Of all the small dogs in the world, the Corgi is definitely one of the most popular. I mean, who doesn’t love their short little legs, alert ears and expressive faces.
Even the Queen of England has a passion for this delightful breed. Anytime we consider adding a pet to the family we have to evaluate our lifestyle and make sure to choose the pet, in this case the dog breed, that best fits our families needs.
So, what if your family is out of the house most of the day. Maybe you are a single person and work all day or, there are multiple people in the family but five days a week everybody is out of the house from morning until late afternoon.
Can you leave a Corgi alone?
Adult Corgi’s can be left alone, even all day, if properly socialized and engaged. Care must be taken to meet your Corgi’s physical and emotional needs. The length of time a Corgi can safely be left home alone depends on its age and temperament.
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Corgi Temperament
As a general rule, Corgi’s are herding dogs which mean they tend to be very active and very confident. This means that they can be troublemakers if not given a way to expend their energy or alleviate boredom.
If you have ever been around more than one corgi you know that temperament definitely varies from individual to individual.
Some corgis are super brave and love to play and explore, others are more mellow and are just happy to lay around and are noticeably more mellow.
When you are purchasing your corgi, especially if getting a puppy from a breeder, it is important to take the time to evaluate the puppy’s personality and not rush into a decision based on color or gender.
A breeder can really help to tell you the personality of the parents but also of each of the puppies.
Experienced corgi breeders can get a good idea of a puppy’s temperament and help you make the right decision for your situation and your family.
Choosing a more active corgi is great for a family who is very active or has a very large yard for the dog to run and play. On the other hand, if you live in an apartment, you’ll want to take the time to find a quieter puppy that may have a more mellow, laid back personality.
Age of Your Corgi
A big factor to consider when contemplating leaving your Corgi home alone is your dogs age. Age is a big consideration for any dog breed when trying to decide whether to leave them home alone and for how long.
Very young dogs and very old dogs typically have the toughest time with being left home alone. Properly socialized and trained adult dogs, even Corgis, can tolerate prolonged periods of alone time.
Corgi Puppies vs. Corgi Adults
A Corgi puppy, for example, shouldn’t be left home alone for more than an hour or two if at all possible.
Corgi’s are herding animals and thrive on companionship with others, whether that be human friends or animal ones. Young dogs are especially susceptible to becoming emotionally upset for being abandoned or left alone.
Another factor, of course, is a need to consider the physical limitation of not being able to hold their pee or poop for long periods of time. The younger a puppy is, the harder it is for them to control their bladder.
Corgi adults, conversely, are often more independent and self confident even when being left alone. They are less likely to become anxious when left alone and, while they prefer to have company, are generally more tolerant of a situation where their human parent has to go to work during the day.
How Long Corgis Can Hold Their Pee
According to the AKC, says an easy way to determine how long your puppy can hold it’s pee can be roughly calculated by taking it’s age in months and adding 1.
Here is a chart to visualize that a little better:
| Age of Corgi | Maximum Time With No Potty Break |
| 2 Months | 3 Hours |
| 3 Months | 4 Hours |
| 4 Months | 5 Hours |
| 5 Months | 6 Hours |
| 6 Months | 7 Hours |
| 7 Months | 8 Hours |
At 7 month’s old, physically your Corgi should be able to stay home a full 8 hours without having an accident. Of course, there is more to it than just age.
You will need to take into consideration proper potty training. You may want to use a crate, especially if you live in an apartment, to help prevent your Corgi from having an accident.
You must also consider that each puppy is an individual. Just like potty training human babies, not every puppy is going to follow a textbook timeline.
What Corgis Do When Left Alone
When you do leave your Corgi alone, consider setting up something like a Cloud Cam like the one below to keep an eye on your pup. I like mine because it has a speaker and microphone so I can talk to my dog when I am away.
- Color night vision: An all-new Starlight Sensor records night time video in full, vivid color. The Starlight Sensor can see full color in environments up to 25x darker than traditional video cameras and the new f/1.6 aperture captures 2x more light.
- Indoor/Outdoor: Wyze Cam v3 is a wired video camera with an IP65 rating so you can confidently install it outside in the rain or inside in the kids’ room. Wyze Outdoor Power Adapter (sold separately) required for outdoor use. Phone Compatibility – Android 5.0+, iOS 9.0+.
