Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on February 24, 2012 at 1:09pm

Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America can provide you with a list of breeders in a specific region or state (see below for links). 

for Houston

http://www.ghpwcf.org/Greater_Houston_Pembroke_Welsh_Corgi_Fanciers...

Louisiana

http://www.pembrokecorgi.org/memberlistaction.cfm

Texas

http://www.pembrokecorgi.org/memberlistaction.cfm

remember just because they are on the list doesn't necessarily mean they are a high caliber breeder. You need to know the right questions to ask and what to expect from their answers. There are many discussions on this topic so here are some links to past discussions:

http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topics/your-discussion-with-the-breeder

http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topics/1150197:Topic:89159?commentId=1...

http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topics/what-questions-do-you-ask-your

What you spend on the puppy is going to be pretty area specific, but you should be ready to spend somewhere between $750-$1000 on a quality puppy. Males should not cost more than females because all will be pets and all will have a spay/neuter contract if coming from a reputable breeder, therefore females have no more value than males. If they do charge different prices this should be a huge red flag to you. Also remember to save up for vet visits, vaccines, and possible emergencies that may occur during that first year (this can be around $2000). Don't be in the mindset of "oh that won't happen to me" because trust me, it will! :-P Puppies are incredibly expensive and have a way of getting into trouble so you need to be financially ready to pay for these costs. Franklin is 3 years old now and I have spent well over $7000 on him with accidents and emergencies and freak health conditions. Maybe even apply for Care Credit now so in case something does happen you will have an interest free credit card to fall back on to pay his/her medical bills. Good luck! :-)

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on February 24, 2012 at 1:13pm

Welcome to the site!  I highly recommend you take a look through the FAQ and look over Beth's great post, So You Think You Want A Corgi.  :)  It's a great way to get lots of information and nail home the fact that corgis are not right for everyone.  However, since you've been doing a bit of lurking and researching, I'm going to assume you've already made the decision to commit to life with a corgi!

A great resource for breeder information is The Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America (PWCCA).  You can search for reputable breeders by state and quite a few breeders have websites set up where you can learn about them and their corgis.

When you start contacting breeders, be sure to ask lots of questions.  A good breeder will be happy to provide you with information regarding the parents' health history, how they raise their puppies, how to pick the right puppy for your personality and lifestyle, etc.  Here's a good post that discusses things that you should ask breeders.

As for cost, it will vary depending on the breeder.  Some breeders charge different prices for pet puppies vs. show puppies.  Some will charge a flat rate for pet and show puppies.  I have seen a few that will charge different prices for males vs. females, but it's usually only for show puppies that are sold with full AKC papers.  Prices usually range from $600-$1200, from what I've seen, and a higher cost doesn't necessarily mean a healthier or happier puppy.  Sometimes you can find a puppy for as low as $300, but you'll want to be extra careful in making sure that the puppy is coming from a reputable breeder so that you can be sure you're receiving a healthy pup.

I'm sure others will provide more information.  :)  I was on my own search for a puppy this time last year (in fact, I think I may have signed up on this site in March) so I know how exciting it is when you begin your search!  Just be patient and do your homework to make sure you get a puppy that will suit both you and your lifestyle!

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Permalink Reply by Emily & Cooper on February 24, 2012 at 4:04pm

I got Cooper from a retiring breeder in Porter, TX. The lady has been breeding and showing Pembroke Welsh Corgis for going on 50 years. Her dogs have excellent genes and come from champion bloodlines. We paid 800 for Cooper and we would do it again to get a corgi as wonderful as him! He is an absolutely beautiful dog with the sweetest temperament. He has all the corgi quirky personality but a heart of gold to go with it. He is so loyal and smart! It is impossible not to love him! The breeder's name is Nancy Kretschmer and I believe she is still breeding corgis. Might be out of your range but i definitely recommend her!

