Adding a new corgi!
Hello everyone,
It has been a long time since I have been on this site! I think the last time I visited, my Corgi, Stella, turned 2 and she is now 4! Anyway, it is likely that I will be adding another Corgi to the home soon. Aside from Stella, I have another dog, Annie, an elderly husky mix (almost 16). The new Corgi is a neutered 1 year old male whose owner cannot keep him because she has another dog (a husky, actually), a small child, and is too busy to continue to care for him. Annie is calm, partially deaf and blind and pretty much sits and sleeps all day. She's in the last months of her life, which is why I wanted to take the opportunity to adopt this Corgi. Stella just turned 4 and is close to Annie, as she has lived with her since she was a puppy. Stella is pretty bossy and dominant, but obedient (and like any Corgi, she will do anything for a treat!). Annie corrected her when she was a puppy and has pretty much ignored any dominant behavior she displayed as an adult--and Annie is clearly the top dog even though Stella might grumble sometimes. Also, Stella guides Annie and helps her outside because she's almost completely blind now. Stella%20and%20Annie.JPG I've attached a photo of them together.
I teach and I just started my summer vacation, so I will be home at all times (another reason I chose to take this opportunity now). Any advice about integrating the new 1 year old boy into the household will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks! Nicole, Stella, and Annie
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Stella and Annie.JPG, 115 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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So nice to hear from you again! I would give a couple pieces of advice:
Walk them together a lot
When the new guy comes in, even if he's housebroken, treat him like a puppy: He must be confined unless you are keeping a close eye on him to avoid housebreaking accidents.
Ideally, walk them together first. Then when you bring them in, lock up your existing dogs, keep the new guy on a leash and give him a tour of the house (even parts he won't access), give a leash correction and "no" if he goes to lift his leg, then confine him to one area while you let your existing dogs loose to get used to the idea.
In the first weeks, avoid having any high-value toys or treats around and avoid vigorous games where either is likely to get excited and over-stimulated; tempers can flare during frantic fetch sessions even among dogs who already know each other well.
Good luck and enjoy! :-)
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Permalink Reply by Nicole, Stanley and STELLA! on
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Hi Beth,
Great to hear from you, too! Thanks so much for your advice!
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So nice to hear from you again! I would give a couple pieces of advice:
Walk them together a lot
When the new guy comes in, even if he's housebroken, treat him like a puppy: He must be confined unless you are keeping a close eye on him to avoid housebreaking accidents.
Ideally, walk them together first. Then when you bring them in, lock up your existing dogs, keep the new guy on a leash and give him a tour of the house (even parts he won't access), give a leash correction and "no" if he goes to lift his leg, then confine him to one area while you let your existing dogs loose to get used to the idea.
In the first weeks, avoid having any high-value toys or treats around and avoid vigorous games where either is likely to get excited and over-stimulated; tempers can flare during frantic fetch sessions even among dogs who already know each other well.
Good luck and enjoy! :-)
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Love your photo, very sweet! My 14 year old dog was deaf for a few months following an ear infection. Thankfully she has regained a little bit of her hearing, but I saw how much she relied on her Corgi friend for help in figuring out what was going on. A new dog will be a challenge for yours. Something like " two's company, three is a crowd" may apply. You won't know how much until you actually try it out.
If I were in your shoes and it was a possibility, I would arrange to go get the dog for the day and do that over the period of a week or so. That would allow for a period of adjustment and you could more easily solve any situation that may arise on day one and see if your solution works on day two and so forth. The more limited time would keep stress levels down, as evenings and nights would be as usual. If the dog does not live too far, this may be good for all concerned and worth the extra effort. Just a thought..... Good luck with it all.
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Permalink Reply by Dawn Drzaic on
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Good luck! Two corgis are twice the fun!!
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Permalink Reply by Donald Till on
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Indeed but 3 times the work!
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Permalink Reply by Linda on
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Congrats on wanting to add a new corgi to your family. Corgis are like potato chips...can't have just one.
Beth has given very good advie...twice..LOL. When you introduce them do it outside on neutral ground...not in your own yard, that's still Stella's territory.
Best of luck in the meeting and gentle ear scritches for Annie. Love the picture.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I also agree with Beth...enjoy:)
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I would suggest you do it on a tentative basis if possible. We've had very few problems at all adding puppies but little luck when attempting to integrate adult dogs. IME if there are going to be problems there will be signs right away and they will escalate. From what I hear from other if you can stay on top of it you probably could correct any problem behaviors as they arise - but in all honesty, at least for us, staying on top of it 100% of the time and being 100% vigilante is asking too much and it ends up being us understanding then managing/controlling the bad behavior not removing it. That said I think Corgi's are the coolest dogs in the world and the more of them the better. Good luck!
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We added a four-year-old when Jack was two-and-a-half and had no problems.
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Permalink Reply by Lilo Bandit & Koda's mom Shannon on
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I agree with Donald. A lot will depend on your corgis temperament/behavior, but if she is bossy and dominant, she may not be welcoming to a new competitor of her humans attention. I would have them meet in neutral territory and have a trial period to see how they get along. Good thing is they are opposite sexes which will eliminate some problems! I personally would be most concerned about how this may affect your elderly dog. A new energetic young dog may put further stress on her which could make for an unhappy last few months of her life. If at all possible I would try to wait until your sweet elderly dog has passed and allow her to live her remaining months in peace before attempting to make a permanent transition. Best of luck to you! :) I do have to say that going from a one dog household to two dogs is a small adjustment. But for some reason going from two to three or more completely changes the dynamics and is a much larger adjustment. I can't count how many homeless corgi ads I have seen that state that they should be in a one dog household... Seems many corgis can be a bit less accepting of new dogs than some other breeds. But many corgis are just fine with newcomers, so I wish you success!!
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