question on getting a corgi
Hi corgi fans and corgi experts.,
Me and my husband are seriously considering to adding a corgi (cardigan) to our family ( no kids yet).
We want to ask advice of whoever cares to give any on some issues :)
First we don't know if a corgi can live happily in our house, we live in an upper appartement, not too spacious... We plan to move to a house with garden within two years, so it will only be for the first yearsof the dogs life..
second, can a (grown adult) corgi climb stairs up and down, or should we carry him?
Third we have two bunny rabbits loose in the living room, can a corgi be friendly with them (does anyone have experience speciffically with bunnies or rodents?)
Last i wonder about character differences between male and female dogs, are there differences?
I do a lot of research but this speciffically I have not found yet, who will help out?
Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
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1) A corgi can certainly live happily in an apartment, but you must be sure to exercise him/her outside of the apartment. As a herding breed they have a great deal of energy to burn. Walks, trips to a fenced in dog park, etc. will all help to get the dog exercise and time to explore. Also, be aware that corgis are prone to barking when playing and alerting you to visitors. Not all corgis bark a lot, but be aware that it's possible you could end up with one of the vocal ones. :)
2) No, an adult corgi does not need to be carried up and down stairs.
3) Regarding the bunnies or rodents, I can confidently say that a corgi can get along with (at the very least) rodents. My husband and I have 4 ferrets and a cat in addition to our 2 dogs and all of the animals, including the cat, get along with one another. I actually have a video on my page showing one of our ferrets (when she was still just a kit) trying to play with Ellie and vice versa through the pen. The pen was just used while the ferrets were young. Now the ferrets and dogs and cat are all allowed to play without barriers. :)
A lot of the success, however, is in how you raise your pup. Have you ever owned a dog before? It's important to set rules about interactions and stick to them firmly. Ellie was never allowed to herd/nip/play roughly with any of our other pets, though now she and Yuki are allowed to tumble around because they're both adults and know when it gets to be too much for the other. Also, I have no experience with rabbits, but as prey animals it might be stressful for them to be around a predator (which dogs are.) Have your bunnies been around dogs before? If so, great! If not, try having a dog over and see how they react.
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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They can do fine in an apartment provided they have enough exercise. They are definitely not lap dogs and require quite a bit of mental and physical stimulation.
A grown adult can go up and down stairs fine, but it's generally recommended to carry a puppy if the stairs are numerous.
I have a pem and a cardigan and I don't think they would do well with rabbits. Both have a fairly high prey drive and have killed baby rabbits in our back yard. It might work with the right dog though. In this situation I would probably recommend an adult dog that can be tested with the rabbits beforehand.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Agree with the others about apartments, stairs, etc.
One of mine could possibly live with a rabbit and one most certainly could NOT. She has a high prey drive. My guess is she'd be fine for awhile til bunny did something to kick her prey drive into gear. Once she has something in her teeth she won't let go, and her "death shake" is fast and impressive. I've only seen her use it on toys, because she's never been allowed to catch prey. But she once put a chipmunk to ground and even waving cheese in front of her nose would not lure her away; I had to pick her up and haul her off.
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Permalink Reply by Holly on
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I agree with Beth. My very low-key, low-prey-drive, corgi shocked me recently when she scooped a chipmunk in her month for a few VERY long seconds. She did not harm it, but she still freezes in fascination every time she sees a wild turkey, duck, red squirrel or a bunny of any size, so I do not feel confident around rodents in general. My corgi is fine with cats, dogs and other animals, in fact she is usually in fear of most other pets, but due to the possible variables, I am not confident about the ultimate outcome with wild rodents. Not long age (3 or less weeks) I could leave ANYTHING out in my small apt. when I left my corgi for a few hours. Now, I have to move plants, paper towels, cords, plastic, tissues..., whatever, for safety. It is a long, but rewarding process to build a bond between the owner and his/her rescue, but SO worth it!! Best wishes!
