Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by mosesbotbol on November 1, 2012 at 12:01pm

Camber is similar. 

 

It's going to take time, but they know who is feeding and walking them.  Hang in there Becca will be the dog you are just crazy for.  She might not be as you thought (as Camber is), but all is good in the end.

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Permalink Reply by Ciara & Macy on November 1, 2012 at 4:31pm

Sometimes you don't want a dog that is OVERLY affectionate either. It can be quite the pain when all they want you to do is pet them and pay attention to them. I have a lab who always needs to be pet or paid attention too and she has been like that since she was a pup. She will go into her crate willingly and all but the minute she is out you have to pet her or pay attention to her. It becomes quite hard to even do the little household chores sometimes because she will always be underfoot and to be completely honest, in the way. We wouldn't trade her for the world but sometimes a little aloofness can be a good thing. Yes, it's always nice to see the easy to read telltale signs that they love you (like running to the door butt wiggling so hard you think they are just going to fall over, always wanting to cuddle as soon as you hop onto a chair or couch, licking your face and getting that silly look when their tongue falls out to the side of their mouth) but I think that the little things that make the bond between you and your dog so special are so much better. Sure they run up to EVERY stranger asking for pets and love and then they approach you in a different way think of that as a little thing. Even writing this post now my lab is whining and pawing at my arm to give her some attention (I think that some of that is our fault because we respond to it). Take the things that your pup does with just you, and take that as love. It's the best kind there is.  

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Permalink Reply by CorGeek on November 1, 2012 at 4:41pm

Two weeks after bringing the 5 month Oliver home, I was in tears. I was afraid we'd never bond. He slept all the time. I don't know exactly when that changed, but even though he's way more excited when other people come to visit...he's all mine. :)

And when did I go from WHAT HAVE I DONE! to I can't live without you? Wow...I didn't notice when it happened, but I think it was our first Christmas Eve when he peed on me (out of fear) because I wanted to trim his claws...Strange?

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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on November 1, 2012 at 5:47pm

Jen: Now that you have all this advice about cuddling, how about working on the playing thing? Its been a while since I had a puppy, but I remember Snickers wanting to spend all of her time PLAYING. Even now, at 5 years old she is tugging on my pants leg, and when she tore her ACL it was chasing a ball, and she didn't quit either!  Her favorite things are to chase a stuffed toy and then be allowed to destroy it. (not often!!!) Chase a dog rope and play tug with it- both inside games, or chase a tennis ball outside. She realllllllly likes to chase/herd Jack Spaniels and bite his ankles, but we don't let her do that. Puppies usually have an instinct to chase moving things, so tie a rope around a toy, toss it and encourage him to bring it back by tugging on the rope. His reward is that you will throw it again. Don't expect to do it very many times- leave him wishing for more and then put the toy away. That is your special bonding toy that does not lay around on the ground. Take pictures, they don't stay little long!

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Permalink Reply by Jen Conley on November 1, 2012 at 5:53pm

We are working on the playing.  He doesn't love his toys right now because he gets bored pretty easily.  He does love other dogs toys though, which is so strange.  Some of my friends have older dogs and he LOVES to chew on their toys when he's over there.  Does anyone know what that is about?

He does play tug, but it usually doesn't last too long.  He doesn't understand fetch yet, but I think the rope idea is great! I am going to try that soon.  We also start puppy classes next week so I hope that will work.  I'm also trying to spend 5-10 minutes three times a day teaching him to sit and lay down.  

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Permalink Reply by Julia on November 4, 2012 at 2:11am

Whatever the other dog has is MUCH better than your own stuff. That is a basic, no exceptions rule of doghood. Last week I received an order of dog stuff, and there were two identical large squeaky animals in the box instead of one. Identical. Brand new. It was very funny watching the two dogs get all worked up about these two toys. Each must have been way better than the other.

