Worried if Corgis are the right breed for us!
Hi all - new to the board!
After living in a no-pets apartment for 5 years, we've finally moved...and are in the market for a dog. We have a friend (several states away) who has a Corgi. While visiting, we became enamored of "Blueberry" and are seriously considering Corgis as our breed of choice.
We've done research, and unfortunately there are several things that are giving me pause. So I'd love to get some input from experienced Corgi owners before taking the plunge...
Details about us: both experienced, dedicated dog owners - we've had both large and small. Our last one died of old age 5 years ago...and our landlord implemented a building wide no-pets policy. We live in NYC, in a 2 bedroom coop (1100 square feet.) We both work. I tend to have long hours, but my husband's work is flexible. Back when we had our older dogs, we always made a point of 3 walks a day. There's also a park, right near our home. (My husband is interested in the possibility of training our Corgi for agility, though it would be a new experience for us.) We can live with fur. That's not a problem.
We also have a 6 year old cat (he has his claws, and didn't seem bothered the one time had some pups over for a few hours, as part of a rescue transport.)
In researching, I've read that Corgis are intelligent, energetic - and can be really destructive when left alone. Our dogs are always members of our family - but I don't want to make the mistake of getting a dog that ends up destroying the house from boredom...or barking incessantly and bothering the neighbors. Is a Corgi a reasonable breed for our situation? Or do we need to rethink this, and consider other breeds?
**As a side item - my husband is insisting on a puppy, since he's afraid that an older dog might be a danger to the cat. But if that's not the case, we'd love to do rescue (older, though still young enough that we'll have several years with him/her and don't have to go through the heartbreak again, too soon.) Welcome anyone's thoughts on this!!
Thanks,
--Janet
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Elisabeth Spector on
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Yes, I laughed out loud, too! That's one of the funniest things I've read in a long time, especially since your 2 sound just like our Fred and Betsy but with the sexes switched.
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Permalink Reply by justine moeller on
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One of our corgis we rescued went to a lady in Maine with a Dobe who she refers to a dumb blonde as well! :) The most gentle girl. We went to visit the corgi last summer and laughed so hard when all the dogs went to go outside. The doberman waited until all the other dogs went out and the corgi ( a 12 year old senior) turned around and gave her a little growl to make sure she knew her place. Haha! What a big baby!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Justine, That sounds so much like our house!! The dobe is scared to death of Sparty (almost 13) and if he growls at her she runs over to hide behind me. I have to watch our cats (declawed) when I am feeding her because they have chased her away from her food. The only time she appears fierce is when someone comes to the door..then she looks very dangerous. The rest of the time she is sleeping with her head on my lap on the couch.
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Permalink Reply by Sam, Gregg & Poopdeck on
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When you say fur is no problem; I really do not believe that a non Corgi owner can ever imagine how much they shed!
Poopdeck is not a yapper, but he does bark. He barks when he plays( ask the others at the dog park) he barks when we leave, but stops soon after. Like I said not a constant yapper but a loud voice for a short dog. They do have a bunch of energy, three walk are good. We used to play the"puppy come" game just to wear him out. We would call Poopdeck to us at opposite ends of the house; it worked well. Very intelligent, even smart enough to know when to leave the cat alone. As far as rescues, I think some people give up because they did not do the research and you could end up getting a dog with issues another person caused . Only you can make that decision for yourself, good luck. We have never had regrets!
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Permalink Reply by Ellen Andersen on
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I have three cardigans and I haven't had any destruction issues aside from some eyeglasses when one was a puppy. Before I retired they were alone and free range in the house without issues. Well, they did tear up Cesar Milan's "Be the Pack Leader" book, but I think that was a personal issue on their side....LOL. Personally, I'd do the adult dog rescue route if you could find one that didn't have separation issues, other issues like what poor Melissa has gone through with Kirby, and the like. You both are experienced dog folks so you've definitely got a head start on finding the right corgi.
Corgis ARE definitely independent (they're herding dogs, after all) and intelligent and can be mighty stubborn, but they're also very quick to learn.
Good luck! Welcome to the site...there's lots and lots of support and understanding here. Please keep us posted!
