I am almost ready to give up on my corgi puppy as much as that pains me!

Hi everyone,

I come here all out of ideas but with the knowledge that:

Every dog is different
Corgis are wonderful dogs

Here is my story:

10 years ago I became the proud owner of a corgi cross named Simon. Simon was brilliant, loyal, loving, eager to please, and best of all EASY to train. I don't work so I spent time with Simon; we became best friends fast.

Simon passed away in August. Because I need company I decided to get another puppy. I have owned corgis all of my life. I love them little guys! We brought home Charlie Cheeseburger. I felt better.

Charlie was 8 weeks old when we brought him home. He did not take to us right away. Charlie doesn't let us pet him. ( I can get 4 rubs down his back before he snaps at me.) He bites like crazy. I tried yelping, no-ing, leaving the room, providing other objects to chew on other than my flesh, he just doesn't care. I have never have seen the inside of a dog's mouth so many times- it reminds me of Jaws.

Charlie is not a mean dog. In fact he loves other people.

He is always wagging his nub for strangers but never for us. No matter how much we train him, clicker train him, praise him, reward him, play with him, feed him, treat him, he still gives us the vibe that he would rather be somewhere else.

I have even hired personal dog trainers to help us which I never thought I would have to do but I have no choice since I can't get Charlie to listen to basic commands. He doesn't want to please us.

To add fuel to the fire last week I took Charlie for a short half a block jog. I am overweight so we didn't over do it. But just as I was about to stop Charlie did what corgis do- he got between my feet. I flew over him and hit the concrete. I have road rash and broke my wrist. Charlie is afraid of my cast so he won't come near me. He won't listen to my husband. Today he got away from him and almost ran into traffic.

There is an add in Craigs List- a family wants to give a corgi a forever home. I just want him to be happy. I want him to be happy with us but if that isn't going to happen then should I let go to give him a better life?

Please tell me that you had similar issues. Charlie is currently 4 1/2 months old. Please tell me it will get better. I want to believe. I don't want to give up. Did your corgi turn out to be your loyal friend???

BTW- I don't blame Charlie for my fall I know it was my fault.

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I am so totally impressed with you ladies being able to lose so much weight. I have been trying since the first of the year and I thought the last 2 months of having to walk Snickers to rehabilitate her leg would help. I guess I need to substitute carrots and green beans for my treats? We should set up a dog walkers weight loss group!

Haha, Snickmom, that would be an awesome group! I would totally join! I need help getting off those last pounds bc I HAVE NO IDEA of how Iost the weight I did LOL.. My weight just started dropping one day, and it stopped where I am now like two months ago lol!!

I understand completely, our Tenby was in such bad shape that we just could not leave him. He was such a beautiful dog, but little did we know the ups and downs of a rescue (from a breeder)

Maybe Charlie wasn't physically abused but those emotional scars run deep. Tenby is now 6 and such a wonderful boy. still has some quirks.  The first 18 months were HELL, but he was 6 months when we got him.

Does he let others pet is back? I think the idea of having his back checked is a good idea. He could have a bone bruise or something that didn't heal right.

I think it helped us with Tenby thinking of him as emotionallyl crippled. He had to learn to trust, love and most of all relax.  He never learned to play.

Hope this helps.

Amy, please don't take offense to the weight comment that was made.. I really think it could have been worded better, yes, but I don't believe it was meant to be offensive, or directed as a personal attack.

I am a bit chunky myself, so I know how sensitive of a subject it is, but I think she was just trying to be positive--like when I adopted Ziggy, I wanted him as a walking buddy to keep me motivated, and to give me something to focus on (I'm extremely anxious and shy) while out and about, so I feel that that is what she was trying to get at..

(Though unless someone openly asks for that kind of advice, I do think it may be best not to have it brought up at all..)

Anyhow, that is really strange that his breeder acted in that way, and I am glad you would not return him to her! Definitely have him checked out by a vet, especially with the way that he is tiring so quickly.. Puppies are boundless balls of energy! (Well, the ones I've met.. I've never had a puppy puppy in my actual care).

I'm glad that you have decided to keep working with him to see if things can work out for you all :) He's a real cutie!

Maybe it was just too soon... I made that mistake, but unfortunately, my next Corgi and I did not bond well. My fault, wprking too long hours at the time. She did bond with my daughter and has a great home. I waited a good long while after that, then got a sweetie corgi/border collie from a rescue group. We love each other, but in a different way than the beautiful sable girl i had that died so young(8) from VonW... Maybe you can find a loving home for this one, then give yourself some time to really get over Simon.

Exercise is important for corgis.  I can roll a ball down the hall or across the room a hundred times and Chepstow will run after it.  It is good exercise when we can't walk.  Plus it is bonding, he is happy and excited about playing with me. When he was young we practiced catch with a soft ball.  Now 7 years later catch still is so much fun.

It may be worth a vet visit to rule out any physical issues. The petting issues and not liking to walk makes me wonder if there is an underlying problem. A couple of pet stores here have puppy play sessions on the weekend. It may help burn off energy if he could attend something similar. Are there any dogs or puppies in your neighborhood that he could play with? Becca burns off way more energy playing with her neighborhood friends than when walking. I can't run with Becca due to a foot injury. A couple of the neighborhood kids love her and will run with her around their yards. It works for both of us. (I'd be careful until his biting is under control though.)

Have you tried Bitter Apple or Phooey on your hands for the biting issue?

