Chelsea Meredith's Posts - MyCorgi.com2024-03-28T21:18:22ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredithhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3138084240?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://mycorgi.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=03kp6ylbr3l3d&xn_auth=noWhat's your pup's favorite chew that lasts longer than a sitting?tag:mycorgi.com,2016-06-15:1150197:BlogPost:19496972016-06-15T14:30:00.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
<p>Hi, everyone!</p>
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<p>What's your dog's favorite chew that lasts longer than ten minutes? So far the best chewing device that lasts the longest in my household are bully sticks (the quality kind, otherwise kinds from brands like Ol' Roy get chewed up in a sitting) and pig skin twists (those seem to last about a day or two).</p>
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<p>I have a variety of different flavored Nylabones, but they're not interested in those. </p>
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<p>Any suggestions? I have a 1.5 year-old and…</p>
<p>Hi, everyone!</p>
<p></p>
<p>What's your dog's favorite chew that lasts longer than ten minutes? So far the best chewing device that lasts the longest in my household are bully sticks (the quality kind, otherwise kinds from brands like Ol' Roy get chewed up in a sitting) and pig skin twists (those seem to last about a day or two).</p>
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<p>I have a variety of different flavored Nylabones, but they're not interested in those. </p>
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<p>Any suggestions? I have a 1.5 year-old and a 6 month-old (who has all of her adult teeth, but I can tell she has discomfort in her back molars because that's where she chews most). Thanks!</p>Hello, everyone! Meet Margo the 6mo-old Cardi!tag:mycorgi.com,2016-06-14:1150197:BlogPost:19495912016-06-14T13:00:50.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
<p>Hi, friends! </p>
<p>I want everyone to meet Margo, my new family addition! She's a 6mo-old black brindle Cardigan Welsh Corgi (from a breeder, held for show but her sister ended up being just a bit better in the show evaluation so she was re-homed). She's SUPER sweet! Loves to lick faces and wag her fox tail!</p>
<p>The first few days:</p>
<p>She has only been home for three days, but already her and Gutie (my 1.5 year-old male Pem) zoom and wrestle through the house like they were born…</p>
<p>Hi, friends! </p>
<p>I want everyone to meet Margo, my new family addition! She's a 6mo-old black brindle Cardigan Welsh Corgi (from a breeder, held for show but her sister ended up being just a bit better in the show evaluation so she was re-homed). She's SUPER sweet! Loves to lick faces and wag her fox tail!</p>
<p>The first few days:</p>
<p>She has only been home for three days, but already her and Gutie (my 1.5 year-old male Pem) zoom and wrestle through the house like they were born together (absolutely warms my heart to see them get along so well)! When Gutie has had enough, he just walks away and she's good about giving him space. When he gets a little grumpy, I interrupt their play by calling their names and they take a break. She is GREAT in the car, just cuddles up and snoozes on the seat (without a transport kennel). Great on a leash! Only a few tangles when I walk her and Gutie by myself (they'll get the hang of it eventually, I have one at each side not in front). 75% kennel trained (still cries, but she quiets down after 5-10 minutes when she realizes crying gets her nowhere). Sleeps through the night no problem, not even a peep (and I thought I wouldn't get any sleep the first week). We'll be working hard on potty training (3 accidents in the last three days, even after going outside every two hours, but I understand it's stressful and I've been rewarding her with praise and treats when she goes potty outside; I only discipline with the unpleasant rattle of a can when I catch her in the act). Gutie wasn't even fully potty trained until he was about 8-9 months (stubborn fellow), so I'm fully stocked on paper towels and carpet cleaner. Gutie needed potty training reinforcement after he was neutered, so I expect the same out of her when she's spayed soon. She does have almost full-reign of the house, but she's supervised and it's an open floor plan so we can see her everywhere she goes in case she does something naughty that needs correction.</p>
<p>Living in a suburb is new for her, but since she's been going to dog shows every weekend for the last 4 months in big cities so she's adjusting surprisingly well. Obedience training is pretty new, too. My hunny and I have taught her how to sit, come, and kennel-up the last two days (mostly because Gutie is a good teacher since he's so well trained, once he gets a treat for a trick the light bulb in her head turns on). It's obvious that she's been well socialized with other people, because she goes up to every stranger, sits politely, and gives kisses. She grew up with her pack of other Cardigans and the breeder also bred Wheatens, so she should be familiar with other dogs and different temperaments. She's also very polite at sharing chews, toys, and the water bowl. Food bowls I give separately, because Gutie likes to take his time (he's fed first after me and my hunny) and Margo WOLFS it down like it's her last meal (eats last). Luckily, I didn't even have to change either of their diets, Margo was eating the exact same brand as Gutie. They both get 1.5 cups daily, conveniently divided into 3 feedings (she's a skinny little thing, I'll change how much she gets if she starts putting on too much weight).</p>
