Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Heather and Ella on May 2, 2010 at 3:59pm

Wow how fun, your first little guy.
Food - there are lots of discussions on mycorgi about food, best tip is to feed the best food you can afford and have access to. Some corgis can be allergic to some foods, so talk to your breeder about what she used. My dog prefers "natural chicken" iams , but every dog is different. Plus you will want to have puppy food til age one. Corgis need their food measured, and never go by the amount on the package. Once again good question for breeder, how much food is it getting right now. As a corgi ages you can cut back on the food. Ella did 1 1/2 cups per day (in two meals) at first, but now that she is almost 2yr she only gets 1 cup per day.
Once in a while treats are fine, we like "newman's own" chicken treats. Corgis also love green beans and other veges, great for treats.
Crate - also lots of talk about those on here too, corgis seem to do fine with them (just don't do cloth because they will eat them. Got our girl at 8 months old, so did do crate, no advice.
Car - if you read the crates, so are for home and car, so this may be something to look into. A puppy may be too little for a car harness, not sure if they make them that little.
Cats- my dog hates them, but i'm sure if you introduce them as a puppy should be ok.
Good luck, and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Teresa Gilpin on May 2, 2010 at 4:05pm

Congratulations!! Your life is about to be turned upside down!!! Corgis are the best!! My biggest suggestion is that corgis are very smart, so you always have to think one step ahead of them, and when they are puppies don't turn your back on them for a second, because they will get in to trouble fast. You have to be firm with them, but not harsh. No shouting and no hitting, but a firm voice and stick to what you say. They are always pushing boundaries. If you scare them, they will shut down and not listen to you at all. Start young with your training and you will be rewarded with a very confident pup! Corgis have so much love to give, mine are always happy and smiling, they are my Angels. May you be blessed with years of warm, furry love! (and hang in there, it gets easier as they get older).

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Permalink Reply by Gromit, Sparkle, and Doug on May 2, 2010 at 4:51pm

We got Gromit the Lifestages crate partly because of the variable size and also because it folds up and the one we bought has a door on two sides. The 2 doors give some flexibility when placing the crate, especially when traveling. It works very well and is nicely made. The only negative is that even folded up it's a bit large and also heavy. Best of luck with your new Corgi pal. It will be a grand adventure for you!

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Permalink Reply by Kieu Huynh on May 2, 2010 at 5:48pm

Hey there! Congrats on the new pup. Do you happen to go to UT by any chance? I have a lot of friends there as I used to live in TX before moving over here in S.F. for college.

Anywho...foodwise, there's a website called dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ that rates kibbles from best to worst. I currently feed Kipper, my 6 1/2 month old pup Taste of the Wild, which is a grain free all life stages food. I used to feed her Wellness Super5 Puppy Mix. Both were good, but TOTW is harder to find. I say, just try several foods and see which one he thrives the best on. As for treats, I like feeding Kipper Zukes, Buddy Biscuits and the Wellness moist puppy treats. I take about 30mins every couple of days and cut them into tiny pieces (ex: I cut each Zukes into fours). This helps with the weight thing and they get to enjoy yummy treats at the same time.
Lastly, I highly suggest taking a puppy kindergarten class. To be honest, my pup was super excited about everything so it was very hard to train her on my own. But with a little help from the professionals, Kipper now knows a lot of tricks and she's pretty good when in public. Good luck! I hope I helped in some way. :)

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Permalink Reply by Monica, Orion, and Laika on May 2, 2010 at 6:59pm

Yes, if fact I do go to UT :) I'm a pre-vet neurobiology major though so I'll eventually end up at A&M for vet school, haha :P

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Permalink Reply by Angela DeMahy on May 2, 2010 at 6:04pm

Welcome to Corgi life, your house will now be under the furry paw of queen or king corgi from the doorknobs down! Ours has a harness that she loves, hates the collar will run if spotted! The dreaded toilet paper killer, most toilet paper holders are eye level with my corgi and she loves to destroy that hated enemy the toilet paper! She has a kennel that she is in when we are not at home, she uses that as her sanctuary when shes hiding from the kids or needs a snooze. My corgi is on the small size and she gets one cup a day of food, witch she loves to fling piece by piece and hunt it on the living room floor for our viewing pleasure. Corgis are EXTREMELY smart and I do think that they totally understand what we are saying with out a smidgen of a doubt so watch what you say like that scary word ...BATH! she runs and scoots under the bed and peers from the depths. My husband refuses to help me bathe her because he wants her not to give him the brown eyed stare that I get when I pluck her from under the bed. Remember corgis have two coats one top one under coat and when its warm brush brush! or you will have fur balls even the cats would say holy cow! over.

