Last Updated on September 22, 2024 by Dogs Vets
The Ultimate Guide to Training Welsh Pembroke Corgis
Welsh Pembroke Corgis are beloved for their intelligence, affectionate nature, and spirited personality. Despite their small stature, these dogs possess a strong will and an eagerness to please, making them highly trainable companions.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore effective training tips and techniques tailored to the unique characteristics of Welsh Pembroke Corgis.
Understanding the Breed
Before diving into training, it’s essential to understand the Welsh Pembroke Corgi’s breed traits. Corgis are intelligent, independent, and energetic dogs with a strong herding instinct. They are quick learners but can also be stubborn, requiring consistent and patient training. Corgis thrive on mental stimulation and physical activity, and they form strong bonds with their owners.
Start Early and Be Consistent
Early socialization and obedience training are crucial for Welsh Pembroke Corgis. Start training your Corgi as soon as you bring them home, ideally between 8 to 12 weeks of age. Use positive reinforcement techniques such as treats, praise, and toys to encourage desired behaviors. Be consistent with your commands and expectations to avoid confusion and reinforce good habits.
Focus on Positive Reinforcement
Welsh Pembroke Corgis respond well to positive reinforcement methods. Use rewards such as treats, praise, and playtime to reinforce good behavior. Avoid punishment-based training methods, as they can lead to fear and anxiety in your Corgi. Instead, focus on rewarding the behaviors you want to encourage and redirecting undesirable behaviors.
Use Short, Engaging Training Sessions
Corgis have relatively short attention spans, so keep training sessions brief and focused. Aim for several short sessions throughout the day, each lasting 10 to 15 minutes. Use a variety of commands and activities to keep your Corgi engaged and interested. End each session on a positive note with plenty of praise and rewards.
Teach Basic Obedience Commands
Start with basic obedience commands such as sit, stay, come, and down. Use clear, consistent cues and gestures, and reward your Corgi for obeying commands. Break down each command into small, manageable steps, and practice in different environments to reinforce learning. Be patient and persistent, and celebrate your Corgi’s progress along the way.
Socialize Early and Often
Early socialization is vital for Welsh Pembroke Corgis to develop into well-rounded and confident dogs. Expose them to a variety of people, animals, sounds, and environments from a young age. Arrange playdates with other dogs, take them to puppy classes, and introduce them to new experiences to build their confidence and social skills.
Channel Their Energy
Welsh Pembroke Corgis are energetic dogs that require regular exercise and mental stimulation. Provide plenty of opportunities for physical activity, such as daily walks, play sessions, and interactive games. Engage their minds with puzzle toys, training exercises, and obedience challenges to prevent boredom and destructive behaviors.
Address Undesirable Behaviors Promptly
Corgis can be prone to behaviors such as excessive barking, digging, and herding instincts. Address these behaviors promptly and consistently using positive reinforcement techniques. Redirect their focus onto more appropriate activities, such as obedience training or interactive play. Seek the guidance of a professional trainer or behaviorist if you’re struggling to manage persistent behavior problems.
Training Welsh Pembroke Korgi By Months
In the first year of life of a Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppy, it is extremely important to consistently go through all the stages of education, socialization, and training. We’ll tell you how to do this correctly.
At What Age Should I Start Training?
Training your puppy should begin from his first days in your home. Training a puppy is essential as early as infancy. Puppies should be taught what behaviors are appropriate for the home, what is forbidden, how to behave with different family members, and more.
And it’s all about raising a Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppy properly, and training and learning commands can begin when the puppy is completely familiar to your home.
As a rule, one week is enough. By then it’s filled with curiosity and exploring its surroundings. If a puppy of this breed is still afraid after this time, you may need to consult with a dog psychologist. This isn’t typical for dogs of this breed.
When You Can Start Training With A Handler
The beginning of puppy training coincides with the time of the first outing. When the first two vaccinations are done, the quarantine (lasts 7-14 days, depending on vaccinations) after them is over.
It’s not necessary to do the puppy outside at all the first lessons are best done at home where there are fewer distractions.