<p>They're pretty good about let each other nap, but I kennel Margo up for about an hour in the evening after dinner so they both get their peace and quiet for a good snooze. It also lets them digest their food before they go brawling again. If Gutie doesn't rest, he gets grumpy and short. Dogs are such toddlers sometimes!</p>
<p>Margo is a PISTOL! LOTS of spunk! I live in a duplex and my neighbors are unfortunately downstairs, but we're friends and I've told her to text me whenever it's too loud. But right at 6am, she FLIES out of her kennel to go potty outside and then plays, plays, plays. Gutie, however, is used to sleeping in until about 8/9am, so he snoozes on the couch while she zooms around. It's very hard to keep her settled down in the morning, even after a long walk, so I may have to enforce quiet hours until 9am until she can hold her bladder that long at night. I think walking her in the morning and kenneling her afterwards for another two hours is okay? That would give Gutie time to sleep-in, too. I think she'll settle down a little more once she's more familiar with her new territory, too? I remember Gutie went roaming and sniffing every second of the day until he was comfortable with his turf.</p>
<p>She is intact, but this Saturday I'm taking her in for a basic wellness exam and to setup her spay appointment. She's fully vaccinated aside from kennel cough and limes (which she'll get Saturday).</p>
<p>Her only downside thus far is her ear-piercing bark. Gutie has a deep chested woof, but Margo still has her puppy yip. In your experience, has your dog's bark changed at all after 6mo? Her bark is a little deeper when she's trying to alert me, but still high-pitched. I'm not necessarily complaining, if that's the worst thing about her I consider myself very lucky! I can't remember when Gutie lost his puppy yip, but he always had a deeper voice. I think it may have gotten a tad deeper when he entered puberty at 6mo...</p>
<p>The last few days we've just been hanging at home, hanging in the yard, or going for walks in the neighborhood. Tomorrow we'll be going to a fenced-in area that is used as a skating rink in the winter. In the summer, it's a vacant fenced-in grassy lot. I did a lot of training with Gutie there that was very successful. I'm going to wait on bringing them both to the dog park until I can get her trained a little more (mostly so she stops or comes when called every time otherwise I think there's potential for problems with other dogs she doesn't know). I do know how important it is to socialize her with other dogs, so I've set up a playdate with another dog that Gutie knows very well this weekend. </p>
<p>While she's great on a collar and leash, I feel more in control when my dog is in a harness. I refuse to hurt either of their throats if they lunge trying to chase a squirrel and I have front-clip harnesses that redirects them immediately if they try anything naughty. It took Gutie until he was about 8 months to finally get the hang of walking right at my side without any tightness on the leash. He's incredibly loyal, so most of the time when we're out and about in the woods he's off-leash. Margo might get there, but for now I have a 6-foot leash for walking in the neighborhood and a 15-foot leash for when we're out on the trail or in the yard so she can explore a little more with Gutie when he's off-leash.</p>
<p>I haven't tested her with water yet. I think that will come once it gets hot enough (it's still in the 60s where I live in Northern WI). Gutie LUNGES into the water and he loves retrieving sticks/toys. I can't get him out of the lake most days. If he's not swimming, he just stands in the water up to his shoulders to cool off and look for fish. I'm hoping that his love for water will pass onto her, but I'm thankful to have at least one water dog if not two!</p>
<p>The cat isn't too happy about the two dogs, hahaha. She puffs up like a balloon and Margo just wants to give her kisses. But the kitty was like that when I first got Gutie and now they're so good with each other, so I think kitty will adjust just fine. She'll give Margo a claw-less hit on the nose if she gets too close and Margo hasn't yelped, she just leaves the kitty be like a good girl.</p>
<p>That's about all I can blog about at this point! I'm hoping that in the next six months, she calms down a little bit once she's adjusted to her new home. Gutie was a crazy boy until he hit about a year and in the last six months with him he has really mellowed out. I've been able to leave him home out of his kennel no problem without worry, he has earned that privilege! Having him fully trained will make training Margo much easier. Boy does he love having a companion to play with or even just watch to keep him entertained while I do chores. Before he was so bored even though we exercised 3+ hrs daily and played/trained in between exercise sessions. We still train, exercise, and play separately from Margo to keep him sharp and obedient. Margo will get there, we just need to be consistent with her.</p>
