts that back centuries: it is believed that the cattle dogs that were brought to Wales by the Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries are the true ancestors of the Corgi as we know it today. (It is also possible that they may have descended from a line of dogs that were brought to Wales in the 12th century by Flemish weavers.)

Corgis possess all the vital traits to be extremely efficient cattle dogs: tenacity, determination, and high intelligence. Both the Pembroke and its close cousin, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, descend from the line of northern spitz-type dogs. Initially recognized as one breed, the Kennel Club of the UK decided in 1934 to recognize the Pembroke and Cardigan separately. The American Kennel Club followed suit in the same year and in 1936, the Pembroke was first shown in the USA. The official AKC breed standard is maintained by the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is perhaps best known for being Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s preferred breed of dog. Queen Elizabeth II of England was given her first Corgi by her father, King George, in 1933, and the breed has been a fixture in her life ever since.

Corgi Personality & Temperament 

Pembroke Corgis are highly intelligent, outgoing, and friendly dogs. Strong and athletic, Corgis are happiest with moderate daily exercise – they especially love herding and chasing, the same activities they engage in as working dogs. Their pleasant disposition makes Corgis a great fit for families, and their protectiveness if they sense a threat to their family or social group makes the breed great watchdogs. Their determination can sometimes turn into a stubborn streak, however, making early, consistent training beneficial to avoid future behavioral issues.

Corgis have become more and more popular in the USA, and for good reason: they are great family dogs, with keen intelligence that means they take to training well. This same intelligence can be a challenge for their owners, however, as Corgis do not relinquish leadership easily – after all, the same determination, tenacity, and independence that serve them well as herding dogs can also make them a challenge to handle.

If you are thinking of purchasing a Corgi, it is especially important to source from an ethical, responsible breeder who is breeding for not only looks, but health and temperament as well. Rescues are also great options for prospective Corgi owners. Contact your local Bark Busters trainer today to learn about great breeders and rescue organizations near you!

Corgi Physical Characteristics

Muscular, long, and low-set, Pembroke Corgis differ from their cousin, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, in several respects: Pembrokes typically have docked tails compared to long tails for Cardigans (though some countries have banned the practice, making the difference more difficult to spot); additionally, the Cardigan has a slightly larger head and comes in different colors than its Pembroke counterpart.

Class & Color

Class

  • Herding Class

Color:

  • Red
  • Fawn
  • Sable
  • Brack and Tan
  • (All colors may be with or without white markings)

Size

Pembroke Welsh Corgis are small but powerful dogs with surprising agility given their size and short legs.

  • Small
  • Height: Height: 10-12 inches
  • Weight: up to 30 pounds (male); up to 28 pounds (female)

Life Expectancy

Pembroke Corgis maintain good genetic health, especially when purchased from responsible breeders, though some can suffer from inherited conditions like hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and other rare conditions.

  • Pembroke Welsh Corgis typically live between 12 and 13 years.

Corgi Common Behavioral Issues

The common issues with Corgis are normally barking, chasing, leash-pulling and sibling rivalry. They can be bossy with other dogs, with a desire to rule the roost. Early training makes a real difference when it comes to managing the strong herding instincts possessed by Corgis, which may transfer to everything they do. Good management is especially important around young children, who may be nipped during overexuberant play. The Corgi is not malicious, but it can get itself into trouble if left on its own to run the show.

If you are struggling with your Corgi’s behavioral issues, contact your local Bark Busters trainer. Our trainers are available both in person and through live interactive virtual sessions to help establish a pattern of consistency, resolve any and all issues, and help you nurture a relationship with your Corgi built on mutual understanding, trust, respect, and love.

Corgis have never been known to walk away from a fight, but the generally won't start one. It is important to socialize them properly from an early age to avoid behavioral issues.

Aggression is not normally an issue with Corgis, though they can become leash-reactive if allowed to lead on walks. Training can help curb their potential to nip at heels if they get excited – call your local Bark Busters trainer to learn more.

Prevention is far more preferable to a cure – early basic obedience training is absolutely vital to ensuring your Corgi understands and follows your rules.

All dogs need a special place to call their own. By selecting a place for yours to eat and sleep away from high traffic areas of your home, you can set good habits early in its life.

We are standing by to help you develop a consistent, compassionate approach to good behavior for your Corgi. Learn more about our services and schedule an in-person or virtual appointment with one of our trainers today!

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Need help training your Corgi? Call 1-877-500-BARK (2275)or enter your zip code.

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Corgi Health

Health

Pembroke Welsh Corgis are generally healthy, though some may inherit hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, or Von Willebrand Disease.

Corgis need daily exercise to stay healthy and happy. Consider walks or jogs, but be mindful of their short legs, which can hinder their ability to keep up at faster speeds.

