Getting ready for my first corgi!!
Hello everyone! I'm getting ready to bring home my first corgi in a couple of weeks (ok, more like a month or two) and I'm definitely finding myself in a nesting mode. I'm getting a female pembroke from Tim Mathesion at Nebriowa Kennels - he's actually right down the road from my work (I consider that a sign). This will be my first dog on my own, so I'm trying to get all my bases covered in terms of supplies. If anyone could address the following thoughts, I would be so greatful!
1. What is the best type of puppy food for a corgi? I find myself dizzy after going through so many ingredient lists and brands. Any opinions on wet vs. dry?
2. What kind of grooming tools do I need for her? The FURminator seems like a good idea, but I'm not sure what else. For nail clipping, I heard a Dremel tool is king. Also, what kind of grooming regime do you follow?
3. I've read articles that recommend two crates - one in a living area and one in the bedroom, so the pup is near you at night. Any insight? I don't want to make her (or me) too crazy.
4. Should I get a collar or a harness for her as a puppy?
Those are the questions that come to mind at the moment, I'm sure there will be more as time goes on. I'm super excited to get my puppy!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Congratulations! I've heard good things about Tim and his dogs.
1. There are as many answers as there are foods. Dry is easier for most people, tends to be cheaper (you are not paying for water as you do with canned) and dogs seem to do well on it (cats, on the other hand, really should have some canned).
2. Furminator is good for blowing coat, but don't get one yet unless there is a sale. She'll be a year or so old before she really blows coat for the first time. I find a double-sided comb (two teeth widths) and a slicker brush with retractable head are what I use most often. For a puppy, you want one really soft bristle brush that you use just to get her used to it. Get a cheap one; you'll never use it again after training. A bath mitt is also very helpful though not necessary. I really like Martha Stewart's (PetSmart). It has tiny rubber nubs on one side and terry cloth on the other. And plenty of old towels for cleaning puppy bellies. Your puppy will get a dirty belly all. the. time. I like a Dremel for nails I got a rechargeable cordless one.
3. It's totally up to you where puppy sleeps. I personally don't like dogs in the bedroom and puppies are just fine sleeping in another room; almost guaranteed the breeder doesn't keep puppies in the bedroom (though a few might). However, if you are going to sleep with pup in the room, you may need two crates. One that has a divider is best. Personally I could not live without an x-pen for housebreaking, but that's a personal choice.
4. Collar unless there is unusual circumstance. Harness encourages pulling, and virtually any activity you may decide to do with your dog (rally, obedience, etc) requires a flat buckle collar. Get a cheap one because you will go through about 4 or them or so; the first one may only last a matter of weeks. Do make sure it has a secure buckle, and get a light-weight nylon one that is not very wide at all til she grows.
Can't wait to see pics!
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Permalink Reply by Annaglen + Piper!! on
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Thanks for the insight Beth! You gave me some very good information on the grooming tools. I've thought about getting puppy brushes to start, in order to get her used to it. How do you recommend introducing the Dremel tool? I'm a little nervous about using it - I don't want to hurt those little paws! Also, how often do you bathe your dogs? I've read that corgis don't need frequent bathing (unless it's a "fluffy"). Any recommendations on shampoos, as I don't have experience with their type of coat.
Oh, of course I'm worried about hearing little puppy cries when I bring her home. Though I'm not sure I want to introduce her to the whole apartment at first (it's a two bedroom, two bathroom unit, so plenty of places to get into trouble). There will be plenty of gates to keep her in place. I'm actually thinking of getting an x-pen for my office at work for when I bring her in.
Why such a short life for collars to start? Chewing or growing issues?
Oh, there will be plenty of pictures :D
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Baths, only every two months or so unless they roll in something. I've had Jack since spring 07 and Maddie since summer 09 and I'm still on my same bottle of shampoo! Since I bathe so seldom I'm not overly concerned about what I use. I just check them out in the pet store and get one that seems gentle and doesn't smell too strongly.
Collars--- she'll outgrow them in no time. Those first couple months they grow like weeds. If she gets a hold of it she may choose it, but I was thinking more of outgrowing.As for introducing the Dremel, I really suggest handling her feet a lot at first. If she turns out to be a cuddler, play with them while she cuddles. If she doesn't like to cuddle, then pick up a paw before tossing a ball, wiggle a toe before starting a tug game, etc. The on-their-back-between-your-legs pose is great and if you have a more mellow pup I would work on this. Jack however wigs out if you try to hold him still, so I have him sit and stay and pick up one paw at a time. This is NOT the easiest method. If she squirms a little when you try to hold her still, just hold her til she is calm. However if she panicks and screams and her little heart pounds, don't force her or you'll scare her more. In that case practice "catch and release": Hold her still briefly and let her go before she realizes you've got her and starts to fight. Gradually hold her still longer while distracting her, always trying to let go before she struggles.