<p>This Friday will be her first day in the kennel for 4 hours at a time while I work (8hr shifts). I have no doubt that will be new to her, but thankfully she only needs to be kenneled like that Fri/Sat/Sun (and soon to just be Sat/Sun when she's good enough to go for daycare at grandma's with Gutie and his best friend Zoey the goldendoodle).</p>
<p>Until next time, friends!<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3149074256?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3149074256?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-left"/></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3149074235?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3149074235?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>Is it necessary to keep dogs on heartworm medication year-long in Wisconsin?tag:mycorgi.com,2016-06-05:1150197:BlogPost:19487332016-06-05T13:08:35.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
<p>Hi, friends!</p>
<p>I live in Wisconsin at the tippy top right on the peninsula on Lake Superior. October-March it is below 60 degrees everyday (Dec-Feb it's commonly negative in temperature), but we do get the occasional "heat stroke" in October or March where it spikes to 60, sometimes 80 degrees for a day. I've had Gutie on heartworm medication every month, but my vet has suggested that Gutie doesn't need it when it gets below 40 degrees. She suggested that I just administer Pyrantel…</p>
<p>Hi, friends!</p>
<p>I live in Wisconsin at the tippy top right on the peninsula on Lake Superior. October-March it is below 60 degrees everyday (Dec-Feb it's commonly negative in temperature), but we do get the occasional "heat stroke" in October or March where it spikes to 60, sometimes 80 degrees for a day. I've had Gutie on heartworm medication every month, but my vet has suggested that Gutie doesn't need it when it gets below 40 degrees. She suggested that I just administer Pyrantel for those cold months for hookworms/roundworms since there are no mosquitoes to pass along heartworms. It also saves me $ if I do that (and it's in liquid form which is much easier to get Gutie to take it). May-October I would have him on full prevention. The vet said an annual screening for heartworm when he comes in for his annual shots should be enough?</p>
<p>What are you thoughts? I don't want to ever put my dog at risk, but I do trust my vet.</p>Do Cardigans and Pembrokes generally get along?tag:mycorgi.com,2016-06-05:1150197:BlogPost:19487312016-06-05T12:41:23.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
<p>Hi, friends!</p>
<p>Thank you for helping me with my last blog post! I'm VERY excited to go visit Margo, a 6 month old Cardigan (held for show by the breeder) next Sunday to see how compatible she is with my little dude Gutie (1.5 year old Pembroke).</p>
<p>Do Cardigans and Pembrokes generally have the same temperaments, exercise requirements, etc? My guy requires 2 hours of exercise daily, which is NO PROBLEM because I absolutely love to be outdoors and even though I work full-time the…</p>
<p>Hi, friends!</p>
<p>Thank you for helping me with my last blog post! I'm VERY excited to go visit Margo, a 6 month old Cardigan (held for show by the breeder) next Sunday to see how compatible she is with my little dude Gutie (1.5 year old Pembroke).</p>
<p>Do Cardigans and Pembrokes generally have the same temperaments, exercise requirements, etc? My guy requires 2 hours of exercise daily, which is NO PROBLEM because I absolutely love to be outdoors and even though I work full-time the dogs will still have their exercise between me and my hunny. I swear Gutie needs stimulation 99% of the time that he's awake. He naps lightly during the early afternoon and then naps in late afternoon after exercise but that's it, he's a little energizer bunny. Otherwise he walks around whining with a toy in his mouth until I play with him. I'm hoping having a playmate will truly resolve this if they get along! He's really good now when I do chores though. As I wash dishes, he just lays at my heels and MUST have his butt or back against my feet. </p>
<p>Also, I'm very fortunate to say that Gutie's parents were "light shedders". It could be because he hasn't had a major blow-out yet, but so far if I vacuum every other day and give him a bath every 4 weeks with de-shed shampoo, he really doesn't shed that much. However, I've heard the Cardigans shed even more? Which is OK, I just need to start vacuuming daily and I own my own grooming kit.</p>
<p>I truly won't know her temperament until I visit her next Sunday, because all dogs are different. The breeder tells me she's easy going, a lover, and has been trained very well to be handled by strangers, walk well on a leash, and travel well (show training). She's also potty trained (even though I know there will be accidents until she's comfortable in her new turf) and crate trained. Gutie is more reserved, but a sweetheart when I do get rare cuddles, and is extremely loyal. Fully potty trained, crate trained. I could have him off-leash in a crowd of people and he would never ever leave my side (until he sees another dog and then looks up at me like "can I please please please go say hi?!" because he loves dog companionship more than people).</p>
