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Permalink Reply by Sebastian on August 23, 2012 at 11:13pm

- Be consistent. Decide puppy pee pads or going outside to potty. Stick with a food. Don't get convinced that "Well, he/she isn't eating maybe I should switch brands. I promise you they will eat eventually.

- Don't freak out if the puppy doesn't EAT A LOT for the first few days this is normal due to nervousness/new environment. A dog will not starve itself. Leave the food down for 20 or 30min then pick it back up. Eventually the puppy will realize your the food provider

- Cut off water to the puppy at least 2 or 3 hours before bedtime. You could also control it during the day. If the puppy has water all day then he will be pee'ing all day...their bladders fully mature after 9 months.

-Puppies breath very fast compared to when they're older; it's normal.

- Its O.K. to feel overwhelmed the first few weeks. Especially when it comes to potty training. I suggest buying 5 or 6 bottles of hydrogen peroxide (I found it works better than Nature's Miracle to remove odor).

-Use positive reinforcement when your puppy does something you want to encourage (e.g., Always take treats outside with you when they are going potty to encourage they're doing the right thing. This is good for tricks as well.

-Puppies will generally make those cute noises/cry when they're in the crate for the first time...you may even have one that does the puppy howl LOL. Eventually they tire themselves out. My corgi would cry for about 15 minutes the first 6 or 7 night when I would put him to bed in his crate...now he understands and hasn't made a peep since :)

-Try your best to socialize your dog around dogs that are vaccinated. No dog park usually until 18 weeks + due to Parvo etc.

- I took my puppy to the groomer around 12 weeks (this helps with socializing also) to get him use to the groomer. They told me he was deathly afraid of brushing. I ended up buying the same brush  they use and I took him outside  3x a week and brushed him....I used cheddar cheese to distract him while I did and it worked like a charm...corgis are very food motivated.

-If your into bathing your dog. For the first time they will be scared. I ended up getting physically into the bath with it to show him "its ok, nothing to be scared of". He ended up putting his 2 paws on the side of the tub for balance while I washed him. Now he wants a bath more often than I want to give it (rolls eyes LOL).

- Last thing and this is just me personally. I bought Tucker a small tennis ball to play with and he loved it and then I noticed when he pooped once that his POOP WAS KINDA GLOWING. He ate some of the fur on the ball. Since then I use plastic balls.

Hope this helps :)

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Permalink Reply by Sarah, David & Pup Henry on August 25, 2012 at 5:54pm

Thank you, Sebastian! This is great advice. Our little guy totally does the puppy howl, especially when one of us leaves :)

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Permalink Reply by BH & Kona on August 24, 2012 at 2:33pm

Congratulations, Sarah!  We are also bringing home our new baby today.

And thanks to everyone else for all the great advice.

=)

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Permalink Reply by Sarah, David & Pup Henry on August 25, 2012 at 5:55pm

Thank you so much, everyone! We brought little Henry home yesterday and so far he's just like everyone said he would be -- a textbook lovable baby corgi. Keep the good advice coming -- we could really use it! :)

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Permalink Reply by Lora and Tobi on August 25, 2012 at 7:12pm

Congrats to being new Corgi Parents! After having my first Corgi about 6 years ago and now raising another one ... There's one thing that's consistent ... every pup is different.

What Tex picked up quickly, Tobi took a little longer ... and vice versa. While Tex was naturally very quiet in the house and a talker outside the house, Tobi is ... well ... very much the opposite. I couldn't use too much of what I've learned with Tex to teach Tobi outside of the basics because they both learned so differently.

What I did do different was take more pictures ... LOTS more pictures. Not just the baby pictures then the near-adult pictures 6 months later. I have tried to take a couple pictures of Tobi a week just to really see how big of a boy he's getting. Capture those little memories (And share them with us!!)

Be patient. Teach manners early, but know that it might not click right away. Tobi is still working on his "No Bites," but he has his potty training down to a science. Stick with it.

And as others have said ... you run into issues, ask us! Welcome to Corgi Parenthood! Be ready for a fun ride!

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Permalink Reply by Karyne & Dr. Sheldon Cooper on August 25, 2012 at 9:47pm

My words of advice being / things I wished I would of known :
1. Like Ludi said : It NORMAL to be overwhelmed. puppy are a big deal ! Sheldon made me cry a couple of time because I was just so tired ! But it sooOOoOo Worth it !
2. Hawk EYES! never EVER let your puppy out of your site. House training is lots of work. But when your puppy actually come up to the door to go out side it such a good feeling.
3. TLC and SOCIALIZE : with everyone and everything :)
Be proud of your pup ! You are his world ! and check the forum for help and advice from the my corgi community !

Happy Corgi and congratulation :)
Karyne & Sheldon ... BAARROOOOOO !

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on August 26, 2012 at 1:34am

Don't look into the puppy's eyes.  That's how they control our minds.

I would be much more methodical about training.  I'd keep a notebook.  Write down all the commands I want pup to learn (a vocabulary list).  I'd keep a calendar/training log.  Make sure everybody in the household is with the program and on the same page; you are really training yourselves, not the dog.  This is a longterm investment which will pay off handsomely.  The first year is critical.  Pay a lot of attention to this.  

Beth usually has good advice.

Enjoy.

Love.

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Permalink Reply by Judith Andre on August 26, 2012 at 2:51am

I think one of the most important things you can teach your puppy to keep him safe is to not go through an outside door or gate or get out of the car without your permission.  I use the command "wait" and then the release "OK".  I do the same before crossing a street.

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