Corgis 101: Shopping for your puppy

It’s time, it’s time! You’ve brought your corgi puppy home, now what? Depending on your beeder, your puppy will be between 6 to 8 weeks old when it comes home. The average weight a corgi can get is usually between 22 to 31 pounds, and sometimes larger. Preparing your home for a puppy feels a lot like human nesting in various ways. You’ll need to keep your puppy safe, prepare for potty training and begin buying things you’ll need to raise your puppy.

If your anything like me, you’ll have a hard time shopping for your puppy. When we first got our corgi we had no idea what size to buy everything or how large our dog would get. Pair that with the fact that corgis are an oddly shaped breed, shopping for your corgi can be treacherous! Turns out we have a rather large corgi who weighs in at a whopping 35 pounds! He’s a big boy and boy am I glad we bought large beds, exhibit A…

…which he eventually grew into.

While ours tends to lean on the larger size of things (beds, harnesses, etc), the average sizing for things is usually a medium. When I began shopping for our puppy I split everything into two categories: things he will grow into and things that will have to be replaced as he grows. Each items linked are my personal recommendations and things that I purchased for my pup.

One time purchase items: a bed, pen, bowls, leash, grooming supplies (brush & nail clipper), dog first aid kit and a crate if you so choose (we didn’t crate Mugen, I’ll explain more on that later).

Multiple purchase items: collars, clothing items such as booties for winter salt, harnesses, potty pads and pet mess cleaner.

Corgi bodies are a bit weird, so finding a harness for our boy proved a bit difficult. The brand we found that works well for us is the Puppia vest harness. Corgis have a large sternum bone protruding from just below their neck area. We were concerned that many of the harnesses we tried we’re actually hurting our pup. The Puppia vest is a soft material that evenly distributes the dogs weight when they pull so there isn’t as much pressure applied to the sternum (which Mugen seemed to be grateful for). For reference, our little Mugen (15-20lbs) went from a medium to big Mugen (35lbs) in an XL in Puppia sizes.

Collars come in all different sizes, you’ll probably need to buy two of these as your puppy grows. We had to buy three because Mugen just kept growing! Many people start their puppy leash training with martingale collars. They have a slight pull close when your puppy leash pulls during training. This will help teach them not to pull as they get older. Mugen has a variety of collars, each with their own name and contact information tags. Some collars have LED lights on them so you can see him better at night while some are waterproof for when we go to the beach or camping. We also have a variety of leashes for different outings such as running (bungee leash), free play (retractable long leash) and an adjustable leash that I can put around my waist. Don’t be afraid to take your puppy into a local pet store to test drive some leashes and collars to see what works for you and your puppy.

Many people choose to crate their puppy for various reasons when they are brought home and sometimes for the duration of their lives. Some dogs love their crates and feel at home in them, so you may choose to keep it for a long duration. Growing up, none of the dogs that I  had were ever crated, so while we contained our pup when he was potty training, today he is not crated when we leave our home. I work from home so when we brought Mugen home, he stayed in an x-pen with plastic sheeting under it in case of accidents during the potty training process. The x-pen was great for night time as a form of crate because it could be made smaller. Typically most puppies will learn bladder control through crating because they don’t want to lay in their own urine or excrement all day. Be patient with your puppy through the potty training process. They need your help to be successful! If possible, be sure to take them out every hour or so when the first come home. This will teach them that going potty outside is the best place to go. During our potty training with Mugen, we taught him how to use potty bells to tell us when he needed to go outside to go potty. Of all the things we taught him, potty bell training was the most valuable.

Once the basics are covered, you’ll be on your way to setting up your corgi puppy for the beginning stages of your lives together. Puppies of all breeds need plenty of patience, training, exercise and love. You’ll soon be with your new best friend where you’ll watch them grow from a puppy into an adult. Are you getting a corgi puppy? Let us know in the comments below!

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