Pembroke Welsh Corgis are adorable, playful and fun, but they can be a real mess without regular grooming. Of course all dogs shed, even dogs who are hypoallergenic, but the question is how much do they shed, how will you clean up after them, and is there a solution to Pembroke Welsh Corgi shedding?
How Much Do Corgis Shed?
For starters, Pembroke Welsh Corgis shed. Being the favorite breed of Queen Elizabeth II there’s no doubt some royal housekeepers are heavily occupied with keeping Buckingham Palace neat and tidy from all the dogs’ hair.
A Pembroke Welsh Corgi has a thick, double-layer coat, and they shed regularly. Some dogs shed during a shedding “season” and while this may be true for some Pembroke Welsh Corgies, we find the continually lose hair and a couple of times of year they can “blow” their coats. Supplements such as Salmon oil and a high quality dog food as well as regular consistent brushing with the correct tool, really help solve the problem.
Shedding is nothing to worry about, other than making things a little messy. Shedding is a perfectly natural and healthy thing for dogs to do. They shed to get rid of loose, dead hair and to make way for new, healthy fur, as well as to keep their skin healthy.
Shedding comes from the time when Corgis were working dogs and didn’t spend all day indoors (or in palaces). They needed thick double coats of hair to stay weather resistant while they worked on the farm, and in the spring and summer months (shedding season) they would lose more hair than normal to cool themselves down for the warmer months.
How Do You Manage Corgis Shedding?
Having a Pembroke Welsh Corgi doesn’t mean you have to have a messy, hairy house! Slicker brushes, lint rollers and a good vacuum are your best bets to help with the natural hair loss.
For starters, make sure to brush your Corgi daily with a self cleaning slicker brush. You will find a lot of hair comes out during the brushing, but that’s normal.
When you brush, brush in the direction the hair grows, and make sure you get the chest and behind the legs where thick pockets of hair called “packing” can form.
During shedding season, you want to start with a bath before you brush. This helps to loosen up the dead skin and hair, and will make the whole process easier. However, you should wait until your dog is dry before you brush him.
The good thing is that, because they shed so much, you don’t need to give your Corgi a haircut, other than a little trim of the hair around the feet and between the pads. (It’s not uncommon, however, to sculpt a Corgi’s hair a little more than that, if you’re interested.)
And while you're brushing, don’t forget the occasional nail trim! These dogs need their manicures regularly. We have found that their nails grow quickly