Corgi as a house dog.

Are Corgis Good House Dogs? (Things You Should Know)

So you’re wondering if a corgi is a good house dog or not.

Perhaps you live in a small home or apartment and you’re considering a corgi.

Or you’re a busy person who’s out of the home most of the day.

Let’s cover some points you should know before you get a corgi.

Are corgis good for homes and apartments?

Are Corgis Good House Dogs? (Things You Should Know) 1

Corgis are herding dogs by nature and not meant to be kept indoors all day.

They need outdoor exercise on a daily basis to avoid temperamental and behavioral problems.

If you’re considering keeping your corgi in your home all day, you’ll be pleased to know that’s perfectly fine.

But only if you take your corgi out for daily exercise. Sometimes twice a day for busy people.

So this means you can’t leave them alone for extended periods without at least giving them a walk every few hours. If you work, consider walking them before and after work. Or getting a dog sitter.

Are corgis indoor or outdoor dogs?

Corgis are not low-maintenance lap dogs that are happy sitting at home doing nothing. They’re outdoor dogs.

They’re herding dogs, so they need plenty of outdoor activity daily. This means, rain, snow, heat, and cold- they don’t care because they have a thick double coat.

But for you, that may be something you’re not willing to do.

You need to take them out and tire them out or else they’ll be a nightmare to take care of.

Can you provide your dog with at least an hour of strenuous exercise daily?

If so, then a corgi may be perfectly living happily as a house dog that’s well-behaved.

But that’s not all.

Here are some things you should also consider if you plan to keep this breed inside your home like a house dog.

Note that these are just additional points to consider that may or may not pose an issue for you.

But the exercise thing- that’s not an option.

This breed needs a few different requirements to stay happy and healthy.

Here are the ones you should consider before keeping your corgi as a house dog.

Corgis are very vocal

Corgi on bed in an apartment. They can make good house pets.
Corgis will bark at thin air.

So let’s start off with corgi barking because this is a very popular topic amongst prospective owners looking to adopt or buy one.

Corgis are known to be very vocal dogs. They bark at people walking across the street. They bark at people ringing your doorbell.

They bark at you pulling up in the driveway after work. They bark at thin air. If you can’t handle constant barking, then a corgi may not be for you.

As painful as that sounds, these dogs were just bred to be vocal to alert their owners and to herd animals.

Now, you can definitely train it from an early age to bark on command, which can help you train it to stop barking.

You’ll need to do this early during the socialization period so the corgi knows that excessive barking is a no-no.

You should also teach it the “thank you” technique which allows the dog to bark a few times, then stop.

The barking is controllable to a small degree. But you’ll have to put in some work first. If you’re not willing to do that, then a corgi is not a good house dog for your situation.

Note that the barking also depends on the specific dog. Some may bark at nothing while others are silent.

How much exercise you do also makes a huge difference.

How to tell if your corgi is a barker

Before you buy, check out the parents.

  • Are they calm and collected?
  • Do they bark?
  • Are they obedient?

If you’re buying your dog from a reputable breeder, they’ll have one or both parents on site. If not, run.

But if you’re adopting, you pretty much already know what you’re getting. Chances are, you won’t find many corgi puppies for adoption.

But rather, an adult that needs a second chance. If the adult doesn’t bark much, then it probably also won’t’ bark when you take it home.

Corgis need plenty of exercise

Another hallmark characteristic of corgis is their need for exercise.

They need both mental and physical work every day. Failure to stimulate their mind and body results in a destructive dog that barks, sheds excess fur, chews up furniture, and is misbehaved.

Physical exercise

This breed needs at least an hour of strenuous exercise daily. If you have a typical schedule, you can walk the dog before and after work. Or just do it all at once.

As long as you tire it out, it’ll be happy to live in your house.

Small yards may not be sufficient, nor is indoor exercise. Corgis will need ample room to run amok and really get up to speed.

You’ll have to exercise the dog for extended periods of time to actually get tired.

A simple stroll around the block won’t really do much to utilize the corgi’s physical ability.

And that’s just the physical part.

Mental exercise

Don’t forget to keep ti mentally exercise also. This means treats, obedience, commands, games, and anything to make your dog think.

Both are equally critical to your dog’s behavior and temperament if you plan to keep it indoors most of the time.

Poor exercise can also trigger the dog to be aggressive or hyperactive, as both of these are outlets for the corgi to relieve pent up energy.

Remember that exercising the dog will relieve energy and make it tired, which means less energy to be used for destructive behaviors.

A tired corgi is a happy corgi. Corgis have a happy and easy-going temperament, but no exercise will alter their behavior.

This means you technically can keep a corgi indoors for most of the day- but you need to release all of the energy daily.

Don’t skip this part as it’s not an optional step for proper corgi care.