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Permalink Reply by Kaley and Ravioli on February 26, 2012 at 2:04pm

Thanks for all helpful info! I have a question, is it normal for breeders to take a while to reply? I've literally emailed 8 breeders on Thursday and Friday and not on has responded. This worries me. Did anyone else have elapsed time when getting in contact with breeders? 
I found 3 reputable breeders in Louisiana, but according to their locations it would be the same drive if I drove to Houston. I'm thinking I may just get one in the Houston area so at least I can stay the night with the family I have there before I drove back. 

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on February 26, 2012 at 3:26pm

This is normal.  Breeders are usually busy with their own lives (work, children, family, etc.) plus activities for their pets (shows, agility trials, obedience, etc.)  Some also do not check their email very often.  I routinely waited 1-2 weeks for responses from some breeders.  Breeders who operate their own websites typically are the fastest to respond, though you have to be careful to make sure that they are reputable breeders.

One suggestion:  When you do start speaking to breeders, if they don't have any litters planned then be sure to ask if they know of any other breeders who have or are planning a litter of puppies.  Sometimes a breeder can point you in the right direction and connect you with other breeders that you might not have discovered otherwise.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on March 3, 2012 at 12:19pm

Was there a big show in the region on the weekend you e-mailed them?  If so, they might have all been at it. Personally the breeders I e-mailed got back to me within a few days, and if there was a delay I got an apology saying that they were tied up at a show, had a bitch whelping, or some other such thing.  That said, the breeders I contacted all by chance happened to be good with people as well as good with dogs (one was a teacher, one a nurse, not sure about the third).   However, it's definitely true that not all dog-people are also good at dealing with the humans, so don't be put off by less-than-perfect people skills.  

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Permalink Reply by Kaley and Ravioli on February 27, 2012 at 12:30pm

well that does make me feel a little better. I just spoke to my sister who just got a papillon this week and she said she had been talking to breeders since november! she said the same thing, that they are busy with their own lives especially with dog shows and agility events. i'm just getting antsy because i'm so excited to get a corgi! i've been planning on getting one for over a year now, but i've wanted one for much longer, ever since i was about 12. My sister and I were on a walk around the neighborhood and we ran into a lady walking the most unique dog i had ever encountered before! it was a beautiful red-headed tri-color corgi. he was so well behaved, I've wanted one ever since! 

i've heard that breeders really drill you when it comes to getting one of their puppies. my sister said one breeder denied her a papillon because her and her husband were a young couple and that they might plan on having a child soon and they didn't think a papillon belonged to a household with small children. O_O

do you guys have any advice of what breeders like to hear? i'm pretty well versed on the needs and history of the breed. any thing in particular that you think helped you? 

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Permalink Reply by Ray Cronin on February 27, 2012 at 12:37pm

Be straight up with the breeders you talk to.  Almost all breeders care very much for their dogs, and want them to be in a home that fits them. They want both you and the dog to be happy with each other.

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on February 27, 2012 at 1:25pm

Like Ray has said, be honest.  Don't sugar-coat anything and provide lots of information about you and your family (the ones who will be living with the pup).  It's not uncommon for a young couple to be denied a pup for that reason.  The breeders love each and every pup as if they were their own and do not want to see a pup harmed (a child is allowed to pull ears or plays too roughly) or abandoned (unmarried couple breaks up, child with allergies is born, etc.)

Getting a pup as a young couple definitely isn't impossible.  To put things in perspective, I spent 4 months searching for a corgi.  I found lots of breeders, some of which had pups that seemed ideal for me, but I have two young children (the youngest at the time was only 6 months old.)  I was turned down by a couple of breeders and one or two others were unwilling to share enough of their dogs' health information for me to be comfortable getting a pup from them.  I did get my pup, though, and I brought her home last July.  :)

Searching for a pup that fits your personality and lifestyle takes time.  Keep searching, keep asking questions and be adamant about what you want your puppy to be. You don't want to end up with a pup that wasn't socialized or has a temperament that you aren't prepared to handle.  I refused to get anything other than a fun, sweet and child-friendly pup and that's exactly what I ended up with.  :D

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Permalink Reply by GPN on March 3, 2012 at 2:38pm

"It's not uncommon for a young couple to be denied a pup for that reason.  The breeders love each and every pup as if they were their own and do not want to see a pup harmed (a child is allowed to pull ears or plays too roughly) or abandoned (unmarried couple breaks up, child with allergies is born, etc.)"

