Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carolyn on July 19, 2009 at 5:44pm

hey!
Loki is my first dog! I could not be more pleased! I have had him for 3 months now, so I suppose I am not the best judge yet but I fully believe a corgi was the best choice. He is high energy which I love. He does bark more than I would really like. He is great though! I fully adore him. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Alex on July 19, 2009 at 5:58pm

That's great to hear!
Question, how long do you leave Loki unattended during the weekdays?

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Permalink Reply by Zwei & Cynthia + Mike on July 19, 2009 at 11:37pm

Truthfully, we left ours alone for about 5 hours at most ... however he was already at 3 months old when we got him. Any younger and it's not a good idea for that long.

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Permalink Reply by Carolyn on July 20, 2009 at 11:13pm

I know tons of people have given you great answers but to follow up...I dont...I am lucky, I have a job were he can come with me.

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Permalink Reply by Alex on July 20, 2009 at 11:29pm

That's just too perfect =)

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 21, 2009 at 6:59am

Now Jack stays alone for up to 9 hours, and honestly when I get home he doesn't even want to go out, he wants to play.

Once he was sick and I came home to a mess. If I think he may have eaten something suspicious, I normally come home at lunch, just in case.

I came home at lunch just about every day til he was nearly a year old. So the most he was home was about 4.5 hours. I left him in a round pen, with newspapers on one side in case he couldn't hold it. He would sometimes pee, but never poop. BUT we got up two hours before we left for work when he was little, so he had plenty of time to eat and play and eliminate. My husband and I would tag-team him in the mornings.

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Permalink Reply by Kyle, Megan and Loki on July 20, 2009 at 8:40pm

Hey another Loki! yeesh this name seem to be a bit common for dogs on the interweb

I had a corgi for the first dog, in my adult life. I had some beagles, collies etc. through my teenage years, but not during the puppy stages. It was quite the adventure, but if you are patient, calm, and stern, you should be able to handle one.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 19, 2009 at 6:02pm

Welcome Alex, may be you can tell us a bit about yourself, your lifestyle, living situation, short term 5 year plan...etc. That way we can tell you if the corgi is the right choice for you at this time?

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Permalink Reply by Alex on July 19, 2009 at 6:14pm

My girlfriend and I have been together for about 8+ years.
We have been wanting to get a dog for a very, very long time.
We never did adopt a dog due to the fact that we didn't want the dog to grow in a small apt/condo that we're currently living in.

At the beginning of this year we started house hunting.
If all is well, we should be able to close on a house in Hayward in Aug.
If we close Escrow, living situation is pretty much just the two of us in a 3/2 with a backyard and walking distance to a park.

We both work full time but I get home at around 4PM. She starts later but gets home at around 530PM. Her office lets people bring their dogs to work but they have to be well trained. Can't be running around and causing havoc. We know what is required as a dog owner. We're ready to spend the money and time (Training, activities and etc.)
The only thing that we're worried about is the separation anxiety that might occur while we're away at work and before the pup gets fully trained.

Not sure if I missed any other information but feel free to ask.

Thanks Sam!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 19, 2009 at 7:41pm

Corgis are not as prone to separation anxiety as many breeds, especially the hunting breeds. As working farm dogs, they were originally selected to not necessarily be in sight of their people 24/7. That said, when you are home your Corgi, if it is typical of the breed, will want to be near you all the time. However, an average Corgi should be ok if you are gone to work all day. They do tend to be quick to sound the alarm, and bark quite loudly for a medium-sized dog, so you would want to have a safe place inside to keep the dog and not leave it outside unattended.

Keep in mind any dog can develop separation anxiety. Here's a good way to minimize the likelihood, however. Every day when you leave, prepare a yummy long-lasting safe treat for your pup. Peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese spread on a kong is usually good (only use a teaspoon or two, though). Give it to your pup right before you leave, and walk out the door without a big emotional "will you miss me when you are gone" routine. When you return home, ignore the puppy very briefly (just long enough to put away your things, take off your coat, etc--- maybe a couple minutes). Then calmly take puppy outside to potty, before fussing over him and her. That makes comings and goings less stressful, since you are calm and are only petting the pup when it is calm.

I think a Corgi is a decent dog for a first-time owner, as long as you are willing to commit to obedience training and regular exercise. Corgis have fairly high physical energy and very high mental energy. They are a busy dog that makes a great pet if you are looking for a dog that you will spend active time with every evening and weekends. They don't need hours of running every day (so if you are looking for a jogging or roller-blading partner, there might be better choices out there); they do need a good 45 minutes of walking and a fair amount of time playing interactive games every day.

An untrained Corgi can be a handful, but most respond very well to positive training. They are sensitive dogs, so if anyone in your household is a yeller or has the school of thought that you want to dominate a dog, just be honest about that because there are dogs that will thrive in that environment, but Corgis won't. They tend to be bossy and pushy, but are not as likely to attempt an outright power coup as some of the powerful breeds. They are more likely to try to talk back like a bratty child than actually think they should be in charge of the place.

They are a herder and have the independent mischief-prone mind of a herder, but are not as intense as Border Collies or Aussie Shepherds. Of course every dog is unique, and I am speaking in generalizations.

Finally, just be careful of choosing a breeder; their compact size makes them, sadly, popular with puppy-mill producers. For a first-time pet, I would look for a show breeder rather than someone who specializes in herding or agility dogs, as dogs from those working lines may be too high-energy and dominant for a first-time owner.

From your brief explanation, it sounds like you would be a good Corgi owner!

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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on July 19, 2009 at 7:00pm

Lance is also our first dog as well! I am very happy with him. It sounds like you have been doing your research, so that is good. The more informed you are about the breed and know what to expect and how to handle it, you should be ok. Im not sure if you read about how bossy corgis can be, if you dont take control they will. Training classes definately are a great tool. It may seem like it takes a lot of work but it will pay off. Another suggestion is alot of times a good breeder will know which pup will work with your lifestyle and personalities. Make sure you do your homework on finding a good breeder, which can make all the difference in the world! Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 19, 2009 at 7:47pm

I consider this woman a fairly reliable source for the various breeds. We used her book to choose the Corgi as the breed we wanted, in fact.

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/pembrokewelshcorgis.html

She does say that Welsh Corgis are fine for first-time owners.

While Jack is technically our first dog, I grew up with well-trained hunting dogs of various breeds and was passionate about everything to do with animals, so my dad taught me a lot about training (he used to field-trial pointers). I also had my "first" dog when I was about 13. I mean, my parents took her to the vet and bought her food and stuff, but I'm the one who trained her and exercised her. So I don't really consider myself a true first-time dog owner.

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