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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 5, 2010 at 11:10pm

I guarantee you that, if two mornings in a row you run down there with some good treats (cheese, maybe), toss the treat in the kennel, and say "Kennel!" as they run in, by the third morning they will barrel down full-speed when you say the word "kennel."

Even though mine sleep loose in the house, I put them in their open crates each night at bedtime, to signal them that it's time to settle down for the night. They get half a tiny biscuit each when they go in. After they come in from last potty, both of them run into their crates and wait there for me. If I'm not fast enough, my male gives a few widely-spaced little barks to remind me it's bedtime.

Having said that, they are really family dogs and want to be by you, and I have not met many Corgis that will happily live in a kennel rather than near you. I don't know Aussies well, but my understanding is they are a bit more independent. I don't have a problem with kenneling per se, and certain dogs such as hounds positively thrive in a kennel situation. But Corgis have a strong drive to guard the home and family and are not happy unless they are near you. I think many of us have experienced that our Corgis don't even like to stay outside without us right there.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on August 6, 2010 at 1:06am

Adolescents? Al went through a phase like this. He would not come inside when called after he learned that he did not, if fact, have to, and that I could not catch him. He loved this game! I was helpless. Eventually, he simply grew out of it.

You might try a variation or "Really reliable Recall". Make sure they always get a special reward for obeying "kennel!", with lots of praise.

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Permalink Reply by Ella and Lily on August 6, 2010 at 6:52am

Treats treats treats. The way to a corgi's heart and mind is treats! Ella HATES her kennel because she knows it means I am going somewhere without her. Anytime I would leave her she would bark constantly. To fix this, anytime she gets a treat its in her kennel. If I am going to be gone for awhile (more than 2 hours) i stick a frostpaw in with her. Now I don;t even have to say kennel. I just open the freezer or her greenies bag and she runs to the kennel and waits. The only time she is in her kennel though is when I leave. Teh rest of the time she roams the apartment and at night she sleeps next to me on the bed... well... she actually sleeps on my pillow (I have tried everything to get her to stop this) until i am asleep, then she moves to the foot of teh bed or beside me.

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Permalink Reply by Avyon on August 6, 2010 at 10:17am

Gotta love those treats! It took Charlie a week of "bed time" and a treat to run to his crate at night now like Roxi.

We just say "bed time" and they both hop in and look at us lol.

Corgis are smart because they know they can train us to give them something to get them to do something ;)

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Permalink Reply by Carla on August 6, 2010 at 10:28am

I've gotta echo what everyone else said - treats really are the key to a corgi's heart. If Casey so much as thinks I have a treat, she runs to the first "spot" she can find (I only treat her on 3 spots in the house - her crate, her dog bed or the front door mat) and sits waiting to see what I've got.

Probably after two days of throwing a treat in the kennel, they'll be offering you "kennel" in the hopes that they'll get something good out of it, lol.

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