<p>Do any of you own both breeds? What are you experiences? </p>2 dogs?! 6mo old and a 1.5 year-old?tag:mycorgi.com,2016-05-31:1150197:BlogPost:19479952016-05-31T10:00:00.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
<p>Hey, friends!</p>
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<p>So, I have the opportunity to adopt a 6mo-old Cardigan (female) from a breeder I live near. I would absolutely love to have her, as Gutie gets lonely during the day while I'm working and he'd love a playmate the rest of his life! I'm going to go visit her (Margo) on Wednesday to see how compatible her and Gutie are.</p>
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<p>If all goes well, how do you guys juggle having two dogs in your life? I already have a second crate from when Gutie was younger, I…</p>
<p>Hey, friends!</p>
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<p>So, I have the opportunity to adopt a 6mo-old Cardigan (female) from a breeder I live near. I would absolutely love to have her, as Gutie gets lonely during the day while I'm working and he'd love a playmate the rest of his life! I'm going to go visit her (Margo) on Wednesday to see how compatible her and Gutie are.</p>
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<p>If all goes well, how do you guys juggle having two dogs in your life? I already have a second crate from when Gutie was younger, I already have the toys, the chews, the food, the preventative care. I have everything I need for a second dog EXCEPT the time off that I'd really want. If all goes well during our meeting on Wednesday, I'd pick her up next Tuesday and have 5 whole days off with her, getting her adjusted to her new home. After that, I would have to crate her 4hrs at a time while I work (with potty breaks/walks every 4hrs, I work 8hr days, but sometimes 10hr days).</p>
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<p>Gutie (my 1.5 year old Pem) is fully potty trained and is responsible enough to be uncrated during the day as long as he has chews to keep him occupied. Margo, however, would be crated because I don't yet know her behaviors. I have a feeling she would be crated like that everyday for a few months until I felt she was ready. Is that okay to do? Once she is fully potty trained in her new home and knows the rules, I would let her have free roam to play with Gutie.</p>
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<p>I really want another dog and I think Gutie would absolutely LOVE to have another dog around. We're very active and exercise daily with fetch, hikes, swimming, walks, etc. I'm not worried about getting her exercised, because I have access to a fenced-in area that they can just run, run, run, off-leash (however, I DON'T have a fenced-in yard of my own, but the dog park is just down the road by 5 minutes). I just want to know: is 5 days off with her enough time before I start crating her? She is ALREADY crate trained, so that helps tremendously. 5 days would be fast and furious, but I can't afford taking anymore time off. The beauty of it is that I have a set Wed/Thurs off and my other half has Mon/Tues, so she would only be crated Fri/Sat/Sun.</p>
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<p>What are your thoughts?</p>
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<p>P.S. The reason Margo is seeking re-homing in the first place is because the breeder was <span>hoping to show her and kept her until they could find their Cardigan mentors to evaluate her for show. She didn't meet showing expectations, but otherwise she's super healthy.</span></p>Is obedience training necessary?tag:mycorgi.com,2015-07-18:1150197:BlogPost:19236002015-07-18T00:28:22.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
<p>Gutie is 6mo and is incredibly smart/obedient. He knows how to sit, lay down, come, stay, roll over, play dead, bark/howl on cue, touch an object when pointed to, nose a bell when it's time to potty, heel, dance in a circle, jump through a hoop, kennel up, high five, shake, wave hi/bye... among other various tricks. I've heard that training classes are also an excellent way to teach good behaviors and socialize but Gutie is such a good boy. He doesn't jump on anyone (children especially)…</p>
<p>Gutie is 6mo and is incredibly smart/obedient. He knows how to sit, lay down, come, stay, roll over, play dead, bark/howl on cue, touch an object when pointed to, nose a bell when it's time to potty, heel, dance in a circle, jump through a hoop, kennel up, high five, shake, wave hi/bye... among other various tricks. I've heard that training classes are also an excellent way to teach good behaviors and socialize but Gutie is such a good boy. He doesn't jump on anyone (children especially) or growl/snarl. He plays weekly with a 6mo old Golden Doodle and sometimes his littermate, plus all the pups and people he meets at the dog park/walking around/the beach. Is there any other compelling reason I should do obedience training?</p>How much should he eat?tag:mycorgi.com,2015-06-25:1150197:BlogPost:19220842015-06-25T00:29:17.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