Often new puppy owners worry that training from the first days will be too stressful for the dog. This can only happen with outdated, rigid methods, but with the right approach, training from day one will on the contrary be very beneficial, as it allows you to immediately establish a rapport with the puppy and build trust.
Why You Shouldn’t Wait Until 6 Months Of Age
One often hears that the Welsh Corgi Pembroke, like other dogs, should not be trained until 6 months of age because training is stressful. This opinion was leftover from the times of outdated methods based on brutal coercion and intimidation of the dog.
Unfortunately, there are still plenty of dog handlers who use such methods. But fortunately, science does not stand still and modern techniques allow you to train a puppy from his first days in his new home.
Therefore you should not wait until your Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppy has established undesirable behavior, you can start training much earlier.
Training At 2 Months Of Age
At two months old your Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppy is still under quarantine after his first vaccinations, and he’s not allowed outdoors. So it’s time to train him in the familiar home environment.
Toilet Training
First things first, you’ll have to get your puppy used to go to the bathroom. You shouldn’t rush to teach puppies to pee outside without going there, because puppies aren’t physiologically ready to go two times a day.
This ability in Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppies develops not earlier than 6 months, and in some puppies up to 1 year.
You must remember that any training is a difficult thing, and, seeing the first positive results, you should not think that your puppy has understood everything but you should continue training according to the methodology, to not have to start all over again after a while.
Training your puppy in diapers is easy if you work from home, such as providing online assignment help. Every time you see your puppy about to go to the bathroom, take him to the right place.
Training To The Collar And Leash
The second important element is to get your puppy used to the collar and leash. You’ll want to do this at home so that by the time he goes outside for the first time he is used to exploring his surroundings instead of trying to get rid of the object he doesn’t understand.
Do and Don’ts
The third point that causes the most difficulty for new puppy owners is determining what boundaries their puppy is allowed to draw. Often many first-time owners think that undesirable Welsh Corgi Pembroke behavior “will pass, it will outgrow.”
But unfortunately, behavior that is allowed to the puppy will be taken for granted later on in the adult dog.
Therefore, it is necessary to determine the boundaries of the puppy’s permissible right now. You will need to:
- Teach him to play only with his toys, not with your things;
- Make it clear that you shouldn’t bite your hands, even when playing;
- Establish a proper daily routine, fixing the rule that in the morning you need to sleep, not wake you up;
- To disable chewing on furniture, clothes, walls, and baseboards;
- Teach to stay home alone, knowing that your absence is not an excuse to bark or howl.
Introducing Primary Commands
It is crucial to introduce basic obedience commands positively and playfully, or your puppy could become fearful and cowardly.
The most important thing is to first try to interest them by offering them a toy or treat, and sometimes just simple praise.
Training At 3 Months Of Age. Socialization
Three months is an essential stage in a Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppy’s introduction to the outside world. Your first walks should be short and not too tiring for a puppy. Start with 15 minutes and gradually build up to an hour.
The Nervous System Forms Properly
At this age puppy’s nervous system is forming. It has been proven that raising puppies in isolation during this significant period has contributed to the development of severe cowardice later in life.
It is necessary to show the puppy as much as possible: noisy streets, large crowds, etc. All the things he will have to face in later life.
This should be done very carefully, gradually, increasing the amount of time spent in noisy places so as not to overload the puppy and not to scare him.
The territory of a country house, cottage, or village is placed with a minimum of external stimuli for the city dog. Therefore, if you plan to keep the dog in an urban environment, the Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppy should not be allowed to “grow up” in these stimulus-poor conditions.
Introducing Him To People And Dogs
It is important to introduce the puppy to friendly dogs and people so that aggression or cowardice will not develop in the puppy due to his fear of the unknown and his inability to socialize and make new friends.
Nowadays, unfortunately, this is not a rarity in the behavior of adult dogs, but rather a frequent problem with which people seek help from our specialists.
