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Comment by Gromit, Sparkle, and Doug on December 10, 2011 at 6:19pm

Cindy, Gromit thought wiener dog ears and tails were chew toys until Holly explained otherwise to him.  He never quite lost his fascination with her tail though.  Tail envy, perhaps?  Best of luck with Rocky and his PetSmart class.  You can do it, Rocky!

Comment by Beth on December 10, 2011 at 5:25pm

Good luck with the classes!

Comment by Cindy Feuerstein on December 10, 2011 at 5:16pm

Thank you for the comments, and advise!, I called PetSmart and they have a new class starting next Thursday and Rocky is now enrolled! I will keep you all posted to let you know Rocky,s progress. P.S to Doug & Gromit the picture with him licking Holly,s ear reminded me of Steiner he did that all the time.

Comment by Gromit, Sparkle, and Doug on December 10, 2011 at 4:04pm

Hi Cindy.  You have my condolences on the loss of your buddy Steiner.  It is so very hard to lose them!  The advice the others gave about starting to work with Rocky now is right on.  He won't change much but he can learn to get along a little better.  

As you can see from the photo below, doxies and Corgi pups can mix.  Holly the Insane Wiener Dog was 5 when we got Gromit and not the friendliest dog around.  We did take her with us when we picked up Gromit so she met him on neutral territory and that helps, I think. 

Holly wasn't thrilled at having him around but she did learn to play with him and she also put him in his place when he got too rambunctious.  He loved her a lot more than she liked him but they worked it all out while Gromit was still "small."  Later on it was pretty funny to see an 11lb doxie knock over a 30lb Corgi and give him "what for" but she'd never hurt him.   Gromit grew up knowing who was top dog and respected her space.  Some assistance from us when he'd get too pushy trying to play was helpful too.  So knowing a bit about wiener dogs, I think your help Rocky will adapt although he may not be your new pups bestest buddy.

Comment by Sandy Stickney on December 10, 2011 at 2:17pm

Hi Cindy, Your Steiner was a handsome fellow!  I brought 2 cardigan puppies into a home with 2 older dogs, both of whom don't care for other dogs.  When the cardis were very small, we were very careful not to have unsupervised situations with them and the older dogs.   Although as they have gotten older, I have gotten more lax (lazy dog parenting on my part) and have had issues (see my recent discussion on this issue).  We always crate the puppies while we are out of the house, and also at bedtime so they can't wander around.  And, even though we have now had them in the house for almost 2 years, I still have to be vigilant when the cardis are loose, so things don't get out of control with the older dogs, especially my 11 year old golden.  She has come to tolerate the puppies, and will even play with them, but things can (and have) quickly escalated out of control. 

Comment by Melissa and Franklin! on December 10, 2011 at 1:00pm

Unfortunately since Rock is 11, his behaviors are probably pretty hardwired. I would recommend taking him to training classes now simply to get him out and around other dogs in a controlled environment. As others have said, keep the dogs separated with supervised interaction. Would you be open to getting an older puppy? Or an adult dog from a breeder? Just thinking that so the pup would be bigger and  less likely to be injured by Rocky. Also explain the situation to the breeder and allow them to choose a puppy. But first and foremost I would do training classes, maybe even have a private trainer come to your home and observe how rocky reacts to other males and have him/her help you through the behavior problems.

Comment by Jane Christensen on December 10, 2011 at 12:03pm

So sorry for your loss Cindi.I totally understand how you are feeling and am glad that you have changed your  mind and are opening your heart to a new corgi!  My niece just went through this and lost 2 doxies this summer from old age.In between she rescued one and just got a new one. Since she got a pup and her rescue was new to her she would leash the rescue unless she was right there. Make sure they are separated crated or gated off if you can't be there. Slowly introduce and do things together but always be "aware".It took about 2weeks for the 2 doxies to get along and they are enjoying life together but NEVER leave them alone uncrated for a long time. There are several discussions on MyCorgi about which sexes work best but I have to say that for me I have 4 of each sex and no problems. Personality wise I would get you guy out to petstore and classes would be better and really focus on the positive of getting along. Does Rocky know the word  "leave it"?Good Luck and it is workable:)

Comment by Beth on December 10, 2011 at 11:06am

Steiner was a very handsome boy and I'm sorry to hear you lost your friend.   

I'm glad to hear you are ready to bring on a new puppy.  Some older dogs really enjoy the extra activity, while some are miserable to have a boisterous pup around.   Is there any way you can see how he is with puppies before bringing one home?  

As far as a match, I'd let the breeder you find meet him and then pick a puppy for you, which will probably be a more submissive or laid back female.  The only caution I have is to consider how you would be able to cope if Rocky develops some age-related health problems that require a high level of care and you have a new pup around at the same time.   Doxies are typically a long-lived breed I think so it may be years before that happens.  

If you do get a pup, once it arrives I would just make sure the puppy is secure in a crate or a pen with an added layer of baby gates keeping Rocky out of the room.  Allow carefully supervised interaction and make sure that Rocky knows the puppy isn't going to be able to push him out of your lap or anything else.  

Good luck!