<p>Hi everyone! Gutie is 4.5 months now and is getting 1/2 cup of Fromm's Puppy dry food 3x day (7am, 12pm, 5:30pm). I can visibly see his waistline and his ribs (both of them aren't sticking out, but I can see them without any difficulty). He's an active dog (puppy play dates 2x/week, hiking/long walks everyday, swimming at the beach/pool, running freely at the park/cabin). I took him to the vet to get weighed the other day on their scale and he's nearly 21lbs, but she the tech assured me…</p>
<p>Hi everyone! Gutie is 4.5 months now and is getting 1/2 cup of Fromm's Puppy dry food 3x day (7am, 12pm, 5:30pm). I can visibly see his waistline and his ribs (both of them aren't sticking out, but I can see them without any difficulty). He's an active dog (puppy play dates 2x/week, hiking/long walks everyday, swimming at the beach/pool, running freely at the park/cabin). I took him to the vet to get weighed the other day on their scale and he's nearly 21lbs, but she the tech assured me he's great and is just going to be a big boy when he's older (according to his big paws and lots of loose, excess skin).</p>
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<p>Am I feeding him enough? Too much? He gets treats, but only a stick or two of pupperoni a day (either to train with or when on walks when he meets new people to make it a good experience). </p>
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<p>Thanks! :)</p>Barking and fearfulness of strangers?tag:mycorgi.com,2015-05-23:1150197:BlogPost:19197082015-05-23T17:46:53.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
The other day my Gutie (14 weeks old) decided to just start barking at strangers and when people approached he gets fearful and hides behind me. He wasn't like this before! He used to bound up to strangers for pets and kisses! He is very well socialized around people and other dogs. To my knowledge he hasn't had any bad experiences with people at all that would lead to this. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't want it to lead to more fearfulness or aggression later! :(
The other day my Gutie (14 weeks old) decided to just start barking at strangers and when people approached he gets fearful and hides behind me. He wasn't like this before! He used to bound up to strangers for pets and kisses! He is very well socialized around people and other dogs. To my knowledge he hasn't had any bad experiences with people at all that would lead to this. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't want it to lead to more fearfulness or aggression later! :(Potty training/crate training tips?tag:mycorgi.com,2015-05-22:1150197:BlogPost:19195992015-05-22T14:44:49.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
Gutie is nearing the 15 week mark and he's doing well with his potty training; he is still a baby so accidents are ok. He needs to go out every 1.5/2hrs or he'll potty in the house, is that normal at his age? I crate him at night and he holds it the whole night (bedtime at 8:30, no water after 7pm except for an ice cube or two, potties before bed). I've been told that more crate training will help his bladder control, but I'm not sure how exactly to go about that? I put him in there for naps…
Gutie is nearing the 15 week mark and he's doing well with his potty training; he is still a baby so accidents are ok. He needs to go out every 1.5/2hrs or he'll potty in the house, is that normal at his age? I crate him at night and he holds it the whole night (bedtime at 8:30, no water after 7pm except for an ice cube or two, potties before bed). I've been told that more crate training will help his bladder control, but I'm not sure how exactly to go about that? I put him in there for naps (30min-1.5hrs depending on his previous activity level) and he has no problem with his crate. I teach during the day so I close off the kitchen with toys for him because I can't let him out until lunch (I start at 7:30 and come home to let him out at 11:30-12, then home for the evening at 3:40). I have someone to let him out to potty at 9:30 and again at 2, but he STILL has an accident or two to clean up when I come home sometimes. I've resulted to putting down pet grass (if he potties on the tile it drips all over the kitchen because the room is slightly slanted) and he pees, not poops, on that but I don't want to teach him that it's ok to potty in the house at ALL. Tell me your tips and tricks! Thank you!!!Weight Normal?tag:mycorgi.com,2015-05-20:1150197:BlogPost:19197532015-05-20T12:22:38.000ZChelsea Meredithhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/ChelseaMeredith
Hi fellow corgi lovers! Gutie is almost fourteen weeks old now (I can't believe it) and he's already 15 pounds! Is that normal? The vet said he's in great condition but after reading others' posts about corgi weight I feel as though he's a monster!
Hi fellow corgi lovers! Gutie is almost fourteen weeks old now (I can't believe it) and he's already 15 pounds! Is that normal? The vet said he's in great condition but after reading others' posts about corgi weight I feel as though he's a monster!