As a dog lover who enjoys outdoor adventures, having an off-leash furry friend can make those adventures even more enjoyable. If you’re a Corgi owner, you may be wondering whether these furry friends can be trusted off-leash and what you can do to ensure their safety.
Can Corgis be off-leash?
While some Corgis can be trusted off-leash, most of them cannot be trusted due to their natural herding instinct. However, with proper recall training, positive reinforcement methods, consistency, patience, basic obedience training, and socialization, you can train your Corgi to be good off-leash.
It’s important to note that off-leash training for Corgis requires proper training and preparation. There are several things you need to be aware of to avoid unexpected problems during and after training. In our upcoming discussion, we’ll explore the factors that contribute to a Corgi’s off-leash behavior and provide tips for ensuring their safety and enjoyment during outdoor adventures. Don’t miss out on this informative conversation that can help you and your furry friend have a safe and enjoyable time off-leash.
Can you trust your Corgi to go off leash?
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi, also known as Corgi was initially bred to herd animals such as cattle, sheep, and horses. Since they have natural instinct to herd animals, Corgis and off leash is kind of a controversial topic.
But, Don’t be panic! Let’s figure out everything through this article.
Here is the natural temperament of Corgis.
- Friendly
- Playful
- Bold
- Tenacious
- Protective
- Outgoing
So, you can never trust a Corgi completely to be off leash. Because they are natural herding dogs by nature and that can be caused to be distracted very easily.
Don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t mean that all the Corgis are not good with off leash. That’s why you should provide precise training with proven tactics. So, most Corgis will be obedient enough to follow your commands.
In fact, You can see how well they can train by simply watching the video below.
However, I wouldn’t recommend taking your Corgi off-leash near the public road. Because he could be hit by a vehicle or run after a small squirrel or cat. But, this can be done after months of consistent training.
A fenced backyard or enclosed dog park would be great places for off-leash training. But, Training will not be effective if you choose a peak time of the dog park. Fewer number people and dogs mean fewer distractions. So, fewer distractions are very important during the initial phase of the training.
Here I would like to choose a fenced backyard or abundant place for starting the training. A fenced yard is better. Initially, you gotta train him the “Recall training”. Without Recall training, they will never be able to walk without a leash.
I hope you understand why I always talk about an enclosed area as the training space. Because still, you cannot trust them, right?
So, when it comes to Recall training, It’s quite easy if you get it right. But, for now. Don’t worry. We gonna discuss that before the end of this article.
Read this to understand whether Golden Retrievers can be off leash.
Why is off leash walking good for your Corgi?
If you decided to give off leash training to your Corgi, It would benefit your dog in many ways. In fact, I would like to encourage all the Corgi owners to do that.
Here are some benefits your dog will receive.
- Your Corgi can run speed and enjoy.
- Easy to burn off his energy.
- It will give some playtime with other dogs.
- It will help him to become confident.
- He will easily adjust for people, dogs, other creatures, sounds, and nature.
- It will give him a chance to explore the outdoors and be free.
- This helps to keep his physical and mental health in good condition.
Of course, the above advantages are very beneficial for your Corgi.
Reasons why you shouldn’t let your Corgi off leash?
Now you know what the benefits are for your Corgi by letting him walk off leash. But, you should understand that there are several disadvantages as well.
By knowing these disadvantages, you can take the necessary precautions as much as you want to avoid such problems. So, here are those problems,
- Your Corgi could chase animals.
- Sometimes your Corgi could be territorial.
- He could be taken.
- He could run off.
- He will meet other dogs.
1. Your Corgi could chase animals.
As we discussed above, Corgis are herding dogs, and they have a considerable amount of prey drive too. So, when you take your Corgi for an off-leash session, he could chase after small animals like frogs, squirrels, cats, or chickens.
So, here we can clearly understand that the problem with socialization. Not with the off-leash. If your Corgi also shows such kinds of behaviors, kindly consider proper socialization training for your dog.
2. Sometimes your Corgi could be territorial.
We all know that Corgis are not such an aggressive dog breed. But in some cases, corgis tend to be aggressive toward people and other dogs for several reasons.
So, sometimes your corgi bites or nip someone as someone approached your dog or when the dog is scared.
3. He could be taken.
When you go for a nice walk with your leashed dog, it’s much safer, and no one can take the dog away from you. If you go for an off-leash session with your corgi, there is a small chance that someone will take the dog. Because the Corgis is small enough to be easily carried.
So, you gotta be careful and try to take necessary precautions the way you want to.
4. He could runoff.
Usually, corgis could easily get frightened by loud noises, bangs, or thunder. So, they tend to run and hide somewhere that would make him feel safe in such cases.
Here the problem isn’t with the off leash. The problem is with a lack of obedience training and good socialization.
