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Comment by susan on January 12, 2015 at 10:34am

I've come to realize, crates are something you can never have too many of.  LOL.  I have one that stays in the car, one in the downstairs 'dog room' where she stays during the day when we are at work, and one upstairs in the bedroom for night time.  Jeli is almost two and I still can't trust her to be left out of a crate unattended.  She gets herself into so much mischief.   She will take things off counters, grab my sons tooth paste, eat shoe boxes (not the shoes, though, thankfully).   She is a STINKER!!!!  I think I might have inadvertently trained her to be this way.  When ever she grabs something she shouldn't have I ask her to bring it to me and I trade it for a treat.  I don't ever want her to run away with something she thinks she has to hide or to play keep away.  It could be something dangerous, like a medicine bottle or a pin cushion (although I don't know who even uses pin cushions anymore!) So instead she will bring me anything, even something scary that could hurt her.  But now, I think she goes looking for things she shouldn't have so she can bring them to me and get a treat!  I try to train all the humans in the household to make sure things are back from the edges of counters or desks, etc., but humans are way harder to train than dogs. ;). 

I also had to have several different sizes during the house training stage.  If the crate is too big when the puppy is learning to 'hold it', they will just go in a corner of the crate, and it teaches them the exact opposite of what you want them to learn.  But if they only have basically enough room to curl up and sleep, they won't want to pee in there.    In the end, a crate, or several, will be one of your most important investments.   LOL... you'll see ;)    

 

Comment by Linda on January 11, 2015 at 6:25pm

I'm another one who says save your money on the furminator and invest in a crate that fits in your car.  That crate can be a life saver for him and for you in the car.  He keeps him from getting into trouble and distracting you that can cause an accident.  You will need to stop often enough on that 3 hour drive with a little puppy that you can get in some bonding time.  And I totally understand more than you know.  My daughter is adopted from Korea, we had to drive to NYC to pick her up at the airport.  That was the longest 3 hour drive home ever because she had to be in a carseat and I couldn't hold her.  The real kick in the pants....I did the work that made carseats the law in NY so I knew the dangers of her not being in one.

Comment by Yuki & Ellie on January 11, 2015 at 2:11pm

1)  I agree with holding off on the furminator.  :)  It's possible you may not even need one in the future!  While corgis do, in general, shed heavily during certain times of the year, it's possible that your little Nugget might not shed as heavily as you're imagining.  There are some corgis, mine included, who just don't really shed too much. 

Having said that, my Eskimo dog sheds heavily twice per year and then mild-to-moderately the rest of the time.  I do own, and have used, a Furminator and don't like it at all.  I prefer to use just a regular 'ol shedding comb like this one.  It's cheaper, there's no danger of accidentally scratching skin or cutting hair, and it gets the shed undercoat out just fine.  I comb once per week during a heavy shed and then once every 2-3 weeks the rest of the time.

2)  I really do recommend investing in a smaller crate for the ride home.  If you own a crate that is too big for your car, what do you plan to do when taking him to the veterinarian?  Or on longer car trips?  If he ends up being anxious when in a car,  you'll definitely want a safe, confined space for him to settle down in so as not to distract you or endanger himself.  And you can easily position a puppy crate so that you can peek in at him on your drive home.  Chances are he'll snooze most of the way home anyway.  :) 

Comment by Vicky Hay on January 11, 2015 at 2:04pm

Yipes no, do NOT carry pup in an open box!!! If you need a crate, I have two -- you'd have to drive up into town to meet me, adding about 40 or 50 miles to your trip. I suppose I could meet Lindsay and hand it over to her if she or hubby comes into the city before you pick up the puppy. I think she comes in once a week or so for various purposes.

LOL! Two days after I picked up Ruby, I took her to the vet for a checkup. I thought I had her secured in the back of the van and blockaded in. Har har!!! Turned out of the 'hood onto a main drag and suddenly she was up in front and WEDGED BETWEEN THE CONSOLE AND THE DRIVER'S SEAT!

I had to pull off, disengage the pup, call the vet and make a new appointment, drive her back to the house, go to PetSmart and buy a crate, and then head for the vet's another day. And let me tell you how terrifying it was make a U-turn across six lanes of traffic with a wriggly ball of fur writing around on my lap!

Got two crates, but Cassie refuses to go into hers. She's big enough and strong enough that she gets her way. So if you'd like to have that crate and we can make a contact with Lindsay, you're more than welcome to it. Including the little flange around the outside used to bolt it together, it's about 20 inches wide by 28 in long by 21 in high. I think it would sit on the back seat of a mid-size sedan.

Comment by Kristen Nicole on January 11, 2015 at 1:02pm

Ladies I already have a crate! :) it's just too big to put in our car. But Okay I will hold off on the furminator! Thank you!

Comment by Jane Christensen on January 11, 2015 at 11:57am

I agree with Susan...they will not have the heavy shedding till at least a year and I have always used a crate from day 1. A crate from the start is much more important and starting it immediately is too. I always crated my pups at night and when they needed naps...at night if you have them in your room you can lean over the bed and just stick your hand in to calm them...other than if you need to take him out the best thing you can do is make sure you don't teach the pup to whine and he gets to come out of his crate. Enjoy!!!!!!

Comment by susan on January 10, 2015 at 10:02pm

Rather than investing in a fur mutator , I suggest you get a crate. You will need it for the car and the house. It's the safest way to ride with them in the car. At home you will need it for house breaking if nothing else. But they come in handy for all sorts of reasons, even to just get a bit of a break from a crazy puppy - lol. For brushing I just use a regular human brush with soft plastic bristles. It works just fine. I also give my pup salmon oil and I really think it reduces shedding. They don't really shed that much until. About a year old anyway. The coat fills in and thickens as they mature.