Help with unruly corgi
Hi. I was wondering if you could give me a hand with my dog´s behavior.
He is a year and half and doesn´t obey a single command, if you call him he may or may not come, if you chastise him for something he will growl at you and raise his hackles, he has even tried to bite my parents a couple of times and he bit my 4 year old niece last Easter (ever since that incident we can´t leave him alone with my nieces, he might be playing with them just fine and then start growling at them).
Also he is afraid of loud noises, I can´t even take him out for a walk anymore, even light traffic sounds will scare him so that he turns around and starts pulling like crazy back home; he is specially afraid of thunder, it terrifies him. What´s odd is that he wasn´t afraid when he was younger, I was able to take him for walks just fine, he wasn´t scared at all. I don´t know when his fear started, my aunt says it was probably when my dad kicked him (he flew about 3 feet) off my niece´s foot.
He also drives us nuts with his constant barking. The phone rings? He barks. Someone rings the doorbell? He barks like crazy. My grandmothers calls for my mom using her bell? Off he goes (and follows my mom out and bites at her ankles for good measure -he never did stop his nibbling/herding instinct-).
He also drives the cat crazy, he licks her up and down (he is specially fond of her butt) and chases her, and whenever he gets a chance he´ll eat her poo (and even lick her pee).Having someone train him is unfortunately out of the question, I cannot afford it.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by susan on
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At a puppy class I used to go to the instructor said a rolled up newspaper is to hit yourself over the head with while repeating to yourself "I should have been watching my puppy, I should have been watching my puppy". - During the housetraining stage. But in your case...no wonder he is afraid of loud noises. When he hears them its because someone is unhappy with him and it signals some sort of punishment. You seem to have the cause and consequences of his behavior confused. You and your dog would really benefit from working with a positive trainer. This seems somewhat urgent and you seem somewhat reluctant to do anything different than what you have been doing. You actually need to change your methods or your dog will continue to be the way he is and probably get worse. I agree with Holly and Anna.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Javier, yelling and screaming, hitting things around you ( even with a rolled up newspaper ) are threats and the dog has learned also to threaten.... there is no cooperation in any of that. In dogs, as in people, you can bring out the best in them, or the worst in them. When you look at his behavior, you see the results of how he has been handled and that is what needs to change ( plus neutering him ). I see you had a beagle for 14 years. It is not uncommon for people that had a well behaved really old dog to go into shock at the difference between that dog and an energetic, willful puppy whose energy levels and curiosity and mischief and puppy mouthing escalate by the day. By the way, all that is normal young puppy behavior. Puppies need to be gently and properly trained
Yelling and screaming, punishing and threatening all come from deep frustration at not knowing what else to do. The way out is to learn different ways, apply them, look at the problem in a calm way and have a reasonable plan. You may have as big a job convincing your parents of this, as you do in training the dog.... I really do wish you all the best of luck, you will need some of that too.
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Permalink Reply by Javier del Rios on
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Gandalf (my beagle) wasn´t particularly obedient or well behaved and he was quite stubborn but from what I can recall of him at this age he was pretty much a model citizen compared to Ryuk (my puppy´s name).
It seems like we´ll have a hard time getting him to do what we want (I don´t really ask for much, just learning some basic commands, stop the biting and growling and if possible overcome his fear of loud noises -which BTW I doubt has anything to do with the newspaper banging-) and that I´ll need to look into this "nothing in life is free" thing.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Let me put it this way: Why would you want to go to someone who called you if those people frequently yelled at you and threatened you with a paper? Dogs want to go to people when they know that going to those people mean good things will happen. Please read the recall training discussion I linked to. Positive methods work best, with dogs and with people. Personally, I try to avoid people who yell a lot and wave around threatening objects. Corgis are smart, sensitive dogs who mostly worked farms independently and made their own good decisions. I know you don't want to hear this, but your dog is making good decision to avoid people who behave in ways that make him unhappy.
Make yourselves people your dog respects because you are kind, consistent, and predictable and you will see much better results.
Beagles are very sweet, tolerant dogs with high noise and pain thresholds due to their history as dogs who ran through undergrowth in packs. Corgis are noise sensitive and, because they needed to avoid cow kicks, very space sensitive as well. They are pretty much opposite of beagles as far as behavior.
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Permalink Reply by Holly on
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I"m sure some of this feedback has been hard to hear, but I don't think you could get better advice anywhere. Most of the people who responded have had a lot of experience raising corgis. You still seem resistant to trying the tips offered and I worry about the behaviors you mentioned since they are very likely to get worse if you don't manage them carefully. I hope you involve your parents when you do look into Nothing in Life is Free. It is natural to be angry when an animal bites your grandchild. I am sure their patience for your puppy is wearing thin. I hope they find this training method helpful and they begin to see that he can be a great dog with a little training.