Corgis are very intelligent and need mental stimulation. Consider a puzzle or chew toy that stimulates a dog’s natural desire to chew.

Corgis benefit from structure and direction, including proper socialization from a young age with people and low-energy dogs.

Grooming

Corgis possess a weatherproof short undercoat with a longer, coarser outer coat of varying length. Pembrokes benefit from a once-daily brushing with a comb and slicker brush to minimize their tendency to shed, which increases in spring and early summer. The American Kennel Club also recommends occasional baths to loosen dead hairs (though Corgis should be completely dry before brushing), regular nail trimmings, and routine ear checks.

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Hear from Bark Busters Clients Who Have a Corgi

Dan is a lifesaver! Zoe is a 5 year old strong willed Corgi who constantly was barking, pulling, jumping and overall not listening. After the first lesson with Dan, my boyfriend and I saw a major improvement with how she was walking and she was starting to understand that she was no longer in charge. After our second lesson with Dan, my boyfriend and I saw a new well - behaved Corgi. She understands how to walk with us, she grasps that certain areas of the house are not her space but my boyfriend's and mine, and she is understanding the commands when we tell her not to bark. I did not think it was possible to see her improve and the fact that she did and turned the corner so quickly was very impressive! This is all thanks to Dan!
I had purchased a new Corgi puppy last year and had some big issues with her that I could not deal with on my own. My vet recommended Bark Busters and I could not be more grateful for how much their training helped me to be able to keep my dog. Their training is kind and helpful...I would highly recommend this company! - (Google Review)
Steve is great! He is wise, professional, honest, and great at what he does. It's only been a few days since our first session and have seen a huge improvement with our 2.5-year-old corgi, Herbie. His biggest problem behaviors (barking non-stop when we have guests and jumping up to steal food) have subsided and we're looking forward to seeing more improvements as we continue with training.
Deb from Bark Busters totally changed my relationship with my dogs. I have two dogs, one is 4 years old hound mix and the other is 7 months old corgi mix. There has been some sibling rivalry, some aggressive behavior around feeding time (coming from the corgi towards the hound), and the typical barking, jumping, etc. I took a dog training course with the hound but when I tried training the corgi he wouldn't listen, just wanted the treat. Deb came to our home and totally flipped the script on how to handle my dogs. It's only been one week and we still have some work to do in certain areas but I noticed my dogs are a lot more relaxed and when your dog sitter texts you saying "Holy *beep*! What did you guys do? They didn't jump on me when I came into the house!" I find that a great success and the steps to the right direction! Thank you, Deb!
Johnny helped us with our 2 dogs as we transitioned into our new home. One of our dogs is super anxious and reacts by barking and gets our other dog worked up to the point where they are both always on edge. Johnny was great at showing us techniques and drills on how we can work with our dogs to help with the reactivity and anxiety. One of our dogs is not food driven so we thought this was going to be an issue but Johnny was very patient and found the reward that motivated our dog. Johnny spent multiple sessions at our home learning about our dogs and we saw progress after the first session but even more so as we continued working with him. Johnny helped us be more confident as owners and our dogs more content in their new home. Thank you Bark Busters!
Pam was wonderful to work with during a really emotional time for our family. After our dog Oakley bit me on the 4th of July, Pam helped us understand Oakley’s behavior by explaining things in a way that was simple and easy to follow. She took the time to listen and was incredibly understanding of how upsetting the experience was for me.
Oakley loved her right away, which made the process feel even more reassuring. Pam showed us a few simple techniques that made an immediate difference, and we started seeing improvements right away. We’re so grateful for her patience, compassion, and expertise.
We would not hesitate to recommend Pam for any of your dog training needs. She's simply the BEST!!
Sharon at Bark Busters has really helped me develop the right behaviors to bring out the best in my beautiful Bernie doodle...BAYOU. I've never really trained a puppy before, but Sharon breaks down the skills and demonstrates them so well... we get a nearly instant response. Bark Busters can help you with short-term issues...or like us...you can have her be available for the life of your dog....as their (your) needs change. It's a GREAT INVESTMENT in a well-behaved and happier fur friend.
We've been very pleased with Sharon at Bark Busters. This is our first puppy....in 25 years...so it's been great to relearn the do's and don'ts, especially now that we're retired and have more time...to pay attention :) Would highly recommend them as a solid INVESTMENT in making your long-term DOGGY relationship, the BEST it can be. It's great knowing we can get advice...whenever we need it.
10/10 would recommend Ryan and his team. It’s very evident from our first lesson and follow up that he truly understands dogs and their behaviors in addition to their humans! We had a follow up with Ryan since our guard dog has been picking up a new behavior (barking and charging the fence when people walk by) and pulling on the leash. Ryan came out to us within the week and was able to help us get the behaviors back under control. We thought we were doing everything right and it turns out myself and husband were missing a crucial step in his training. Cowboy was more placating us instead of listening/respecting. With the help of Ryan, we are all back on track and doing great!
Karen is awesome.
The lesson plans worked. I was surprised how quickly I was able to see the changes.
Over the last couple months my dog changed a lot.
The loud barking behind my head when on my computer. Fixed
Pulling and biting the leash on walks. Fixed
Chasing my cat, jumping on me, stealing the other animals food...etc
He is now the dog I wanted when I got him.

