Worried if Corgis are the right breed for us!
Hi all - new to the board!
After living in a no-pets apartment for 5 years, we've finally moved...and are in the market for a dog. We have a friend (several states away) who has a Corgi. While visiting, we became enamored of "Blueberry" and are seriously considering Corgis as our breed of choice.
We've done research, and unfortunately there are several things that are giving me pause. So I'd love to get some input from experienced Corgi owners before taking the plunge...
Details about us: both experienced, dedicated dog owners - we've had both large and small. Our last one died of old age 5 years ago...and our landlord implemented a building wide no-pets policy. We live in NYC, in a 2 bedroom coop (1100 square feet.) We both work. I tend to have long hours, but my husband's work is flexible. Back when we had our older dogs, we always made a point of 3 walks a day. There's also a park, right near our home. (My husband is interested in the possibility of training our Corgi for agility, though it would be a new experience for us.) We can live with fur. That's not a problem.
We also have a 6 year old cat (he has his claws, and didn't seem bothered the one time had some pups over for a few hours, as part of a rescue transport.)
In researching, I've read that Corgis are intelligent, energetic - and can be really destructive when left alone. Our dogs are always members of our family - but I don't want to make the mistake of getting a dog that ends up destroying the house from boredom...or barking incessantly and bothering the neighbors. Is a Corgi a reasonable breed for our situation? Or do we need to rethink this, and consider other breeds?
**As a side item - my husband is insisting on a puppy, since he's afraid that an older dog might be a danger to the cat. But if that's not the case, we'd love to do rescue (older, though still young enough that we'll have several years with him/her and don't have to go through the heartbreak again, too soon.) Welcome anyone's thoughts on this!!
Thanks,
--Janet
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by GPN on
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http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dogs-101-pembroke-welsh-corgi.html for a movie about Corgis
contrast with
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dogs-101-border-collie.html
Rescue is one of those things that sounds a great deal better than it often turns out. You may end up with a dog with permanent behavioral conditions. You are doing a good thing for dog-dom, but you can also do good by writing a check for a rescue operation and searching out a better behaved animal for your own home. In any case you may find that rescue operations are very difficult to deal with. They ask for long forms and don't reply, they decide that you are not worthy of owning a dog, they want to inspect your home, call your neighbors, and then tell you to take a hike (a dog-less hike). When I was looking for a border collie I could not get any of the rescue operations to agree to allow me to even *meet* a border collie just to see what he was like. The Corgi rescues weren't any more forthcoming.
While there are many rescue operations that keep in mind that the idea is to keep a dog from being euthanized and give him a reasonable chance, when you get into a premier breed like the Corgi or the Border Collie you will find that rescue operations get very picky, not to say holier than thou, about placement. This is why some of us ended up going to a breeder.
Raising a puppy is hard, I am doing it, but at least any neurotic behaviors that develop were caused by you and likely to be compatible with your own neuroses. Or more likely at any rate.
Corgis do not have a reputation for being particularly destructive: border collies have strong reputations for needing a great deal of interaction. But any *one* dog might be destructive.
My corgi has been chewing a few things that he shouldn't. In a few cases I've used capsaicin (which works) and in a few cases I've let it go. Hard to be on top of everything. One secret is to make sure that there is something to chew in every room, even two or three things.
There are also compromise solutions. I have child gates on my kitchen area so I can have the corgi "out" (as in not crated) but contained at the same time.
GN
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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on
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Corgis are great dogs. We have two, male and female both neutered, and they are a constant source of joy. They are not destructive at all unless you count the occasional semi-eaten pop can from Rosie as destructive!! They are very bright and easily trained although they can be stubborn. They don't do well with harsh training but respond to gentle correction and FOOD!
Rocky is more of a cuddler than Rosie. She enjoys laps but not for long periods of time. She loves anyone who she meets and Rocky greets them politely, gets a few pats and then wanders off. She doesn't like other dogs too much and he is fine with other dogs unless they are idiots and bounce around.
I've shown both of them in Rally (they both have Rally Excellent titles) and Rocky enjoys it, Rosie tolerated it. I'm going to get Rosie tested for Therapy work. She'll love it!
Crate training is the way to go. They both are good in their crates when they are in there. Rosie's crate is still up, she's 5, and she sleeps in in it lots and lots. We just leave the door open for her. Rocky's is put away but it goes with us when we go to GA for the winter since we rent a house. It gives you lots of points with potential vacation home rentals if you can say you crate your dogs when you are not home. Neither fusses when crated and we know they are safely away from any temptation when we are in a rental.
They love walks beyond anything. Our yard is large and fenced but we still walk daily. It's good for us retired folk to walk and the dogs demand it!!
Check with your breeder about DM. Many breeders now test for it. All breeds have some genetic issues and sometimes you just have to live with that idea. We are. I had never heard of DM and so didn't ask when we got the dogs. We just hope all will be OK with them. It's a minority of Corgis who are affected so don't let that scare you.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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To answer some of your specific questions: I would be more concerned about the barking than being destructive. I think Corgis (in general--- dogs are individuals) are less likely to be destructive than the gun dogs (who tend to want something in their mouth constantly). A crate-trained Corgi who has not been given the chance to destroy stuff as a pup is not terribly likely to be destructive as an adult. But Corgis DO tend to bark more than a lot of breeds.
Corgis tend to be good with cats, one reason we got one.