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I agree with the others about apartment living. I have had a pup go live with ferrets and that worked out well. I rehomed a young corgi to a family that raised rabbits and she goes and hits the bottom of the cages to drop the turds:) I also had my daughters rabbit from when she was in college for awhile when she moved and I would let the rabbit out to run and mine were fine BUT you would need to introduce and watch carefully...I believe. The biggest point I would suggest that you would introduce this dog to all ages of children so that when you have your own...the dog is already used to them...one of my rescues was scared to death of the baby crying BUT she had never had the experience of meeting babies till she was 4-5.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Are you getting a puppy from a breeder? If so, the pup can be tested, at age between 6 and 7 weeks, for prey drive and the breeder can pick one with lower pray drive compared to the litter mates. This would give you an advantage of sorts. You would then have to teach the puppy that the rabbits are off limit, and keep them separate when you are not able to supervise and enforce good, calm behavior.
Keep in mind that if you misjudge the situation or the training, it will be your error and not the dog's fault.... if you accept that, your chances for success will be much higher.
The fear level of the rabbits will also be a factor, as well as the size (minis being more vulnerable). I would say it can be done, but requires time, dedication and consistency. Since you describe yourself as research oriented and are asking the right questions, you PROBABLY can succeed. There being no guarantees however, I would not recommend it if you do not have a way of keeping them permanently separated if need be. Alternately choose a different breed. I have a friend with rabbits and Goldens. I too had a ferret with dogs, but ferrets are predators, so don't act like pray and I think are easier to integrate for this reason. As for your question of male or female, I don't think that will be a factor in your situation, individual personality being the key. Best wishes.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer & Nigel on
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As regards to living with bunnies, I have a Pembroke and he grew up with my ferrets and seriously loves them. When he was a puppy we monitored any interaction they had and made sure my dog knew the ferrets were friends and not a toy. We also didn't give him any toys that squeaked or that were stuffed. He just had ropes and things like that. I didn't want to ever confuse him.
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I wanted to add that Corgis were all-purpose farm dogs, not herding specialists like a border collie. As such, many were excellent ratters and more than a few still are to this day.
If you don't mind living in a segregated house where the bunnies are not out unless closely supervised, as Anna says you can quite possibly succeed. If you want something more reliable with little critters, I'd go with a Golden or a Setter or something else with a very soft mouth and the desire to bring smaller things gently back to people rather than dispatch them.
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Permalink Reply by Laura and Tommy Jefferson on
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Hi Ester!
Tommy lived in a house with a spacious backyard for his first two years and now we are in a lower level two-bedroom apartment until I finish law school. He has adapted well to apartment life, but the barking is definitely the biggest issue. Our neighbors directly above walk around very loudly which scares Tom (especially during the night) and in response he barks; they in turn occasionally stomp to be extra annoying, which in turn eggs Tom on to bark at them more. I leave fans on and the TV during the day to try and cut down apartment noise, and we sleep with fans on too. Just be aware that if your neighbors are noisy, the corgi may very likely bark in response to every little noise!
Also, I am thankful we are on the bottom floor ... if there were people below us they would be IRATE i'm sure! Tommy loves to play with his balls and he races around this place at full speed. I am positive that all the play we do would upset anyone living under us on a daily basis.
Lastly, it is much harder to tire a corgi out in an apartment! We go on at least four walks a day and play probably five or six times inside.
Again, Tommy has adapted but there are definitely issues to consider! I am very much looking forward to getting back into a house!!
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Permalink Reply by carolyn matassa on
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My friend had two rabbits, and they were pretty big. If your rabbits are of the larger variety, they might be bigger than your corgi puppy when it first arrives. I agree with the poster who said to introduce them slowly and with rules, and they could become good friends. My corgi doesn't seem to have a prey drive, he seems to have a herding/protecting drive. Has anyone else ever seen that? He has caught many baby bunnies and squirrels in our backyard....he carries them around, never hurts them, and will drop them on command. He also got along with my son's friends chinchilla.
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