Why is my Corgi so well behaved?
A few weeks ago I adopted a 5 year old Corgi mix that appears to be predominantly Pembroke Welsh Corgi. At first glance, many people mistake her for one but after they really stare at her they start noticing her little differences.
Anyway she's very well behaved and I'm wondering if that's weird. I am happy with her good behavior, don't get me wrong, but I expected more of a challenge from a dog who is mostly Pem. Hehe :)
Bossiness: She doesn't seem bossy at all. I hardly ever have to correct her, because she hardly ever does anything wrong, but when I do all I have to do is quietly say "unt uh" in a disapproving tone and she looks at me like "Oh, sorry!" and leaves whatever it was alone.
Barking: She almost never barks. When she does, it's almost always because somebody is at the door. I don't correct her because I want her to bark at the door. I often don't hear the doorbell!
Energy: I'd say it's low though not Basset Hound kind of low. She sleeps most of the day but when she knows it's walk time or car ride time, she wants to go! She gets tired after a block but I'm working on building her stamina :)
Chewing: Hasn't chewed on a thing except a toy after I assured that it was indeed okay.
Potty Training: Basically perfect. Only pottied in the house once and that was when diarrhea hit her when I was asleep with ear plugs and behind a closed door. Other than that she's always either held it or let me know that she needs to go out NOW. (She'll come up and act restless.)
Handling: I can brush her teeth, trim her nails, deshed her, etc. without a problem.
Baths: Just calmly stands there while you wash her.
People: Loves every person she's met--even the vet! Never so much as growled at a person.
Car Rides: You could forget she's there! She's so calm and quiet. (And yes, she wears a doggie seat belt.)
New Places: She can be a little nervous but it doesn't seem to effect her too badly. And if I sit down somewhere with her for awhile, she'll lay down and go to sleep. And whenever a stranger gets close she starts wagging her butt and trying to go up to them. She gets very happy when they pet her!
Vet's Office: From what I could tell, she was a model patient!
Other Dogs: Not interested in them per se but perfectly fine with polite dogs. If they act obnoxious (by sniffing her constantly, jumping all over her, etc.) she'll lift a lip and ask them to please stop. As soon as they stop, she's cool with them again. (And I make sure they stop so they don't cause the situation to escalate. I don't think Madison really wants to bite them but I think she might if she's exhausted all other avenues and they're still bugging her.)
Edit: Interestingly, when a dog is snarling and lunging at her behind a fence or on a leash, she ignores it! She only gets bugged when a rude dog has made physical contact.
So, overall, she's a pretty well behaved and easy dog to own! How common are Corgis like her?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Starry on
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I hear you. It could take awhile to help this dog completely relax. Thankfully though, as time goes on, it gets easier and easier to convince her that I am not mad. Treats help a lot. She associates them with nothing but happiness and if I am having trouble getting the "It's okay" message across, treats convince her.
In fact, I am working very hard to get her to associate me with fun times and treats are a big part of that. She gets them throughout the day but I do it randomly so she never knows when the next one is coming. She follows me around in hopes of scoring another treat.
I also have been using treats to make her at ease with things I do that scare her, yet I mean no harm by. (Hugging, sitting right next to, prolonged petting, etc.) I started rewarding randomly while I was doing things like that and I noticed that her tension has noticeably decreased. And she seems to get happy whenever a treat pops out :) My hope is she will learn to enjoy the activities themselves.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Usually 30-45 days is about normal. My puppy mill rescue Teddy was always good but he 1st found his voice and started really barking maybe 2 years ago...before then he would bark but now it sounds like he's making a comment...so glad to hear him bark:) Teddy would cower for years and I'm sure it was from living in a horrible puppy mill. I also have to laugh because he now will steal a toy and take it to the kennel or pile them up on his bed...it's about time he gets to have what he wants! He definitely deserves it!
Sounds like your dog had a much better life!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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She sounds just like my Izzy. I've had/have 4 corgis and only one was a challenge.
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Izzy is my Pembroke. Watson is my Cardigan and he just turned one year. Your girl looks all Pembroke to me.
