Greetings and Salutations! I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!
My name is Mallory and I have a bouncing 10 month old Corgi Puppy named Westly! (Pictured left) Actually his name is Dread Pirate Westly...sort of named him after The Princess Bride lol.
I just joined up last week, but I had to leave on vacation so I was unable to be on the site much.
I fell in love with the corgi breed. Their fox-like faces and happy demeanor are something I have always looked for in a dog. Plus, after researching them I read they are easy to train and get along with other pets and people.
I love my little Westly. He's a sweet-heart but at the same time he can get a little crazy, and stubborn when it comes to calming him down.
Unfortunately, I live in a small town so the aide of any professional puppy trainers is hard to come by. So I'm relying on friends and others who can help me with my very dominant, yet well-meaning baby boy. (I guess he's sort of a teenager now though, right?)
Seriously, I can look in Westly's eyes and I KNOW he's looking for direction, he's willing to please but at the same time, he's very strong-willed and I'm working with him on showing him who's Alpha. Lol, the problem is I'm also learning what that means. I have a very submissive personality.
He's also a door bolter, which usually scares the living daylights out of me, and frustrates me every time I have to go after him. I read on here prior to joining that making him chase me may help next time he flees?
Once he ran off and nearly ran to the highway a halfmile away... I was terrified that I would never recall him back. He just thinks I'm playing with him.
So, despite all of that I love my little fuzzy ball of energy. And I know with more training and consistency he will be a happy, stable companion/playmate for me.
I hope this is the right place to post this! :) I'm happy to be here.
ALSO there is something Westly does when he REALLY wants to play aggressively. He'll bounce up and down on his front legs like he' s throwing a tantrum. It's easy to see he's trying to be bossy and wants to play roughly SO much. And I know the behavior is probably not acceptable...but it is so hilarious to watch. Is this what they call the "Corgi Dance/Shuffle?"
Tags:
Welcome! Westly is very cute! Google Nothing In Life Is Free, you will find lots of ideas on little things you can do to assert yourself without using physical punishment.I am not a fan of the rolling technique I think it will scare a mild dog and cause a strong willed dog to fight back. I have had one very dominant corgi and two very mild mannered ones and find the best way to stop biting was a high pitched, very dramatic screech and then if it continued a short timeout in a puppy proof room. Also, the recall is the most important thing you can teach as you have seen it could save his life. The method Linda described works very well. Just do it several times a day and increase the length of the lead or rope. I always give treats for coming (use your "Party" voice) because if I ever really need them to come I want them to just do it without trying to decide if I have a treat. As for the door, teach him sit and when he seems to get it do it in front of the door, then touch the door knob, if he still stays sitting, open the door, if he gets up close the door. Do this in steps, always treat a stay and stop if he moves. Practice will help him learn to wait at the door and your recall training will bring him back. I find corgis love to learn and you can have lots of fun teaching them things unless you have one like my current one, sweet little Izzy, who finds anything but cuddling is beneath her :)
Bev.....I have one of those corgis too! We got Katie as an adult...retired show dog. She is mild mannered and well behaved but....isn't there always a but? She comes when called but I have tried teaching her sit for the last 5 years....forget it. She's not dumb, just has no interest. As long as she will come when called and respond to a sharp no or leave it I can live with that.
Hello Mallory and Westly, so nice to have you on this site. Looking for answers to your many corgi questions? There are some very knowledgeable people here who I am sure will be more than willing to help you along. I, too, am a new corgi owner. We have had Abbey for nearly 5 months now. Love her dearly, but we are still learning along the way. Enjoy your pup, he is a handsome little man for sure.
Welcome Mallory and Westly! Corgis do need a consistent leader. I would suggest that you pick out 5 commands that she needs to know to start. Such as sit, stay(meaning you stay where you are till I come back for you, wait(till I release you with an "ok" or "let's go" this one can be for anywhere but also for the door darting. "come". Use only that word and only one time...in other words is if you say "sit" you say it once...don't go "sit,sit sit". When she sits then she gets a treat, if she gets up you repeat the command and wait. Dogs don't understand sentences and I hear this often.
It's good for people to start a larger list of all the commands and when they master a word you can add another one.
I would put a leash on before you get near the door so she can't dart but they will all try this...many times. If consistent it gets better. Sage looks for me to let her know she can go out.
I do not believe that rolling any dog is a good training method. Corgis do want to please their masters but we need to teach them the words so that they can. Do you have anyone that can help you with the "come" command? You can sit on the floor and call her back and forth with "Westly come" then when she comes right up into you lap so you can gently grab her collar give her a tiny treat. I like dog food samples or string cheese quartered and cut into 1/4" chunks.
Hope this makes sense.
A good method for door darting, related to NILIF, is to make him do a command before you open the door, like sit/stay. You can practice with a leash on. If he stays in the sit position when you open the door, release, treat and walk outside. If he doesn't, shut the door again. Repeat. He'll figure out that you control the reward (going outside) and that bolting out door won't get him outside any faster.
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang. Powered by