Corgis shed a lot

Corgi shedding all over the house.
Corgis shed like crazy, so be ready.

As you probably know, corgis are no strangers to shedding. They’re said to shed twice a year when the seasons change.

But any corgi knows that they shed nonstop 24/7. Twice a year just happens to be the absolute worst times for fur.

Your house will be covered with fur. Fur in the bed. Fur on the couch. Fur for dinner. Can you handle this? If yes, then skip this part.

For anyone else, there’s nothing you can do to stop corgis from shedding.

You can only keep them healthy to reduce shedding. This means proper diet, bathing, exercise, and grooming.

But still, you should expect a lot of corgi glitter all around your home.

So if you’re too lazy to vacuum or don’t like dog hair, consider another breed. You’ll have to learn to appreciate the corgi fur and live with it.

Some corgis owners have given up their dogs because of the hair. But at least you’re learning this now, right?

Ask yourself:

  • Are you okay with hair across all your furniture, bed, home, kitchen, etc.?
  • Do you mind vacuuming at least twice a week to keep things somewhat clean?
  • Do you have time to devote to groom your corgi’s hair daily?
  • Are you able to take your dog to get professionally groomed monthly?
  • Can you bathe your corgi every month?
  • Do you care about eating dog fur for your supper? (Joke, but not really.)

If you answered “yes” to all except the last one, then a corgi may be for you! Keep learning.

Corgis are stubborn

Corgi on beach.
Corgis will think for themselves. Don’t underestimate them!

Corgis are smart, but this means they’re also stubborn.

They’re not really of a dog that’s born to please their owners as they’re independent and can think for themselves.

They’ll calculate punishment and reward and act accordingly.

Some owners have noticed their corgi think on the spot to see if an action’s consequence is worth the prize.

These aren’t lap dogs that don’t mind sitting in your lap and following you around all day.

They’re extroverted, high energy bullets that need to be outdoors, dash around, and make decisions on their own.

So what does this mean for you?

If you expect a corgi to listen to your every command, all the time, you may be disappointed

These dogs definitely will obey commands, especially for treats since they’re treat oriented dogs.

But that doesn’t mean they’ll always listen to everything you say. They can think for themselves and do their own things.

They may also get bored with doing tricks or constantly obeying commands when there’s no food.

This can make things like housebreaking difficult. If you live in a house and you don’t want your dog to potty all over your carpet or furniture, a corgi may not be the right pet.

Since they’re stubborn, they take time to housebreak and this means accidents.

And even after you think you’ve trained your dog to go to the right place, they just may not decide to listen to that one time.

So this means more accidents. You need to be ready to deal with problems like this if you plan to get a corgi.

Not all corgis are independent and not all corgis are willing to please. It’s up to the dog and how it was trained, socialized, and raised.

Corgis are very smart and because of this, they’ve learned to think for themselves.

So consider this before adopting or buying a corgi as a house pet. This is something that many owners overlook.

Other dogs and corgis

Corgis will generally be friendly and happy with other dogs, especially when socialized early.

However, this isn’t always the case for older dogs. Corgis may end up in power struggles, dog fights, and territorial problems.

This varies on the breed, temperament, and environment.

But corgis will fight other dogs and aren’t afraid to get personal.

Despite their small stature, they’ll act like big dogs. This means playing, fighting, and showing aggression towards other dogs if needed.

Don’t let their small size fool you. They’re a big dog in a small body.

Other pets and corgis

The last thing to consider is other pets. Do you have cats? Rabbits? Small animals?

These can all be factors for corgis as they may attack, eat, or maul down other pets. Corgis are herders by nature and will try to herd everything into one place. If you ask any corgi owner who has family all over the house, they’ll tell you all about it.

Corgis hate separated owners and have an OCD-like tendency to bring everyone together. The same could go for other animals in your home.

This is something you’ll need to consider.

Further reading

Here are some references and additional resources you may find useful:

Are corgis good house pets?

Corgi outdoors.
Yes, they make good house pets. Provided you give them some TLC!

So now that you’ve read over some of the most common problems with keeping corgis in the home, what do you think?

You now should have a lot more things to think about.

Corgis can make excellent house pets, but only if certain conditions are met. They’re definitely going to require some work.

But how can you say no to that furry butt or corgi sploot. Or when they sleep in strange positions?

Questions? Post ‘em below and ask us!

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Hawley Giordano
3 years ago

We have a 3 year old 5 lb. Yorkie and and a 5 month old Corgi puppy.
Our Corgi plays very rough with our Yorkie and it seems to be getting worse. I’m very afraid our Yorkie will get hurt by the puppy’s rough playing. We’ve tried exercising her and tiring her out but she doesn’t seem to calm down!
Any suggestions?