Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Beth on July 18, 2009 at 10:55pm

She is exhibiting very normal puppy play behavior. She is actually very calm compared to Jack at that age. She is just gently mouthing you, the way she would play with another puppy or dog.

It is good you are asking for advice, so please don't take this the wrong way, but the way you are correcting her in the first video is actually encouraging her to bite. By waving your finger in front of her face you are bringing out her puppy play drive, so you are giving her a mixed message by (in her eyes) encouraging her to chase you, then scolding her for doing so.

If she bites in play, give one short simple correction such as "ah-ah!" in a calm but stern voice (if you use a sharp voice, she'll just think you're "barking" right back at her.) If she does not stop, simply stand up and turn your back on her, arms crossed, and ignore her briefly.

Jack was very mouthy (his litter was pretty rough-and-tumble, and so was his mother). It took me a couple months to get him to stop biting. As I said, he was much more frantic about it than little Pancake. She seems quite calm, and since she's showing belly I don't really believe she's trying to dominate, just playing a game. You still want to stop it, but I don't think it's really anything outside normal puppy stuff.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Beth on July 18, 2009 at 10:58pm

Just watched the second video. That's very normal. Is it acceptable? That depends. Do you want her to shred books and mail and tissues? If not, then no it's not. We sometimes give Jack boxes to shred. He loved it as a puppy. He still likes it, but not as much. That means, though, that if you give her boxes you must never leave a box lying around if you don't intend for her to have it.

It is normal behavior, but something you want to avoid. The easiest way to avoid it is by not leaving paper where she can get it. For the first six months of Jack's life, we left our downstairs bathroom door closed or he would unroll the toilet paper.

I highly suggest some basic puppy obedience classes. She's a cute little girl and it will give both of you a great start. Good luck with her!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marion and Vern on July 18, 2009 at 11:11pm

From what I see filming her eating paper and not moving immediately to take it away sends a mixed signal. Tells her at first that it is okay to do that. Also she may be starting to teeth, what type of chew toys does she have and does she like them. Take away the item you do not want her chewing telling her no firmly then give her one toy she can chew on telling her good girl or something to that effect. We ended up having to give Sami time out if she got to bitey with us. At first I thought this was a stupid idea, until it calmed her right down. Time out was only for 3 maybe 4 minutes we would put her in her room, the pantry laundry room. Or also we would just stop playing walk away and ignore her. As far as the barking well corgis are strong willed dogs at just a little over 5 months Sami is starting to get better but still has to have her say. The other thing we are still working on is not jumping up on us. Found that she understands and does not like it if she is told bad. We are only using that word as a complete and utter last resort. Also the tone of your voice actually means more than the word you are saying. Cooing and asking what happened again sends a mixed signal if you are upset by something that you catch her doing tell her no and either remove her or the problem from the area. It is much harder if you don't catch them in the act, they don't understand what you are upset or mad about if it is after the damage has been done and you find the after effects. They have very short attention spans. By the way Sami loves tissue paper or then again anything paper. Believe it or not just being consistant will get the point across. Sometimes it seems like they finaly catch on overnight then they relapse and catch on again. We have had to think ahead and figure out a possible problem before it happens. Such as the jumping up on us, I didn't want to use the word down because that is a command for her to lay down so we knew we would have to use another word, we came up with off. Also as they say a tired corgi is a good corgi all that energy has to go into something. We can't always walk Sami but boy do we play hard with her. Games such as tug a war with a toy, throwing a toy for her to fetch and bouncing a tennis ball off the wall outside or we bounce it back and forth between us letting her get it now and then. I will also get on the floor and cover my head up with her big pillow bed and let her try to get me under it as I am calling her name and such. You have a precious little darling and believe it or not one day she will be all grown up and such a wonderful adult dog. Play with her, enjoy her and every now and then spoil her rotten. Good luck

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Beth on July 18, 2009 at 11:16pm

Upon further reflection, please allow me to explain a basic principle of dog behavior. :-)

Ok, it's obvious, but sometimes we all forget the obvious, that dog's don't have hands. Puppies explore their world with their mouths. Imagine trying to teach a toddler not to touch anything with his hands, and you have an idea of what a major change in behavior you are aiming for. Mouthing is normal puppy behavior, but we don't tolerate it because it's not fun for us.

Do yourself a huge favor and visit a dog park, without Pancake. Watch the dogs play with each other. Dogs, even adults, use their mouths a lot, in play and communication. Jack's best dog friend loves to chew on Jack's head. In play, I have seen Jack biting on another dog's jaw, trying to haul one dog away by a leg, and generally chewing on ears and necks and heads.

