Okay, long post. I've notice in reading through the forum that there are several varying opinions about training and raising a good dog. At one pole, there's the stern pack leader belief; At the other pole, there's the lenient no one's boss belief. And of course there's everything in between. I like to think there's a happy middle, and I'm sure many of you will agree with that.

There are many authorities in the field. We can cite trainers who prefer stern correction, or trainers who prefer gentle correction. The fact of the matter is no one agrees in the dog world, and we only know what works for our own dogs.

I, for example, have decided not to take Ofelia to obedience class. I want her to figure out how to interact with the beings around her (including me) on her own and through her own experiences. Does this mean she won't come every time I call her? Probably. Does this mean she won't heel every time I want her to? Probably. Does this mean she will at times be blatantly disobedient? Of course. Even with obedience classes, dogs can be blatantly disobedient. But I can live with that. In fact, I prefer that, because otherwise she'd be too robotic for me. If she'd rather sniff at a bush than come when I call, so be it. In fact, if I'm in the mood, I'll go investigate with her. If she'd rather wrestle than have her hair combed, so be it. I'm not raising a show dog after all. We wouldn't be any good in the show ring; we would just embarrass ourselves. :-P

Of course, all of this doesn't mean she has reign of the house. I make her wait for a command to eat (I say "okay"), she's allowed on the couch only when she's invited, excessive barking is frowned upon, she's not allowed to eat or even beg for table scraps, and aggression is absolutely not acceptable. She sleeps in her crate at night, and is put in time-out if she does something I don't approve of. Treats are few and far between, and I never walk around her (Corgis seem to have this knack for acting as if you're always in their way rather than the other way around.) Also, when we walk, she's always beside or behind me. Not necessarily at my thigh - I give her a lot of slack - but never in front of me.

Anyway, I'd like to hear about everyone else's raising methods. Without worrying about what response you might get, say honestly what you do with your dog and what you believe in terms of training. Also, of course, please be courteous and respectful of each others' opinions. There are laypeople here as well as experts, and one or the other isn't more or less correct. Let's all be on even footing here. Please, no one be snippy. And most importantly, please avoid being condescending. I would like for this discussion to be an exciting exploration into how different not only individual corgis are, but also individual owners. And how each "pack" finds balance in different ways, even if we're still struggling with it. Anyway, I'm excited to read your responses. :-)