Bridget,
Yeah when we first got Lance we gated off the kitchen for potty training purposes and the breeder also said that puppies get overwhelmed in large spaces so it would be a good idea to start them off somewhere small, so the kitchen worked for us. Lance thought the cabinets would be good to try to chew, but of course he was teething at the time. I bought some apple bitter spray and put it on there and he didnt seem to ever go back. That is why I think it makes me nervous now to gate him in the kitchen because I dont want to have to replace cabinets!!! Hopefully he will remember not liking the taste of the bitter apple.

Hi Bridget,
Yes, Corgis are smart. Potty Training was not too bad with Lance. Of course in the beginning you expect accidents but they do learn quick, Lance did.
I know it must be hard to wait, but it will be here before you know it and adding to mycorgi all the time!! I think it is really cool that you found out the puppies were here on St. Patricks Day....very cool.
Natalie

Hi Bridget, thanks for the comment! We are actually in a small animal nutrition class right now. I actually want to work with food animals, so this stuff gets a little dry for me, but here's the big picture: Animals don't have requirements for ingredients, they have requirements for nutrients! Basically what we've been taught is that it doesn't matter if the first protein source is plant or animal, because the pet need protein, not beef, etc. Though each source does have its own advantages, there are some amino acids that you can get from plants that you can't get from animals. The board certified nutritionist that teaches our class used to work for Purina, so there are a lot of Purina examples used. However, our school has a Hill's Feeding Program which means we get Hill's food for 1/3 of what they charge in stores. They get us hooked on it now, and then once we graduate, they catch us with the full price. I'm not complaining though! Sorry this post ended up being so long. If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

Thanks for the kind words - we are loving our new baby girl.

Got some pictures of the puppies actually starting to look like little pups! They'll be 3 weeks on Monday and we are going to visit them in 2 weeks. I hate to say it but one of them grabbed my heart the minute I saw it in the picture! Darling little tri with red eyebrows!

We already have the official AKC name if it is a boy or a girl. Now, to get the one picked out and work on the "call name".

girl - Charlotte's Precious Emerald
boy - Charlotte's Lucky Emerald

We're using the puppy pads right now for pottying at night and during the day if for some reason we aren't able to take them outside. We do make sure to still take them outside as much as possible to potty. The problem is we are in a third floor apartment and they are too little to walk down stairs! So even though once they get to the grass, they know it is a good thing for them to potty there, it's impossible to get them into the routine of walking to the door, walking down the stairs, walking to the grass. When they're a little bigger we're going to break them from the pads and have them only go outside, but in the meantime this is working great!

yes - she can go all night. She is 4 1/2 months but I think she was able to go all night from probably 10 weeks or so. I kept thinking she should want to get up and go but she seemed quite comfortable and whenever she did wiggle around or even let out the smallest wimper I'd get up take her to a pad in the middle of the night. Walk to it in the day, but I'd carry her at night. It has been 13 years since I've had a puppy before Sadie and my youngest son is 14 so it has been along time since I've gotten up in the middle of the night for someone else. We just recently started letting her sleep in bed with us (that's another long story) so until this time she has slept in her crate on a chair next to my side of the bed. She goes in the crate anywhere from 9:00 - 10:00 (whenever I go to bed) and then she gets up when I get up. Anywhere from 5:30 to 8:30. It doesn't seem to matter - she just waits and then sometimes I'm ready to get up and she still wants to sleep. But as soon as she gets up she has to do both businesses within about 10 minutes of getting up. Another thing about the middle of the night potty trips - it's only to go potty - not to play and be cuddled. That way they learn what they're really up for and to get the job done quickly and go back to sleep. It's not play time or cuddle time or they'll soon be waking you up to play and cuddle not just to go potty! You'll figure it all out - just read and listen to everyone's advise and then make your own game plan and stick to it. A routine ( or as close to one as you can get) is the best. Sadie is having to learn two different pottying (is that even a word?) methods because I take her to work during the day and then at home at night. It's not quite as easy at work since I have to wait on people and answer the phone I can't just take her for a walk outside anytime she wants so the pads have been great there too. Another little pad promo... when I've taken her anywhere longer than the 4 hours that I've expected her to be able to hold it like on a trip or something I lay a pad on the floor of the car and after looking at me like I'm insane asking her to pee in the car - she does it. I wrap up the pad - toss it out and away we go. She's older now so I know she will go potty outside on the ground if she has to, but back when she was a lot smaller and all she knew was the pads it worked! Shelby

