Bringing home a corgi
Hello! After probably three years of wanting a corgi, I'm finally going to be able to realize my dreams of having one in my life :) I was able to find a breeder in California to ship a 5-month old red and white Pembroke to me in Washington State and he'll be here on Friday! I can't wait! I am a new dog owner and have only ever raised hamsters and a 9 year old lop eared rabbit in the past. I'm a little scared of making mistakes and I want to make sure I do everything to keep him happy and healthy. I have the exercise pen, the crate, too many toys than I probably should have bought, food, treats, and I signed him up for a couple dog obedience courses as well.
I guess I'm looking for advice on what to do when I bring him home! I'm not sure if I should feed him right when I get home since he might be scared from the flight (although it'll only be about a 2 1/2 hour long flight from SoCal to WA). I also wanted to gradually switch him over from the food he's eating now (Iam's) to the new food (Now! grain free puppy). Since he'll be arriving during the long weekend, I'll have the whole time to spend with him until I have to go back to work on Tuesday. I was thinking about driving home and taking maybe 1 1/2 hours off for lunch to drive home and make sure he's okay during the work week. Should I keep him in his crate while I'm gone or is it okay to let him run around in an exercise pen? The crate just seems like such a small place to stay all day. However, the problem I see with the exercise pen is that he might figure out how to knock it down or move it across the room since it's not attached to anything. Does anyone have advise on how to make the exercise pen puppy proof? :)
Also, how long is a 5 month old puppy able to hold his pee? His breeder said "a couple hours" which kind of worries me since I won't be able to go home every couple of hours to let him out to pee.
Another thing, he is teething - is there any advise on how to make it so he doesn't chew on anything and everything in sight? :) I got several "teething" toys for him that are suppose to be freezable.
Anyway, if there's any other advise on bringing home a puppy any of you would like to share, I would be very appreciative!
Thanks!
Nancy
I guess I'm looking for advice on what to do when I bring him home! I'm not sure if I should feed him right when I get home since he might be scared from the flight (although it'll only be about a 2 1/2 hour long flight from SoCal to WA). I also wanted to gradually switch him over from the food he's eating now (Iam's) to the new food (Now! grain free puppy). Since he'll be arriving during the long weekend, I'll have the whole time to spend with him until I have to go back to work on Tuesday. I was thinking about driving home and taking maybe 1 1/2 hours off for lunch to drive home and make sure he's okay during the work week. Should I keep him in his crate while I'm gone or is it okay to let him run around in an exercise pen? The crate just seems like such a small place to stay all day. However, the problem I see with the exercise pen is that he might figure out how to knock it down or move it across the room since it's not attached to anything. Does anyone have advise on how to make the exercise pen puppy proof? :)
Also, how long is a 5 month old puppy able to hold his pee? His breeder said "a couple hours" which kind of worries me since I won't be able to go home every couple of hours to let him out to pee.
Another thing, he is teething - is there any advise on how to make it so he doesn't chew on anything and everything in sight? :) I got several "teething" toys for him that are suppose to be freezable.
Anyway, if there's any other advise on bringing home a puppy any of you would like to share, I would be very appreciative!
Thanks!
Nancy
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Hi Nancy. COngratulations on getting your puppy! You ask lots of great questions and you can probably get all of them answered here. You might want to go to the forums page and read archived subjects to get lots of details to the questions you have.
I think someone here posted that puppies can "hold it" for one hour of each month of age, so at 5 months he should be able to hold it for 5 hours.
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Samantha on
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Congrats on the Corgi. They're really cute and have a great personality! Just be careful of that teen rebellion coming soon! Lol.
The potty thing. We keep our dog in the laundry room while we sleep and while we're away. Bandit doesn't potty in there. So, if you go to work, you could just leave him in a crate or designated room where he will sleep and be when you're away. He should hold it for several hours. Dogs don't mess (at least usually) where they sleep.
The teething thing. Corgis like to chew stuff! Make sure to keep anything important out of his reach and away from the edges of tables. Mine loves clothes, paper, tissues. I don't think he's still teething, though. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Laurissa on
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Hi Nancy,
Congrats on your new corgi!! I too will be getting my corgi this weekend only mine will be 15 weeks old. I would recommend keeping the puppy in his crate whenever you are gone. I have had other dogs in the past and I have found dogs left alone for long periods of time find ways to get into trouble due to boredom. Even the cage is not a guarantee that a smart pup can remain out of trouble - my sister can attest that.