5. He will meet other dogs.
We know that Corgis are an amiable dog breed. You cannot assume that all the dogs in the dog park could be as friendly as your Corgi do. So, if your Corgi runs over to another dog for a greeting, you will never know how the other dog will react.
Corgis are such small dogs that could easily get frightened or sometimes attacked by a larger dog in the dog park. So, letting your Corgi be off leash is kind of a questionable matter in such cases.
How to train your Corgi to be off leash?
Okay, this is gonna be kind of cool. Even though it’s a little bit hard to train your corgi to be off leash, it’s really exciting to go off leash walks once they get trained properly.
So, let’s understand this training session with simple 3 steps.
- Train your Corgi to recall.
- Take your Corgi out with a long leash first.
- Practice off leash walk with your Corgi in an enclosed area.
Train your Corgi to recall.
The Reliable Recall, also known as the recall, is one of the main training you should provide to your Corgi. So, let’s figure out how to train your Corgi recalling in order to succeed in off leash walking.
For easiness, let’s divide the training into 4 steps.
- Make sure your Corgi knows its name.
- Train “Come” command.
- Start the initial training in a quiet place.
- Gradually increase the recalling distance and the number of distractions.
Make sure your Corgi knows its name.
You should ensure that your corgi knows its name. So, this allows them to figure out, “Okay, now my master wants my attention.”
To do this, you gotta sit closer to him. Then say his name, and if he creates any kind of eye contact with you, appreciate him by giving some tasty treats that your dog really loves. Then, repeat this over and over again for at least 5-7 days.
Train “Come” command.
You shouldn’t use the dog’s name as the specific command to return you. Why? Because we usually say our dog’s name so many times throughout the day, just take their attention. So, that doesn’t mean that they should come to us always whenever we spell their name.
So, using a command like “Come” is really makes sense. If you want, you can use a whistle or “here” command. But, you should make sure that everyone in your house uses the same command just to avoid confusion and misunderstandings in your dog.
Start the initial training in a quiet place.
So, having a quiet place for recall training is the initial key to success. Start in your fenced backyard or any other enclosed place you prefer. Make sure to take with you puppy treats.
Stay around 10 feet away from your Corgi, and you gotta take his attention by saying his name. Use the recall cue to get the dog back to you. Don’t forget to reward the dog with tasty treats and positive praise.
Gradually increase the recalling distance and the number of distractions.
Now it’s time to increase the distance between you and the Corgi. Do this in the same place you previously did. Gradually increase the distance.
In fact, you gotta increase the level of distraction. But, you cannot do that in the place you previously used. To do that without any problem, you should have enough confidence that you won’t lose your Corgi.
So, use a harness with a really, really long line. Now you can go to dog parks and practice the recalling. But, I recommend you not go to dog parks at peak times. Because initially, minimum distraction is better.
Take your Corgi out with a long leash first.
When your Corgi is really good at recalling, go to a safe area with the harness and long line previously you used. This will give your corgi the feeling of being off leash. In the meantime, you can make sure its safety.
When you use a long lead, you gotta be a little bit careful. Because the rope can get tripped in small bushes, stones.
Practice off leash walk with your Corgi in an enclosed area.
When you have enough confidence to let your dog walk without a leash, you gotta do it completely enclosed area. This could be your fenced backyard, off-leash do park or any kind of field with fencing around it.
By doing this, your Corgi will be really good with off leash walking. However, I don’t recommend letting your Corgi off leash walk along the road.
Buy hiking, long walks are a great way to feel free and enjoy the off leash walking with your dog.
Important: If you like adventurous walks, your dog should have a proper awareness of heights.
Things to be aware of
I hope now you have a proper understanding if Corgis are good with an off leash. But, if you actually want to be successful with the process, you have to be aware of several other things. Those are crucial points, and you should be mindful of them as a responsible owner. So, let’s figure out what they are.
- Don’t run after your Corgi during the training. Because your dog might think that as another game and running here and there in such places could dangerous for you and the dog. On the other hand, if you run in the opposite direction from your corgi would make him think chasing after you is the game. So, don’t confuse him. You gotta Just trust the process and stick with it.
- Be extraordinarily patience. Patent and consistent is the key if you really wanna walk your Corgi off leash.
- Give a proper basic obedience training. Off leash without Obedience training is just a dream.
- Give adequate socialization from its puppyhood.
- Don’t train the recalling more than 1 hour per day. You gotta keep your dog from getting bored with recalling.
Conclusion
Most people love these short-legged, affectionate, playful dog breeds. Many dog lovers are curious to know if Corgis are good off leash. So, we have discussed whether they can be off leashed, pros and cons by being off leash, possible training methods, and some essential things to be aware of. Hope you found this helpful. Have a nice day!!
