If you are planning to get a Corgi dog, it would be important to know Corgi pros and cons. This way, you can know whether the breed ideal for you or not.
Welsh Corgis come under the dog breeds with pointy ears. You are a fan of Corgis’ cuteness and want to adopt this breed dog, right? However, before adopting, it is advisable to understand personality traits and pros & cons.
First of all, you need to know that there are two types of Corgis – the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Both Corgi types have similar personality traits.
The only differences between the both are ears and the tail. Pembrokes don’t have a tail, while Cardigans have one. And Pembrokes have pointy ears, while Cardigans have rounded ears. The pros and cons I have mentioned here apply to both types of Corgis.
List of Pros and Cons of Corgis
Each dog breed has its own advantages and disadvantages. This breed has started gaining popularity these days, mainly due to the Instagram trend. Depending on your lifestyle, Corgi may or may not be the ideal dog for you. If you don’t have time to read the entire article, just check out the below list.
Here’s the list of Welsh Corgi pros:
- The breed is smart
- Affectionate and sociable
- Comparatively longer life span
- Loved by royal families
- Easy to train
- Their fluffy coat is easy to care
- They have a personality of GSDs
Here’s the list of Welsh Corgi cons:
- Need high-quality food
- They shed a lot
- Require a lot of exercise
- They bark a lot
- Prone to obesity
- Not good with other small animals
Pros of Owning a Corgi
Corgis are smart
The Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgi are the two smartest dog breeds out there. The best thing about adopting a smart dog breed is training gets easier. This breed dog will follow the majority of your commands correctly.
Affectionate and sociable
If you are looking for a great companion for you and your family, this breed is for you. The Corgi will follow you wherever you go. Not just you and your family, this breed will be good with other dogs as well. Corgis have herding instincts and they love to chase other dogs.
Comparatively longer life span
You don’t want your canine to die early, right? A longer life span is another advantage of adopting a Welsh Corgi dog. The average life span of Corgis is between 12 to 14 years. However, with proper care, you can expect it to be about 15 years.
Loved by royal families
The Corgi dog breed is popular around the world mainly due to Queen Elizabeth II. Over time, the Queen has had many dogs, including Dorgis, Cocker Spaniels, and Corgis. Over the 80 years of the time period, she has owned 30 different Pembroke Welsh Corgis. The Queen was given her first Corgi for her 18th birthday.
Easy to train
We have already seen that Corgi is the smartest dog breed out there. Higher intelligence of this breed will reduce problems in training. With consistent and frequent training, they can be easy to train. With hard to train dog breeds like Afghan Hound, Basenji, Beagle, and Bulldog, you will have to work so much on training.
Their fluffy coat is easy to care
Corgis have a short, fluffy coat, which is easy to care for. They have a denser undercoat and lighter overcoat. Due to their double coats, grooming requirements are quite high, but it won’t be complex. To make the grooming process easy, it is good to get a good brush.
They have the personality of German Shepherds
Another good thing about Welsh Corgis is they have some qualities of German Shepherds. They have many physical features and personality traits similar to GSDs. In fact, they are often known as miniature German Shepherds.
Cons of Owning a Corgi
Need high-quality food
Owning a Corgi dog means you will need to spend pretty much money on food. Corgis have high energy levels, hence they require quality food with high amounts of protein and carbs. As Corgis are small dogs and are prone to obesity, you need to ensure whatever food they eat has less amount of fat.
They shed a lot
Although Corgis have a fluffy coat that is easy to care for, they shed a lot. Welsh Corgis have double coats, meaning they shed year-round. The shedding level of this dog breed will get even higher during the start of summers and winters. A higher shedding level also means more grooming requirements. To keep a Corgi well-managed and clean, you need to provide daily grooming.
Require a lot of exercise
Corgi was created to work as a herding dog breed. They have excess energy levels, due to which, their exercising needs are also very high. If you are looking for a couch potato breed, this one is not for you. For utilizing the excess energy levels, they require regular exercising and physical activities.
They bark a lot
Barking is another disadvantage of Corgis. If you are looking for a quiet breed dog for apartment living, Corgi isn’t for you. Barking can be obvious when the dog does not get enough exercise and has a lot of unused energy.
Prone to obesity
We have seen that Corgis have higher energy levels and higher exercise needs. Not providing enough exercise can result in overweight. With overweight, your canine might have to deal with issues like back problems and hip dysplasia.
Not good with other small animals
Corgis can get along well with other dogs and even cats. Your Corgi can be the best friend of your other dog especially when both are raised together. However, it may not do well with other small animals like bunnies and hamsters. The reason behind this is herding instincts.
Final Thoughts
Whether you choose Pembroke Welsh Corgi or Cardigan Welsh Corgi, there are no differences in personality traits. So the above-mentioned pros and cons apply to both the Corgi breeds.
Adopting a Corgi dog just because it is popular and is loved by royal families is not a good idea. There are many more things you need to take into account before adopting. If you think Corgi personality traits are matching with your lifestyle, you can go ahead getting this breed dog.