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Here's another corgi owner with adult rescues--the very best dogs I've ever had. Betsy was picked up as a stray and taken to the local shelter (she was estimated to be 3-4 years old at the time) and Fred was dumped at age 2.5 by his owner (along with his sister) at a high-kill shelter. Neither was fixed and Betsy was heartworm positive. We got them several months apart. When we got Betsy, we knew virtually nothing about corgis (I grew up with Siberian huskies, though, so was somewhat prepared for another smart, headstrong breed). After a few months with Betsy, we knew we had to have another corgi and after weeks of searching we found Fred out of state, worked through the rescue's approval process, and drove out with Betsy to pick him up. (You should have seen our application to get Fred; it read like a high-pressure sales ad, describing our experience with Betsy, our perfectly-suited-for-corgis house and lifestyle, etc., etc. The rescue lady who pulled him from the kill shelter specializes in corgis, and our previous experience with the breed via owning Betsy helped a lot. I think your knowledge of the breed would be a huge selling point for you as potential adopters.)
Fred was a mess when we picked him up and threw him in the car with Betsy to drive back. He had just been neutered the day before and had also just finished treatment for kennel cough (had to be kept in the outside run away from other dogs in 95 degree temps). His outer stitches popped open, he was trying to mark in the house (hormones hadn't gone down yet and who knows if he was ever fully housetrained) and then we left a few days later on a trip to Colorado with both dogs and 2 kids in a rental van. This probably all sounds like a recipe for disaster, LOL, but everything worked out great. Betsy accepted Fred immediately; with careful supervision Fred quickly learned not to mark indoors (and Betsy took great pride in showing him the ropes/rules of the house, etc.). Except for Fred's love of paper cups and the hard plastic of harness clips, we’ve had zero problems with destructive behavior, and both corgis have full run of the house. They LOVE to travel, and in the past 2 years we’ve taken them to Colorado, Wisconsin and New York (Fred’s favorite place in the world is Manhattan). They’ve been great in the car, and no problem in the hotel (we monitored them with Skype before we figured out that they immediately go to sleep once we leave). We joke that they are way better than the kids when we travel!
We realize that we’ve been very lucky with our adult rescue corgis. They have no behavior issues, other than some leash aggression on Fred’s part and his propensity to see little white fluffy, yappy dogs as prey items (no problems with dogs of his own size). They are both quite low-energy, adore all people, are incredibly loyal and devoted to us (and especially to the kids), and bring such joy to us day in and day out. They do bark (Betsy, especially, though it’s always a very purposeful bark to try to tell us something, and both corgis are quiet when we’re gone. Fred didn't bark at all for the first year and a half, but seems to be learning from Betsy to bark at outside noises, LOL.) It was incredibly heartwarming to see each of their personalities unfold in the first weeks and months of owning them, and to watch them learn new commands and the ins and outs of our specific family life. In a way, it was like having a puppy, but without all of the potty training and chewing! One thing that helped, I’m sure, was that I work from home most of the time. Above all else, corgis do seem to love having their humans nearby, and I think it helped them to quickly learn the ways of our household with me there all the time. Sorry for the long reply, but I just wanted you to keep an open mind regarding rescues. I hope all goes well in your search for a new dog! (And, as someone else pointed out, be prepared for getting two corgis once you have one—I would have 4 if I could, LOL.)
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Permalink Reply by Janet Goodman-Clarke on
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Hoo boy. A few days ago, happened to type "Corgi" into Craigslist - just out of curiosity. (I know, people aren't *supposed* to advertise animals there.) Turns out, there's a puppy Corgi that the owner is trying to resell. They say that they need to relocate, and can't take the pup. The little girl is only 3-4 months old.
Long story short, got a copy of the pet store papers. ACA registry. Breeder is Brandon Hough, who I believe is a puppy mill out of MO. The person paid $1300 for the girl, and is trying to resell her for $800. Needless to say, it's not for me. (Although I would consider adopting her outright, if that were an option, despite the possible health issues.)
I did write to the owner, tell them that I know Corgi rescue groups if no-one takes the little girl. The pictures are adorable, and she deserves a good home...no matter where she came from....
If the owner writes back and is interested in rehoming through a rescue, I'll let someone know...
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Permalink Reply by Pam on
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Hi Janet!
I had to reply to your post. My husband and I own, Elli, an 18 month red-headed tri. We also live in Manhattan. Our space sounds similar to yours-a 2 bed with about 1200 square feet. I work in advertising and my husband works in finance-so we are no strangers to long hours. And I have to tell you, we make it work. We got Elli when she was 13 weeks old. We set up an ex-pen in our living room area and put down a remnant of linoleum under it to protect the floors (hardwood) so if she peed on the floor, it would be easy to clean up. We have an open plan living area so it wasn't like we could just put her in the kitchen. We also crate trained her.
