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Comment by Brooke Busteed on July 19, 2012 at 1:15pm

He understands "sit" and that is about it. 

 

Yes, I do need a vacation from him, usually Friday's my boyfriend is home and I get to come to work alone...but this week he has to work so no such luck.  As far as yelling at the boyfriend, this has definately caused tension between us but we both know it is just temporary.  My BIGGEST problem is walking, he wont do it.  Not with just me anyway, and my boyfriend is out of town Sun-Thurs.  He barks at me when he has to poop, that is another good thing he does...

Comment by Nora on July 19, 2012 at 1:09pm

Poor Brooke, you need a big hug or a vacation away from your puppy...

Nobody here is trying to bash you, but all honest advises. You reminded me my cranky days because of the pup and I had to yell at my boyfriend (instead of the pup) to relieve my frustration...LOL...Maybe you wanna borrow?

Your pup needs to get well first and I hope it will be very soon. Before you could go to the class, there are a lots of things you could teach the dog yourself, if you like to try some of them. I know Ludi is quite a trainer herself, she should be able to give you lots of tips. Does he know any cue so far?

The reason we don't like to say no is because the pup doesn't know what is right and that is something you wan to teach him by praising and yummy treats. (A hint: praise FIRST, like "Good boy/yes/great" , and then pop up the treat. So he will learn praise is associated with treats --- praise is a good thing, then the praise word you choose has a meaning. And later, even without the treat, the praise will let him know he does something good)

He responses to food well which is wonderful! AT THE BEGINNING, you will use a lot of treats to teach him what YOU want him to do. You can even do hand-feeding for one/all of his meals if you are using dry food and practice some very basic manners, like pay attention to you, collar grab, being petted, being examined...

Does he have a lots of toys available all the time? If so, put away all the toys (you can leave the dog bone though) and play a toy with him when you have time. He could ONLY play the toy with you. --- He will figure out you are source of fun.

A crate might NOT be a bad idea. Since puppy does need a lot of sleep to grow up and especially he is sick now. Sleep will make the recovery faster sometimes. A crate will provide him security so he could curl down without interruption, and you could have some relief when he is sleeping, right? I know my pup gets fussy if she wants to take a nap but couldn't.

Hang in there!!!

Comment by Gail And Percy on July 19, 2012 at 12:49pm

You are very lucky that you can take your dog to work.Most of us can't. I think things are always better when you can get them out for a walk- he has been ill and he will get better and be able to get his jabs - you just need to be patient.i remember thinking that having Percy was more difficult than looking after my kids when they were young but he is much less hassle than they are now and sleeps most of the time he's not scrounging or going for walkies.

Comment by Brooke Busteed on July 19, 2012 at 12:30pm

Billy has TWO crates, one at home and one at the office.  He sleeps in it and at night even goes into it for bed.  I am just stating I don't leave him at home for 8 hours in a crate while i am at work.  He comes with me instead.

Comment by Brooke Busteed on July 19, 2012 at 12:25pm

He LOVES humans and other dogs.  I want NOTHING more than to do puppy classes but I can't do to his immune system being too low for vaccines.

Comment by Melissa and Franklin! on July 19, 2012 at 12:17pm

Also if I am remembering right this is a dog from a pet store correct? If so he is a dog from a puppy mill where he had ZERO socialization in the first few months of his life. He has NO IDEA what humans are, what this big house is, all he knows is a tiny cage with his littermates, fighting for survival until he was sold to a pet store. Not only do you have puppy behaviors to deal with, you also have the baggage of being a puppy mill puppy to deal with. A lot of very important socialization occurs during the first 12 weeks of a puppy's life. If his first 8 weeks were spent in a cage being malnourished and poorly cared for, he has A LOT of learning to do. A puppy mill puppy has no idea what love and affection are, you need to teach him and be VERY patient and keep remembering where you got him.

Comment by Gail And Percy on July 19, 2012 at 12:14pm

I suggest you do invest in a crate for Billy and cover it with a dark blanket or mesh at one end so it is nice and dark - I took out one of our kitchen cupboards and put Percy's crate in there so it was a nice wee hidey hole. It makes potty training a lot easier - he won't pee in his crate and take him straight out when he gets up. No wonder you are frazzled if you have him under your feet all day and at work as well! Get him a portable crate for being in at work too.
Take time just to have him up in your arms when he is tired tickling his tummy as he goes to sleep then put him in his crate - if he whines to begin with in crate warm up his bed with a hot water bottle before putting him in and he should go straight to sleep.
For the poo Leave it will work eventually- I had to give Percy a fright a couple of times with a squirty bottle of water in front of him before he really got it but wouldn't do that while your puppy is so young. A crate isn't cruel and it will give you a break.Good luck

Comment by Melissa and Franklin! on July 19, 2012 at 12:09pm

I haven't read other's responses yet but I think obedience classes will do a lot to build your relationship. Corgis are an independent breed and they don't automatically give you respect, you have to earn it. One great way to earn that respect in a fun environment is take training classes together. Franklin and I took a little bit to really bond, he was a typical puppy in addition to the fact that he never got excited when I came home, wasn't very affectionate, and only wanted to play, play, play and didn't shower me with love and cuddles. We took several training classes together and now Franklin is my whole world. He is incredibly lovable and affectionate and would do ANYTHING to please me. So I think part of it is you need to find ways to bond with him that he enjoys and part of it is that he is a puppy and his personality is still developing. He is in a crucial social point of his life so honestly either get rid of him now so somebody else has a chance to bond with him while he is still in his early life, or make a plan to stick it out and see how he matures. He is still very young and you haven't had him very long at this point, but if you think you will be re-homing him in the future you might as well do it now for his sake.

Comment by Brooke Busteed on July 19, 2012 at 11:54am

I never do anything when I find a puddle, I'm not that evil.  If i catch him peeing I say no, scoop him up and take him outside.  I guess I will just NOT say no to him anymore, this is the first I have heard of that strategy but you all seem to agree so I will try my best to NOT say NO. 

 

Billy is sick, YES, but he doesn't act it!  He seems just fine other than the morning coughing.

Comment by Ludi on July 19, 2012 at 11:47am

Take a breather. I know it is easy to be defensive at this point, when you are emotionally wrecked from dealing with not just a sick puppy, but one who is also making it really hard for you to feel like you're getting any love back. But just keep in mind that dogs can't "reason" like we can - right now, the biggest thing in his mind is that he's sick. Imagine if you got the flu AND a horrible rash at the same time. Would you feel inclined to be warm and cuddly with someone relatively new in your life? Of course not! You're feeling pain and discomfort, and they would affect your comportment greatly.

Now, with that out of the way - saying NO is something that soothes us, but teaches the dog very little. For instance, when your puppy pees on the floor: you say NO! But he doesn't know what that word means. "Should I not pee here?" "Should I not pee at all?" "Should I not pee in front of my human?" "Ahhhh! She scared me! What does she want!" These are just sample ideas that could be running through his head. WE know what No means, but a dog doesn't. I am guilty of saying No sometimes to Ace, but I am trying very hard to get away from it. It confuses the dog, and with a soft dog like Ace, it can make him shut down. He will no longer have any idea what to do because he doesn't know what made him get a No in the first place.

If you CATCH Billy peeing on the floor, like literally within 0.5 seconds of that tinkle coming out, scoop him up (he'll probably stop at this point out of surprise) and put him on a surface you agree is for peeing - in most cases, outside. Wait until he goes again, even if it's a tiny droplet, and praise like crazy. If you do NOT catch him in the act, i.e. if you find a puddle, don't do anything. Clean the area with Nature's Miracle. Your pup has already forgotten.

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