While you are working on getting her to learn to stay still, you can also introduce the Dremel. Let her sniff it while it's off, do this a few times over a few days, and then touch it to a toe while it's off and praise for that. Do that for a few days. Then turn it on, praise her and turn it off without touching it to her. After she gets used to hearing it run, and also used to the off machine being touched to a nail, you can slowly try touching it to just one nail while it's running.
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Permalink Reply by Zigward & Kimberly on
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wow, congratulations! i still have a couple months to go before i can get a corgi, but i still have a couple of weeks to go untill I can get a corgi, but i know how you feel about nesting! i keep going through on amazon and putting together a list of items were going to get! its really exciting:]
1) ive been reading a lot on it, and it seems that homemade food is kind of the way to go-dont our dogs deserve real food too? but, if you dont want to go that route, whatever your reasoning, ive been hearing a lot about this dog food called avoderm, which is what i am leaning towards if i decide on a kibble. (some vet said that a good way to tell if a dog food is an alright one for your pet, is if you havent ever seen advertisement for it, because it does well enough on its own by word of mouth!) yeah, theyre more expensive, but it also takes less to get your dog what it needs, so it kind of pays for itself!
2) as far as grooming tools go, i have the furminator down as my top tool.. but i was also looking at the furminator vacuum attachment.. of course, that means im going to have to work hard to socialize my future companion with the vacuum cleaner-if he isnt already anyways.
3) not so sure about the one vs two crates. i was going to say just one, but then i thought about the fact that i want to crate feed, too. (that way hes not being bothered while hes trying to eat. i know i dont like people in my face when i want to eat xD) and i dont want to make him stay completely alone when hes munching. so i guess thats a personal preference.
4) im getting both a collar and harness for my corgi! a collar for all day long wear and a harness for walks and activities.
i am very excited for you and cant wait to see a million and a half pictures that you must upload asap haha:]
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Hi Kimberly! It's nice to "meet" someone who's nesting just like me! I have a detailed Excel spreadsheet with supplies and prices. I spend quite a bit of time researching things on Amazon, PetSmart, and Petco (especially when I have down time at work, hehe). I haven't heard of Avoderm, but I'm definitely going to look into it.
When are you getting your corgi? Are you as excited as I am about it? I'll admit, corgi butts drive me nuts! (I came across that on a website). I absolutely love their happy faces and they seem like great dogs. I can't wait!
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on
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1) There are sooo many opinions on food. You can search dog food analysis on the web, and it will give you the top dog foods, and will tell you what to look for, and what to stay away from.
2) I use a rake on all my dogs, and it works better than anything else. It gets the undercoat out wonderful, and doesn't damage their coat. I bought a Furminator, but use it rarely because it shears their coat, and damages it somewhat. During heavy shedding season, I might use it if they are really bad, but usually the rake does just fine. I love my dremel. I use it on all the dogs, and Seanna is the one that is the easiest to use it on because I started when she was a puppy. She just goes to sleep now when I do them. In puppy class they will teach you to put the puppy on it's back between your legs as a submissive posture, and this position also works great for nail trimming. Seanna does it fine for me since we started when she was little.
3) We only had one crate for Seanna, and it was in the bedroom. I put her in there at night and whenever we went somewhere. Otherwise we were lucky in that we could keep an eye on her when she was out of it. When she tore her ACL we bought a wire puppy pen, and that would have worked wonderful to keep her contained, yet give her a little bit of room to move about.
4) I'd recommend a collar since that's what you'll be using the most. When you get her home, let her drag the leash around attached to the collar so she gets used to it. If you take her to puppy classes and obedience, you'll never need a harness if you're consistent with training. But see what works for you...no rule is set in stone!
Can't wait to see pictures!!
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Hi Jennifer! Thanks for your reply :) I appreciate all the information. I think I'm getting a hang of reading all the food labels, and I'll probably start by buying small bags of food to start. Good insight on the FURminator, as I didn't know it could damage the coat. Do you use any other grooming tools aside from the rake? When you started using the dremel with Seanna as a puppy, did you use treats at all? I'm a little nervous about using it on a puppy, but I think it would be good for me to learn (and will probably save some money down the line with nail trimming). How often do you trim her nails?
I was questioning the collar because I didn't know if it would be too much stress on her neck as a puppy. I'm guessing I won't be taking her for long walk for a while once I get her. I'm a little nervous since I know there are other dogs in the apartment complex I'm in, and I don't want her getting into anything and getting sick. The training that I'm looking into requires a gentle leader collar.
Rest assured, there will be pictures!
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I really don't use anything else besides the rake, it seems to do a pretty good job. Seanna's coat is really thick though. Jackson's is thinner and less fluffy, and with him we can easily get by with a slicker brush. It kind of depends on the coat. If you send me a friend request, you can look at the pictures on my site and see the difference between their coats.
