Hello :)
I'm very VERY interested in buying a Corgi sometime in the next few weeks, and I was hoping I could get some tips, suggestions, and advice from anybody that's owned a Corgi pup. I've read a few other threads about things to do for the first weeks and such, but I just wanted to make sure all my questions were answered.
1) What in the world am I going to do about all the shedding?! I'm dedicated to vacuuming daily if need be to keep the house looking nice, but I'd be more interested in finding ways to prevent the dog from shedding so much in general.
2) Will the dog be okay (at a few months old) home alone for 4 hours 4-5 days of the week? I've heard that Corgis are very independent, but I'm still not really comfortable with leaving the pup alone for long when he's that young.
3) Is seeing an obedience trainer a necessity? It would be great if I didn't have to spend money on it.
4) What is any other information I need to know about Corgis?
Thanks (:
Tags:
1) You're doomed. Plan on vacuuming everyday unless you like hairballs. :-)
2) Yes. Invest in a crate, and use it. They learn to like it--and it saved my life later when Seanna tore her ACL.
3) Yes. Not only for obedience but for socialization. Corgis are smart, and will take you for a ride if you let them.
4) Be prepared to fall in love. Madly, insanely in love. They are like potato chips- you can't have just one.
Good luck! Can't wait to see pictures!
Do I have the only corgis who don't shed that much? Yes, if I wear black and they sit on my lap I have quite a few visible dog hairs. But, I don't vacuum daily, nor do I brush my dogs daily and we just don't have that much dog hair around. They blow their coats twice a year and their "breeches" lose a lot of hair then. I pull the tufts (subject of a fair amount of discussion around here) and brush them quite a bit when they're blowing their coats. Otherwise, it's just not that big of a deal. There is a fair amount of variation in coat though, as I've had four corgis over the years and two have had a closer coat and barely shed at all and the other two have a fuller, softer coat and shed more, but I still don't consider it excessive.
Ditto on the crate. It's the best thing ever for potty training and for times when you need to leave them alone. I've always worked and even with my littler puppies, I've just come home at lunchtime for a potty break and they've done great. I try to take a couple of weeks off when I get a new pup, though, to establish crate training and give them a bit of time to get used to their new home before they're left alone.
Ditto on obedience training. Corgis are stubborn, and smart, as noted above.
But, I've had other breeds of dogs. Once I got my first corgi, I've never considered any other breed. They're completely different and completely addicting. I cannot imagine living without one.
Lots of awesome replies in this thread already! Let me throw in my 2 cents, mostly about general dog ownership stuffs.
Should you adopt any dog, nonetheless a Corgi?
Where/why and how to adopt a dog in general and Identifying a reputable breeder, if you choose not to rescue.
(I'm so glad I started this blog of mine...makes these replies super easy!!)
1. You should definitely buy a good wire brush & brush out the dog's fur every day. (I should be doing that too, actually... Korey sheds like crazy. D: ) Also try to bathe it regularly once per week/every other week.
2. Yes, but definitely crate-train the dog. Corgis always need something to do to keep them occupied, especially as puppies, and if you don't keep it in a crate with things it's allowed to chew on then you might come home to a mess. Eventually the dog will realize it's only allowed to chew on certain things and you may not need to keep it in its crate.
3. If you mean a personal obedience trainer, no way.
A characteristic of herding dogs (like Corgis) is that they are extremely intelligent and always eager to do whatever will make you happy. So if the dog finds out that if it makes you happy that he sits when you tell him to sit, he'll do it! I actually taught my corgi this within the first week I had her!
I took Korey to an obedience class at PetsMart. It's helpful to learn training methods and makes it easier on you to train your puppy, but with a corgi's IQ, probably not all that necessary. So it's up to you.
4. Be careful about what you can accidentally teach them. When someone would ring the doorbell I would ask Korey "Who's here?" in an excited voice. She would start barking and run to the door, then jump up on whoever came inside.
And that's just one of the things I didn't mean to teach her...
Also, be careful about how much you feed your corgi, because they put on weight really fast. I started feeding Korey a lot of table scraps from human food, and before long she was 10 pounds overweight! That's a lot for a human... Think of how bad that would be on a corgi!
I was able to get her weight down and now she's almost to the weight she's supposed to be...
Regardless of all the precautions you have to take, owning a corgi can be really rewarding. They're such fun, smart and comical little dogs that you'll never imagine wanting to own another breed.
You are about to enter into the wonderful world of Corgi.......
!st make sure that you have a good working relationship with your breeder. They know their pups better than anyone and will help you get the pup that is just right for you. That is key. I still contact my breeder and I have had Munchkin since Feb. She has been invaluable as well as this site.
Just like having a baby, you will get lots of info-some good and some bad- choose what works for you. You will be overwhelmed but laughter will cure that. Shedding is a problem but I have a fluffy and for whatever reason she doesn't shed alot. I still have dust bunnies, but I have learned to deal with them--a good vacuum and using grooming time as bonding time. If done regularly it shouldn't take that much time.
I brought Munchkin home on a Friday night (4 mo) and on Sat left her alone (in sm play pen w/ cedar chip litter box) for 4 hours while I went to do errands. She was fine. Monday I went to work at 7AM and came home at 3PM and she was fine. Plan your routine and start immediately. For the first few weeks it is not a good idea to deviate from routine, this can cause confusion. But praise will reinforce everything and anything!!!!
Munchkin has not had obedience training but she follows my commands/instructions, training my daughter was alot tougher. She thought anything/everything Munchkin did was just sooo cute. LOL.
Read the FAQ and blogs on this site and then do what feels right for you and you will be fine.
Good Luck
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