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Permalink Reply by Mal Schaal on December 23, 2011 at 2:23am

I think you are worrying too much. I'm not used to saying that, because I usually think people don't worry enough! :)
He is a puppy, he is going to jump and be energetic. For the back problems, you should just avoid stairs, letting him jump on/off furniture, and support him properly when you pick him up. If he's running or jumping on his own he should be fine! It sounds like he needs to get out more and use up some energy. Hopping like a bunny and sliding around are the cute corgi puppy moments you should enjoy!
As long as you are watching him wires shouldn't be a problem either. It's been three years since I had a puppy, but I think the reccomendation was to put clear nail polish on wires or rub deoderant on items you don't want him to chew. And spray it with perfume/body spray. Supposedly it tastes bad, and eventually they associate the taste w the smell, so in the future all you have to do is spray something.
Again, it's been awhile, but for biting I think one of the ways you can discourage that is to hold his tounge with your thumb briefly everytime he bites. They don't like that and they will get the point. I don't think I ever actually did that though.
For the hyperness, it sounds like he is spending too much time locked up, so I don't believe that putting him back in his cage is a good idea.
Also, He might be a little bit too young for that kind of training. The first stage, in my opinion, should be to say his name and give him a treat. Repeat repeat repeat. You are training him to not only know his name, but to respond to his name, and also to Pay attention during training lessons. At first you say his name and give a treat. After a few days, or hours, but don't rush! Start saying his name, then give a treat when he looks at you.
For leashes, start with having it connected, but don't hold it. Let him run around and get used to it being there. Use a cheap one so you are not worried about any chewing on it.
I've never seen anyone else recommend this, but it worked for me. Put a leash on him, and keep it over your wrist. And keep him with you for awhile. This keeps you aware of possible potty signals, and you can teach him appropriate behavior in the house. He also learns to get comfortable with the leash, and learns to love staying next to you. Now my girl is always in the same room with me, and usually sleeping on my feet. You don't have to do it only when you are paying attention to him. When you are doing dishes, watching tv, on the computer. The leash keeps you aware enough to know what he's doing, but you can still do your activities. Just let him use up his hyper energy, and he will get tired and calm down.
As for fetch, my dogs have always just seemed to know how, but I think they teach each other. And I think some dogs just don't like it. But I believe to teach it you throw the ball/toy, then with an excited voice you run over to it and get excited. The idea is that you make it so fun to get it, that he wants you to do it again and brings it back to you. Again, you have to work up to things in small steps!
Have you tried talking to his breeder about some of the problems you are having? She would be a good source for help since she has experience, she knows him, and she dealt with these issues with his parents when they were puppies.
Hope this helps, and that things start to get better!

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Permalink Reply by Vicki/Kurt Pegel on December 23, 2011 at 5:58am

Dont worry, we got our Sophie at 9 weeks she is now 13 weeks old, she can sit, lay down, shake, she walks great on a leash.  Her biting is still an issue but is slowly getting better.   Believe me I was worried at first too, she HATED the leash but working with it now she doesnt mind it at all.  Things do get better.  You have only had her 1 week, so it takes time.   Everyone here gives great advise.  Be patient and I promise things will get better.  

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Permalink Reply by Chelsea and Wyatt on December 23, 2011 at 2:09pm

I agree with all of the above posters. Wyatt is 14 weeks and still leaps like a little kangaroo, which used to concern me--now it's just funny. He HATED his leash intially (and his collar/harness), but once he learned that if he followed mommy on it he would receive a treat, he forgot about his ire for his leash and collar.

Biting is very normal behavior for a teething puppy. To alleviate their urge to bite and help to sooth their sore little gums, I highly reccomend tough chew toys such as antlers, nylabones, kongs, bully sticks (if you can tolerate the smell), and the occasional ice cube. Redirect as much as possible, and if he bites too hard, there are a couple of tactics that may work (just be sure that you pick one and are consistent with it):

-say ouch, and walk away for 10-20 seconds

-give a firm "no!" and spritz pup with a water bottle

-redirect with a toy, praise him if he goes for the bait

Good luck and let us know how things go!

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Permalink Reply by Mal Schaal on December 23, 2011 at 2:27am

Sorry about the typos, did this on a touch screen phone. Fat fingers and it's hard to go back and proofread!