I did use treats with Seanna to get her used to the dremel. I actually used them too for the other two dogs (they were rescues). Start with just touching it to a nail, praise and give treat. Slowly work up to turning it on very slow, and touch to a nail. Praise and give a treat. If you do it a couple times a day, every day, you can slowly work up to full speed. It helped with Seanna though because she was a puppy, and teaching her to be on her back for me to do them really helps a lot. The other dogs I have to coax quite a bit every time to let me do them, but we get it done. With Jackson we smear peanut butter on Amber's arm and he's so busy licking it off that he hardly notices we're doing his nails. So there's tricks that can be done! I do their nails every one to two weeks. It depends on season. During the summer we don't have to do them as much as they're running on the sidewalk on walks. But, with that being said, it really depends on how fast they grow. Every dog is different. I know some owners on here only trim like once a month. Wish I could do that!
The collar really won't put any stress on her neck, unless you buy a ton of bling to put on it. It really is a good idea to have the collar and name tag on it in case she gets away from you. I insist on mine wearing them, even though my husband hates the jingling of the tags. My dogs are micro-chipped too as a back up. If you make walking fun she won't pull yet. She'll walk too slow and be too side-tracked by everything to really focus on walking with you. When she gets to her teenage years (around 8 months), then she'll start to give you fits on walks. Be sure to go to obedience classes! It will save you a ton of work later.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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First off, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppp! how exciting! I have a friend who got 4 corgis from Tim and they have all been WONDERFUL! Ok and second, the food issue can be debated for months and months regarding which is best and what brand and grain vs grain free. One thing that is hard to argue though is FEED KIBBLE not wet. I feed Taste of the Wild, Franklin loves it, and its a very good quality kibble. The dog's I have seen from Tim have a glamour type coat (very thick and beautiful) so a furminator will be a must. I have about the only corgi that doesn't shed so I don't have much experience in the grooming department. One thing to remember, corgis really don't need baths. They have a dirt repelling coat and unless they roll in something gross they can go months without a bath. Nail clippers vs dremel is going to be up to you BUT remember to start getting her used to the nail clippers/dremel right off the bat. Play with her feet A LOT and her ears and mouth and get her used to being poked and prodded like she would at the vet. Use lots of treats and clip one nail at a time with lots and lots of praise so it stays a good thing. I've never heard of the two crate thing, I've always heard one crate, but that's just what I have heard. I am a collar fan, and not a harness fan. In my opinion harnesses just teach a dog to pull. You are better off getting a collar and teaching her to behave on a leash than getting a harness and letting her get away with a bad behavior. Can't wait for pictures!!
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Hey Melissa :) hehe, seems you are just as excited as I am! Out of curiosity, what sets Nebriowa pups apart from the rest? I was really impressed with his property, and I could definitely tell that corgis are his passion. He's an awesome guy - I mean, he puts up with me pestering him about the puppies every week :P Thanks for your advice! I've been wondering how to get her used to handling. I see the answer is treats, treats, treats. I have a feeling that one of her "meals" during the day will consist of training treats ;) Any suggestions on getting her used to a collar and leash? I guess it depends on the dog itself, but does it take them a long time to get used to it?
I can't wait to take tons of pictures and then share!
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Permalink Reply by Lucy & Ricky (Wendy/Jack ) on
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Hi Anna, Congrats on your new Nebriowa puppy. I'm sure Tim can answer most of your questions. He's the best. His kennels are cleaner than my kitchen! haha. And everyone on this site will be available to "help" & chime in with our two cents. Post lots of pix. Have a look at my Lucy from Tim. I got her at 12 wks.
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haha it is very nice to meet you too:]
i actually just recently started to research items for my future companion! (im happy i waited so long-i wouldnt have anything else to do anymore! i raided all of google for every corgi breeder i could! i have a list over over 200 websites haha.. most of which do not belong to reputable breeders. i still keep the links because the dogs are still cute and i like to look haha!)
i am able to get a corgi shortly after we move. we move this month:D haha. i am getting so nervous and excited. im trying to stay off of anything that has available corgis on it at all because everytime im on there, i get less and less able to deal with being patient haha. im so very excited, but im nervous too haha. really nervous! i want my future corgi to adore me, and im worried that he wont xD i know ill adore him no matter what, so if he doesnt love me, im the odd one out! xD (nah, im just going to be the one to do all the training and be the one to feed him, so im sure ill get extra points just for that lol.)
i love their bun bums, their stubby little legs, big ears and of course yes, that silly corgi smile:D i also love the wookie noises they make! i could listen to those all day on youtube-not to mention watching videos of nothing but corgis bein corgis haha. everything about corgis just makes me want to smile! i am hoping to find a more mellowed out corgi, which is why i will most likely wind up with an older corgi. haha its okay though because i keep seeing corgis up for adoption that i would take if i could. (sad how my limit is just one, cause i want them all! haha, just kidding.. kind of:P)
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