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The difference between corgis and aussies?

The Menagerie
#1

ok… well other than the rather OBVIOUS observation that one has legs and one doesn’t. ;-p

I have a confession to make. I love my corgis… but… I’ve always secretly wanted an aussie. (Hope they didn’t see me write that… whew…) Seeing those puppy pictures that were just posted… awww.

I “click” really well with the corgis (and heelers) that I’ve worked/lived with and I was wondering how the aussie personality compared to them. (Generally of course, since every dog is still an individual)

So those of you who’ve worked around/bred both… how do they compare?

#2

exposed to both

I’ve only had Aussie’s but, back when I didn’t have a dog there were a bunch of Corgi’s at the barn where I rode and worked some. My experience is the the Aussie’s tend to be higher energy and the Corgi’s tended to have stronger opinions. :lol: YMMV. :wink:

#3

Don’t know much about corgi’s other than they are incredibly cute, we do have
an Aussie. Prior to him, we had a Border Collie. Both are very smart. The Border Collie always did her best to please. The Aussie will as along as it suits his purpose. He has a bit of stubborn streak the Border Collie didn’t have. The
Border Collie was a bit more intuitative (reading your mind) than the Aussie.

#4

[QUOTE=Holly Jeanne;5675787]
I’ve only had Aussie’s but, back when I didn’t have a dog there were a bunch of Corgi’s at the barn where I rode and worked some. My experience is the the Aussie’s tend to be higher energy and the Corgi’s tended to have stronger opinions. :lol: YMMV. ;)[/QUOTE]

You nailed it! :lol:

If you think it’s bad when a Corgi blows it’s coat in the spring, wait until you have an Aussie!

#5

[QUOTE=Go Fish;5675810]
You nailed it! :lol:

If you think it’s bad when a Corgi blows it’s coat in the spring, wait until you have an Aussie![/QUOTE]

Oh god. Mine blows twice a year. It’s disgusting. Daily furminator sessions for like a week, and daily vacuuming too.

Temperment wise? I find Corgi’s (never owned one, but been around plenty) to be very silly, goofy dogs. My own Aussie, and the couple Aussies I know, tend to be more serious. They have playful sides, of course, but they like to have a job to do and will happily patrol a farm and keep an eye on things. Corgis just bounce around. :lol:

#6

Nailed it in one. Corgis can also be considered cats in dog suits. :wink:

#7

[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;5675814]
My own Aussie, and the couple Aussies I know, tend to be more serious. They have playful sides, of course, but they like to have a job to do and will happily patrol a farm and keep an eye on things. Corgis just bounce around. :lol:[/QUOTE]

LOL! I’ve found my Aussie to be a big clown. He is the funniest, happiest dog I’ve ever had. He is goofy and silly but sweet and loving.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=559022&l=b5b5039a52&id=1685723434
He can rough house with my son’s 50lb boxer mix, yet is gentle and careful with my daughter’s 6 lb pomeranian: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1315743308749.39226.1685723434&l=493f01c86f He is a quick learner, after one almost tragic incident involving a chicken he has learned to not only leave them alone but to protect them. He’s not nearly as high energy as my late border collie, Thank god. Many of the corgis I know are of a similar sweet nature.

Uh, yeah, the coat. Corgis pack a LOT of fluff and when they blow their coats is’s more like a moult. My Aussie blows his coat as well requiring me to get the shedding rake out and fill up a couple of bags of hair every other day for a couple of weeks. Neither one is much fun.

#8

Our Aussie was super stubborn…as in very well trained, but was only doing what you asked if SHE wanted to. Recall was a problem with her because you just didn’t ever know if she was going to feel like listening! I don’t have much hands-on experience with corgis, other than them being absurdly cute, but they seem a little…dumber. No offense to anyone! They seem like less independent thinkers and happier to go with the flow, but someone, but correct me if I’m wrong!

#9

consider yourself corrected. :wink: If they go with the flow it’s probably to manipulate you into feeding them more.

(But they do not have work drive like heelers, borders and to a lesser extent, aussies, so I can see how it would seem like that. But think of it as more like them giving you the corgi finger)

#10

thanks for the great replies! And DMK you’re right… sometimes one must go with the flow in order to improve the nom-flow into the mouth!

#11

I grew up with Aussies and ours had really varied personalities. My moms current one is extremely goofy. Every time I visit I am surprised. The other ones we had were very dignified. Liked to play and fetch but considered it to be more a job they really loved. The dignified ones were fantastic family/guard dogs though. Alerted us to strangers, patrolled, caught me trying to sneak in over the back wall coming home after curfew, and had rules over who could let people into the house (you had to be over 13-ish or one we had would stand in front of the door and growl.)

