What to know before getting a young Pembroke Welsh Corgi (while also living alone)

Meet Lupin: he's super friendly, well-behaved, and gets fur all over my sweatpants!

I got Lupin a few days after the beginning of the new year. As of this post, it's been over a week since I've gotten him. Lupin was born on December 10th, 2019 (today is his 13th month birthday!), so he was well over a year old when I got him. Despite this, his energy level is no different than that of a puppy. I love this little guy so much!

As someone who works from home and is unmarried, life around the house felt very mundane and boring before getting Lupin. As I've been an admirer of Corgis for a long time, I thought the dawn of 2021 was as good a time as any to get a dog.

However, despite having had multiple dogs growing up (a Pug and a Rottweiler/German Shephard mix), owning a Corgi has, so far, been a bit different than I initially expected. While I can't claim to be the authority on Corgis, I'd like to share a few things I wish I would have known before getting Lupin.

(Also, in case you were curious, I named Lupin after Arsène Lupin III, an animated character I liked when I was younger...and still do!)

(Image credit: IMDb)

1. Corgis will want to be by your side as often as possible.

If you want a breed of dog who unconditionally loves you and thinks you're pretty much the greatest thing since...errr, well, anything, then Corgis are an excellent choice!

I currently work in a home office and am frequently on the line with clients. While I enjoy this aspect of work, there are struggles when a good-sized dog tries to jump onto your lap while speaking to someone! Despite me not being on the phone while taking this, the above picture is an excellent example of a situation like this.

Fortunately, Lupin is very good at recognizing the intention of a closed door. He has been very quiet and will lay down and wait for me when I close my office door. In other words: if you work from home alone, ensure you have a dedicated room to enclose yourself inside to focus on work!

2. Corgis are very intelligent...but they aren't the smartest breed!

This isn't a huge deal, but more of something that mildly surprised me. Before getting a Corgi, I was under the impression that Corgi was in the top 5 or so most intelligent breeds of dogs. Ein from Cowboy Bebop certainly didn't help in my bias!

(If it wasn't obvious by now, I'm a fan of classic anime. Check out Cowboy Bebop if you haven't!)

While they are certainly in the upper-level in terms of brightest dogs, they are only the 11th most intelligent breed overall, per The Intelligence of Dogs by canine psychologist Stanley Coren.

So why is this worth noting? Well, training Lupin has been slightly harder than I initially thought it'd be. Currently, I'm working on getting him to both sit and stay (the stay part has been the tough part!). While I'm confident I'll be able to train Lupin to learn a variety of commands, it will likely take longer than I initially thought.

3. They will probably want to go on walks. A lot.

If you were to ask Lupin what his favorite activity is (and if he were to start speaking in a human language suddenly!), he'd likely say going outside on walks. Lupin loves going on walks. So much so that if I move even slightly in the direction of my front door, he will dash and sit in front of it...making you feel guilty that wasn't your intention!

My current full-time job allows me two 15-minute breaks and a 30-minute lunch. I use my two 15-minute intervals to get up from my chair and take Lupin on a walk. I also usually go at least a couple of times after work. I'm pretty sure he'd be outside for the bulk of the day if he could!

If you want a Corgi and live by yourself, make it a point to bring them outside on numerous occasions to get exercise. For Corgis, going out is a potty party!

(Not my best pun, I promise!)

So is getting a Corgi worth it if you're a single person living alone? Honestly, I'd say it depends on your living situation. For someone like myself who works from home and has a reasonable amount of time to dedicate to a dog, it's a no-brainer.

However, if you're going out of the house for extended periods, I'd argue that a Corgi (or, honestly, a dog in general) would not be the best breed for you. I'd say a cat may be a better alternative, as they are low maintenance and are still very affectionate.

(This is Ziggy, my sister's cat. I love this little guy, as well!)