Corgi Teeth Complete Guide (Cleaning, Problems, and More)

When it comes to our sweet short-legged Corgi companions we want to make sure that they are as healthy as they can be. This includes every part of our Corgis, so today, I am writing all about your Corgis teeth!

Dental hygiene is a very important aspect of care for your cute and cuddly Corgi! Keeping their teeth healthy and clean as well as going through the puppy teething stage can be challenging at times, but don’t worry, this article will give you all the tips and tricks that you need to care for your Corgis teeth!

Do corgis have bad teeth?

Corgis do not inherently have bad teeth, however, if plaque is allowed to build up it can lead to swollen gums (gingivitis) and if left untreated will start to cause tooth decay and infection of the gums and teeth. This will likely happen if your Corgis teeth are not being taken care of properly.

It is important to employ proper dental care for your Corgi starting at a young age.

Surprising Fact: On average 80% of dogs have some form of dental disease by the time they are 2 years old.

If your dog’s tooth disease progresses far enough it can cause serious damage to your Corgis organs. Untreated dental problems can even shorten your Corgi’s lifespan by up to 3 years.

If you want to know what other issues affect your Corgi’s lifespan then read this article.

Corgi and Corgi Mix Lifespan (Insider Info From Owners)

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. We only recommend high-quality products that are used and recommended by real owners. If you use these links to buy something we earn a small commission.

What are some common Corgi teeth Problems?

Dental disease is the biggest concern for your Corgi’s teeth. If your dog has severe enough dental disease it can cause tooth decay, the gums to recede and the teeth to start falling out.

Not only is this painful for your Corgi it can also have an impact on his heart and other organs.

Interestingly dogs don’t get cavities, but they still can have quite a bit of plague build up on their teeth.

Corgi teeth falling out

If your Corgi puppy is losing its teeth there is no need to worry, but if your Corgi is older than 1 and losing teeth that can be cause for major concern!

Your older Corgis teeth falling out is due to periodontal disease. This has happened because the plaque and gingivitis have gotten so severe that your dog’s teeth have started to rot and the gums will release their hold on the rotten teeth as a way to try and protect themselves.

If you have a Corgi rescue that has been poorly taken care of chances are it may have a few missing teeth. The best way forward is to get your dog’s teeth cleaned by a vet.

Corgi Broken Tooth

Broken teeth can be a common occurrence and can be very uncomfortable for your Corgi.

If your Corgi has had any kind of impact to their mouth, either from being hit by something or from running into something it could cause a broken or chipped tooth.

Chess Dog 300 x 600

They could also break a tooth by chewing on something too hard. This is why I always tell my student to be careful about what they allow their dogs to chew on. It is recommended that your dog doesn’t chew on hard things like antlers, bones, or other hard and non-bendable items.

Signs your Corig has a chipped or cracked tooth.

  • Eating on one side of his mouth.
  • Not eating hard food.
  • Not chewing on his favorite chew toys.
  • Swelling in his face or gums.
  • Excessive drooling.
  • Pawing or itching as his face or mouth.
  • Not wanting or letting you touch his face.

Broken or chipped teeth can cause your Corgi serious pain and problems with an infection later on. It’s important that it is treated as soon as possible to prevent any more complications. Depending on how severely the tooth is chipped or broken will let your vet know what course of treatment.

If it is a surface chip the tooth should be able to be repaired fairly easily. If the root is exposed then your Corgi will likely need a root canal.

Corgi Overbite

If your Corgi has an overbite you may be wondering if you should be concerned and if there is a way to fix it.

It is not generally common for a Corgi to have an overbite, but some Corgis that have a long straight muzzle may be more at risk.

An overbite is inherited through the genes of the parents. Responsible breeders will work to avoid breeding Corgis that have obvious overbites.

An Overbite is when your Corgis lower jaw is much shorter than its upper jaw. This makes it so their teeth are not aligned properly and the upper teeth hang out over the lower teeth.

If your Corgi puppy has a slight overbite it is most likely nothing to be concerned with. Have your vet take a look at your puppy’s regular visit, but it is likely that as your puppy grows it will correct itself.

If your Corgi puppy has a severe overbite then your vet may recommend removing some of its baby teeth in order to allow more room for your puppy’s jaw to grow and expand properly.

A puppy’s jaw will be permanently set by the time it is 10 months old so early care could be helpful to make sure the overbite doesn’t affect your dog’s quality of life.

Special care should be given to oral hygiene for your Corgi if they have an overbite. It will be easier for your dog’s mouth to build up plaque and make them more prone to dental disease.