My recommendation when you get him off the plane is to give him time to move around and give him lots of attention. Don't force him into the next mode of transportation until he starts to warm up to you. I would also recommend having a friend drive so you can hold him so he doesn't have to be placed in a crate right away. If he wasn't used to a crate before, then being a crate for transportation might cause him to be skiddish around a crate. Hopefully this isn't the case.
Also, I don't recommend leaving any toys in the crate with him during the day. They could be a choking hazzard. I know it might seem cruel to leave him all alone for long periods of time but he will associate being in his crate as being a safe place.
Have fun with him! I know new puppies can be an awesome experience. Make sure to socialize him a lot during the first 2 years.
Laurissa
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Permalink Reply by Nancy & Owen on
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Also congrats to you too, Laurissa! Yours will just be a cute little fluffball!
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Thank you for answering my questions Geri & Sidney, Samantha, and Laurissa :) I truly needed the advice! That's a good idea to hold him on the way back home - I definitely don't want him associating his crate with fearful situations. I'll also make sure not to leave toys in his crate while I'm gone - I think I would be worried all day wondering about that! I feel better now about leaving him in his crate while I'm gone, rather than an exercise pen.
This week is going to take *forever* - I can't wait to meet my Owen! :)
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Owen - what a cool name!
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Thanks! :)
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Permalink Reply by Danielle_RN on
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We just recently brought Kara home, she is adapting really well. She is in her crate at night and a few short times during the day. She's not a huge fan of it, but it's slowly improving. We are mixing her food about 2/3 the breeder's food with 1/3 the wellness puppy we are switching her to. She isn'thome alone much, we have been blessed in that area. I work 3 12 hour shifts a week and usually one is a weekend day, so my DH is home, so 2 days a week, I leave for work at 11am, and my Dh comes home for lunch around 1, then comes home for the day at 530. With the puppy pen, can you place something heavy on each side of it to kind of frame it in so it can't slide, therefore less likely to tip?
Kara is a chewer, she mostly likes to chew on the corner of my throw rugs, my pants and my hands. Whenever she is trying to chew on me, I yell "OW, " then give her a rope toy or a chew toy. I spray bitter apple on the edges of the rugs to deter rug chewing.
I hope this helps you!!
Good luck, and enjoy!
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Thanks, Danielle!
You do have an ideal situation where Kara is rarely home alone. I do wish I could spend more time during the day with Owen - I'm hoping he'll be alright with me dropping in during lunch to make sure he's okay.
Thank you for your advise on mixing of foods - I'll use that proportion and see how it works for him this weekend. I was thinking of possibly going to Home Depot and buying a couple heavy bricks to prop up next to the exercise pen; I've been told not to underestimate the determination of a puppy though, so I'm worried he might actually be able to scale the walls or push the cage to reach some delicious furniture or wallpaper :P I hope that having something at each end will prevent him from pushing the cage right up to something not to be chewed on. Someone told me to put a sheet over the top of the exercise pen (which is 4 ft tall, so I have doubts he could actually jump over or climb out) and secure the sheet with clothes pins - so hopefully that'll stop him from going over, hehe. I also have to go to the store and invest in some bitter apple - thanks for bringing that up :)
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Permalink Reply by Megan and Penelope on
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Congrats, our Penelope just came home a couple of days ago. She is just shy of 3 months. The week before you get him is the hardest to wait. Our girl is actually doing pretty well with the crate. She doesn't always want to get in before we go to work or to bed, but she quiets down soon after. She is a chewer, make sure that you have plenty of good chew toys and a few sqeaky's when you can supervise her with those. You are still going to have to watch him close even if he has a chew toy, they still are interested in chewing the furniture. Just say no and give him a chew toy rather than the wrong things. I thought the same thing about you as the ex pens, but she isn't too confined in her crate, I know she is safer in there. Also, Penelope can hold it longer than a "couple" of hours and she is younger. I think things will be fine though. Sounds like you have been preparing!
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Congrats to you as well, Megan :)
Owen's breeder said she started to crate train him and he goes with her to her grooming shop in a crate and goes in there while the hairdryers are on. I'm hoping that since he's older, he'll be more comfortable in a crate. She also said she started calling him Owen, so that'll be funny if he actually responds to his name when I see him :)
I did get some chew toys - although I'm not really sure which ones are the best. I've heard Kongs mentioned quite a bit, so I got both normal and puppy Kongs of various types. I got those BusterCubes and other types of toys that you can put kibble or treats in and they roll it around - so hopefully he'll find those entertaining. Needless to say, I had great fun playing with all the new toys when they arrived at my door - I just hope he finds them as fun :)
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