well....we're working on the conversion to "want to go outside?" right now. The theory is once they are potty trained to go on the pad you move them closer and closer to the doors (that's where I started her out anyways) so they associate going potty with the door to outside and then you even take the pads outside if necessary and have then potty on the pads outside gradually making the pads smaller and smaller if necessary until they're comfortable going on the grass, gravel whatever it may be. I was actually going to post a question to the whole site asking for suggestions as to how others have made the transition. Sadie is very well potty trained to the pads right now. I do have to say getting up at 2 in the morning when it's 30 below zero out wasn't what I was looking forward to - so the pad idea was worth the try. I still used the kennel/crate training method as far as unless we were in constant contact or the immediate vicinity of her she was in the crate learning to "hold it" until let out (never more than 3-4 hours at the most) and then right to the pad before playing, eating etc. I also made her walk to the pads from wherever I let her out of the crate so she learned where they were and to go to them rather than being taken/carried to them. Now I don't even think about her having an accident. She just trots off to the pad whenever she needs to. I know I've got to go back to the crate/kennel time and then to the real outside to get her trained to go outside - but it's so nice right now - I'm not really pushing it just yet. The pads are by our outside doors and she is learning what "do you want to go outside?" means as far as she knows she's going to get to either go outside on our front deck (all enclosed and raised off the ground so it's like a huge playpen) or outside on the leash. I know it's maybe gross, but I am letting her do her business on the deck if she chooses (easy to clean and I don't have to go out and freeze with her). But she now knows if she barks by the door I'll ask her if she wants to go out and then slide the door open and out she goes util she barks to come back in. Yes I'm being lazy - but right now it's working for me and I guess it's working for her so I'll keep going with it. Sorry my replies are so long - my husband says I talk too much and I guess I type too much to!! Hope that helps - there are all types of potty pad brands at petco/petsmart. I personally have been buying the Arm & Hammer brand at Target - cheaper and have worked pretty good so far. Shelby

Hi Bridget - Sadie is my 1st corgi. I'm quite familiar with the herding dog attitudes, etc. so I kind of knew what I was getting into before I got her. I also did not know if I wanted a boy or girl. I had an older Lhasa Apso house dog I had adopted about 8 years ago and had to have him put to sleep in January. I thought I could wait until Summer to get a new friend and although my head told me to wait, my heart said I needed one right then. I wasn't crazy about potty training in the winter here in Minnesota and then spring with all the mud. But people told me how easy it was to train them to use potty pads in the house so days after I said my good-byes to Kirby I welcomed Sadie into our home. I chose Sadie because 1st) she was the runt - and I wanted the smallest one, 2nd) she had the nicest markings of the litter of 7 puppies I was looking at and 3rd) since I wasn't set on a boy it gives me the option to raise a litter of puppies if that's what I choose to do. I work at a vet clinic (mostly large animal, very little small animal stuff) and one of the dr's at the clinic raises pwc so I sort of had an "in" on getting her. She is actually out of their male but one of their friends had the female. I've never had a female dog before. So far I don't see a male/female difference thing. I see it more as an individual personality thing having nothing to do with gender. They are independent smart little dogs and they do need to know who is the boss. I am fortunate and get to take her to work with me everyday so we are together a lot! I wasn't sure how attached to me she was but I left her home this afternoon with my husband when I went back to work and I guess as soon as I walked out the door she started running around the house barking like mad for almost 45 minutes and looking out the window for me. Boy, did that make me feel good when he told me that. Sorry for Jeff that he had to listen to her and couldn't get her to quit barking - but it did my heart good to know she wanted to be with me - or at least go for another ride in the car! Maybe that was it and not me afterall. hmmm? Anyways best of luck with your new little one. I got Sadie at 8 weeks old. She wimpered a little bit the first night in her crate but not much and nothing after that first night. What my breeder did for us was give us the blanket that she had in her crate along with a small stuffed toy to take home with Sadie (all included in the $300 price tag). This gave her the scent of her mother and siblings to take along and maybe gave her some comfort that first day or two. When it was bed time I put her in her crate on a chair next to my side of the bed. That way she was in her crate with the scents she was familiar with but had me in sight and knew she wasn't all alone. Then when I heard her wiggling around a few hours later I knew it was time to get up and go to the potty pad, then back to the crate and back to sleep for everyone. Ok - I've talked your ears off long enough - Best of luck! Shelby and Sadie

Welcome Bridget! Can't wait to see pics of your new addition!

At first I was determined to have a tricolor girl so we can have puppies. But lately I have been thinking that the red and whites are so sweet looking! I also am thinking we'll just let the puppy pick us! Seems to be the way that many have done it successfully. I have read about puppy temperament test and will do those too.

Names??? Since the Queen has these darling little dogs, and our family heritage is from England and I LOVE London, and all things English, I wanted a name that makes me think of that country. One time I was visting Portsmouth, England on business, and met the sweetest l ittle girl named Lucy.

So...Lucy for a girl. But no real strong contenders for a boy name. Ideas???

I don't have a corgi yet but hoping to get one. So I agree with Sasha! What are you going to name it?

Welcometo our family! :D About your problam with picking a boy or girl... I would get a girl pup if you would like to breed and get your own little puppies... And if not then you should get a boy pup... that is if they are able to have puppies! :) Anyways Welcome to our corgi family!

Bridget. Good luck with your new little one. The waiting is the hardest part!