What we humans are doing is asking our pets, for our own convenience, to ignore all their instincts and keep their mouths off us. The fairest thing to do, initially, is redirect. Always have a toy within reach. When she bites you, give a calm correction, then stick the toy at her and when she grabs it, say "Good girl!" in a very enthusiastic voice. If she persists in chewing on you, as I mentioned get up and ignore her. Baby gates are helpful here, because you can actually step over the gate and get away, though from what little I saw in that video, leaving the room entirely might not be necessary with Pancake. With Jack, I would routinely have to step over the gate and then manually remove the pup from my pants leg, or shoelace, or whatever else he had managed to get.

Your corrections need to be short, firm, and calm. Dogs don't understand lectures, and within about 2 seconds for a pup they no longer have any recollection of what you are scolding them for. Moreover, all corrections should be followed by praise when pup is behaving properly. Your praises should outnumber your corrections by a considerable margin; if I had to put a number on it, I'd say about 10-1 in favor of praise.

Your pup is very sweet and it's wonderful you are asking for advice. I hope that maybe this extra information as to WHY she is behaving as she is, and your corrections have not yet stopped the issue, will help. :-)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Irene (and Pancake) on July 19, 2009 at 3:13am

Thank you both for your advices, they are really helpful!! I love that u said a tired corgi is a good corgi, because she is the most adorableee when she just woke up!

It looks like I need to change my tone little bit instead of a repetitive no no no... I will try ignoring her and see if that helps.
Pancake have at least 15 toys haha (cause she gets bored so easily), but she LOVES to bite us so much!! She never really bit a stranger tho, not even kids. She loves strangers and expects to be petted, she knows she's cute!! haha

I'll also enroll her in puppy kindergarten that'll hopefully help.
Can't wait for her to have her last set of vaccines, than walking her daily will hopefully help too.

Thanks!!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Boo Buchheit on July 19, 2009 at 7:02am

When I tell Randy "NO" he talks back..it is so annoying. He is still in his little brat stage which I know from experience will end someday. Puppies are wonderful, but do require constant training.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Beth on July 19, 2009 at 9:00am

Just the other day Jack was talking back to me. He has got it in his head that he wants to follow us upstairs (this is a two-year-old dog, mind you, that never goes upstairs except for a bath, and then he's on his leash. We have quite a few reasons for keeping the dog downstairs, mainly because my aged cat is up there, she hates him, she's free-fed,etc etc).

Well, I very firmly, arms crossed and stern look, prevented him from following my husband upstairs. He started frapping madly, then he sat right down and started barking at me, loudly. I just maintained my firm arms-crossed stance, and finally he came and sat right in front of me, head down a bit, as if to say "you win." But man was he arguing with my decision, and this is a pretty well-trained dog.

Yes, Corgis will try to pull rank every now and then, that's for sure.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amanda on July 19, 2009 at 9:39am

Dax is over a year old and still does this barking thing. He has a bad habit of jumping on the couch and trying to jump on top of whoever is sitting on it. He likes to stand on people and chew their hair...he has an obsession with hair, I don't know why. When I tell him no, he lays down with his head near my leg and makes the little whiney/bark noises and nibbles on my clothes. It's actually really cute, but I know he shouldn't be doing it. Instead of telling her "no, no, no," you need to, when she bites you, make a loud noise and get up and walk away. Or at least get up so she can't reach you and turn your back, don't look at her. Wait a couple seconds, then sit back down, and if she does it again, just keep getting up and ignoring her.

As for the paper thing, like I said, Dax is over a year old, and to this day we have to make sure there isn't anything within reach for him to destroy when we leave the house. All bedroom doors closed, because even though he KNOWS he's not allowed in the bedrooms, he's gone in there before when we weren't home and ripped up, of all things, our income tax documents (thanks Dax, that made my job a lot easier). He won't chew up anything while we're here, only when we're gone. I made the mistake of leaving some mail on the couch and left, and when I came back, it was shredded and I'm pretty sure a good bit of it he actually ate. He knows not to pull anything off of the table, so we can leave whatever we want on the table, but on the couch? Oh no, it's fair game if you leave it there. Is it normal? Yes. Is it acceptable? Absolutely not, unless you want your dog to destroy everything you leave within reach. I'm still working on breaking Dax of the habit, but I haven't really figured out how yet since it only happens when we're away...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on July 19, 2009 at 9:55am

Ha ha, cute videos! Welcome to corgi puppy land. You have to remember this was a breed developed to tell a 1 ton cow where to go and keep all manner of animals and birds out of the garden so a little attitude was a must! Obedience classes are a huge help for getting through the youngster stages. They also help you become a much neater person... LOL.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Stephanie on July 19, 2009 at 10:14am

The talking back thing cracks me up when Bear does it. He'll bark, I'll tell him no, the next bark will be a little more quiet and I repeat no with a little touch, then it's a very very low ruff - he loves to get the last word! Overall he's a really well behaved dog on and off leash, so I overlook this little independent, rebellious act.

