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Permalink Reply by Jeanette on July 20, 2009 at 5:34pm

I don't typcially use crates so I can't help you there but I always figure you can't go wrong with too big. :)
Currently I'm feeding my 1-year old and 2-year old male Corgis about 3/4 cup of Iams dog food twice a day. Neither are overweight. The youngest weighs about 22-25 pounds; he is of smaller structure and the 2-year old probably weighs about 27 pounds. Those 2 out of my 4 are the most active. My 9-year old gets 1/2 cup twice daily and our 3-year old female gets the same. She is a much stalkier dog and gains weight easily. She currently weighs 31 pounds and the vet said she is fine. However much you decide to feed, I strongly recommend twice daily feedings. It can help reduce the chances of bloating and beside - we eat more than once a day!
Corgis are pretty strong-willed but typcially eager to please. You need to keep the upper hand on them or they will take charge of our life. In case no one has told you however they do shed - A LOT! It's called blowing and corgis typcially blow twice a year. So if dog hair makes you crazy you should really think twice about getting a corgi. They can be very vocal depending on their environment. Remember, they were bred for herding so they need to be kept fairly active and that will ward off a lot of problems.
Good luck and can't wait to see your new addition! Corgis rule: Jeanette, Wally, Gordon, Alice, Ramsey and Dylan (NAC - not a corgi)

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Permalink Reply by Cindi on July 20, 2009 at 5:55pm

Very good questions. (1) Crates. Crates should be no larger than for your pup to be able to sit, stand, turn around and lay down. The crate is your pups den. A den is never too large. And if you're using it for potty training, as most do, if it's too large your pup will pee/poo in one end and sleep in the other. When looking at crates, look for one that comes with a divider so you don't have to keep buying crates. (2) Food. Corgi's are bottomless pits. It's up to you to monitor food. If you are too liberal with the food scoop, they gain weight like crazy and it's horrible for their health, especially their back. How much and how many times depends on how old the pup is. Generally speaking, as a adult they should eat apprx 1 1/4 cups per day and be fed twice a day. (3) Living with a corgi. It's an adventure. They are incredibly smart. Sometimes too smart! lol Since they are a herding breed, they may come behind you and nip at your heels or nudge you. But they're always fun. Consider a good walking and play schedule to keep them from being bored. Walking will also help with the barking. They do "talk" alot. Part of how they herd is to nip at heels and bark. They can be noisy. But they are trainable.

If you have more questions, just message me. I've been a trainer for years and we own 4 pems, a cardi mix, 2 catahoulas and have a cardi pup on the way.

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Permalink Reply by Sunni A. on July 20, 2009 at 6:36pm

We did crate training with our corgi, too, and are still working hard at it. We got Eddy a crate that's about 13" wide and 2 feet long. We stuffed it with a comfy blanket. Now that he's bigger, he only needs a little pad to lay on and he has adequate room. We started off feeding him a tiny 1/3 cup a day, 3 times a day, until he turned 4 months then we graduated to 1/2 cup a day 3 times. We're waiting to see when his next growth spurt comes. It's OK to feed an adult corgi once a day, but we plan on going with 2 times a day once he's around 1 year old.

Living with a corgi rocks! I think it'd be perfect for your beagle! They are super-smart. Eddy learns tricks quickly. Corgis love to have "jobs". When he turned 4.5 months, he started barking at us in a bossy manner. We ignored it with cold silence, or by leaving the room, leaving him alone without a friend to even bark at. Now he only barks when he has to poo or if he gets super extra excited during playtime. He doesn't even bark at the dog park when other dogs are barking, he just stares at them. As a tiny puppy, we exercised (walks, fetch) him for maximum 30 minutes a day. Now (walks, runs, fetch, dog park, puppy dates) we are up to 1 - 1.5 hours a day. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 20, 2009 at 6:43pm

Crate: Ours is about 30 inches long. It was the size the breeder recommended. I highly recommend a divider. The pup should be able to stretch out in the crate and more or less touch the edges with nose and back toes; any larger and it won't be effective for crate training. Hence the divider; it means you won't need to constantly buy new crates as pup grows, just move the divider. I prefer a wire crate.

We feed twice a day. I'd say on average Corgis get about a cup a day; half cup AM and half cup PM, but there is very wide variation among individuals. Our pup's dam ate, I believe, around 2 cups per day and tended to be thin. A growing pup will eat more than an adult, usually. Jack had about a cup and a half a day when he was growing, and 2/3 to one cup per day now.

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