'Thank You' from a new Corgi owner

For my first post on this site, I just want to give a hearty Thank You! to everyone who has posted before me.

Growing up, I had two dogs. My family has a long tradition of outside dogs (which I never liked, but I was the kid). Nothing is difficult about having an outside dog in the country. They run, play, bark, potty, chew whatever and wherever they want on the acres of land they have free range to explore. You play with and walk them when you feel like it and ignore them when you have other work that needs doing. Needless to say, having a puppy in my apartment is wildly different.

In the three weeks I've had Ellie, I've been on this site frequently to figure out why she's doing what she's doing and how to correct her behavior. I figured out really quickly that we BOTH have to correct our behavior and that my timeline/expectations for training is unrealistic. Reading your posts is like a big, deep, calming breath.

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Comment by Natalie, Fiona, & Django on January 21, 2013 at 3:55pm: First - congratulations on your new baby! Second - having raised 2 puppies in an apartment before, I feel for you! I, too, found it took a little extra patience and planning and training on both our parts. I'm about to get a puppy in a few weeks and raise it in a house with a backyard for the first time, so I'm sure that will be a new paradigm. :)

I find the posts on here incredibly helpful as well, and am so grateful for this community! Something else I've found really helpful are the Monks of New Skete books on raising puppies. They raise Shepherds primarily, but the training principles are the same for all breeds. I think they may also have a video out as well. I found them really helpful in training ME how to better communicate what I want, and enforce and reward good behavior. I know there are several wonderful books and methods out there, but I found this one to be one of the most useful for me.

Congrats again, and I look forward to many pics to come! :)

Comment by Cathie on January 21, 2013 at 10:33am: I'm pretty new here too and have learned so much already. I liked your post because I've had Sky for 2 weeks and I know exactly what you mean about BOTH of us needing to learn the dance steps of being together. I've had to slow down, think about what I want, and take those big calming breaths too. Nice to have you here.

Comment by Laura and Tommy Jefferson on January 21, 2013 at 10:09am: Good luck, Heather! Ellie is adorable! :)

Comment by Yuki & Ellie on January 21, 2013 at 9:33am: We all learn from one another, here, and it's an invaluable resource for all. :) Congratulations on your new addition! It's always great to see another corgi named "Ellie" in the mix. ;)