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Permalink Reply by Sam on March 29, 2009 at 6:03pm

Have you been to this breeders home? Do you know if this girl has had pups? Does she show her other dogs? Is she involved in any of the regional clubs? Sounds like this girl was kept kenneled and not included as a home companion at all. She probably has no clue how to play with toys. Hard to know if a dog like this is just shy by nature or if she became this way because of being secluded most of her life. I think I would like to visit with the breeder in her home and learn how she keeps her dogs. This may give you many answers to your question. As to whether she will change probably some but hard to know to what degree. Some go on to be confident dogs who enjoy toys and interacting. Some always have a certain amount of fear. Good luck. I hope with a bit of investigation you can find how she lived her first two years.

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Permalink Reply by MagnoliaFly on March 30, 2009 at 4:52pm

I agree with this. We've seen some dogs at our training school that were kept isolated like this and were actually fearful of toys, other dogs and people. They didn't know what to do with toys because they were never exposed to them as puppies.

You should find a good trainer and get your dog involved with trying new experiences and associating them with positive things. She's older now so socialization will take a much longer amount of time than it would if your dog was in her prime socialization period (4-14 weeks of age).

Here is a good list of training books and DVDs. Training may bring her out of her shell and help her have some fun.

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Permalink Reply by Nicola Porter on March 29, 2009 at 6:30pm

That is not strange to me. My Max didn't play with anything for the 11/12 yrs we had him. We got him at approx 6 months. We have Rexx who was a rescue and didn't play either until LO came into the house in Sept.

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on March 29, 2009 at 6:51pm

I'd say it's only been a week. Dogs usually take about a month to feel at home and let their personality shine. She sounds great so far!

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Permalink Reply by DR, Nala & Simon on March 29, 2009 at 9:46pm

I think she might change some as she gets more comfortable. She also will learn your routine, and also anything else you teach her. Cosmo was like that for 4 years (she was already 7 when I got her.), her mellowness made it easier to care for her. But that changed, when I got Nala around a year ago. Now Cosmo barks, initiates playing sessions and looks even more comfortable. Like Sam said visit the breeder, and be patient, eventually she will show her corgi side. Maybe she is secretly "testing" you? Good luck, everything will be fine.

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Permalink Reply by Lou Ann Lemaster on March 30, 2009 at 5:59am

My first corgi was the mellow type. The only "toys" she would play with was a towel if you drug it along the ground for her to chase after and a small super ball type football. Other than that, she was like the one you have right now. Could be like Sam said, give her time. She may become playful, or she may stay quiet.

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Permalink Reply by karen on March 30, 2009 at 9:28am

I want to thank all of you for your replies. She is very easy to take care of and so sweet. I really just wanted her to play for her own sake, after all she's barely 2yrs. Took her to the park yesterday and walked 4 miles and she enjoyed that, wasn't interested in the other dogs and never barked. THe ONLY negative I can think of is that she poops on the concrete instead of grass. How do I get her to go on grass? I have fallen in love with her so she's definitely a keeper. Thanks for your help. Oh, one more ? She hasn't been spayed. Will she associate us with taking her to be spayed? I'm sure it's traumatic at this age. Should I take her back to the breeder and have her spay her so that we aren't associated with the trauma? Karen

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Permalink Reply by DR, Nala & Simon on March 30, 2009 at 10:28am

Make an appointment to spay her as soon as you can. I don't think she will associate you with the spaying. But talk to your vet and they might have a better answer. Also they can explain you about the procedure and aftercare which is very important. After surgery, in a couple of days, she will be her usual self.

About the grass, expose her more to grass, i guess. Cosmo does the same if the grass is wet. She hates getting her paws and "fanny" wet from the grass. Or whoever had her before never taught her to go on grass. Just take little steps. Get her more used to long walks in grass and tell her what a good girl she is. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Ross on March 30, 2009 at 9:38am

You never know, but with good socialization and lots of love I'd say there's a good chance you can bring out her hidden personality.

Our puppy Scout we got at ~6 months. She spent the first few months of her life locked in a cage, and we got her from a foster organization that rescued her and her brother from the shelter. She's a total sweetheart and very laid back, but her playful side has really come out as she's gotten older. We are now working on her to calm down a bit as she tends to get a little too excited when she plays and bites a little too hard.

You're in a bit of a different situation as this dog is clearly older and past those formative puppy years, but at only 2 years that dog has a lot of life ahead of her/

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Permalink Reply by mosesbotbol on March 31, 2009 at 12:53pm

Sounds exactly like Camber. She has turned around in our first year of ownership, but I don't think she'll ever be like the Corgi I knew as kid... Not barking a lot is blessing! Camber does like to bark outside; just one bark at time- usually to either stay outside or to come inside...

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