As far as cuddling, some Corgis are very cuddly. Others don't like to be cuddled at all. They are not cat-like (aloof) but some would much rather play than be petted. I have one cuddler and one who doesn't like it. Now at five he will finally lay down for awhile and let me give him a neck rub, but until this year I rarely got to pet him. He grumbles and runs off for a toy when I try. I have found, personally, that the kind of intelligent, alert, play-and-training based relationship we have makes up for the lack of cuddling, but others might feel differently. Many people on the board here also have Corgis who don't like to cuddle, while others have love-bugs. But they are not spaniels, that's for sure!
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Permalink Reply by Priscilla, CARLY, and Frankie on
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Hi Janet, im going to inject my 2 cents here... lol
I have 2 corgis one cuddles the other would rather not, but she is a cling on, and i mean where i go she goes..
My male loves to sit on me and be rubbed non stop .. The sweetest of dogs ever, hes a therapy dog with the best of temperaments..My female is high strung and needs a lot of excercise or she drives me crazy She would be a great herder but we have no cows!! :(
You will not regret the crate traing everyone is talking about and as for this breed its AWESOME!!!!
thats my 2 cents
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Permalink Reply by Keri&Merlin(Judy&Alan's Pups) on
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Your description of Your 2 corgis,could be about Our 2!! Merlin is the total love bug,would sit with Me all the time if he could.We call him flop dog,because he rolls over for tummy rubs for everyone :).Keri is totally toy driven,would rather You just throw her toy.Sitting or cuddling is very seldom,but I'd totally miss her spunk and intelligence.Corgis are smart,love to please You and can test Your patience,but well worth the trials.Been around them for over 50 years and love them.
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Permalink Reply by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on
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You've been given some great advice here, so I'm going to kind of play 'devil's advocate' in this instance. While I agree that corgis are awesome dogs (I have two and a Boston), looking at your situation I'm not sure they are really the best choice, not because of the apartment so much as the time you are away. I find that our corgis are REALLY people dogs and don't like for us to be gone at all. And while Kadi (the one we got as a pup last summer) is fine in her xpen while we're gone, she is definitely much happier when we are home and have her with us. Our Boston Terrier really couldn't care less and spends most of his time in the basement away from us anyway. That's his choice. Brodie, the stray who invited himself into our family in February is just now settling into the idea that we will return after being gone. I've had some major issues with him and separation anxiety. He mostly has to be in the same room with me all the time, doesn't want me out of his sight. He is a snuggler, Kadi is only sometimes. Neither of them bark without reason, but sometimes their reasoning is a bit off! For instance I had to convince him to be quiet and come to bed one night because he was convinced the rain was going to get us!
I suppose my point here is that if you want a dog that is a snuggler, but is content to be left alone for long periods of time, perhaps you might look at other breeds that aren't quite as 'independent' as herding dogs. Independent means they think for themselves when they don't have direction and they will find SOMETHING to do, whether it's appropriate or not.
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I have found that mine want to be with me when I'm home, but are perfectly happy being home for long periods by themselves. They mostly chill out and sleep when we are gone.
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Permalink Reply by Cindi & Twinkie on
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Puppies, all puppies are untrustworthy. They cannot help it. Please crate train any dog you bring home. My friends thought this was torture for my family's dogs when we were growing up but we NEVER had to give away a dog because of accidents or destruction.
That said, we love the corgis! Even my husband who has always loved Labs is a huge fan. Logan is his boy and they just love each other. Logan isn't quite a year but loves his crate and is an angel. Unless, of course, you are a stuffed animal. Then your face would be eaten off and your guts will be all over the floor! Good luck!
PS-Most rescues can test a dog to see if they are tolerant to cats. A foster family might know it too. If you are still interested in a older pup/dog.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Corgis are very loyal and want to be part of your life. Personality does play into the part of wanting to snuggle or just be near you.
Classes no matter what dog are a great way for puppy(or a rescue) and owners to learn. Personally I have not had an issue with rescues and cats but you would want to know that. Always make sure your cat does have a place to relax alone.
Crates are a must as far as I'm concerned and all my dogs love them. As for destruction. I have one (Sage) that went through a stage but is fine now.
Many corgis have owners that are gone long hours but if thet have a crate/pen and toys to occupy their time I would not worry it's more about spending quality time with them when you are home,exercise and mental stimulation. You are asking the questions and that's part of the whole deal. Sometimes people just think a dog is "cute" and never bother to research the breed.
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Permalink Reply by mosesbotbol on
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I have a rescued adult corgi and she is fine with cats. If the cat has claws, the corgi may have to learn the hard way, but that is nature. I would think an adult corgi would be a lot easier for you assuming they are house trained. Cats are good at hiding if need be.
I have never crated a dog. Camber was crated before we got her and she would not go into the crate once we got her home and just as well. We do not have a lot of room. As long as they have their corner or what have you, that should be enough for them to feel safe.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Hi Janet, I read your post carefully as well as many of the good responses on the breed. I will make a different point. You say both you and your husband have a lot of experience with dogs, both large and small breeds and indeed have kept dogs into old age. You also say that, having researched the breed you have several reservations as to whether a Corgi would be a good fit for your lifestyle. Dogs in all breeds come in a variety of personalities and, the interaction with the people and the environment they go into plays a huge role as well. No one, in my opinion, can predict what one specific dog you may acquire may be like or turn into. You may have success where others fail and vice-versa. Since you are an experienced dog person, I would trust my gut feelings and only get into a situation that really calls to you and your husband both. A solid comfort level has to be there to begin with and then you tell yourself you will deal with it, whatever that "it" is. Often good dogs are more readily made than born, something you probably already know :-) Good luck.
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