Your discussion with the breeder?
What are some questions you should ask a breeder before you take home one of their puppies? What sorts of answers should they give? Is there anything you wish you'd asked your breeder? As a breeder is there something you think prospective corgi owners should always ask?
Let's talk about the discussion you have had with your breeder before you brought home your dog!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joelle Soupe on
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First, this is somewhat unrelated to socialization, but since it will be winter, you should buy your puppy a coat as he will not have his full coat grown yet. Just fyi!
As for socialization, if you live in a downtown area, this will greatly benefit your pup the way it has my Charlie. A well socialized dog should not be afraid of cars, ambulance noises, truck noises, the sound of high heels, large crowds of people, children, and other people walking dogs. Being exposed to this early on helped Charlie, and I wish other owners would expose their pups to things like this (walk them in busy downtown areas, places with alot of people, allow people and young children to pet your dog - but only if your dog sits first. This is a great way to teach them how to greet people), since in our obedience classes many of Charlie's classmates are terrified of cars and children. Once they start getting past maturity, like 6 months and above, it's very difficult to get them "used to" those things.
I recommend you read "After You Get Your Puppy" by Dr. Ian Dunbar - it's free in pdf form in alot of places on the internet, just google it. He talks very well about bite inhibition, socializing, etc. These things MUST be started the moment you return home, as puppy's brains are like sponges, they are constantly learning what they can and cannot do. He advocates that your puppy MUST meet 100 different people by 4 months of age. He must also meet something like 40 different dogs by that same time, 4 months of age. I know those figures seem daunting, but if you bring them to an outdoor mall, a downtown area, etc, you can easily help them meet that many people by 4 months. Charlie was able to meet more than 100 people by my rough count at 3.5 months or so, and the same with dogs (I live in a busy downtown area with ALOT of dog owners, so this was pretty easy). This simply means Charlie sits, and the person says hello to him, pets him, lets him sniff them (NO jumping; again, great time for them to learn proper greeting form - sit and stay calm, no teeth on skin), and then we move on. I also ask people to stop petting him if he jumps, so that he can learn that "jumping = people do not like). Same with other dogs, sniff hello, move on.
Another important thing I want to highlight is how you greet him/her when you get home. A dog that barks crazily when the door is opened is very annoying, therefore you teach them like this:
When you get home, ignore them for a couple minutes. They will whine and try to get your attention, but wait, and when they settle down and are quiet, then go and greet them. This teaches them that being quiet receives attention, and also that your going and returning are not the most important thing in the world (this helps with their separation anxiety). Same thing when you leave, don't make a big fuss about it. Say goodbye, or dont' even say goodbye, just leave. If you make a big fuss (byyyyeee mommy will miss youuu, hugs, kisses, gushing, etc - we all WANT to do this, but it will make it worse!), they will see your leaving and returning as VERY LARGE events and go crazy.
Feel free to message me if you want me to send you any files. I actually uploaded Dr. Ian Dunbar's pdf here since I just saw the "upload files" button. I have many more documents on training, so if you'd like them, let me know, i'd be very happy to send them to you :).
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AFTER You Get Your Puppy.pdf, 4.7 MB
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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We took Jack to a busy park where he met tons of people and dogs, and it makes a world of difference. He is very dog-savvy and it is not at all stressful for him to be in busy places. I agree it's super important to socialize extensively at home, even more important than training. Training can come later, socializing can't. Ideally one does both, but if time is limited the emphasis until 4 months should be on socializing.
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I will add that if you are unable to take an extended vacation to bond with your corgi right away, then a long drive is very beneficial for you b/c it gives you time to bond right after you've just met each other (preferably you sit with the puppy and someone else drives. My boyfriend drove, I held Charlie. That evening he settled in very well with me.
So if you do find that the best breeder and best puppy you've found is at a shipment's distance, I would recommend that you just drive that distance, so you can bond.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Good point Jeanne. We did this with once for other reasons and it really does bring you and the pup close and foster trust.
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Permalink Reply by Joe on
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Some of the questions I asked was if the parents were there and if we would be able to see them. Being able to see the parents is a big deal for me. If the puppies will come with a health guarantee. Most breeders will give a one year health guarantee. Also if there dogs are akc registered. What kind of environment they are being raised in. I really liked our breeder. Her name is Vicky and she is from Wisconsin. She only breeds and gives puppies to people she believes will make good homes. Some of the questions she has asked me (I also think the questions they ask show the quality of a breeder they are) were what kind of experience I had with dogs. What kind of living environment the puppy would be in. My reasoning to get the dog. The thing that I really liked about Vicky is when we went to pick up both our corgis (we got both of them from her) the parents were on site, we were able to see the type of environment they were in, they gave us everything (all paper work and shot documentation), she kept us up to date from the time they were born to the time we picked them up, and she wished we kept in contact with her so she would know how they were doing. I like to e-mail her once every 2-3 months with pictures and updates. She didn't request that we neutered them but we did anyways. These just were some of the things that we went through. I can't exactly remember everything.
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Definitely you should be able to meet the dam. The sire is frequently not on site, though, since many breeders use outside studs to find the best match for their female.
Just something to keep in mind. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Stacy M on
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I agree. We will ask to meet the dam, but the sire is off site. The breeder has sent me e-mails with pictures of him and information about him (Searchable info - titles and such) so I feel comfortable enough with that. Unless I get there to speak with her and find out that she's not trustworthy, then I might ask to meet the sire first.
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Actually, I would recommend you at least get an idea of the size of the sire. Charlie's mom was small, about 20 lbs, but we saw the dad thankfully, who is HUGE, closer to 30 pounds, maybe more, so now we have a realistic expectation of how big Charlie will be (he's 6 months now, 25 lbs, maybe more since I last had him weighed. His paws are also huge, which is a good indicator he will be on the larger size). I would not have known this had I not seen the dad!
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Permalink Reply by Carry Mackenzie on
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You do need to be careful- When we got our last guy Bubby from the news paper the guy only breed corgi's & there were 3 left from the litter & I chose the smallest one when he came to me... He was low-mid priced & I thought every thing would be OK
The first vet visit his teeth were all wrong with a huge over bite so in a year it would cost more money to fix his teeth-
Any way we lost him early on top of this to some horrible health problem right at the start I was heart broken to say the least...
7 months went buy & we just got our new guy- this time I went to a established well known breeder paid allot & picked the strongest guy from the litter... What you may pay at the start may be more but once you have the dog as a pet you will do what ever you can for its health in the future...
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