#12

[QUOTE=LulaBell;5675919]
I don’t have much hands-on experience with corgis, other than them being absurdly cute, but they seem a little…dumber. No offense to anyone! They seem like less independent thinkers and happier to go with the flow, but someone, but correct me if I’m wrong![/QUOTE]

:lol:

That makes me laugh! If my Corgis got any more independent in their thinking, I’d have to get either them or myself counseling.

Going with the flow is definately not a Corgi’s strong suit. As a matter of fact, they are famous for getting YOU to go with their flow and you don’t even realize it!

The breeder that I get my Corgis from says that they’re just as smart as a Border Collie, without the neurosis. :smiley:

#13

Ok, scratch that! Clearly the few corgis I’ve known have been quite successful at pulling the wool over my eyes that they were doing what I wanted, haha!

#14

I have had 3 Aussie’s, two standard size and currently a mini. All 3 definitely had/have a preference for doing stuff. The two standards were very well trained and wanted to please. My blue merle would beat tracks to the door if she heard me pick up my car keys. The blue merle girl really wanted to please. From the time she was about a year on, she had excellant recall(could be chasing a squirrel and stop and return immediately on command). I rarely needed to use a leash for her as she was so attached to staying with me. My first standard size was actually a ? cross. She was merle, but her main body color was tan and she had black, copper and white markings. Also her ears stood up. She tended to be a little more independant. My current pup is 9.5 months old and is still in training. She is pretty well behaved, but her “come” is not totally installed yet. She also tends to be a little more independant than my last dog. I have only been around a couple of Corgis and they seem like fun dogs, although the ones I have seen seem to have their own agenda(reminds me a little of my sister’s cairn terrier). Here is a pic of my blue merle girl supervising my horse care.http://www.flickr.com/photos/simbalism/3193170571/
Here is a pic of current pup http://www.flickr.com/photos/simbalism/5689651034/

#15

[QUOTE=Holly Jeanne;5675787]
I’ve only had Aussie’s but, back when I didn’t have a dog there were a bunch of Corgi’s at the barn where I rode and worked some. My experience is the the Aussie’s tend to be higher energy and the Corgi’s tended to have stronger opinions. :lol: YMMV. ;)[/QUOTE]

I’ve owned both and would have to agree this. Although both my aussie and the corgi tend towards the lazy side. Both are great dogs though… but I think corgi definitely has more personality. I would so have a herd of them lol.

#16

I am definitely an Aussie girl, as I’m sure y’all can tell from my Aussie thread. I’d have to say that my two purebreds and one half australian shepherd / half blue heeler are all different, but all great.

First off, they never leave my side even in a crowd. They’re very smart, but very goofy. My male Aussie is the biggest goofball, my female is more serious, and much more attached to me. I love it. She goes on all my trail rides and has plenty of engery. My heeler/aussie cross has the biggest work ethic and lives to do her “job” which is making sure the horses don’t lean on the fence or stall doors and herding the foals while we lead the moms… She’s pretty goofy too actually. She acts all tough, but she is the most cuddly dog there is!

Anyways, I love aussies, if you can’t tell!
Bocephus looking serious, even though he isn’t at all http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2194984800043029495ZPxLmY
Jitterbug being adorable http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2641984260043029495IXOSvU

#17

P.S. Aussies think they are lap dogs - especially Jitterbug, our 60 lb standard!

#18

A friend of mine that owns a large boarding stable has 2 Aussies that are the best mousers. She has some cats, but the Aussies are 10X better at catching mice and rats than the cats. No comparison. If someone had to move a tack trunk where they knew there might be a mouse or two hiding, they called the dogs over before they moved the trunk and the dogs knew exactly what to look out for. They rarely missed a catch. It was awesome to watch dogs work that fast and that intently.

The Aussies seems very smart to me, but I couldn’t deal with the long hair and shedding. I’m still looking for a great mouse dog.

#19

I have to ask, it sounds like people are talking about Pembroke Welsh Corgis,the Cardigans I know are very serious and wonderful dogs.

#20

At least among the ‘horse’ people I’ve known, ‘corgi’ usually = “Pembroke.” I have one, though that was because she was at the shelter the day I went looking for a dog.

I would say while Aussies have a work DRIVE, my corgi has a work INSTINCT. She knows she’s supposed to do something about things like those ducks and horses wandering around without order in their lives next door, but she doesn’t have the Aussie/Border Collie fixation that she MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT NOW. (However I have had to call her off the ducks.) She likes to run around, but can live with chilling out. A full Aussie or a Border Collie would go nuts as long as I’m gone some days, Tucker just waits. (Puff is an Aussie mix, but he’s both a mix and a seasoned citizen, so he does not usually have the omg energy thing.)

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