So around two months ago I was blessed with my corgi Maddie. She was given to us at the age of ten months because of her constant fighting with her bull dog sister. When we got her she was an only dog, but after a break up with the guy I was living with... We moved out to the family ranch. She has three dog siblings and loves the ranch life as you an imagine a busy, young corgi would. The only problem is she likes to start fights with our eight month old red heeler Gus. 98% of the time they are best friends. You always see them playing, roaming, chasing barn kitties, and just loving each other. But when it comes to toys or me, it's a fight. She bares her teeth and lunges. It's gotten better, but the problem is in a few weeks I'm moving to the city for a job where she will live with two other small dogs. I don't want her to cause problems with her new roommates by being bossy and unwilling to share. I've heard this is a common corgi issue. Any tips on making sure she doesn't over stay her welcome within the first few hours?

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You need to immediately start classes with her. This has to be stopped before she either gets badly hurt or does it to another dog. Every day she is allowed to be a Brat it becomes more ingrained. Also keep her leashed until you are able to recognize her triggers and she responds when you tell her to "knock it off". You can also goggle "Nothing In Life Is Free" and implement their suggestions. It is true corgis tend to be bossy but this behavior is just her being untrained.

She's not "allowed" to act like a brat. She gets disciplined when she acts like this........ I was asking for help, not judgement.
And I didn't have her in the puppy stage. So please don't act like I'm some worthless dog owner.

We have two cats of 3 years old when Wally came in to our lives.    My 24lbs cat was my best bud before him but face it, playing fetch and tricks with a cat is not the same.   Wally has been occupying most of my time and getting me off the couch.   But from time to time we'll relax with a movie, or just watching a few shows on TV.

The cats will come on the sofa with us for relaxing and a good rub.   As soon as Wally sees it he gets up from his bed or where he's sleeping and comes running.   He will pry himself up on the couch and bark at the cats.    He does the same thing if he hears us talking to them anywhere around the house.

It's been going on for about 6 months now but I know he's dominating.   Every time he does I try to push him off, say a harsh "No" or "be good".   But I keep him with us so that I can still pet my cats and show him it's ok.   If he's quiet while I'm doing it I praise him immediatly and give him a good ear rub at the same time.

My male cat is the senior in our pack and I feed him, along with his sister, first.

Once they're done I feed Wally, usually at the same time we do.    I guess it's finding a good balance but crate training or giving him time out if he gets agressive and snappy should be something to consider.   Although, would he be alone in the home with the others when everyone's at work??

I agree with Bev, you need to nip this in the bud now before it becomes a more serious issue.  Which is, obviously, why you've sought advice here.  :)  Keep her leashed to you so that you are more in control of how she reacts and find a positive trainer in your area so that you can sign up for classes and get some professional advice.  You certainly don't need to keep her leashed 24/7, but when it comes to being in the house or around toys/you she should be leashed.

Thank you for your help! I appreciate it. My other dogs have been raised with us and socialized. Being thrown into owning an older corgi who was left in a backyard by herself for the most crucial training months has not been easy. I'm doing by best.

Mackenzie,  I don't think anybody here was thinking or suggesting you were a bad owner.  Bev Levy did give you the advice you asked for ( classes, NILIF techniques and keeping her leashed when you are not absolutely sure she will behave in the presence of other dogs, for her safety and theirs.  Doing all these things will put you on the road of better managing her behavior and will take time and effort on your part.  It is indeed hard to take on a strong willed, young dog who has had no real handling and/or training.  In my experience, females can be more dominant than males and, whereas neutering will help tone that down in males, spaying does nothing to change that aspect in females.  A very dominant female will fight with opposite sex as well as other females.  Bev is also right when she says these habits become ingrained, so time is of the essence if you want to try and turn it around.  Sometimes it is just not possible to change those character traits and the best that can be done is to learn good management skills on your part, which means that you learn which situations you can safely put her in and which to avoid.  It also means that the level of training you've achieved with the dog is such that, if you misjudged a situation, which can happen, you can immediately stop her with your voice alone.  It is really easy for people to get hurt in trying to physically separate fighting dogs and this you want to avoid.

It's good that you gave her a loving home and that you love her enough to want to keep her with you in your changing life situations.  If you were a bad owner you would not be seeking advice and everyone here knows that.  Many here, including myself, have gained experience by working through problems with our own dogs.  There is no judgement for you, just appreciation that you took in the dog and are doing your best for her.  That does not prevent one from calling a spade a spade.... Best wishes.

Wow, really did not mean my advice to be taken as such a criticism! I am sorry if I hurt your feelings. I just felt that the behaviors you were describing would be dangerous for your dog and others. Since you got her when she was older you may have to be more strict with her that is why I suggested leashing her.It is always better to avoid unwanted behavior than it is to correct after. Again never meant to hurt your feelings :)

Sorry I just get frustrated because I'm trying to do my best with her and living in a town with 250 people doesn't mean I can just go find a trainer immediately. The other thing I forgot to mention is that she is great with little dogs. My friends house who we spend a lot of time at has a pomchi and dachshund. I've never seen her lash out at them whether food, toys, or me was involved. So I'm not really sure if she has little dog syndrome or what. She also gets along great with our house cat. It's dogs that are taller than her.

Part of it could be that your friend's house isn't Maddie's territory.  Obviously I'm no trainer, but that's the first thought that comes to mind.  It's also possible that she had some bad experiences with larger dogs before you got her.

If you can't find a trainer easily, check out some videos by professional trainers on the web while you search around for someone you can work with in person.  Obviously it isn't going to be quite the same, but you can get a general feel for how positive training techniques might be applied in Maddie's life to help create some structure and encourage better behaviors.  She's had a lot of changes in her life during the past two months (including changing homes at least twice), so some structure and routine will be a good start to her new life with you.  :-)  I know it's frustrating, but be patient and learn right along with her!

I start my job as an assistant groomer at Petco in a week and I was told I get free training for my dog. So hopefully that will help us get on the right track.

Anna is right...no one thought of you as a bad dog owner.  You would not have asked for help if you were.  You are facing an uphill battle with a dog who was neglected and left on her own instead of loved and trained.  Love, determination and patience on your part will help make Maddie a happy corgi.  Please keep us updated on how she is doing.

Anna is also right in her assessment of female corgis.  When I got my first corgi I wanted a female..in all my other dogs females were calmer.  The lady at the rescue said corgis are the opposite...they don't call the females "bitches" for nothing.  So my first was a male, my 2nd and current is a male.  And then I got a female...she set Max in his place immediately.  They've been together for 6 years now and get along great but he always defers to her.

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