I understand him being afraid of your cast. Becca is still afraid of my cell phone. It vibrated in front of her once and she  now thinks it is possessed . If I have something super tasty she will touch it. Try to bait him to come near your cast.

Becca was 8 months when I got her. The first two weeks she would often stop on our walks. She did it when she was overwhelmed by all the new things. When it happened I tried to distract her with the touch game. Even now when she is overwhelmed the touch game helps center her.

Luffy acted very similar as a puppy. He definitely wasn't the cuddly type and would get super excited seeing strangers (even now) more so then seeing me. He would stop mid walks and wouldn't budge which i think it was his way of trying to be boss haha. Also his biting/chewing was just off the hook, every time i went down to pet him he probably thought my fingers were a chew toy. He even had some aggression with his food/ toys/ anything new he found on the ground and would give me the meanest growl then a snap if i tried taking it away from him.  All of this has toned down now that he has gotten older, 11 mo. now.  He now lets me pet him. sleeps on my lap, and cuddles up to my foot when im sitting down. He gets supppper excited to see me now after being apart for a short time and he is the happiest dog on walks and won't stop until his legs give out. His aggression is no longer existent and would never snap at me like he did as a puppy (i can put my hand in his food and take it away anytime i want mpe) . As for the cast on your arm Luffy would act the same way with anything i was carrying he was unfamiliar with and still does today hence why i call him scardy cat sometimes, but his confidence definitely has approved and doesn't do it as much. He's still a little weary about my guitar and won't come near me when im playing it but with proper training im sure that can be fixed also.  I guess what i'm trying to say is that everything you mentioned sounded almost identical to what i was going through while raising Luffy and now that he has matured he is turning out to be awesomest dog ever! With proper training, exercise, and time I personally think it will get better.

Amy-

First of all, don't listen to what Mark said.  He sounds like an A**.  How rude.

Secondly, it sounds to me like the bottom line is Charlie doesn't respect you.  So what do you do to earn that respect?

1)  Make him work for EVERYTHING.  He wants to go out the door, he sits and you go first- he follows.  He wants to eat?  You make him lie down and stay first.  EVERYTHING he gets, he works for.  Your house, your rules.

2)  Get the "101 Dog Tricks" book.  Teach him a new trick every week.  With extra noms for enticement.  PetSmart sells "Zuke's" treats.  They are all natural, and VERY low calorie.  He'll love them, and learn to love working for you.

3)  Walk him.  It doesn't have to be 5 miles a day, or even two miles.  Mental stimulation is sometimes just as good as physical exercise.  It can't replace it, but it gets him thinking.

4)  You MUST take a puppy and then obedience class.  Not only for socialization, but so he learns that YOU are the leader.  This is a requirement with a corgi.

Don't give up on him.  He's a puppy and still figuring life out.  With that being said, now is the time to tame the wild beast that lies within.  I had a corgi mix that was my soul mate for 16 years- literally.  When I lost him, I lost a part of my heart that I know I will never get back.  He was the sweetest, most laid back, wonderful, obedient dog.  Just a very special soul that came along in my life when I needed him the most.  We had an amazing 16 years together.  When he died, I got Seanna- four months later, at her 8 week birthday.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE.  Talk about the puppy from hell.  She chewed up my brand new couch at 16 weeks of age.  Took forever to potty train.  Barked incessantly.  Wouldn't come in when I called.  Never sat to be touched.  Her first visit to the vet won her the label "Drama Queen".  I had to work with her EVERY day for a good seven months until she really started to turn around.  Then she hit her "teenage years" when she started to talk back.  I cried for the first two months I had her--I kept wanting her to be like Dillon was.  And I finally realized that she wouldn't and couldn't be.  She wasn't him.  I learned to love her as she was, not what I wanted her to be.  The things she did that used to frustrate me so, I started to laugh at.

She is NOT a snuggly dog AT ALL.  Dillon slept on my pillow every night.  But, I know that Seanna loves me in her own warped little way.  When she's scared, upset, or hurting, I am the first person she runs to.  She butts in to be sure she's petted when I'm paying attention to another dog.  And now she's an ace at agility.  She's bossy, stinky, loud, sheds, talks back, and eats everything- so many and all things that Dillon wasn't.  But she's my dog, my sweet heart, and I would do anything for her.

So it CAN be done!  Keep the faith.  And keep using us to vent- it makes us all realize we're not alone.  

I am so sick to my stomach. I never thought of anything being wrong with my puppy. I was too busy taking everything personal and trying to troubleshoot this situation. My vet is available anytime I need him. I will make an appointment to get Charlie seen. I love all of the encouragement and advice.

As for the breeder I left all of Charlie's paperwork with the vet. I know it sounds weird but Simon had passed away and we were finally picking up his ashes, it took me some time to go back and get them. When I did get him I got so overwhelmed I accidentally left Charlie's papers on the vet's counter. We had brought them with us to help them set up Charlie's file. Even though Charlie has had 3 visits since I keep forgetting to pick up his paperwork. I will... But she is probably not even a proper breeder because Charlie is not registered. We weren't planning on adopting him. We actually had a meeting set up to buy a Boston terrier the next day. We went and saw Charlie just because...

Hmm, okay. Well, in case you hear any news of her breeding another litter of corgis, please keep us posted and alert anyone who may voice their interest in it, on these boards. She truly sounds like an awful person.

I rescind my statement...you sound like a decent individual for apologizing....

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