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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 29, 2009 at 1:09pm

Hmm. What I did with Jack is take him down our basement (which is above-ground and unfinished, so a big open space) and I would run and encourage him to chase me, and the second he would go to grab my pants or shoes I would stop and stand dead still, game over. I would ignore him til he wandered off, then start running again. He learned in just a couple days not to grab at me with his teeth, but he was about 3 or 4 months old and still easily distracted; as soon as I would stop moving he would wander away. So much harder at 6 months when they have a longer attention span and might stand there and jump and bite and bark til the girls start moving again! I had done my homework and learned that stopping Corgis from "herding" you was a critical part of early training, so I did it right away.

Anyway, I do think a 5 year old is old enough to play that game too. The mom can make it a game for the kids too, and the "rule" is that if the puppy nips, they make like a statue and don't move and when the puppy ignores them, their job is to get the puppy chasing them again. I made it fun for Jack by changing directions, stopping, and changing speeds frequently. I was amazed at how coordinated a little Corgi is.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on August 30, 2009 at 9:12pm

I agree...a 5 yr old can work with this if the parent teaches the 5 yr old. In another discussion I told the story of one of my dogs running after my daughter but the dog was under a yr old and got carried away. I explained to my daughter what to do if she does it again and so my daughter listened and did exactly that. The dog learned but even though she was playing nice I explained to my daughter to stop every so often and tell her good girl and pet her and then continue to play some more. This will let her know she is doing what we expect and continue. Til this day we haven't had an issue since.

I always explain to buyers that no matter how well behaved they are here or what I have accomplished it still needs to be done by them to keep the training moving forward and that if kids are involved they need to educate their kids as well. We all know that any animal will listen to their primary handler but be different for another figure and they need to understand how to stop the negative behavior too. There are links out there to pass onto buyers to help them understand kids and dogs as well.

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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on August 29, 2009 at 1:10pm

Is the owner calling and complaining to you? Is the owner aware that she is going to need to take time to train the pup not to do this and to closely supervise her children while around the pup?

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on August 29, 2009 at 1:56pm

Well the owner is calling for "help" which I appreciate but I don't think she herself can be very consistant...I feel like she went out and bought a cute pup and really wants her to be the perfect dog without too much work!!! I had a feeling about her...but she did get her spayed and shots etc...so she is trying...but...I still feel so bad for this pup!!!
She was the most mellow of all the pups!

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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on August 29, 2009 at 3:27pm

She needs to get this under control now before the teenage years set in and they really want to be boss!!

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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on August 29, 2009 at 1:35pm

As young as those children are, she needs to be supervising them with the pup both for their safety and the dog's safety! Little kids can tease dogs without realize they are even being mean and it encourages this bad behavior. Tell her she needs to be in the room any time the children and dog are together (I know she may not like this or even do it, but hey, if you've told her, what else can you do?). That way, if she is in the room she can stop the dog anytime it starts to bite either with a spray bottle or a firm "no." It IS important that she gets this corrected, however, because the first time he does it to one of the visiting neighbor kids it is highly likely they will have a lawsuit on their hands and/or get the dog taken away by animal control. Maybe if you mention that to her it will sober her up and get her serious about fixing the problem.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on August 29, 2009 at 1:54pm

Oh I hope she will give the pup up to you! This is such an easy behavior to stop and the pup should not be 6 months and still doing it.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on August 29, 2009 at 2:24pm

Thanks for the replies and I also went back to check on the other sights to see what was suggested...I gave this woman these ideas and I hope some will work....I will touch base with her in a few days...so any other ideas are welcome!

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on August 29, 2009 at 4:05pm

Years ago I had a very mellow Golden Retriever in obedience classes. There was another family with his sister in the class and they had a terrible time with her. The instructor told them that she could make their dog a champion with very little work. They eventually gave the pup to the instructor (late night call, either you take her or we are having her put down). I read a few years later in the paper that the instructor had competed with the golden inthe International Obedience Olympics and received a silver medal. I called her and she said they would have gotten a gold if she had not made an error (the instructor). It really is the owner! I hope this ends well.

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Permalink Reply by Mary M on August 29, 2009 at 4:50pm

Hey Jane,

The one thing that I have learned with my Corgi is that he needs rules, boundaries, and limits...the same thing goes for young children. I am currently working with my Corgi and 5 year old grand daughter. With any breed of dog and children they need close supervision for a while. It is not too early for the owner to take her Corgi to obedience training so her pet can learn who is boss. I learned so much from an independent trainer in our area when I took my Corgi for training. I have had many breeds of dogs and thought I knew dogs pretty well, but my Corgi took things to the next level and so did I. Training...helps so much with the bonding! One other thing that I am stressing with my granddaughter is not to run from any dog....especially no running in the house. That has always been a house rule. Also as a means of introducing the 2 of them my Corgi is on a leash with my granddaughter and I until I am satisfied with there progress...so far after 3 sessions things are going well. My granddaughter had been sitting with my Corgi in a chair, giving him treats, telling him to sit, and asking to see him. Two weeks ago this did not happen!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 29, 2009 at 11:08pm

You are so right Bev! So much is the owner. After nearly two years of people asking me about Jack and saying how good he is and wanting to know if they are good for families, I finally stopped hedging around the last time I was asked and said "They are wonderful! They need a good walk every day, and they need to have basic obedience. I trained him to be this way."

That really changed the attitude in a hurry. I can tell when people are just very casual and want a dog they can take out once a week or so and have it lay around the rest of the time, and that type of dog is NOT a Corgi. So I figured I'd do my part and mention the work involved; if they are serious potential owners, my answer won't alarm them, and if they are the sort who really should have a Basset Hound, saying they need obedience classes will scare them away....

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on August 29, 2009 at 4:47pm

Thanks for all the quick feedback...I talked to her and gave her several ideas...I really don't think this woman will carry through enough to manage this but I am hoping I am wrong and at least she calls...I will call again on Mon. to see how she is doing as I will be within 30 mi. of her town on Tues( and my daughter lives 30 mi. from her too)....I also told her again that I would be more than willing to take this pup back...and yes I would not be surprised to get a late night call...********do any of you think it would be worth calling animal control...just to let them know if they ever had a corgi turned in to please call me????

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