Pet gate for Corgi with back problems

A Corgi with back sensitivity is a situation where gate choice really matters — you need something that blocks access to furniture areas completely, because you can't rely on the dog deciding not to jump. Gate choice generally comes down to three things: your dog's size and jumping ability, the width of the opening you're blocking, and whether pressure-mounted or wall-mounted is an option (pressure-mounted is never safe at the top of stairs, just so you know). Before I point you at anything specific, tell me: how wide is the opening or area you're blocking, where exactly is it — a doorway, an open-plan room divider, or something else — and can you put screws into the wall if needed?

IVDD changes things significantly — you're right to take this seriously. With early intervertebral disc disease, even the repeated impact of small jumps adds up over time, so the gate needs to be tall enough that she genuinely can't clear it and has no temptation to try. Corgis are low but they can jump more than people expect, especially when motivated by a sofa. Can you tell me roughly how tall she is at the shoulder, and does she currently attempt to jump the sofa, or has she been stopping herself since the diagnosis?

That's really common with Corgis — they're determined little dogs. At 30cm shoulder height, she can realistically attempt gates up to about 60–65cm if she's motivated, so you want something at least 75cm tall to give you a proper safety margin. For an 80cm doorway where wall-mounting is possible, I'd go with the Safetots Extra Wide Walk-Through Baby Gate. It mounts securely to the wall with pressure or fixings, extends to cover 80cm comfortably, stands 76cm tall which is well beyond her reach, and has a walk-through door so you're not stepping over it repeatedly — stepping over gates is exactly how people accidentally leave them open. The key thing here is you want the full-height solid bar design rather than a fabric or mesh gate she might paw at and push. Safetots is widely stocked, straightforward to fit, and the wall-mount kit is included.

Yes — use the wall-mount fixings rather than relying on pressure alone, even though pressure-mounting is technically possible at doorway level. With a determined dog who is going to push against it regularly, pressure mounts can gradually work loose in a doorframe, especially if the frame has any flex. Wall-mount into a stud or use wall anchors if it's plasterboard, and check the fixings are snug every few weeks for the first month. Also make sure the gate opens away from her side — so into the room you're in, not into the living room — so she can't push it open by leaning on it. The latch on the Safetots requires a deliberate two-step action to open, which she won't manage.

Good call. One last thing worth mentioning: once the gate is up, it's worth asking your vet about a small dog ramp for when she's allowed back on the sofa under supervision — getting a Corgi with IVDD to stop jumping entirely is the goal, but a ramp for controlled access is much kinder on the discs than a blanket ban that she keeps breaking. The gate handles the unsupervised risk; the ramp handles the rest. Hope her back stays comfortable.