How to Discipline a Corgi Puppy (8 Easy Methods That Work)

So, you want to discipline your corgi puppy and stop bad behaviors.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Common corgi puppy behaviors
• How to stop corgi biting and nipping
• How to prevent your puppy from jumping on furniture
• Methods you can use at home to fix common corgi behavioral problems
• And more!

Sound good? Let’s get started!

Last updated: 3/7/20.

Signs of an undisciplined corgi puppy

Discipline training doesn’t only mean teaching your corgi not to bite.

There are a lot of other areas that are combined under the same terminology.

Here are some examples of corgis that need discipline training:

• Jumping on the furniture, bed, or other furnishings
• Chewing on wires, blankets, covers, or other household objects
• Pulling on towels, tablecloths, blankets, etc.
• Disobeying commands
• Racing around the home
• Extreme aggressiveness
• Housebreaking problems
• Teeth showing or barking
• Growling
• Biting or nipping ankles, fingers, or feet
• A drastic change in behavior

The possibilities are endless.

Any corgi puppy can show signs of poor discipline training. And most can benefit from corrective actions.

When it comes to disciplining your corgi puppy, the main concern new owners have is to stop the biting.

Sure, it’s cute and harmless when the puppy is small. But when it grows up, if the behavior is never stopped, those tiny nips can turn into some “real” bites.

We’ll cover some methods to discipline a corgi puppy geared towards stopping the biting.

Note that you can apply the techniques here to other unwanted behaviors also.

How do I get my Corgi puppy to stop biting?

There are multiple methods you can try out at home that you can help stop your corgi puppy from biting.

This is how you discipline your dog.

Puppies always need guidance to show them what’s acceptable and what’s not.

During the socialization period (weeks 8-12), this is the prime time to socialize your puppy and also when it’s the most obedient.

This is when you can teach it what’s okay and what’s not- such as nipping and biting your fingers, housebreaking, bathing, etc.

If your corgi nips, here are some tips to stop the behavior.

How to discipline a corgi

Here are some tips to help correct corgi behaviors at home.

1. Guide the puppy

If he nips, calmly let him know that it’s not okay by redirecting the biting to a toy.

Use a chew toy that’s made to be chewed on.

Replace your finger with the toy. Constantly reinforce this behavior.

2. Use noise

Every time your puppy nips on you, let our quick and high-pitched yelp.

This is similar to what puppies do when they get hurt. You’re just trying to replicate it.

After you yelp, turn around and ignore your corgi. This will show him that the nibbles on your feet, fingers, and ankles are NOT okay.

There are minor differences in how your puppy will react.

Depending on previous socialization, age, the breed of the corgi, and the corgi’s personality- this may actually make them more excited. Male and female corgis may also react differently. You should assess the situation and act accordingly.

If your dog freaks out negatively, perhaps the silent treatment would be sufficient as a substitute.

Be aloof and don’t respond to your puppy when it does something wrong.

If you can do this every time, he’ll quickly learn to stop the biting.

3. Be cold and aloof

After each time your puppy nips at you, right away don’t respond.

Don’t give him any attention. Straight up ignore the corgi by putting your chin up and face the ceiling. Cross your arms. Stand still. Stay like this until the puppy walks away.

This shows that as soon as he nips you, he no longer gets to play, eat, or get any attention. Combine this with a yelp and you should have decent results.

This can work for corgi puppies that are aggressive or constantly nip.

But you can also use this for corgis that jump on the furniture.

The standstill really tells the dog that it’s no longer playtime after he bites.

Remember that corgis were born to herd a few thousands of pounds of cattle back in the day (and even today).

So they need to bark, nip, and do whatever it takes to move those cows. This is in their genes and they can’t just ignore it. It comes instinctually.

Thus, you need to show that this behavior is not acceptable in your domain and be a calm, dominant, alpha leader.

Stand tall. Legs apart. Shoulders wide. Arms crossed. The dog will probably sit there and stare at you.

Don’t even look him in the eye. Completely go silent to your puppy every time he bites you. This will disciple the corgi puppy to quickly learn that biting means game over.

4. Don’t excite the puppy

Some corgis actually get more excited when you exclaim, yell, or yelp.

Curb the behavior.

You may want to see how the puppy reacts when you do something like this.

Even though it’s a negative yelp, your dog may be excited over it and thus only continues the negative behavior.

You may notice your corgi start to race around the house doing more of what you told him not to do, such as biting, chewing, or barking.

If your dog reacts positively to your “no” commands, yelps, or other attempts to discourage a behavior, you should stick with an all silent approach.

5. Use time-out areas

A “time-out” area can be helpful to calm down your puppy or to passively punish your dog for doing something negative.

When your dog bites during playtime or constantly jumps on the furniture, you can move him to a designated area in your home for a timeout.

Your puppy may start barking like crazy or whining. Don’t give in to these cues.

You must leave the puppy alone when it’s on time out. The point of this is to create a place where the dog can calm down from excitement.

Your puppy must be alone and separated from you for a set period of time.

Use this for nipping, chewing, furniture jumping, or other unwanted behaviors.

Every time you bring the dog back out of the timeout, watch its behavior.

As soon as it replicates the unwanted behavior again, put it back to timeout right away. Don’t lapse or else it won’t understand why you’re putting it there.

6. Exercise your corgi

The more your dog is exercised, the less energy it’ll have to bark, chew, and jump on your bed.

This is something you should already be doing on a daily basis. Corgis are not house dogs.

Many people think that corgis will do fine by themselves as long as they give them a simple walk or two. This is wrong. Corgis aren’t dogs that can be alone at home all day.

They need vigorous exercise for at least an hour daily.

If your dog is misbehaving, this could actually be a sign of excess energy and the “destructive” corgi behavior everyone talks about from unexercised dogs.

7. Enroll in a puppy class

There are many obedience classes for puppies and this is something you should consider if nothing you do works.

The thing to keep in mind is that you should be attending with your puppy- not sending it off like daycare.

You need to be there. You need to see the professional and meet them. And you need to also learn how they use various methods to discipline corgi puppies.

Don’t sign up for a class where you drop the dog off and come back later.

These are useless for you as a dog parent and you won’t be getting the most for your money. Don’t skimp on this.

8. Combine the methods

You can combine the various discipline techniques here for the best effect.

Don’t rely on one or two of them, as every corgi puppy is different and takes to training differently.

This means you should see what works best for your puppy and utilize it. Combine multiple techniques to make a program catered to your puppy.

No one knows your dog more than you yourself.

So you’ll have to sit down and do some thinking to create a discipline plan for your corgi puppy.

Further reading

• Aggressive Corgi Puppy. How to stop biting – MyCorgi
• How to Train a Corgi Puppy to Not Bite – Wag!
• My experience in raising a corgi puppy – Reddit

Did you learn how to discipline your corgi?

By now, you should have a solid starting point to take control of your corgi’s behavior. Curb it and correct it now.

Corgis are smart dogs and learn quickly. It’s your job to teach your puppy what’s right and wrong.

Remember that your corgi is eager to please (most of the time). If it fails to respond to your commands, you need to consistently enforce the behaviors you desire.

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