WALKING BACKWARDS
Mowgli has the funny habit of walking backwards when he gets excited. If I have his food bowl, for example, he will get in front of me and, continuing to face me, he'll walk backwards all the way into the next room where he gets fed. Same if he sees me with the leash. Our house is 1/8 mile from the front gate, so I don't need to put him on leash 'till we get there, but he'll just keep facing me and walking backwards until I put the leash on and he's sure he's coming on the walk. Sometimes he does it while sitting and simply scooting backward in short bursts, rather than walking. He can keep it up for quite awhile! In my experience, dogs don't much like to walk backwards, and he's the first one I've ever had that does this. Is this behavior peculiar to him, or is it a Corgi thing? It sure looks funny!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
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I would say its a corgi trait. Both mine do walk backwards but not for long periods at a time though.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Hmmm. Did you teach him a "back up" command at any point? Maddie does not know "back up" because I was never successful at teaching it to her (she is a very slow learner, and repeating it makes Jack bark and bark in his crate saying "I know the answer, I know!!"). Anyway, she does not know it and she does not seem to realize she CAN walk backwards; she'll turn around even in the tightest spaces.
Jack, on the other hand, knows "back up" and once he learned to do this on command, he has realized it's a great way to move one way while looking another. He does not really do what you describe, but he will back up on his own for various reasons and can go quite fast, crab-like.
I wonder if the short little legs make it easier, since they aren't likely to get their legs tangled?
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Permalink Reply by Lori Odishoo on
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Both of my Cardi's have excellent reverse modes. Especially when it comes to meal time! Heaven forbid they take their eyes off of their food dishes!
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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@Beth. I never taught him to back up, but I adopted him at almost a year of age and someone could have encouraged that behavior. I too have noticed that most dogs are like Maddie and don't generally back up, but will rather turn around, unless you teach this. That's why I was wondering if the short legs have anything to do with it, however my Mini-Doxie has never displayed this trait. It does not seem to be a herding or cattle dog trait. Curious to see if other Corgis do this spontaneously.
@Lori, yes that's EXACTLY why he does it! Mowgli is also a Cardigan.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Must be very funny to see. My dobe will walk backwards but it is probably due to her size and love of small spaces. Izzy only does while watching her food bowl..that is definitely a corgi trait.
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Come to think of it, sometimes, if I'm too slow in getting where he's wanting us to go, he'll add a spin or two to the backing up routine.
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Permalink Reply by Judith Andre on
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Had a couple Corgis who backed up naturally to catch balls or food and it was easy to add the command to it. Murray did not like to back up. I put him on a leash facing me with a wall on one side and moved into him while telling him"back". He would take a couple steps back then sit and I would take my foot and gently put it under his belly to get him to stand again. Repeat as needed. It didn't take long to be one of his favorite tricks.
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Permalink Reply by Julia on
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My Springer can NOT back up. In a tight space he must go forward until he finds a place to do a U-turn. Does any of this make sense?
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Well Julia, I guess that's why I was intrigued by Mowgli's backing up naturally. Most dogs I've known will turn around and some, will not back up on their own, or will do so with great reluctance. It's not that they physically can't, they seem to just not think about it. I'm on thin ice here, but I suspect that neurological pathways for physical behaviors form early on in puppyhood and the body has some leeway to adjusts its capability or preferred mode to what is needed in that formative stage. If so, you could still teach the behavior later, but it would not occur spontaneously. Natural selection would favor those individuals who can manifest the useful traits and the genetic component kicks in, eventually establishing breed traits.
The old debate among breeders is: does form follow function or function follow form? You will find plenty who ardently champion both sides...
In the case of backing up, if indeed Corgis seem to do it more often or more easily than dogs in general, it probably would be tied to something useful for their intended working ability. That would be my guess. Would this be useful to a cattle dog? Does the long body play into it nd if so how? Do Cardigans work differently than Pembrokes because of the tail? The question seemed whimsical, but it made me wonder.
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Anna, I've watched video of Corgis working cows. They sometimes work very close, and cows are inclined to swing around and face down a dog. I would guess that backing up would be very useful for a Corgi.
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Permalink Reply by Kat Lampkins on
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Nimue does... I call it being a circus dog. Gwen never has.
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