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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
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Do not yell at the dog. Do not threaten to hit him with a newspaper or with anything else. Do not make loud noises in an attempt to intimidate him. And do not kick the animal across the room, for cryin' out loud. Surely you can see the connection between this kind of behavior and the dog's fear of loud noises? Your father kicks the dog, and then you're puzzled because he growls and tries to bite the guy? Really?
If you truly can't afford a training class (at the very least), then please find a home for your pet with someone who is experienced in treating problem dogs. That does not mean advertising on Craig's List and it does not mean leaving him at the pound. Ask your vet, the puppy's breeder, and the local corgi rescue society for help finding him a new home. Sorry to be so blunt, but it sounds like this pooch is way past the point where he can be helped by someone who tries to learn how to resolve such issues by watching a YouTube video, as some have suggested. If you can't get professional help or are unwilling to do so, then you and he clearly will be happier if he finds a new home with someone who knows how to train dogs in an enlightened way.
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I´ve read through Nothing in life is free. It mostly seems to consist in ignoring the dog and making him beg, well not beg but making him do something (sit, stay still or the like) before agreeing to play with him, pet him or feed him or take him for a walk.
Also it requires that he first learns those commands -sitting, laying down, roll over, etc, which I have no idea how to even begin doing.
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Permalink Reply by Shippo & Koga Corgis on
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There are tons of training resources online. One source I really like is the Kikopup channel on Youtube:
Intro To Clicker Training:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wv1uvvqaSwTeaching Calmness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wesm2OpE_2c
Teaching Sit-Stay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksBLKi6lj1s
I also love this page: - has several basic videos, such as sit, down, and stay, teaching the dog his name, charging the clicker, etc.
http://www.clickertrainusa.com/clicker-training-videos.htm
I taught Shippo everything he knows with the clicker. Hopefully this will help you to teach your dog some useful commands.
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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
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I usually don't voice an opinion on such topics, as I don't consider myself well-versed enough in training and raising dogs (I've only raised two from puppy to adulthood, after all!), but I'm going to agree with Vicky on this one. Since you are unable to afford the help of a professional trainer and all suggestions thus-far do not seem feasible, I think it might be time to consider finding a new home for your pup or returning him to his breeder.
The behavioral issues you are describing aren't minor. Biting on its own is a pretty serious matter, but biting ones' owners is a whole different level. I'm not saying it's something that can't be resolved, but you've admitted that you're not equipped to handle this without help and, unfortunately, cannot afford the services of a professional. And even with the biting aside, trying to resolve fear issues in a dog takes a lot of dedication. Your entire family would have to be in on this training, as you couldn't have anyone making loud banging noises or yelling at him as a form of discipline.
Training him not to bark at certain sounds is definitely something that can be done, and there are lots of videos and tutorials on how to do it, but it sounds like he doesn't respect you or your family as being "in charge" in that house. Honestly, I think that flew right out the window the moment someone used violence against him. Respect isn't learned through chastising or threatening, let alone violence.
Again, this isn't meant to be cruel or a "do it or else!" sort of thing and there are no judgements being made. This is simply my opinion, based upon what I've read both in your original post and throughout the comments. You have a lot going on in this one pup and I just don't think you and your family are ready and able to give him the help that he needs.
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Sadly, Jen and Vicky, I am coming to the same conclusions. "You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink "...
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Well, I am going to be judgmental, because it's in my nature.
Javier, you say this child is your niece. If and when you have children, you should be careful never to leave them with your dad. Surely you must love him, since he is, after all, your dad. But a man who will kick a dog, yell at it, and scare it will do the same to a child. He may suffer from uncontrolled anger or frustration, or he may simply have been brought up that way himself and not know any better -- as was the case with my own father.
Either way, whether through ignorance, internal suffering, or meanness, abuse is abuse is abuse. It's bad enough to expose a dog to it. Risking a child's welfare around a potentially violent adult is inexcusable. You think you've got problems with your dog? Wait till you see what that kind of treatment elicits when those kids get to be teenagers. You ain't seen nothin' yet!
If you were brought up in this manner yourself -- as is suggested by your apparent inability to socialize a puppy, something that is simple compared to bringing up a child -- you are at risk of becoming an abusive parent. You'll have to work hard to prevent that -- it won't be easy. I speak from experience. My friend, you need to train yourself first; then move on to training dogs and children.
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Javier, seriously dude... are you messing with us? LOL. You have got to be. You write intelligently, but your bafflement on how to train your dog to sit.... wow. You're kidding, right? You are pushing everybody's panic buttons here! We all want to rescue the poor dog! Your last post can't be for real. If it is a genuine, please do call the breeder or find your local corgi rescue and do the kindest thing you have ever done and give your corgi a new home. I think everyone in your house would be happier, especially your dog.
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