Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Zach on January 19, 2012 at 8:44pm

Thanks for all the tips everyone! I went to Wally world and bought a baby gate and we're going to keep him in the hall of our apartment for now. There's nothing he can get into or destroy and I also got him a bone at Wally world that has some flavoring inside to keep him busy during the day. He'll be in there for about 5 hours tonight while i'm studying with friends and we'll see what happens. I have some free time tomorrow between classes so i'll most likely come home after a few hours and let him out and see what he's doing.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kathleen Unsell & CODY on January 19, 2012 at 8:59pm

I just had this mental picture of your corgi running through the house flinging trash around and having a good ol' time!  Lol....sorry, I know, it's not funny when it's OUR trash strewn all over the place!  Do you have a garage or patio?  We have been putting our 4 month old Corgi, Cody, out in the garage with limited access.  We have a bonus area in the back that has indoor/outdoor carpet on part of it.  We bought some toddler fencing and baracade him into the back portion of the garage.  There's a desk in there, a TV on a stand, a chair, and a few other things.  The longest he's been in there was about 6 1/2 hrs.  So far NOTHING has gone wrong *whew!* and he's been such a good boy...only chewed on his toys and bones we left him.  Also, he has one of those "Kong" toys that we fill up with treats.  That keeps him busy for quite awhile.  If you have a patio, maybe you could put him in a pen out there...of course I don't know what the weather's like where you live.  We leave the TV on for him too!  We tune it to Animal Planet....I have no idea if that is what helps, but so far, so good, NO chewing.  Maybe the sounds of the TV helps to keep him company....or maybe try leaving a radio playing. At Christmas time, I had a big stack of boxes and gifts in the corner on the floor out there, and he never touched them.  Best wishes...hope some of these ideas work for you!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Zach on February 3, 2012 at 12:46pm

I just wanted to give everyone an update to what is going on. I bought a 24" high baby gate at Wal-Mart to try and keep him in the Hallway during the day. Well first day he climbed over it. So I tried propping it up by putting a cardboard box under it, making total height ~30". He managed to tear down the gate, as in completely broke it in half and got out. So I ordered a 32" high pressure mounted gate from Amazon. It has a door that we can walk through so we can keep the gate in permanently. First day for about 5 hours he was ok, second day, he managed to push it down. So I installed the wall cups that come with it to hold it in. Well that worked, and the gate didn't move even under my force. Yesterday, he managed to JUMP OVER the gate. It had not moved a bit, but he somehow managed to climb over the gate and get into the living room. The only thing he really did was get into the trash (which there wasn't much in). So my roommate cleaned up the trash and just let him roam in the apartment. We had him in there for 10 hours unattended while we went storm chasing, and he didn't tear up anything, but he did poop and pee in a few places. So now i'm at a loss. Do I crate him during the day because obviously a gate doesn't stop him, or just let him roam free, and risk him tearing stuff up? We can address the trash situation so he can't get into it, but i'm just afraid he's gonna go to town on the sofa like he did the chair. We fixed the chair with duct tape, but the sofa is a lot harder to fix that way and I don't want to be out a $200 sofa. Any thoughts?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jane on February 3, 2012 at 1:02pm

Honestly I think 10 hours is a really long time to leave a dog home alone with nothing to occupy his mind. How much exercise does he get daily? Does he have any interactive type toys that would keep him busy while you're gone? Is there anyone else that could come and let him out and give him a little attention? How about daycare?

 

Definitely do something immediately to make the trash can more secure. That could be deadly.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on February 3, 2012 at 1:44pm

Can you take him with you when you go storm chasing and are gone the long hours?  He would probably love that.   I would crate him for the shorter periods, or when I can come home and take him for a walk in between crate times.  Or maybe you can find a reliable teen that can do that after school for a small fee.  He needs GRADUAL freedom, so he can get in a routine and know what to expect.  Put him in the gated area when you will be gone short times.  Create a routine when you leave for this short time, a special phrase, a special toy, the TV or radio turned on and no longer than an hour at first. The TV left on low or talk radio station may provide some diversion. 

There is no magic bullet to solve this, but crating a dog that has a high energy level for that many hours is like putting someone in solitary confinement on a regular basis....