Puppy Outdoor Behavior
The emergence of new places also leads to new rules that need to be fixed:
- You can and should now go to the bathroom outside, rather than stoically enduring carrying everything home;
- Not every new person or dog wants to socialize, so you don’t have to run to get to know everyone headlong;
- Not all food is healthy, so it should only be taken from the owner’s hands.
Training And Working Off Commands
When teaching your puppy new tricks, remember that they are still developing conditioned reflexes. The doggy brain is still quite malleable and can learn quickly. So don’t get frustrated if they’re not doing a new trick right away (especially if they haven’t done it in a while). Instead, study the trick and repeat it as much as possible until they get it.
Training At 4 – 5 Months
By this time your Welsh Corgi Pembroke puppy is accustomed to your home and common walking areas and doesn’t need your supervision as much. He’ll start to play with other dogs, pretend not to hear you when you call him, show a certain stubbornness and disobedience in the performance of various commands.
So it’s time for full-blown training. During pieces of training, you can already be persistent and demanding. However, the most important thing is not to overdo it and remember that training should bring pleasure to both you and your dog, and only then you will be able to achieve the desired result.
Necessary Commands At 4 Months
What commands to master when your Welsh Corgi Pembroke is 4 months old:
- Walk calmly beside the owner with and without a leash, stop and sit with a change of pace and direction
- Returning to you on command
- Exposure in free or defined position (sitting, lying, standing)
- Indifferent attitude towards treats scattered on the ground
- Forbidding command to stop unwanted behavior
- Execution of the commands “sit“, “lie“, “stand” at a distance and near the leg, when given by voice and gestures
- Stopping barking on command.
Training At 6 Months Of Age
At this age, the puppy goes through puberty and he’s a bit of a rebel. He’s beginning to re-check his boundaries and will sometimes purposely not respond to your commands just to see how you respond. If he doesn’t react the way you expect him to, he may think it’s okay to stop trying to obey your commands.
At this stage of growing up Welsh Corgi Pembroke’s puppy in training become clearly visible all the defects made in the previous stages, which were smoothed by his young age. And if they showed up – it’s time to fix them.
In many schools of training, there is an opinion that the puppy needs to be trained in two stages, the first at an early age and the second at 8-10 months, to “fix” what he has learned. This is not quite correct.
These were two different methods, which were used without adapting to each other and have a gap between their tools for training skills.
The difference between them was like a kindergarten choreography class and army drill. That’s why they needed to be trained in two phases that were in no way related to each other.
Be Patient and Consistent
Training a Welsh Pembroke Corgi requires patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement. Be patient with your Corgi as they learn new commands and behaviors. Stay consistent with your training methods and expectations, and avoid becoming frustrated or discouraged.
Celebrate each small success and milestone along the way, and enjoy the journey of bonding and learning with your Corgi.
5 most asked questions about training Welsh Pembroke Corgis, along with concise answers:
1. How do I start training my Pembroke Welsh Corgi?
- Begin training your Pembroke Welsh Corgi as early as possible, ideally when they are a puppy (around 8 to 12 weeks old). Use positive reinforcement techniques, such as treats and praise, to encourage desired behaviors. Consistency is key, so establish clear commands and routines.
2. What are the best training methods for Corgis?
- Positive reinforcement is the most effective training method for Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Reward your dog with treats, praise, or playtime when they follow commands correctly. Avoid punishment-based methods, as they can lead to fear and anxiety.
3. How long should training sessions be?
- Keep training sessions short and engaging, ideally lasting between 10 to 15 minutes. Corgis have relatively short attention spans, so multiple brief sessions throughout the day are more effective than longer, drawn-out sessions.
4. What basic commands should I teach my Corgi?
- Start with essential obedience commands such as “sit,” “stay,” “come,” and “down.” Use clear cues and gestures, and practice these commands in various environments to reinforce learning and generalization.
5. How can I prevent behavioral issues during training?
- To prevent behavioral issues such as excessive barking or pulling on the leash, address these behaviors promptly using positive reinforcement techniques. Redirect your Corgi’s focus onto appropriate activities and provide regular mental stimulation through games and exercises.
These FAQs address common concerns among Corgi owners and provide essential guidance for effective training practices.
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