Comment

Comment by Sylvia & Timmy on March 25, 2008 at 1:03pm

No, Thank you Nicole and Karen too for hearing and recognizing the benefits of positive reinforcement training. You'll never be sorry!!! There are way too many of us "old folks" who only within the last few years, discovered this way of training our pups to be better members of the community as a whole. I feel that your pup will be all he can under such a wise "young" parent. LOL

Comment by Karen & Bailey on March 25, 2008 at 12:49pm

I signed Bailey up for a class at Petsmart and its every week for 8 weeks. They happen to do it at my Petsmart on Saturday or Sunday mornings, or sometime during the eevenings during hte weekedays. It depedns on the Petsmart. Yea, their on-line site doesn't have much, I had to visit the actual store to get all the details. The dates they list on their calendar in the store are the start dates. i.e. Bailey and I signed up for a Sunday 10-11am class, starting april 6th. Itll be every sunday starting april 6 from 10-11 for 8 weeks. =T I cant belive its that far away, but i envy the big backyards and lawns you have out there!!!!!!!! I'm mostly taking the puppy class for socialization purposes, but tehy do have other types of classes like potty training, etc. Maybe you can ask your local vet for other options?

Comment by Nicole & Baxter on March 25, 2008 at 12:41pm

Thank you, I agree I only want to use the positive methods. I really liked your idea of 'time out' Cindi. It sounds like a good solution that doesn't involve harsh punishments that cause fear. I don't want to start with the scruffing or the smacking. I should have followed the no with a time out. I'm going to start trying that, isolating him away for a few minutes when he exhibits this behavior. I really want to get him into a puppy class, however the closest petsmart is an hour and 15 min away. This is the curse of living in a rural area. Which with gas prices the way they are, it makes it a little difficult. Does the classes go on throughout the week? Are there just weekly Saturday or weekend classes? If thats the case I could probably do that. I am not sure of their schedules, I know it may be by location, I could not find anything on the petsmart website that listed times or anything. There are a couple of training facilities that offer puppy classes that are just a little closer not significantly though, I was going to look at those as well. I've read all kinds of books for dog training, however I would really feel a lot better and a lot more confident under the guidance of a professional so that I can be sure that I am doing it correctly. I've always been more of a visual person anyway, it helps me to see the training and then do it. I don't want to earn his fear, I want to earn is trust.

Comment by Avyon on March 25, 2008 at 12:32pm

The one thing we do when Roxi is misbehaving now is the time out method. When she's growling or being bossy wherever she is no matter what she's doing we make her lay down with her head on the floor. She has to stay that way for a few minutes with no noise or movement if she does we correct her. Its basicly the "No matter what we're doing/where we are, Im still the boss and you listen to me"

This is basicly our last resort though when she's being bossy-the-cow.

I agree with the others that you should never let biting happen when they are younger (unless on a toy or playtime and not hard biting).

Goodluck with your pup :)

Comment by Charlie on March 25, 2008 at 11:40am

I totally agree with Cindi. Much better for my dog to be obedient and respect me because he trusts me wants to make me happy (positive training and discipline methods), than for him to be obedient because he's afraid of me. Becoming the dog's best friend with positive methods builds trust and bonding and gets repaid by the dog a thousand times over.

Comment by Cindi on March 25, 2008 at 11:30am

Here's where I differ from a lot of trainers (and such): I avoid things like scruff shakes, pops with a rolled newspaper, etc. In my experience, many owners are not well-trained in how to do dominance correction and can, without meaning to do so, have the correction backfire. The dog perceives it as aggression rather than correction. Aggression leads to fear - and eventually fear aggression. And it may not be today you reap the negative behavior that results, but at some point you will. At that point you find you have a bigger problem than you ever started out with. Positive training methods, in my experience, have worked better.

Comment by Erica on March 25, 2008 at 9:56am

Wyatt is going through this aggressive stage as we speak, hes a lil angel one second and the next hes got something and its hard to take it from him. I am currently practicing the "leave it" command with biscuits, cheese and treats he really likes. Its very hard when you have an aggressive dog, hes bit my hand, not too hard but hard enough to pinch my skin. I trie to take the things from him easily so I dont get him worked up, but hes a handful, i love him. Good luck to u.

Comment by Nicole & Baxter on March 24, 2008 at 11:40pm

Thank you everyone for your very helpful advice. I am going to work with him on this and get this under control. I have 'yelped' when he has bit me while playing and it usually works quite well, however, I do need to take further steps to correct this problem. I think another part of the problem today was that he had slept during the day more than usual and this afternoon when I came home he was a little more wound up than usual. Its going to take much learning for me as well. =) But I love your ideas and will definitely give them a try. I love the little guy very much and I want to do right by him and be the leadership he is looking for. Thanks to all of you again, this is why I love this site. So many helpful corgi lovers! =)

Comment by Sam on March 24, 2008 at 9:59pm

Growling, snapping and biting is never ok. Yes it is true that puppys mouth but when a pup offers a warning growl then bite in response this is the beginning of aggression. Consider how dogs interact. They use their bodies to posture and communicate. They also use growls, barks, lip lifts and eventually bites. This pup was protecting his wonderful find and was willing to fight you for it. This should raise a major red flag in the relationship you have with your pup. Some will tell you they know why their dogs bite but fact is it is never acceptable.......ever. You would do well to find yourself an obedience class and learn the basics including sit, down, stay, come watch me and leave it. You should also consider learning the "NILF" of nothing in life is free program. This needs to be a way of life for many corgis. If you find he nips when he gets excited then end the game before he reaches that level. Include some of the obedience you learn while playing to keep him focused and respectful. I think you would also do well to use more controlled exercise. If you are in touch with your breeder this would be another good place to seek advice. Some corgis can be most challenging. They need a confident handler, one who sets the rules and expectations and is able to follow through. He depends on you to set the guidelines.

Comment by CaptainCorgi on March 24, 2008 at 9:58pm

I've never had an aggression issues with my corgi, she never went through that food possessive state which most pups go through, but if she ever showed any signs of aggression towards me I would immediately show her who's boss. Such as scruffing the back of her neck (not hard to hurt them, but firm and dominant). Or say in a disappointed voice how bad that was and ignore them for a while, like if he wants to play or something just ignore them. Like, "I'm not playing since you bit me."

I hope it never happens again! Good luck!

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