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Permalink Reply by Judith Andre on
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Still looks purebred Corgi to me rather than a mix. Do you know about how old she is? Most get calmer as they get older. My Corgis all have been fairly easy mostly obedient dogs but I've gotten them as pups and had a fair amount of experience training dogs. Seems obvious someone has put some time into her. It sure would be interesting to know how she came to end up a stray. Lucky you though.
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The vet thinks she's about 5.
And yeah somebody definitely trained this dog. I wonder what happened to them. Maybe they died.
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Permalink Reply by Bogart the Cardigan on
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I'm guessing she is one in a million!!! Congratulations on winning the doggie lottery.
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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
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My theory is that something is constitutionally wrong with corgis. Either that or they're not really dogs but are space aliens visiting earth in disguise. That would explain why they're so funny-looking. As dogs go.
Except for barking (the reason Cassie the Corgi's former humans gave for consigning her to the dog pound), neither Cassie nor Ruby have EVER been awful. Certainly not German-shepherd awful. Ruby is now a whole year old, and she has not yet...
eaten a eucalyptus tree (don't believe me, do ya?)
chewed the arm off a leather chair
excavated any part of the irrigation system
tried to bring down a Mac truck by the oil pan
tried to drag me into oncoming traffic
attempted to eviscerate the neighbor's naively friendly dogs
attempted to remove a naive workman's foot
stolen even one expensive cut of meat off the kitchen counter
chewed up even one TV remote (to say nothing of several of the things!)
made off with a AA battery that had to be extracted from her before she could chew THAT up
consumed even one shoe
shredded even one of my friends' pairs of sunglasses
extricated even one potted plant from its pot...or any other exciting, fun doggy activities.
The ONLY explanation is that this is not really a dog.
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Permalink Reply by Natsuhi Shirosaki on
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omg vicky!!! I am rolling on the floor laughing!!
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Oh, I wanted to point out that this is not the first time a well-behaved Corgi found it's way into the shelter that Madison came from. They have a Pembroke that acts as their mascott. She's really well behaved and lives in the office. Anyway they said she was picked up years ago by animal control when she was wandering alone in the desert. Nobody ever claimed her! Now they take her into schools, to adoption events, fundraisers, etc.
I asked them how often they get Corgis and they told me, "Almost never."
Anyway I volunteer at that shelter as a dog walker and when I saw they had a Corgi up for adoption it got my attention because I've hung out with Corgis (both Pembroke and Cardigan) at ranches and dog shows and I enjoyed their company.Well, I'd been looking for a new dog for months but I hadn't yet found any that seemed like a good fit for my household. This one seemed like it might be what I was looking for, so I got her out, took note of the temperament traits she displayed and asked the shelter staff what they knew about her. The groomer, kennel manager, and everyone said she'd been really well behaved! So, I decided to adopt her. Glad I did!
So anyways, I wonder if Madison and that mascott Corgi both came from owners who met ill fates. Maybe they were elderly people's dogs.
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Permalink Reply by Holly on
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I'm sorry to say it may not be simply due to good obedience training. You have described my dog, Sully, down to the last detail. I do work to be sure she understands what is expected of her, but sadly, she was treated very badly before I got her. She was left chained outside, never socialized, and so mistreated a wonderful shelter owner talked the owners into surrendering her. She arrived in a very sweet, eager to please, obedient, manner, but she was overly submissive. She never barks, never demands anything, is good with dogs and cats and she is very affectionate with people. According to the shelter, she was afraid of people but that disappeared as soon as she arrived here and received royal treatment from anyone and everyone. She soon learned she was safe and she is more confident but she really never does anything that might gain disapproval. I feel very lucky to have such a sweet, laid-back (lazy?) dog, but I am sorry her spirit was crushed before the shelter saved her. At least I know she is happy now! I hope your little one is just well-trained! Either way, she will flourish with your love and she will only get better. I do believe dogs do show appreciation for their rescuers. Sully acts as if I hung the moon and she gives me so much respect and admiration. More than I deserve I'm sure! Enjoy your good fortune! She sounds fantastic.
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