Don't forget Joce!! She has one!
I have 2, 7 month old Corgis, Izzy and Frodo (see sig).
Anyways, ditto to pretty much everything Dena said.
They're EXTREMELY intelligent.
And they need their brains to be worked, or they can become destructive.
Chloe is extremely independent.
Izzy is very independent (it may be a female thing, but I'm not sure), but Frodo more of a velcro type dog, if I'm sitting on the floor, he is in my lap, every time!
They love people & are great family dogs.
Absolutely! My guys LOVE little kids, even though they don't live with little kids. Both of mine are what I would call "one person dogs", they are attached to me at the hip and prefer me over anybody else, but they also love attention from anyone and everyone that will give it to them.
Chloe is very stubborn....she is a major alpha dog
Most female corgis are alpha and they also tend to be more dog aggressive then the males. Izzy, at 7 months, rules the roost and is alpha to my 6 year old poodle mix, Mollie, and she does have some dominance issues. Frodo is completely submissive! I have never had a problem with him in this area.
They respond much better to positive reinforcement rather then negative
If anything other than positive reinforcement is used with Frodo, he shuts down. If I raise my voice to him he shuts down, he is very sensitive
. I would strongly suggest clicker training for corgis, it has wonders for my guys.
they WILL try to outsmart you.
And no matter how hard you try, sometimes they will succeed...
They do need to be brushed several times a week. Chloe sheds really bad (AND I DO MEAN REALLY BAD) twice a year.
Yes!! It is uncontrolable, it gets everywhere! I can brush one for half an hour , then run my hand over them and it comes off just as bad as before I started.
They're a great watch dog because they're see and hear everything
They are very alert! My two spend most of their day standing by the screen door and barking at everything that does by, unfortunately.
They love to bark....are very communicative.
Do not get a corgi if you don't like to hear barking!!! If you live in town (as I do) make sure that you have extremely understanding neighbors (thank god I do). I swear Frodo and Izzy have complete conversations with each other, lol.
It's extremely important to keep them at a healthy weight because they tend to have back problems.
And they love food which doesn't help.
They do have a tendancy for some other health issues
Make sure if you go to a breeder that they test for hips (very important), as well as blood problems (which are common in corgis).
They need a moderate amount of exercise and love herding and agility.
They have to have an energy outlet and a job to do.
They make great service dogs
Both Izzy and Frodo are therapy dogs in training, and they LOVE IT!
Some of the things they come up with is nuts! Izzy has learned that winking makes me laugh...yes, she winks. They put in shows and are natural performers, it makes not having cable TV tolerable, lol.
One major suggestion!! Only get ONE! Not two. If I could do one thing over again, I wouldn't have got two. Especially if its your first time owning the breed.
Hope that helps somewhat.