This is how our schedule worked out: We would get up fairly early, get her out of the crate, quick pee and then breakfast. Then she would get a good walk in and hang out with us while we got ready for work. She would go in her crate around 8:30 and then her dog walker would come walk her at 1 for 30 minutes. After that, she got to be in her ex-pen until we go home (around 6). Then off to the dog park (we go to the East River one under the FDR) for some fun play time. She would typically go to bed around 11. Rinse and repeat! She was really great about not really chewing up stuff unless I didn't give her enough exercise and she was frustrated. I lost 2 shoes. Two in total. Corgis are generally very clean little dogs and REALLY don't want to mess in their crate/ex-pen. One day (after about a month in) she just decided going to the bathroom outside was the coolest and never looked back. She has also ridden the subway with me (in a Sherpa bag) and did well.
If you do decide to pull the trigger (and I hope you do!), consider Andrea Arden puppy classes and dog training. They have locations all over the city and are fantastic. Worth every penny. And they do agility. Elli took classes and was in love with it.
As she got older, she needed more exercise during the day, so she goes to The Salty Paw (in the seaport) for day camp 3x a week (we buy sessions in bulk so we get a discount). The staff there is fabulous and she LOVES it. Our walker comes on the off days and we make sure to take her to the park, play soccer on the pier or go for a long walk in the evening.
Is it a lot of work? Sure. Do I regret for a minute getting her? Never. She is hilarious. She is basically the unofficial mayor of the seaport, a local celebrity and just the best decision we ever made.
If you want more info or recommendations on a breeder (we LOVE ours and they are in NJ), just let me know!!
Best,
Pam and Elli
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Pam and Elli -
OMG - thanks for responding! :)) Ironically, I'm in Finance as well (hence, the long hours.) Sounds like we have approximately the same apartment set-up, too. A very wide, open living room. We do have a narrow galley kitchen that could theoretically be closed on both ends with baby gates, if we need to go that route. The floor there is laminate, so that would be an easy clean (though - we're open for a slightly older Corgie as well, in order to dodge the baby stage...)
FYI - our local dog run is the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood, Bronx. They're in the process of building a much better one (not slated to be finished until October, unfortunately.) But it's supposed to have large and small dog sections, fountains, the works... :)
Would LOVE to get a breeder recommendation from you... And see about an eventual meetup, too! :)
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The ex-pen will save you. We toss Elli in it when we are running out so she can play or sleep or do whatever. We made the decision that she will not be able to have free reign of the apartment while we are out so the ex-pen was the perfect solution. Even with an older corgi, the ex-pen can be great. Corgis are sly dogs and will find trouble if you let them. No potato chip bags EVER. They can suffocate in them. Luckily Elli is the only corgi ever who is not food motivated. Unless it is baby carrots. She loves those.
When we first got Elli, we had a pretty crummy dog run down the street so we spent time with her out on the pier in the seaport. Then they opened the East River esplanade and the dog run there. It is nice, good owners.
Regarding breeders, we got Elli from Brumbaer, out in Flemington, NJ (Sue King and Karen Fruhman). They are active in the initiative to maintain the genetic integrity of Pembroke corgis (fighting against inbreeding), the corgi rescue out there and they also show their pups (Elli's sister, Lilly, just won her specialty). They are amazing women. They also will re-home some of their retired show dogs, should the situation arise, so they might be able to help you there too. And if that isn't enough, they will also board your pup (at a MUCH more reasonable rate than places in the city, they will even come into the city to pick your dog up if need be) while you are on vacation. They actually prefer it. They call it Corgi Camp. Sue's email is brumbaercorgi@msn.com.
Just to warn you, they typically only breed maybe once a year. We had to wait awhile for Elli. But she was worth it! We originally wanted a red male, but now that we have a tri girl, I can't imagine having any other dog. They also started crate training the pups, leash training, etc, so if you do go the puppy route, they are set up pretty well when you get them. Sue also knows who may have pups or older dogs who need homes and can point you in the right direction. If you do contact her, tell her Pam and Elli sent you!
I hope all this helps. I can't imagine my life with my silly Corgi and I hope you guys find the right pup for you! I have to say that Sue and Karen knew their dogs well and knew exactly which one would fit best for our life and personalities.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I talked to Sue about a pup before we ended up getting Maddie as a retired adult from another breeder. She was so nice! I talked to her for a good hour on the phone.
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If you decide on a pup and are willing to drive to the Reading, PA area, I highly recommend Kandy Boll from Corgard. If you want to go a bit further to Northeast PA, Anne Caterson from Kestrel is wonderful. Last I checked she doesn't breed often and many go on to show, though.
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