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Permalink Reply by Mal Schaal on December 23, 2011 at 2:35am

Here is a link for leash training a puppy
http://www.scamperingpaws.com/puppy/leashtraining.shtml

And a good link for biting puppies
http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/how-to-stop-a-puppy-fr...

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Permalink Reply by Mal Schaal on December 23, 2011 at 2:58am

And for "lead bonding"
http://www.puppybasics.com/pt2.asp

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Permalink Reply by Valerie Chan on December 23, 2011 at 7:04am

Thanks for the links and I don't mind the typos at all haha, probably took few minutes to write that all down! :P

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on December 23, 2011 at 7:16am

He sounds like a normal, active puppy to me.  :)  How long do you crate him during the day?  He should be getting freedom and play time after he goes potty (to minimize accidents) to let him explore and work off some energy.  I wouldn't worry about him chewing wires as long as you're with him.  Any time that he's out of his crate you should be watching him like a hawk.  If he starts to chew something inappropriate, then it's a great learning opportunity for him!  You should tell him "No!" and either remove him from the area (i.e. away from the wires and over to another spot in the room) and immediately redirect to something hecanchew, or just redirect to a toy that you know will get his attention right away.

If you simply want to keep him out of the living room, then you should look into getting a gate.  They make gates for lots of different doorway sizes, from very narrow doorways to very open floor plans (the largest I saw on a quick search expanded up to 12 feet wide.)  If a gate isn't an option for that area, then try pulling him out of his crate and taking him to a room that you can gate off.  I only let Ellie into the kitchen for a long time, as it is the easiest to gate off and it also make "accidents" a breeze to clean up.  :) Another option is to buy an Xpen so that he can safely play in a contained area.

Ellie's favorite game to burn off energy was chase-the-toy.  Puppies usually don't get the hang of fetch, but they know how to chase!  I would sit on the floor and wiggle one of her toys around at floor level.  She, of course, would see it and try to chase or pounce.  I'd then drag it along the floor around my body (passing from one hand to another to get it all the way around) and she would chase it in circles around me.  After a few times around I would toss it and she could have the reward of catching that squeaky toy/Kong/bone.  Then after a minute or two with her prize, I would fetch it from her and we would start again.  It was great because it didn't require a lot of room to play and it kept her mind active.

As for the training, you should check this video out.  It even features a corgi puppy!  There are other videos there, too, including how to teach your puppy his name and get him to come when called (all featuring the same trainer and corgi pup.)  They aren't the only methods to use, but it's a good place to start.  :)  Stick with it, be persistent and consistent, and he'll start learning what it is that you want him to know.

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Permalink Reply by Kevan hudson on December 23, 2011 at 8:53am

Hi Valerie,sounds to me like you have a totally normal puppy,I have found that with puppies patience is key, exercise is also key as a tired pup is always a good pup,let your little guy know who is the boss,I went through a lot of the same issues as you with Benson(his chewing of our brand new baseboards was reaLly annoying) ,but with some patience and diligent training(daily over and over)he soon learned. A dog is never too young to learn.As for leash training my benson got started as soon as I got him home from the breeder(8weeks)within a week he was walking on the leash like a pro,well good luck,remember , patience, be a good strong leader and take lots of pictures.

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Permalink Reply by Chris West on December 23, 2011 at 9:28am

Here is a past discussion with a link to lots of other past discussions about biting. Good luck!!
http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topics/nipping-help

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Permalink Reply by Napolean (Joan and Gabby) on December 23, 2011 at 12:08pm

Wow, from your descriptions this sounds exactly how Napolean was when he was a puppy. But like everyone has said, don't worry because he'll grow out of it. A puppy is a puppy and he'll just be running around to symbolize play. Although you must figure out a way so that every time there is a chase game it isn't always a game. Napolean loooved chase, I mean I couldn't grab him without playing it. At first he even tried to herd us but there wasn't any nipping, he just tried to make you trip over him :) You might want to confront his "chase" game though because if your playing that out on the street and he gets loose, it could be really dangerous. It will be reeeally hard but I suggest you try to teach him "stay". Even if he refuses to listen, corgis are really smart and can catch on to "your not leaving this area until you listen to what your owner has to say". Now, running around furniture could be harmful. That is why you must baby-proof your house. Nothing 2 inches higher than him should be on the floor or on the shelves above (unless your just keeping him in one room you can baby-proof that one room) and no sharp objects (or harmful ones).

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