Thank you Karen!
Ryan and his team were incredible.
Have already recommended them to others and will continue to happily do so
We started with Johnny to help with our first dog, Elroy about 3 years ago. He was a 1 year rescue Pitbull with no leash manners, reactivity to people and dogs, and serious resource guarding. Our sessions with Johnny gave my wife and I confidence to know that Elroy was safe and able to work with and improve. Through the right guidance, training, and tools Elroy is now an amazing family dog who loves going hiking and enjoys going out almost anywhere with us. With much consulting with Johnny we decided Elroy was ready to bring another dog into our family, so about 7 months ago we added Apollo, a 2 month old Rottweiler. Johnny has continue to support us from introducing the dogs to each other, each stage of Apollo's puppy development, and now continued training and development for both dogs together. Johnny has been extremely supportive with any dog related questions and we love that he is able to help us with anything we want to add to our dogs skill set as well as encouraging us to try new things to enrich our dogs.
Patrick was really good. It took a few visits and some trial and error but he stuck with us and the pulling stoped. Nice nice person and very competent
A huge thank you to Sharon from Bark Busters for all her professionalism and expertise on training our puppy as well as us humans on how to train our puppy. We learned so much, and we highly recommend her to anyone who wants to have an enjoyable experience with their dog. Thank you again 5 ⭐️