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Krystina and Rufus on February 3, 2012 at 6:15pm

OH that really sucks. I should have told you the size of the pet gate i got, it's a high pressure mounted gate as well from top paw except it's 42 inches high... it's expensive at petsmart but you can return it if it doesn't work. it has a cat and people gate so it's super easy and not in the way. it really was a miracle worker considering i work 10 hours a day also...even crating him for 5 hours of it. rufus can't jump it ( he jumps all the other gates, and he can jump onto dining tables and such if he wanted to)...if it's your last resort, i would try selling the gate you have now and getting the 42 inch one.

in the end you really might just have to spend more time walking him before and after you go home. (which may or may not help, but he will LOVE it =) ) I know how frustrating it can be, good luck!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Zach on February 8, 2012 at 11:23pm

Thanks for the photo, I think that's what i'm gonna have to do is get a taller gate. The one I got is 32" high and I even put a 6" tall box under it, but my theory is that he actually climbs straight up it and pulls himself over. My roomy thinks he runs and jumps, but I don't think that's possible with his short and stubby legs. I think that gate would work because there's no lateral bars for him to use like a ladder, whereas even with the box under the gate now, he still in theory could use the bottom bar like a ladder.  I found that gate that you have for $50 on Amazon so i'll probably just do that.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Krystina and Rufus on February 9, 2012 at 12:01am

Oh Good I hope it works. When he can get more trustworthy again, maybe you can leave your room open while you are gone (unless he's managing to destroy things in there also?)... Is there a window in your hallway? I put Rufus's crate next to a window in my bedroom so he can look outside at the street while I'm gone.

Anyways, good luck with the little one

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chris West on February 9, 2012 at 5:17pm

I LOVE the cat door, that's hilarious!!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bax & Zigs & Rosie on February 9, 2012 at 12:43pm

I have two corgis. My first behaved great when he was finally given roam of the house. He went through a small chewing spell, but that ended pretty quickly. My second corgi loves his crate. He even spends time in it when I'm at home. I decided he should be allowed some freedom and he chewed furniture and ate like 5 books. So I decided to gate him in the kitchen to give him just a little freedom. Just like your pup, he's a little Houdini. I thought he was jumping over the gate, but it turned out he was pushing the bottom of the gate until he could escape. Once he gets out the gate pops back to its original position, making me wonder what the heck happened.

 

One solution could be to leave him out for a little while as practice, but spray bitter apple on the items he likes to chew. This might help some. It will take some time to get him used to being free and good.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John Wolff on February 9, 2012 at 11:40pm

http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topics/food-bags-can-kill

This discussion includes some suggestions for dog-proofing garbage.  

I cut holes in the under-sink doors, installed spring-loaded hinges and turnbuttons to secure the doors.  Baby-proofing.  Bones and EMPTY plastic bags kill dogs regularly.  ALL food waste and empty food bags go into the garbage-safe.  Cut bottoms off food bags

Give them something else to chew on.  Use bitter-apples spray to help teach what's off-limits.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Peggy Woods on February 9, 2012 at 3:41pm

Are there any kids in your neighborhood? If so I bet one would love a "job"! I have a high school girl around the corner who can get the dog & take him for a walk if I'm gonna be late. Mine is usually good the whole time I'm gone, but will chew slippers if I leave them out. (and the ends of shoe laces). We walk for 30-60 min Every Morning without fail! another 30-60 min walk as soon as I get home (yes this makes my days basically walk, work, walk, eat, bed).

If you are storm chasing - why not bring him along? Some dogs just really need as much time with their pack as possible. Have a crate for your vehicle - so there will be no "incidents" in the car if he is left in there unattended. Bring some chew things along.

Your dog might have separation anxiety issues. So crating, for the time being, might be your best answer for now. Invest in a larger (wire-sided) crate so that he has tons of room. I would also suggest getting an excersize pen & attaching it to the crate, but it sounds like he would escape one of those.

It's gonna take some experimenting & fiddling to figure things out. Just make sure that anything dangerous or potentially toxic are locked away! There are going to be more "casualties" along the way, unfortunately. Just be reassured that you will effentually come to solution :) Hang in there!!

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page