- Motion & Sound detection: Wyze Cam records video when motion or sound is detected and sends an alert straight to your phone. Motion Detection Zones and custom settings allow you to adjust the sensitivity of detection or turn it off completely.
Practicing short periods away from home will allow you to keep an eye on your Corgi and see what he does when left alone.
Of course, you should know your dogs personality and be able to predict his behavior a little bit but, being able to watch your pup helps give you a much more clear picture.
Corgi’s Barking When Home Alone
If your Corgi is barking when home alone it is usually for one of two reasons:
- They have some separation anxiety
- They are defending their home
I’ll cover separation anxiety in more detail below. As far as defending your home, you have to remember that often, your dog looks to you as the alpha. If you are home, when routine neighborhood noises occur, they may not bark as much unless they feel YOU are concerned as well .
Of course, if the doorbell rings or someone knocks at the door, all bets are off for most dogs whether you are home or not. Then it’s the pack mentality and they will help you defend the castle.
When your Corgi is home alone, he may feel like it is his job to defend the house while you are away. This can make him be hyper alert and sensitive to sounds that normally wouldn’t be an issue.
Some things you can do to alleviate this include:
- Give your dog something to do when you are not home. This could be toys or even timed feeders that dispense food or treats at random intervals.
- Keep windows closed and curtains drawn to help eliminate distractions from outside.
- Leave on your TV or have your Alexa device play soothing music or radio to your pup throughout the day.
- Install a camera with two-way communication (as I mentioned above)
Separation Anxiety in Corgis
One thing you may learn is that your Corgi gets some degree of separation anxiety. This is normal in young dogs or dogs who are abruptly left alone.
Higher energy dogs or those with normally anxious or worrisome personalities are more likely to experience separation anxiety. You must remember though that this is something that can happen in any breed.
You’ll want to take some steps to make sure you don’t add to or encourage separation anxiety, even if it isn’t a behavior you are worried about with your Corgi. These include:
- Not making a big deal when you leave OR when you come home.
- Leaving some dirty laundry with your scent to help calm the dog.
- Leaving a warm water bottle or heated mat to comfort your pup.
- Providing mental stimulation and activity to occupy your Corgi while you are away.
Good Puzzle Toys for Corgi’s
Because Corgi’s are herding dogs, their minds are often very active. They were bred to be able to chase after cattle and keenly hone in on a cows behavior so they could anticipate and counter their moves.
The reality is, most Corgi’s today aren’t going to be able to use that innate mental acuity. As pets, we have to find other ways to keep them mentally engaged.
One great way to keep your Corgi’s attention is through the use of puzzle toys. There are many types of puzzle toys available on the market, all designed to hold your pups attention for a prolonged period of time while they “search” for the answer.
This is my favorite set of puzzle toys because it has so many options. In fact, I often give it as a gift anytime someone is getting a new dog.
- 【Five DIFFERENT Toys】 With bright colors, it’s a great dog gift for Christmas and New Year. Get all kinds of toy balls in one purchase.Give puppies more choices and 5 different experiences at a time.All toy balls are made of healthy materials to ensure the safety and health of dogs.And,you will know which kind is its favorite.
- 【NO PLASTICS】Plastic toy balls are not good for puppies, especially when they are easily bitten to pieces. Small hard plastic fragments can easily be swallowed by dogs, especially puppies. Hard plastic toys also make loud harsh noises, which is unpleasant.
- 【Squeaky Ball and Treat Toys for Loneliness and Boredom】Give it giggle ball dog toy and treat dispensing toy which are dog toys for boredom.They work great as a distraction for anxiety over you leaving him for a bit.The squeaky ball can make a sound when it receives the squeeze. It can continuously attract the puppy’s attention and keep dogs busy and out of boredom.The food dispensing toy can keep pets mentally and physically stimulated as they figure out how to retrieve treats.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article has provided you some insight into ways you can ensure that when you do have to leave your Corgi home alone, you have considered all of the ways to make sure you and your pup are prepared.
The reality is, there are very few people in the world that can be with their dogs 100% of the time. It doesn’t make you a bad dog owner for needing to go to work.
Just the fact that you are taking the time to do your research, reading articles like these, shows that you have what it takes to find the best solution for you and your Corgi.