When should I introduce my corgi to other dogs?
Hi everyone,
I recently got a red/white corgi puppy and he's about to be 8 weeks old. I was wondering when it's okay to introduce him to other dogs? We're a little nervous because he's only interacted with other corgis and we don't know if we should have him play with dogs that are more of his size or dogs of any size. I know he should only play with dogs that are fully vaccinated right now because of how young he is (and because his vaccinations aren't complete). My sister in law has a German Shepherd, whereas my parents have small poodles. What have you guys done in the past and what have your experiences been with it? Thank you!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Pao on
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I'd definitely experiment with it! I'm a new corgi owner as well, but I think it varies. I think I'd lean on the side of caution until getting to know your pups personality/play style better. It'd be great to introduce dogs of all sizes, because that's just what they'll be getting used to. Just be careful with larger dogs, especially puppies. I found that Kuma would be extremely interested in all the larger pups and often get trampled on. I'd check out any local puppy play groups which any reputable ones should require proof of vaccinations, there he can be exposed to different play styles and can choose or get placed with a puppy that's suitable for him. He's adorable, the ears!! Congrats! :-)
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Permalink Reply by Alison Prasavath on
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When we first got Noodles, the only other dogs we had to interact with that I knew were up to date on shots would be a miniature schnauzer and a black lab. Noodles bonded more with the black lab than with the schnauzer, but I would say that it was due to personality. We lived in an apartment at that time, so I only allowed Noodles to interact with those 2, but he could sniff other dogs on walks. I was very cautious due to him not having all his vaccinations. To this day though, Noodles prefers the large dogs over the smaller ones. I'm guessing it is because the small ones try to jump up to his face and the large dogs don't have to.
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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
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I'd talk to the vet about that. It may be wise to wait a few weeks, until the vaccinations have surely had time to "take."
As for the relatives' dogs: depends on the dogs. In my experience w/ German shepherds (used to be my Dawg of Choice, till I got too old to handle a large, high-drive breed), some GerSheps can be dog-aversive. This is not uncommon with the breed.
Ask the owners how the dog behaves around other dogs. I had success in acclimating my last shepherd (whose heart's desire was to get within reach of some other dog's jugular) to accept a greyhound by introducing them out on the front sidewalk, away from the shepherd's staked-out territory. Both dogs were muzzled on introduction, with the muzzles coming off after the initial introduction proceeded uneventfully. With a puppy: ????? Go slow, and don't turn your back...
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Your puppy is very young and still needs a lot of calm and sleep time, plus learning all the relevant house rules and bonding with you and whoever is also part of the house. There is no rush to socialize him to dogs and there are dangers right now, both healthwise and of possible injury when playing with other dogs bigger in size. I would not do much with him outside until around 10 weeks. You are in the "fear imprinting stage" which means you want him to have all good, positive experiences appropriate for his baby age. He will soon outgrow this stage. Teach him to accept a collar and leash, not to bite hands, shoes, etc, start potty training, socialize him to people who come to your house and make sure they are all gentle with him. Teach him to accept a crate, put him on a schedule, these are enough things to keep you both more than busy..... I would not have him around other dogs until after his 12 week shots and then only with dogs who you know and are gentle. Enjoy!
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Permalink Reply by Gail Schwam on
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Thank you for all the great advice everyone! I really appreciate it :)
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Oh, he's so cute!
In my area, Parvo risk is not super high and so vet and breeder agreed that one week after the second round of shots it was safe to start taking puppy out into the world, including meeting other dogs. For us, second set of shots was 10 weeks.
In other areas, where Parvo risk is very high, they recommend extreme caution until all puppy shots are complete.
Like anything else, how you socialize your pup depends on what is important to you. We live literally across the street from a large, busy park and so being dog-friendly was extremely important to us. And so we did intensive socializing with other dogs. Big dogs, small dogs, puppies, bouncy dogs, grumpy dogs. The only ones off-limits were truly aggressive dogs. As a result, our Jack is 100% safe to greet any dogs on-leash or off, and he has good judgment on which dogs are ok to greet and which ones need to be avoided.
Other people only want their dog to be ok with a handful of dogs they know, and then you don't need to socialize so much with other dogs.
Also, if your puppy is bold it is important to meet other adult dogs who don't put up with too much puppy nonsense and help teach some manners. But if puppy is shy, you want to avoid dogs who might snark at or correct your puppy too much.
Such a cutie! Enjoy these months!
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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You are correct with the other dogs being vaccinated. My thought is that you need to introduce to more mellow or well trained dogs than the size of them. If the Shepherd can be calm it's just as good as smaller poodles. Corgis need to be introduced to other animals and new experiences early.
He is ADORABLE!!!!!! Enjoy!
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