This is one aspect of the dog procurement process I could live without: the no one is good enough for my dog syndrome.    "You might break up."  (Like married people don't?)  "You have a full time job"  (excuse me?)  or my favorite, because it was applied to me: "Your neighborhood is too social" (hello?).  

In one case: "You don't have enough land"  (they had 20 acres).  

While I understand the concerns that lead to these sorts of prying into one's personal life, I actually think they do very little to guarantee a good owner fit.  The only exception I would make is the known attack breeds such as pit bulls.  I know there are tens of thousands of happy pit bulls out there.  Youtube is full of pro-pit-bull videos of pits playing with kids.  But they seem to be the dominant breed in the pounds which in combination with the reputation leads me to think that there are some issues there and they might not be advisable for a family with young kids.  Or even next to young kids.  On the other hand not placing a Corgi with a couple because they might have kids strikes me as absurd.

Anyhow I guess this is just a rant.  When I finally made the decision to get a dog I was surprised at how difficult it was.  The rescue operations were impossible, I couldn't even get one to let me *meet* a dog.   So near as I can tell rescue operations are clubs for people who like to have multiple dogs and not give find a new home for anyone except possible people they already know.  

The breeders were few and far between, I encountered one that was clearly some kind of bad operation ("we have to ship the puppy to you COD from Utah"--and no, I could not meet the dog or the dame beforehand) and one that seemed pretty reasonable.  She was only 90 minutes from here by car.  And I'm glad to have bypassed the inquisition into my personal lifestyle.    

In the end if you've got $600 or $1k to put down on a Corgi you've likely got an income (which never hurts) and it's not like you get a Corgi because you're interested in training it to be the neighborhood drug lord's defense dog.  Although I wouldn't mind training my Corgi how to bite my ex's boyfriend, but I'm having a hard enough time with house training, and I don't know how to limit the aggression to one specific odious individual whose character, all things considered, would be improved by a sharp bite to the ankle.  Nonetheless, I must relegate such things to fantasy, and devote myself to raising a proper happy Corgi!     

Greg N

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Permalink Reply by Beth on March 3, 2012 at 3:23pm

I agree they can get a little nutty.  The one that drives me nuts is "fenced yard required."   Ok, I don't have a fenced yard and while I admit it would be nice, the fact is that we walk our dogs every day (unless it's pouring buckets; in normal rain we put on raincoats and go) or in the single digits.  Most of the dog-owners I know with fences routinely just throw them out back to potty and let them back in.  Not saying they never walk them, but come on, if you have a cold or it's damp and dreary and you have a fence, it's human nature to take the easy way out.  

Breeders and rescues who (rightly) moan about puppy mills and "backyard breeders", but then turn around and make it difficult for the most conscientious of buyers/adopters to procure a dog, really have no right to complain because they help create the problem by driving buyers away.  

Many won't put dogs in home with children under 5.   Well, we always had dogs when I was growing up, even with young kids, and it can work just fine.  Just because a breeder has seen one or two bad instances does not give the right to make blanket statements about every prospective home.   Especially when there are active show BREEDERS out there who have kids under 5.

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Permalink Reply by GPN on March 3, 2012 at 4:43pm

Yes the under 5 thing is another issue.  I was raised in a house with an Australian Shepherd mix dog.  It was another era, but basically I was prowling around the neighborhood age 3 with him as my supervisor.  And I suspect he did herd me. Greg N

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