Although most dogs don’t need to worry too much about jumping, for corgis, it’s quite different.
For a few important reasons, corgis need to be careful when jumping, and this article explains everything that owners must know. The info in this article has been assessed and checked by a veterinarian.
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Can Corgis Jump? And Is Jumping Bad For Them?
Yes, corgis can jump, albeit not very high. Their short legs and long back make it hard for them to gain any real height. And this also affects their ability to safely absorb landings.
When you mention corgis jumping, it is quickly paired with how you shouldn’t let your corgi jump too much.
And that’s good advice.
Jumping, and then landing from jumping, can cause serious injury in the long run.
Why jumping is bad for corgis
Corgis along with other breeds like dachshunds and Bassett hounds, all have short legs and long backs. This makes them prone to spinal injuries such as Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).
Too much jumping could eventually injure their legs or paws and cause limping.
What is Intervertebral Disc Disease?
IVDD for short happens when the cushioning discs in between the vertebrae in the spinal column either burst or bludge outwards after repetitive stress.
These cushioning discs then touch the surrounding nerves running down the spinal column.
At this point, the condition is very serious and can be extremely painful, cause nerve damage, and even paralysis in the worst cases.
Does jumping cause IVDD?
There are a few other causes that can increase the chances of developing IVDD, but in totality, jumping up and taking many repetitive hard landings will significantly increase the chances of developing this condition.
Jumping is not guaranteed to cause it, but the probability is high.
How high can corgis jump?
Although corgis are fast and agile, they cannot jump very high. Healthy corgis in their prime might be able to jump 1-2 ft into the air, while other larger breeds can jump as high as 4-6 ft in the air.
Interesting Read: How rare are corgis with blue eyes?
When To Prevent Your Corgi From Jumping?
The next logical question is when you should prevent your corgi from jumping?
In terms of playing, running around, and chasing their ball, this kind of jumping and mobility is not a very big factor so this shouldn’t be worried about too much.
But when it comes to jumping down from high surfaces like your couch, bed, or continuously running up and down the stairs, this should be prevented.
These activities will cause an overload of stress on the cushioning discs we mentioned earlier.
So preventing her from doing this will significantly reduce the chances of spinal injuries as your corgi gets older.
This is original content produced and published by The Puppy Mag | www.thepuppymag.com
How To Stop Your Corgi From Jumping
Whether you are more concerned about jumping OFF or jumping ON to surfaces, the following steps should help you stop your corgi from jumping altogether.
1. Use a pet ramp, or pet stairs
When it comes to getting up and down from your couch and bed (if you allow that to begin with) nothing beats using a dedicated pet ramp or pet stairs.
This is the quickest way you can stop your corgi from needing to jump up for evening snuggles. The pet stairs are soft, shallow steps that you place beside your couch for very easy access up and down. You can easily train your corgi to use them (which I will cover later).
You can choose different sizes, shapes, amounts of steps, colors, and materials. And as expected, they all range in price depending on which one you pick. Most people have two, one for downstairs and one for upstairs if you let your corgi in the bed with you.
Our favorite set is from Best Pet Supplies Inc. They have different height selections and 14 different colors to choose from. The stairs are made out of certified foam, made all from within the USA. Plus the reviews are excellent! Check them out here.
2. Train your corgi to wait for you
Another way to go about this is to train your corgi to wait for you to pick her up, in order for her to get on to the couch.
You can start this training by blocking off access to the couch, other than where you are sitting. Have treats at the ready and call your corgi in.
At first she will be very confused and eager to get up on the couch with you. But, due to your handy blockage, she won’t be able to. This will leave her no choice but to seek your help.
Ask her to sit, and when she sits politely, pick her up and hand her a treat. Keep practicing this several times a day with the blockage. When she comes to you instantly and sits, it’s time to remove the blockage and continue the training.
Never let her jump up on her own. Always make her sit, before picking her up and placing her on the couch. After a short while, this will be the only way she considers getting up.
I have personally tried this with one of my friends Dachshund’s who I looked after for a few weeks. It works perfectly with consistency and tasty treats. Several months later my friend told me her dachshund still waits for her to pick him up.
3. Stop encouraging the behavior
If your corgi has an issue jumping up at people, this should also be addressed. Not only can this cause issues for you or future guests, but it can too injure her backs from hard landings.
The first step to take is to ignore the behavior completely, all of the time. I can appreciate this is hard to do when it actually happens, but it’s important to know that ANY kind of response, evening telling her “stop it” will be seen as attention. Receiving attention is basically the green light for her to continue doing it. So try your best to ignore the jumping, and it should slowly (over weeks) stop.
In other moments when she is more relentless, ask her to sit. By asking her to do something known as a “conflicting behavior” i.e sitting still when she’s trying to jump, you are training her a great deal of self-control. The fact that you are engaging with her while she stays sitting will eventually signify to her that she needs to be sitting in order to gain your attention.
4. Get a pet gate
For your stairs, you can a pet gate, or if you already have an old baby gate, you can use that too.
This is the most straightforward solution to prevent your corgi from racing up and down the stairs at free will.
She will have to wait for you to pick her up and carry her upstairs.
Of course, how successful this strategy is, depends on how often you remember to close the gate behind you!
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Teaching Your Corgi To Use Pet Stairs
Your corgi will need to learn how to use pet stairs. If you are lucky, your corgi will instantly figure out how to walk up the stairs. If that’s the case, awesome! but for most, you will need to encourage her.
● You can start by pushing the stairs up to the couch. Block other areas where she can jump. This will mean the stairs are the only access up to the couch.
● Start by placing some tasty treats on the first step, and let her figure out the stairs in her own time. After she’s comfortable and goes to retrieve the treat, place more treats on the next step up.
● She may become a little hesitant and back down. If she does, that’s ok. Give her time, don’t pressure her, and repeat the process encouraging her with treats on each step.
Eventually, she will have no issues whatsoever using the stairs.
Important tip: If she ever tries to bypass the stairs and jump up directly. Put her back down on the floor and point to the stairs. Always make her use the soft pet stairs whenever she wants to get up on the couch.
Using the pet stairs will be far easier for her to get up, so once she knows how to use it, she isn’t going to try jumping up anyway.
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To Summarize
Corgis are prone to back and spinal injuries that can be caused by too much jumping. Hard landings when jumping down from couches or beds, as well as using stairs are the worst contributors to injuries. Infrequent, generic jumping while playing or chasing their ball is likely okay.
General jumping and playing with other dogs while out for walks is fine. Focus more on the couch, bed, and stairs in your home.
The earlier you prevent your corgi from jumping, the higher the chance you have to avoid serious spinal injuries in the future.
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