I plan to do a more in-depth post about things you really, seriously need to consider before getting a corgi. But all of that is info you can really find elsewhere, from people with more experience than I.
My intention for this post is some of the more lighthearted and unusual things that you discover through living with a corgi.
I try to always specify that I’m talking mainly about Pembroke Welsh corgis, unless otherwise noted, because that’s what I have experience with. I’m sorry, Cardigan owners. I know people always say “corgi” when they mean Pembrokes, and it’s gotta be frustrating. I’m doing my best!
1. Those little legs can really jump
You should try to keep your corgi from making vertical leaps up and down off of things—especially down, that’s extra jarring on the joints—as much as possible, particularly when they’re growing. But they’re determined little things, and if they want to get up on a surface, they’ll do it.
For some examples, people are always surprised at the dog park to see Delia effortlessly hop onto a boulder that’s about 4 feet high. She likes the vantage point. And once, she took a running leap from the floor onto my dining table—because she was excited to be groomed up there, of all the reasons. I’ve never left food unattended ever since, as I assume some food up there would be an even more powerful motivator than the blow dryer!
Her breeder told me that, in pursuit of a bird, Delia’s mother once scaled a tree and jumped a 4ft fence!
So, don’t let those little stumpers fool you into thinking something is out of their reach and you should be fine to leave it. They’re also insanely crafty, so even if it truly is too high to jump, where there’s a corgi, there’s a way.
2. They are the worst tripping hazard
I find that all smaller dogs do tend to get under foot a bit. But corgis are something else. Their short little legs are the better to trip you with, while their medium size gives them a large surface area for doing so. So, being the larger and longer of the two breeds, I’ll bet this is even worse for cardi owners.
The only thing that saves me from tripping over Delia more often than I do is that she’s usually pretty quick to dodge my feet. They are cattle dogs, after all.
As a matter of fact, corgi-lover and monarch Queen Elizabeth II originally said she would have no more corgis, one reason being she feared tripping over them. If I were in my late 90s, I can imagine feeling similarly! More recently however, she seems to have decided that it’s worth the risk. One hopes they will bring her comfort as she grieves the passing of her husband.
3. You will repeatedly call for your dog, and meanwhile they’re right next to you, but you can’t see them because they are so dang short, so you just keep calling, and calling, until the corgi lets out a whine of frustration because they’re right. here.
I mean that’s fairly self-explanatory. You might think I’m referring to one highly specific incident, but it happens pretty much every day. At the house, at the park. Just all the time.
4. Walking them in public is like walking with a celebrity
Oh dear, as an awkward introvert, I really wish someone had prepared me for this.
Actually, I think I did read something or maybe watch a video where someone mentioned it. But my expectations were completely different.
Walking with Trigger, my family golden retriever, of course everybody who walks past can never help but smile when they see his smile and wagging tail. Sometimes they’ll say, “What a cute dog!” or stop and ask to pet him. Who can resist a golden?
And then I had just fostered Eleanor, an Australian shepherd who was so striking with her half-white face and her eyes which could range in colour from light jade to amber. She drew the most gasps and comments of any dog I had ever walked up to that point. I just couldn’t let anyone try to pet her, because she was frightened of people.
So I thought this was the kind of thing I was in for. People smiling or commenting on her in passing, and maybe asking to pet her.
On our very first walk together just around the streets near my house, someone rolled down their car window and screamed “CORGIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!”
But to be fair, she was a very adorable puppy, and I had her strapped to me in this ridiculous puppy carrier. (I wanted to get her used to the sights and sounds of our neighbourhood during this critical period, but parvo is so rampant in my area, and she only had one round of shots in her.) So I chalked it up to that.
But to this day, people still absolutely lose their minds when we’re walking. They will shout from across a street. They will shout out the car window. They will exit their homes as we walk past to come say hello. Grown adults will RUN squealing through a public park to come ask if they can pet her. When we pull up to the drive-up at Starbucks, we’re met with screams of “CORDELIA!!!” They know her by name.
One evening we were out walking and we had run out of water and were both very thirsty. I stopped at a Starbucks to run in and get something to drink and some water for her. It was close to closing, so it was empty, but of course you can’t bring a non-service dog inside, and I wouldn’t dream of trying to. As I was tying her up outside (in full view of the windows—I knew she’d be fine) an employee came out and said, “Please bring her in. Everyone really wants to meet her!”
I just cannot stress to you enough how much attention a corgi will draw, but I want to try, so that if you’re quiet and socially inept like me, you can brace yourself.
But the good news (well, maybe none of this was even bad news if you’re not an under-socialised Australian shepherd in human form) is that these humans are here to meet the corgi end of the leash, and if you have a typical pemb, they’re soaking up all that attention and providing a nice social buffer for you, leaving you to just relax. It’s really quite nice!
That’s all for this post! Thank you so much for reading, and if you like my content…well, thank you! Please consider subscribing so that you never miss a post.
I hope you have a lovely day!
