Do Corgis Like Water?

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With their short-legged bodies and massive ears, corgis are unique and cute and have become one of the most popular dog breeds. Naturally, all canines can swim but with their body structure, many may wonder if corgis can swim well or if they may experience difficulties in the water.

Do Corgis Like Water?

Although corgis are naturally good swimmers, just like any other dog, they don’t necessarily love water, and will always try as much as possible to avoid any water.

Corgis will most likely dislike water if they are not used to it. If you wish to have your dog get used to the water, you will have to gradually and slowly introduce them to water through simple baths.

Corgis won’t like the water if they aren’t used to it. That is why gradual exposure to it is recommended. Never throw your corgi in a pool and expect them to instantly love it. On the contrary, they might get traumatized and end up hating water so much that they may even be afraid of baths.

To make them feel safe around water, never spray your corgi without warning, never dunk them in a tub, and never hit or shout at them if they are not compliant around water.

Can Corgis Swim?

Corgis can swim, and they have a natural potential of being excellent swimmers, even those who avoid swimming. However, not all of them are natural swimmers. Depending on their water exposure during puppyhood, different corgis may require more training and exposure time compared to others.

This doesn’t mean that even those who hate swimming cannot swim. If you drop them in a baby pool of water, they will splash their way through whether they like it or not. This is not, however, recommended.

Most corgis will probably hate swimming because they were originally bred as herding animals, and not for water sports. Further, they have double coats that help them adapt to cold temperatures such as snow and rain, and they don’t want to get their coats wet.

Why Corgis Make Good Swimmers

1. Powerful Legs

Don’t let the look fool you. With heavily built muscular thighs, corgis have short and powerful legs that make them a lot more agile and quick than they appear. These attributes came about because of the power needed by their legs when herding livestock on open fields.

Because of herding, corgis have all the right muscles at the appropriate places, which perfectly fits the swimming necessities.

Dogs will naturally start paddling their way across the water if they find themselves in it. However, don’t think that they can stay afloat for longer periods just because they are paddling. It is their powerful limbs that propel them in water, helping them to remain afloat.

Who knew such short legs could make the best swimmers?

2. Corgis are Active and Energetic Dogs

Corgis are naturally active, lively, and energetic dogs who love playing around whenever an opportunity presents itself. This is primarily because they were naturally bred to run around farms and ranches.

For their high energy, experts recommend at least 45 minutes of vigorous training daily, or even more, especially when they are younger.

If you have a pool around and your dog likes it, then having an energetic dog like a corgi around is not a bad idea because they are capable swimmers. Naturally active dogs like corgis have the much-needed energy and endurance to stay afloat, and thanks to their stamina, corgis can stay afloat for extended periods.

Teaching Your Corgi How to Swim

For a start, never force your corgi into the water, as this can be the quickest turn-off, and might end up scaring your dog so that they will never willingly get close to the water again. Introduction to water should be a slow and gradual process for corgis that hate water, and this requires a lot of patience with the dog.

Swimming with your dog could be the most wonderful thing, but it can only be safe when both you and the dog are comfortable. So, how do you get your corgi to swim? Here are a few tips.

1. Get an Appropriate Dog Life Jacket

For a start at guiding your corgi on how to swim, safety is key. Though not always recommended, a dog life jacket is necessary. It will make the training process less stressful for both the trainer and the dog.

Furthermore, dog life jackets are affordable and are well equipped with rescue handles and other features. They also have bright color options to help you easily spot your dog in the water.

However, before you settle on buying one, always check on the sizing labels because most corgis will fit in the small size. Regardless, most jackets have highly adjustable straps and can fit a dog of any size.

2. Introducing Your Corgi to Water

This step is primarily for exposing your corgi to water. Kiddie pools work best for this stage. If you are lucky to have a lake around, you should take your corgi for a walk around the shores. However, if you don’t have access to either, you can always opt for a sprinkler or a hose to explore the option of early exposure during puppyhood.

If you spray an adult corgi with a hose, you will only make things worse.

With time, you should gradually make them step into the water, like a few inches in, and even get them to play in the water, till they get used to it. This stage is highly significant, and you should never move to the next stage till your corgi is comfortable around water.

3. Shallow Swimming

Even with a life jacket on, it is always best to start training your corgi how to swim in shallow water. At first, it might be difficult convincing them to swim further into the water. However, since corgis are food lovers, enticing and baiting them to swim further into the water with their favorite treats should not be a big problem.

Some may be into playing fetch, and you can take advantage of this and throw their favorite balls into the pool. If they get comfortable and joyfully go after their toys in water, try experimenting with further distances.

Encouragement and positivity during this training are good for your corgi because they will eventually become more confident and comfortable swimming deeper into the water on their own.

4. Swim With Your Corgi

When teaching your corgi how to swim, make it feel more comfortable with your physical presence in the pool with it. Get wet with them. After all, in what better way will you instill confidence in them when around water if not by showing them yourself?

By swimming with them, you are always close enough to ensure their safety just in case anything goes wrong. It is for this specific reason that a dog life vest with rescue handles is best for swimming training sessions.

Other Swimming Tips

Dogs learn best by imitating each other. Therefore, if you have another dog that likes swimming, consider taking it for some water fun while the other one is watching. Out of curiosity and at times jealousy, it might get excited and confident enough to jump in and join the fun. It can be a little stressful at first for the learner, but she will get used to it.
After a playtime at the beach, always wash your dog with clean water to wash off the potentially attached parasites that are naturally found in natural water bodies. If not controlled, these parasites can cause intestinal problems.
Although corgis are energetic dogs, they can also get overwhelmed at times, and you should be keen to notice and help them out, otherwise, they will only get anxious, paranoid, and scared to jump in next time.
Be patient with your corgi. Swimming is a gradual process that needs to be learned and mastered, and just like any other pro would say, training to perfection takes time.

Your Corgi Might Never Love Water

No matter how hard you try to introduce them to water, there is a possibility that your corgi might never love water. This is normal because just like humans, dogs have their personalities.

If your corgi doesn’t like water despite your efforts, never force it in.

On the contrary, you could hire a professional dog trainer to help out because corgis are naturally stubborn, and some might just be rude. Licensed dog trainers will therefore give a helping hand in pushing the buttons that you couldn’t, and maybe get your corgi to swim.

If they can’t do it, however, some dogs are just not meant to be swimmers.

Conclusion

Although they may not like water, corgis can swim. Not only can they swim, but corgis are among the best swimmers in the canine family.

However, not all corgis are natural swimmers, and some do not even like water, and never will. For these, a little training and patience will be necessary to make them social and comfortable around water.