When Do Corgi Puppies Need Their First Haircut?

Taking care of your new Corgi puppy is both a big responsibility and a tremendous joy. You’re responsible for all of their needs when they are at such a young age.

One thing you may be considering is when to give them their first haircut, or if they even ever need haircuts.

When Do Corgi Puppies Need Their First Haircut?

Corgi puppies need their first haircut at approximately sixteen weeks of age, but this can vary depending on how they develop and grow. Doing so earlier than sixteen weeks is a recipe for disaster since they are incapable of sitting still for long, and the possibility that they might be hurt during the process is greater.

If the parent decides to wait a bit, nothing bad will happen to their Corgi puppy’s fur coat, but it isn’t a promising idea to do it before sixteen weeks.

If a parent decides that they are ready to give their puppy their first haircut, they don’t need to take them to the professional groomer unless they want to do that.

Some groomers offer noteworthy discounts for the big event where they will trim the nails, give them a nice bath, and put on a cute bow for a reasonable price to make it a memorable experience for the parent.

For those who decide this is something they want to do, it can be great fun and an enjoyable way to introduce the puppy to grooming for the first time.

If the parent prefers to keep things low-key because their puppy might not enjoy the experience or for other reasons, it is perfectly acceptable at this youthful age to give them a trim yourself at home.

This should be done with the help of another person and in a well lite, easy-clean area.

The parent might set up the kitchen sink and table or get a small puppy bathtub and use the bathroom.

Those will all work great. Having the tools ready beforehand is necessary since your puppy will have a short attention span and will get bored or misbehave when they have had enough of the grooming fun.

The first haircut need not be time-consuming for the parent or Corgi puppy. 

The event is more about introducing them to grooming and less about a salon-perfect haircut.

Towels, gentle and puppy-friendly soap, a pair of scissors designed for grooming a puppy, a comb or brush, a cup for rinsing the puppy, and plenty of treats are the essentials. Since this is the first haircut session for your Corgi puppy, a hairdryer is not a good idea, but the room should be warm and comfortable.

If the season or weather permits, you could even schedule the first haircut outside. You could splash around with the Corgi puppy in a kiddie pool and have some fun. 

After that, you could set up a table where you and your partner could do a quick clip and snip.

It is not necessary to do a bath as well as the haircut, but it can be a nice treat and help them look even more adorable.

At this point, the Corgi puppy may not have had experience with wearing a collar and being on a leash, so using these tools is not necessary. 

The second person can hold the puppy, so they don’t get hurt and ensure that everything is running smoothly by handing the parent/groomer the tools when needed and being playful to entertain the puppy.

At sixteen weeks, the puppy is approaching the age where they will begin to lose their puppy fur coat, and their adult fur coat will start coming in.

This usually happens sometime around five or six months or anytime after that.

Therefore, the haircut and grooming session is more for training and fun than appearance, as their fur coat will change very soon. 

What happens if I don’t do the first haircut for my Corgi puppy until they are a few months older?

Nothing will happen if you don’t do the first haircut for your Corgi puppy until they are a few months older.

The fuzzy, soft fur that your puppy has right now will transition into an adult fur coat over time, and this change will begin around five or six months of age or older.

Their puppy fur will be coming out during that time, and the adult fur coat will come in. The process is slow and can take time, depending on the individual dog.

Waiting to give your Corgi puppy a haircut until their adult fur coat comes in is perfectly acceptable. Still, it is a good idea to teach them about grooming early on. 

Still, it is a good idea to bathe, brush and attend to their grooming needs aside from a haircut while their adult fur is growing in.

This is because the old fur that is shedding and the new fur coming in will need to be groomed so they look neat and clean.

Some Corgis will lose their puppy fur coat all at once, some will lose it in whisps, and you will barely notice except for the stray stragglers of fur you find around the house. 

Others still, will lose their fur in clumps, chunks, and patches that will make them look ugly for a time.

Whatever way it happens, you don’t need to give your Corgi puppy a haircut at such an early age. The choice is left up to the parent as they know their puppy. 

The parent will know when their puppy will be ready to learn about this process that will be an ongoing part of their lives for a long time.

Final Thoughts

Getting a haircut is fun, even for a young Corgi puppy. 

Sixteen weeks is a suitable time to do the first haircut if a parent wants to introduce their Corgi puppy to the grooming process early.

Taking the Corgi puppy to the professional groomer is a nice treat but not necessary since the first haircut is quite simple, quick, and easy.

Knowing this, whenever a parent decides to give their Corgi puppy their first haircut, it will be adorable because they are adorable!