We have a 10 month old Shihpoo with separation anxiety. We couldn’t leave the house without her. She would yelp and cry uncontrollably. We tried crate training and watched so many videos looking for a training method that would work. One session with Sharon and we have the tools to gain some freedom. We are on day 2 and we’ve already made so much progress. We are able to better communicate with our dog and help her understand that she is safe and can relax when we leave. It pretty remarkable!!
We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Scott! In just one visit we learned how to stop our dog from being reactive to doorbells, how to calmly let guests in/out of our home, how to recall our dog, and how claim our space and furniture back. Interestingly in just a few hours our dog learned the system/tools he put into place and we were left in a positive space of feeling like we are ready to practice and implement all we learned over the next few weeks. We could not be more appreciative of Scott’s time and expertise.
After one session with Josh, our 9-month-old cattle/pittie/boxer mix Fox has become a new little man. Josh starts working the second he walks through your door. We had been struggling with puppy regression, attitude problems, and poor walking habits, but 24 hours after our 1st session, walking Fox has become near idyllic. We were equipped with immediate skills to practice, follow-up work, and a calming assurance that things might *actually* be okay. I'm not a big digital reviewer, but felt the need to write: if you're on the fence or on the verge of giving up, in a mess of tears after a 'simple' walk around the block, I highly recommend chatting with Josh and his team. We'd read Bark Busters' reviews before, stating an immediate positive change in dogs after an initial session, and wanted so badly to believe they were true: they are. We've got some continued work to do, but at this rate, we have been bestowed a new confidence and are feeling relief already.
Erin at Bark Busters is beyond amazing. Her knowledge and expertise are surpassed by NONE. I had a Rottweiler that would bolt out of her crate. Within 10 minutes, she was sitting and waiting for me to give her the release queue. Erin's accomplishments in 10 minutes are more than it took me forever to get trained. Erin also went over some problem areas. My dog again corrected very quickly, and this is because Erin has all the knowledge, patience, and expertise. I would highly recommend Erin with Bark Busters to anyone
Very positive and I feel confident with the things we learned today will fix the issues we have. Orlando is great and knowledgable.
Orlando is very professional and is amazing with my two dogs. I am introudcing a new dog into our home with an existing dog and having some issues with the new dog being protective and trying to show dominance over myself and the existing dog. Orlando Gave me the tools I needed to establish that i am the leader and that they both need to listen to me. After only two hours there is a big difference in both dogs behaviors towards me and each other. I would highly recommend Orlando who is very friendly, knowledgeable and easy to work with.
Carrie's session was incredible! She was so knowledgable and her session was very informative. She demonstrated and explained everything very clearly. She was also very patient as I learned to apply the skills she was teaching. Absolutely recommend!
We rescued our dogs and Carrie rescued our home. She brought confident techniques to us and made our dogs understand who is in charge without hurting them or causing them to fear us. They know that they are safe and loved.
We recently hired Bark Busters to help us with our Miniature American Shepherd, Cooper, who is very reactive and has started to be aggressive toward people. We didn't know quite what to expect when Omar showed up, but I can say he more than exceeded what we hoped to accomplish on that first visit. Before he even met Cooper, he spent time with our family, listening to our concerns and then helping us understand why Cooper was behaving as he was. This insight has been a game-changer in how we interact with Cooper. And already we're seeing results. We still have a long way to go, but Omar has given us the hope that Cooper can become a calm, confident and happy dog who will bring much joy to our family. We really cannot recommend Bark Busters highly enough - especially Omar and Ryanne!
Johnny and the Bark Busters team have been nothing but helpful and professional throughout the training process for our puppy. From the onboarding and initial training session to the follow-ups and outside communication, everything has been fantastic. If you are looking for a professional dog trainer, look no further than Johnny and his team. Johnny is a true professional, always communicating clearly and arriving on time. He is never rushed and takes his time working with us and our pup. He is also incredibly responsive and helpful outside of our training by sessions and is always willing to advise if we need help. Not to mention, Johnny is incredibly personable and an excellent communicator, bringing in real-life examples and demonstrating how the training program has positively impacted his pups, his family's and friends' pups, and so many others. The training program itself has been nothing short of remarkable. Working through the basics of training a new puppy and meeting us and our pup at our level have made Johnny an extraordinary partner and resource. The methods are fun and easy for our puppy and have helped us develop a wonderful bond with our little guy when working on "homework" in between visits. From basic crate training, to potty training, and even advanced obedience at a young age, the program has been effective and beneficial at every level. We are looking forward to using the lifetime training program for years to come as our puppy grows and are really confident knowing that we have Johnny and the Bark Busters team to help with any issue that may arise. We cannot recommend Bark Busters enough for your pup or even for an older dog, and will certainly be sending all of our friends and neighbors who are searching for the right trainer to Johnny and his team. Pricing for Bark Busters is MORE than fair and you would be hard pressed to get the results we and so many others have seen (not to mention the lifetime commitment) for cheaper. After much research and consideration for where and how to train our puppy, we are happy to have made the choice to work with Johnny and OC Bark Busters team.
I searched for weeks for the right trainer for our (then) 6-month-old puppy and ultimately decided to go with Bark Busters. We've now been working with Johnny for several months, and our pup is doing great! He is patient with our dog, and even more patient with us as we learn how to continue training outside of training sessions. He understood that while we wanted a well-behaved dog with manners, we wanted our dog to be part of the family. He finds the perfect balance, between dog and family member, whereas other trainers and behaviorists I spoke with were advising we do not treat him as a family member (i.e. no petting unless "earned," etc.). Not only is he on-time, present, and attentive at sessions, he is available outside of sessions if we have any questions or need any extra help. I would absolutely recommend Johnny to others.
We can't say enough great things about working with Johnny Jumper from Bark Busters! After extensive research on dog trainers, we chose Bark Busters, and we are so happy we did, as our purebred English Lab and our Labradane both needed professional training. From the minute Johnny walked into our home on Day 1, our pups connected with him and responded incredibly well to his training methods. Johnny was calm, very professional, and exuded so much patience while working with our pups. He also provided excellent tips to address behavioral issues we hadn't considered on our own. We love that Johnny used positive reinforcement and clear guidance that helped me, my husband, and our pups feel more confident. Each session was educational and it was really encouraging to see the progress in each or our pups. After only two (2) sessions, our pups stay when told, they walk on a leash without pulling, and our English Lab is counter-surfing less and not jumping on family and friends near as much as before! We are continuing to implement all of the training that Johnny taught us and we know our pups will soon be the best dogs that we can take anywhere. We appreciate how communicative Johnny is as he checks in with us to see how the pups are doing, and he is also quick to respond to our text messages. For anyone looking for an experienced, patient, and effective trainer, we highly recommend Johnny Jumper at Bark Busters!
Bark Busters are amazing dog trainers. Johnny is so good with my dogs. He is patient and very gentle with them and with my son and I. We had no idea what we were doing and Johnny came over and taught us what we need to know to at least get started. Bark Busters is definitely worth every penny. My dogs were barking all the time before Johnny came to help us. Now they are calmer and are easier to handle overall. :-) :-) :-) :-)
Johnny is literally the best and the sweetest!! My dog had always struggled with reactivity, lunging, barking, and generally being on edge around other dogs and strangers. It was stressful for both of us and embarrassing. Barney has improved so much since the first session. Obviously, it's not perfect, but it just feels so much easier. Since the beginning, Johnny has shown us a lot of patience, which we greatly appreciate! I love how it's a one-time payment and sessions whenever available. Any time we want to schedule a session Johnny makes time for us. I 100% recommend!!!

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