Bad Breath in your Corgi-

The most common cause of bad breath (halitosis) in your Corgi is periodontal disease from tartar buildup because of bad oral hygiene. Bacteria will feed on the build-up of plaque which causes a disgusting sulfur smell. This will grow worse over time if the problem is not addressed.

The best way to get rid of your Corgis nasty-smelling breath is to address their oral hygiene routine. If the plaque and tartar have built up to a degree that you are not able to remove it yourself by brushing and other tactics (discussed below), you may need to take your dog to the vet for a professional cleaning.

Your vet will need to give your Corgi general anesthesia for the procedure so that they can gain easy access to their mouth without the worry of being bitten or having your pup resist.

He or she will then use dental tools relatively similar to the tools that are used on us at the dentist to scale and scrape the plaque from your dog’s teeth. This will also allow them to see if there are any teeth that are loose or rotting and may need to be removed.

This cleaning will help to reduce gingivitis (the swelling on your dog’s gums) as well as the nasty bacteria that cause bad breath.

You will want to be sure to keep a good oral hygiene routine at home afterward to prevent the plaque from returning.

If your Corgi needs a dental cleaning, this article from the Spruce Pets can help you prepare for and understand what that process entails. Getting a Professional Teeth Cleaning for Your Dog (thesprucepets.com)

Other ways to help reduce Corgi bad breath

There are some foods that can really help out with naturally scraping plaque off our dog’s teeth as well as freshening breath.

Carrots – as your Corgi chews on the carrots it will work to scrape the plaque off, plus they get the added benefits of the nutrients and fiber that carrots provide as well as their natural ability to help get rid of worms.

Parsley – This is an amazing herb that you can sprinkle on your Corgis dog food. It has a minty fresh smell and has been proven to battle the sulfur compounds that cause bad breath.

Coconut Oil – Rubbing some coconut oil on your dog’s teeth every day is proven to help prevent the buildup of plaque that causes bad breath. Coconut oil has many amazing powers including antimicrobial and antibacterial (It prevents and kills the bad stuff).

Gently rubbing coconut oil on your Corgis teeth each day can be especially helpful if your dog is resistant to getting its teeth brushed.

This can help your dog get used to having his teeth touched as you slowly work to transition to a toothbrush.

You can read more about the benefits of coconut oil from this article on Healthline. Why Coconut Oil Is Good for Your Teeth (healthline.com)

How to Keep Your Corgis Teeth Clean

  1. Start by getting your Corgi puppy used to having its gums touched and looked over at a young age. When you bring a new puppy home use cocnut oil on your finger to rub on your Corgis teeth and gums each day.

    It’s best to do this when they are tired or sleepy. Be sure to watch out for nipping and biting that your Corgi will surely want to do.
  2. Provide your Corgi with lots of chew toys, (afilliate link) not only will this help you keep them from chewing on undesired things in your house, it will help them keep their teeth clean by the scraping motion that they do as they chew.

    Specificly, dental chew toys can also be very helpful to remove plaque from your Corgi’s teeth.


  3. You Should start brushing your Corgi’s teeth around 12 weeks old. It’s important to start a habit of daily brushing (if not daily then at least 2 times a week). Using a pet toothbrush like this as well as a good dog toothpaste is imporant.
  4. Use a dental powder cleanser like this one on amazon (affiliate link). This is one of the easiest ways to help your Corgis teeth stay clean. You just add it to their water and you are done!
  5. Make a consistent effort. Taking care of oral hyigene once and a while will not be good enough for your lovable Corgi companion. You need to make it a daily/weekly habbit so that their teeth will not go bad over time.
  6. Give your Corgi a delicious and healthy apple slice for a snack. The Malic acid in apples helps to clean dogs teeth and it can freshen their breath!

Complete List of Fruit Corgis Can & Can’t Eat!

Do Corgis have good teeth?

Corgis can have great teeth if they are well taken care of. Corgi puppies start out with good strong healthy teeth but it’s up to us as owners to keep them clean and healthy. If your dog’s teeth are white, their gums are pink, and they don’t have smelly breath then your Corgis teeth are likely healthy.

Taking a look at your Corgis teeth every few weeks will help you to keep on top of the dental hygiene and spot signs of problems early on.

Warning: If your Corgi is prone to biting or is easily startled seek guidance from your vet or a professional dog trainer before following these steps.

When your dog is calm or sleeping, gently lift the flap of skin on the side of your dog’s mouth in order to inspect their gums.

Never put your hand inside your dog’s mouth, even if your dog is normally calm and doesn’t tend to bite.

You will be looking to make sure that their teeth are white and if there is any brown, grey or black buildup on their teeth how bad it is and where it is.