In general, though, the toy that Lilliput has is always more fun than Oliver's, because Oliver never learned to play with toys. He will watch Lili toss hers in the air, spin around, bury them in a blanket and dig them out again, and he'll just start crying about it. When he does get the toy, he just sits with it, wondering why it isn't fun anymore. Oliver was under-socialized, an outdoor dog for five years, and that may be part of it, but maybe some dogs just don't learn to play with toys.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on November 1, 2012 at 6:07pm

I think the thing to remember is that corgis are herding dogs.  This means they are meant to work independently.  They have their own ideas, and will try to follow through with them.  This means that although they like to be with you, they don't necessarily want to sit on you, be petted, and snuggle all the time.  There are exceptions to every rule though...I have one corgi who is the dictionary definition of independent, and one that is the best snuggler in the world.

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Permalink Reply by Elys on November 5, 2012 at 6:42pm

It definitely takes time. Corgi's are independent--that's why I love them. Camber was a rescue from a hoarding situation and it took years of getting her to sit next to us on her own steam. She also doesn't like to get picked up, but we were persistent in constantly petting her and sort of building up her tolerance to being petted. But, I know that she is really happy here (as I type, my BF is petting her and she just rolled onto her back to get her belly rubbed).

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Permalink Reply by Jen Conley on November 5, 2012 at 8:45pm

Thanks everyone for all your help! I feel much more confident that Henry and I will be fine, and that I, in fact, will not go crazy trying to raise him.  I'm glad you've all had similar issues.  We start training this week! :)

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Permalink Reply by Nora on November 6, 2012 at 12:50pm

I agree with all everybody said.

I remember I also had the same question when my girl was younger (see, I posted a similar question here, that was when DouBao was 7 months old). I even read the book about bonding with your dogs. And then, suddenly, someday after she was 8 months old, she began to show affection to me, and started to keep eyes on me in the dog park. Now, I'm very confident about the bonding b/w us.

I also notice that my girl shows her love to different people in different ways. To my boyfriend, she likes climbing up on his laps and getting cozy with him on the sofa. To me, she would only lie down/sleep beside me on the sofa (I guess she knows she shouldn't on the top of the leader of the pack... not my boyfriend...lol).  She could by playing with my bf like crazy, but at the same time, she must know where I am and what I am doing... like a radar...
If only us at home, she must follow me every room.The older she gets, the stronger I feel with our bonding. She is not a cuddller, but would love to be pet all over when she wakes up in the morning and when I come home. BUT it all started like 2 months ago...

You are on the right track and what you have been doing will be paid off. You need to learn your dog and your dog needs to learn as well.

Somethings I would do if let me start all over again:

1. Put the pup in the bedroom with me since the first day (I did it till she almost reached 8 months). My trainer even suggested to put the crate in somewhere the pup can SEE YOU (But must be crated, Henry is good for being crated which is good);

2. More hand-feeding when the pup is young;

3. More practicing handling every part of the body (paws, teeth, tear line,etg) and keep doing it till the pup reaches a year old;

4. Let the pup only play the toy WITH ME. (So the pup will not have toys for it 24/7, excluding the chew toys) Mine likes playing the toy with me now, but it took me a lot more work to teach her it is more fun to play with me.

5. Have more fun with the pup and enjoy the puppyhood more (I turned into a training mood easily...and lost the fun...)

.......

You want to be the fun source of your dog. Especially for a young pup, you need to change things very quick since its focus wouldn't last long. You need to end the game/fun before he gets bored so that he will always wants more from you.

Good luck with your trainings, and more importantly --- have fun with it, for both YOU and the dog.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Kim on November 9, 2012 at 1:35am

We brought Buster (our pemb corg of 12 weeks now) home about a month ago. He is wildly independent as well. Likes to sleep and nap away from people and really only comes over when he wants to play tug or fetch :)  

We were a bit taken away by his immediate independence  but we kind of like it as the other dog in our household (terrier mix) is the ultimate cuddler. A big part of me likes the fact that Buster isn't overly attached; especially when I step out of the house for a few hours at a time. Surely the "can't live without you" affection will come with time. They are just pups right now after all. Everything, literally everything from toys to a new smell, grabs their full attention at this point. A lot of the time I feel us humans are just standing in their way!

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