Paper eating is a given with any dog. The great thing about Corgi's is that they're short, so unless you leave it within their grasp, most things are safe. A friend of mine has a boxer that can reach the countertops and everything else, so I feel pretty lucky. I agree with the other poster that says that dogs help you to be a neater person. :)

I see it all like raising/teaching children - choose your battles, don't try to fight all of them at once.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joe and Quila the Corgi on July 20, 2009 at 2:47pm

Pancake is such a beauty!

As for a solution to your issues, follow what others suggest already and be more stern when saying "NO!" If Pancake has a crate, you might consider putting Pancake in it during her fits of biting for 10 minutes to calm Pancake down. Biting seems to be just a puppy thing.

My pup is VERY mouthy and loves to bite human flesh (as well as paper, toilet paper, paper towels, and pretty much anything!). I have so many scars on my hands and legs ~youch! She's still a pup @ 4 months & 1 week old however has been mellowing out slowly day by day and is understanding that biting is unacceptable behavior, and I'm sure with time, yours will do the same. Pancake is just a puppy!

How often do you walk Pancake?

One thing I'd suggest is giving Pancake as much exercise as you can provide! When I walk Quila 2 or more times a day and let her play with other dogs etc.... she is a much happier pup and doesn't misbehave as much as the days that she sits around bored. Corgi's are pretty high energy dogs and if they don't express this via walks, playtime, etc... This pent up energy might be expressed through biting and misbehavior as a way to say "Mommy I'm bored please play with me!"

Best Wishes!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nicole, Stanley and STELLA! on July 20, 2009 at 9:28pm

Hello,

Pancake looks really close in age to my Stella. Stella turns 4 months old tomorrow (she was born April 1). I agree with the others who have posted that she's actually not really biting and being agressive, just puppy playing. I have been correcting Stella for the past 7 weeks with biting and, although she knows not to, she still gets in the occasional chomp! She's teething and still so young, so it's normal--and I ALWAYS correct her. I correct her by telling her no and I often give her a toy or bone to chew instead and tell her "good girl" and if I don't have something I turn my back to her and ignore her. The big thing is to stay patient, persistent, and consistent! It will eventually pay off.

As for the paper, Stella would definitely be chomping paper, folders, books, and so many other things! I keep her in a playpen and she does not have the run of the house (not even just the downstairs). I let her out several times a day with her lead on and when she ventures towards trouble, I direct her back. I had originally decided on the playpen in order to slowly socialize her with my roommate's dog who is much bigger (a husky mix), but now I'm glad I did it for so many other reasons. When she gets in crazy moods (I call it "monstering out") and runs around or barks (like pancake did in the video), when she's in the pen, it doesn't talke long for her to calm down and finds a bone or toy to play with (or fall asleep because she's usually "overtired" when she gets really crazy). When I take her to my parents' house to visit, I've noticed that even when she's super tired, she doesn't stay still because they give her the run of the house. Even when they put a bed or pillow down, she won't get comfortable and is just distracted. Anyway, that's what's been working for me.

Pancake is so cute! She actually reminds me a lot of Stella. Corgis are bold little puppies, so just remember to be consistent and firm with correction. The 4-6 month period is an especially trying age---kind of like "terrible twos" for kids. I wish I had video of Stella "monstering out"! You'd think that Pancake was the calmest corgi you'd ever seen! Sometimes she even flails around in her carrier and makes it bounce up and down right before she goes to sleep! When she does that, I just cover it with a blanket and she calms down right away. But she's not always crazy and she's really smart and has been improving. She learned all of the basic commands in two weeks! I'm going to take her to puppy classes soon, too.

Oh, one last thing that others have mentioned, too. Make sure she gets a lot of exercise. I walk Stella at least a mile-mile and a half every day, along with playing in the yard with her and teaching her commands. I also take her to play with my parents' dogs and I'm going to start taking her to an agility practice group once a week as well!

Good luck and I hope this post helps!

Nicole

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page