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Permalink Reply by Cindi on May 2, 2010 at 6:09pm

Happy Happy Joy Joy!! You're going to LOVE having your corgi-kid! However, the 36' I-Crate is way too large. At the most, you'll need a 30". My regular sized corgis are in 30s. My mini has a 24". And my catahoulas are in 36" crates and have plenty of room (they're around 45 lbs.).

Make sure whatever food your breeder gives you, you have enough to mix it with whatever new food you choose. There are tons of choices. Looking through the archives you find thread after thread on foods. We use Blue Buffalo at our house.

As for swimming, I think it's a toss up. Some of my pups love the kiddie-pool. Some hate it. Maddie will run like a wild animal in the surf. Moira runs the opposite direction to find warm, dry land. Funny thing to watch!

Hey, enjoy your time with your new pup. It's such a wonderful experience. But as a trainer and long time corgi owner, I can tell you to get that baby into training classes (10-12 weeks is a good age). Your dog will benefit greatly and so will you.

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Permalink Reply by Monica, Orion, and Laika on May 2, 2010 at 7:01pm

Thanks for your input everyone. I was debating the 30" or the 36" crate. Some people said to get the 36" because if your corgi likes to sprawl out the 30" may not be big enough for him to be comfortable in. I'm definitely planning on finding some training classes nearby as well

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Permalink Reply by Carla on May 10, 2010 at 8:04pm

Casey likes to stretch all the way out when she sleeps, and her crate is too small to accomodate that. I wish I had purchased a bigger crate (with a space adjustment option for when she was a pup) so that now that she's comfortable holding her bladder for longer periods (she's 10 months) she could have more space and be a bit more comfortable.

But this really just depends on the pup. My aunt's dog always curls up in her crate and doesn't use 3/4 of the space.

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Permalink Reply by Susan Stanton on May 11, 2010 at 7:33am

I have a larger crate too, because Bertie likes to spread out and takes up a huge amount of space. And I just used a block (it's not a life style crate) to make it smaller when he was smaller. I think it's better to buy larger, you never know how big your pup will be, either -- my Bertie is 35 pounds while my Ethel is a mere 25. Also, look at the discussions on food -- you really don't need puppy food for their whole first year, it has more protein than they really need. My guys switched to adult food somewhere between 6 and 9 months.

I have harnesses that attach to the seatbelt for my guys -- I had a crate in the way back at first (I have a Outback), but Bertie got carsick back there, which cleared up if he could sit on a seat and see where he was going (and maybe have the breeze from the window on his face). Yes, they have me very well trained, indeed!

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Permalink Reply by Bax & Zigs & Rosie on May 11, 2010 at 9:15am

Baxter loves swimming in the gulf. He hasn't been in a pool, but I would imagine he wouldn't mind it. Oddly enough though, he does not seem to appreciate the water while taking a bath. =)

I think there is one important thing every new corgi owner should know about and that is SHEDDING. Oh my god, the shedding. I don't want to scare you, but they do shed. A lot. You will definitely want to pick up a Furminator or some other type of tool that will help you remove the undercoat and unwanted hair. At first I thought brushing could be just as effective as a Furminator and boy, I used that tool once and saw just how wrong I was. I had filled an entire small garbage can with corgi fur. You probably won't need it until your pup gets a little older, but its good to start thinking about it now.

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Permalink Reply by Monica, Orion, and Laika on May 11, 2010 at 10:38am

Thanks for all the useful info everyone! I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions once I get my pup :) I pick him up this weekend

I actually got a furminator for my birthday on saturday, haha, so I'm prepared for the shedding. I heard they don't really start the shedding until 6 months but I figured I could brush him once a week or so just to let him get used to it, rather than introducing it whenever the shedding starts. At least I'm used to living in a house full of cats so I'm used to all my clothing being coated with fur.

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