Welsh corgis were bred as herding dogs and one of their duties was to chase other dogs away from their owners' farms and livestock. They tend to sound the alarm at the slightest provocation, and many of them have a high-pitched, annoying bark. This can make it difficult to rest or carry on a conversation and make you unpopular with the neighbors if you live in a city or suburb. What to do?

Surgery is dangerous, expensive, and cruel in that it deprives your pet of its normal function and ability to communicate with you. It also makes dogs unable to wake you when there is danger and less adept at driving away intruders.

Although it needs patience and effort from your end, we suggest proper Welsh Corgi Training.

One way to stop unwanted or ill-timed barking is to teach your corgi to bark on command, so that he or she will not bark without the command. Hold a treat before the dog and say, "Speak!" in a loud voice. This might be confusing at first, but when the dog barks, quickly reward him or her with the treat. Repeat the process and reward consistently as soon as your corgi barks. They say, "Enough," and walk away.

Or you can look for triggers that bring on barking and use them. If your dog always barks when another dog walks by, get the treats ready when you see another dog approaching. Say, "Speak," and give the treat as soon as your dog barks. Soon he or she will learn the command that goes along with barking. Again, say, "Enough," and walk away so that your corgi learns what "Enough" means.

Another method of discouraging barking is to hold your dog's mouth closed when he or she barks, saying "Enough," or "Hush." This does will not hurt your corgi, but he or she will probably not like it, and will learn to associate the command with stopping barking.

Some dogs bark when they do not have everything they need to be comfortable, so be sure that your dog's water dish is always full of fresh water and that he or she has enough to eat and a clean, warm place to sleep.

Boredom or unhappiness can be another reason for barking. A dog who is left out in the yard all day is in an unnatural state and will be unhappy and bored.

Dogs are pack animals and need to be with their families. Dog training at an early age and allowing him or her to be inside with the rest of the family is one way to have a happy dog who will not constantly bark to try to communicate that he or she feels left out.

Corgis are active dogs, so find some time each day to play or run with your dog. Get a hollow toy and put food inside to give your dog the excitement of getting it out. A tired dog is a happy, quiet dog, so invest in some toys and take some time to play each day. Enjoy your corgi.