Are Corgis Easy To Take Care Of?

When I was first deciding whether to get a Welsh corgi, my biggest concern was how easy (or not) they are to take care of. 

If you put the time and effort into training them, your corgi will grow up to be a fairly low maintenance dog and easy to take care of. As well as being loving and loyal, corgis are bossy, intelligent and energetic. With the right discipline, they can make great first dogs for new owners.

It really does come down to how willing you are to train your corgi from an early age. A solid training plan and lots of socialization means your corgi will be more likely to grow into an easy, happy-go-lucky adult dog. 

Without this, the negative corgi traits—stubbornness, bossiness and barking—are more likely to dominate.

Just how easy are corgis to take care of?

When deciding whether a corgi is the right breed for you, you’ll want to consider the following: 

• How much time you have available for training
• How many hours of walking you can fit into your daily routine
• The size of your home and whether or not you have a garden
• How much grooming you mind doing each week
• Whether you already have other pets or children living in your home
• How regularly you’ll leave them home alone

One of the great benefits of corgis is how adaptable they are. As long as they get enough exercise each day (ideally 60 minutes of walking), then it doesn’t matter whether you live in an apartment with no garden or a large house with lots of land. I live in a first floor apartment in London with my corgi Winston, and he couldn’t be happier.

Corgis are also fairly low maintenance, as long as they’ve been well trained from a young age. While you might not completely eradicate instinctive behaviors like barking or stubbornness, you can keep on top of these with discipline and consistency. 

For the most part, Winston is an extremely laid back corgi who is happy to go anywhere and do anything as long as he’s with me. My family have owned lots of dogs in the past including pugs and Irish terriers, and I’ve found Winston easier than all of them!

Corgis are great for first time owners

This is why I believe that corgis are great for first time dog owners, as long as you can give them the training and daily exercise that they need.

Some things I wish I knew when I was deciding whether to get a corgi was how much they shed, how clingy they can be, and how important it is to socialize them from an early age. 

Let’s take a closer look at these factors below. 

How much exercise does a corgi need?

Corgis have lots of energy and big brains, which means they need lots of stimulation. I walk Winston for at least 60 minutes each day, broken into two 30 minute walks in the morning and afternoon.

Throughout the rest of the day I keep him entertained with puzzle toys, games of fetch, and occasionally his favorite KONG toy filled with frozen peanut butter.

One thing you might not expect from a small dog like a corgi is how much stamina they have. If you love hiking, you can bring your corgi along with you safe in the knowledge that they can happily walk for 6-8 miles without any problems. Just make sure you wait until they’re at least a year old (when most of their growth has finished) before doing so.

How much grooming does a corgi need?

Thanks to their double coat of fur, corgis are heavy shedders all year round. For this reason, they’re not a hypoallergenic breed, which is something to consider if you’re prone to allergies. 

I wasn’t fully aware of how much a corgi sheds when I adopted Winston. House proud and interiors obsessed, the way I keep on top of the shedding is by banning my corgi from sleeping on the furniture, investing in a good pet vacuum cleaner and grooming him at least once per week. 

I also recommend taking your corgi to a professional grooming service once every 12 weeks. This helps make the hair loss more manageable. 

Are corgis good with children?

Due to their herding instincts and the tendency to nip at the heels of adults and children alike, corgis are good with children if they are well trained. Without proper obedience, corgis can be a little domineering with kids (especially 5 years and under) and have the potential to scare them with their loud barking.

That being said, if your corgi is obedient and/or your child is older,  a corgi can be a wonderful companion for kids. Their energy levels, smaller size, affectionate nature and adaptability make them great family dogs. 

What type of food does a corgi need?

Here’s something you should know about corgis: they are pigs in disguise.

That’s right. Corgis love food and are prone to obesity, so watching their weight and feeding them the right food is essential if you want to keep them as healthy as possible.

There’s a huge array of healthy dog food available for small breed dogs like corgis, so I recommend trialing a few brands until you find one that your corgi loves.

One thing to watch out for is a sensitive stomach. 

My corgi Winston is hypoallergenic, which means he is allergic to certain ingredients found in most common dog food brands. I only found this out when he started vomiting a few hours after each meal. Once we switched over to hypoallergenic Royal Canin dog food, the vomiting stopped completely. 

Another way to tell whether you’ve chosen the right food for your corgi is to check their poop. Diarrhea or watery feces might suggest an upset stomach caused by their food. 

Is a corgi suitable for your lifestyle?

Corgis are clingy dogs that love to be with their owner. So, if you work full-time in an office or plan to spend a lot of time out of the house and away from your corgi, don’t choose this breed.

Even if you can afford to pay a dog sitter to walk your corgi during the weekdays, I would seriously consider the impact this will have on them.

Corgis are easy to take care of—you don’t need a big home or even a garden to raise a happy, healthy corgi—but they do need your company. I would recommend a corgi for full-time freelancers or people who work remotely for the majority of the week. 

Related questions

Are corgis good apartment dogs?

As long as corgis get enough physical and mental stimulation each day, they make great apartment dogs. Aim to walk them for at least 60 minutes per day to burn off energy and keep them entertained with puzzle toys while at home. 

Are corgis good with other dogs?

If you socialize your corgi from an early age, they will have no problem getting along with other dogs of all shapes and sizes. Corgis were bred to be herding dogs so they can be a little territorial and grumpy if not exposed to other dogs regularly as a puppy. 

What are some corgi behavior characteristics?

Positive corgi behavior characteristics include loyalty, playfulness, intelligence, adaptability, and a hugely loving personality. Some of the negative traits include stubbornness, a tendency to bark, bossiness, and lots of shedding!