You can look at their gums and are wanting to see light pink, any darker pink coloring or red tint can be an indication of gum disease and you will want to schedule a visit with your vet.

How many teeth do Corgis have?

Your Corgi puppy will have 28 baby teeth.

Corgi puppies are born with no teeth but gain 28 baby teeth by 6-8 weeks of age. An adult Corgi will have a total of 42 teeth including twelve incisors (for grasping), four canines (for tearing), sixteen premolars, and 8 molars (for grinding).

Corgi teething Timeline

Being a parent of a new Corgi puppy can produce all sorts of questions from what to do if your puppy is not eating, to why is my puppy crying all the time. Knowing more about their expected development can help ease some worries and concerns we might have.

If it’s been a while since you have had a puppy or if this is your first experience raising a puppy you may be surprised to know that your puppy’s teeth will fall out. Just like their human counterparts around pre-school age, we start losing our baby teeth, our puppies are going to lose their teeth and grow adult ones as well.

So to help you with this here is a detailed timeline of what you can expect while your puppy is teething.

Please remember that every dog is different so even though this is a good estimate your dog may not follow it exactly.

Newborn: Your puppy will be born with what looks like no teeth at all, but when he reaches 2 to 4 weeks old at the same time his eyes start to open his little baby teeth will start popping through.

Around 6-8 weeks your puppy should have all his baby teeth and will start weening from his mother’s milk while learning to eat soft moist puppy food.

Around 12-16 weeks old as you have recently brought your puppy home and are getting to know them better he will start to lose his baby teeth. It usually starts with the incisors and you will probably notice little rice-sized doggy teeth falling out everywhere.

By 5 months old your puppy will have lost most of their baby teeth and by 6 months old they will have lost all their baby teeth and grown in all their adult teeth.

At 6 months you should have your vet examine your Corgis teeth to check that all the baby teeth are gone and that the adult teeth have grown in properly.

As your puppy grows you should get your Corgi used to you gently placing your hand around his mouth and gums. This is the start of socializing your dog and will be helpful to prepare them for getting their teeth brushed and clean.

How to help my Teething Corgi Puppy

Luckily the teething puppy stage doesn’t last too long. I know it does feel like it’s going on forever when you are in the thick of it, but it usually gets much better around the time your puppy is 6 months old.

Even though it may be short it can be hard to make it through the puppy teething stage. Having a puppy is a lot of work and it’s best to be as proactive as possible when teaching your puppy and helping them adjust to a new life with your family.

Helping them focus their teething troubles on chewing and biting appropriate things (rather than your furniture or fingers) is part of their puppy training.

You can tell your puppy might be having teething pain or discomfort if you notice them whining a lot (see this article 7 Reasons Why Your Corgi Whines (What to Do) – Paws and Learn to rule out other reasons for their whining), biting and chewing on everything, lots of drooling, and of course, the obvious losing teeth and swollen or tender gums.

The best thing you can do is to offer your puppy a variety of puppy teething toys. Toys that offer different textures, different pressures, or different tastes will help your puppy have variety. This can keep your puppy from getting bored and wanting to chew on things that they shouldn’t (like your brand new shoes)

Offering your pup something cold or frozen can help to numb and dull the teething pain they feel. An easy way to do this is to get a clean cloth a little wet and freeze it. A rope toy could also work well for this.

Safety Tip: Puppy teeth are super sharp! Be sure to monitor your puppy when chewing and take away any toys or items that start to become shredded or break apart. It would be dangerous for your puppy to swallow any small pieces.

Our Favorite Toys for a Teething Corgi Puppy

There is a reason that Kong toys are so popular! Not only are they are super versatile as far as the things that you can put inside the middle, but they are the perfect blend of hard/soft and chewy for a teething puppy.

Try putting a mixture of peanut butter and soft puppy food in the middle and freezing it. Your puppy will love it!

This toy is great for teething. Puppies love the texture of the little rubber nubs against their gums. (affiliate links)

My dog’s favorite thing to chew on is bully sticks! You want to make sure that they do it safely, so be sure to have something to hold the end so that when it gets small they don’t accidentally swallow it and choke on it.

Corgi Smile

Have you ever noticed that Corgis have the BEST SMILES ever! Yes, that natural Corgi smile is hard to beat! If your Corgi gives you a big grin from ear to ear you can be sure that your Corgi is feeling very content and happy with life. Here are some beautiful Corgi Smiles to brighten your day!

“Leo’s Big Grin” Thank you Lena B. for use of your photo!
In Loving Memory of Lily! Thank you Diane P. for your photos!
Thank you Melissa A. for use of your picture!

17 Reasons Corgi Love is the Best Kind of Love! – Paws and Learn