Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kathryn Graham on August 3, 2009 at 2:57pm

I can't get Madoc to drop anything (he's 6 months on Wednesday) but I am going to keep working on it so that he connects "Drop It" with treats.. He doesn't growl but runs away with his "prize" and looks for a small space to hide with it. He thinks me chasing him is a game, and he will get real flirty with the object at times. My best technique is having something he wants more, so I have a baggie of treats in my pocket at all times. He will trade a sock for half a milk-bone or a piece of cheese!

Permalink Reply by Patricia A Columbo on August 3, 2009 at 6:46pm

OH yes I can relate. I've had dogs all my life but never a Corgi!!! They are such strong willed little dogs that being aggressive with them does nothing . They are ruled by FOOD!!!!!!!!!! Everything should involve a treat for right now. She will drop anything for a treat!!! Mine is almost 5 months old and just within the past two weeks have we come to an understanding. I now have her sitting, laying down, staying, dropping/leaving it, speaking, and no speaking. All with the promise of food to come. I also try to spend as much time on the floor with her as possible as this seems to have bonded us...

Permalink Reply by Courtney Montoya on August 3, 2009 at 7:20pm

Lucy is only 3 months old but we already are experiencing her grabbing naughty things and running away. My husband learned real quick that having a treat is a good way to lure her away from her "prize". It is still frustrating though!

Permalink Reply by Meg Jones & Indiana on August 4, 2009 at 1:54am

Re: nipping...

I had an Australian Shepherd growing up and got nipped all the time, so I was anxious to curb it with my new corgi. Any time I felt his teeth touch me (ankles, hands, arms, legs, etc), no matter how slight, I shrieked out loud like it was the most painful thing in the world! It wasn't, of course, but it startled Indy out of the nipping and he seemed to understand that he was using too much teeth for his "playmate" to handle.

I found that yelling didn't really work; it had to be high pitched like the way puppies yelp if you accidentally step on their toes or if another dog is being too rough. It seems pretty goofy to be that dramatic (and squeaky), but I've had Indy for 2 months (he is 6 months old) and the nipping is 95% gone.

Permalink Reply by Francis Wilson St. Croix on August 4, 2009 at 9:01pm

For the biting and snapping, we used to put Francis in "time out". Believe it or not, it works, but you absolutely HAVE TO be persistant with it. Use a laundry or spare bathroom without anything fun inside....treats, toys, etc., When he bites, we would give him a stern "NO", and then pick him up and put him in the bathroom, shut the door, walk away and leave him there for about 3 minutes. After the time is up, go to the door and let her out, then immediately ask her to sit (or something that she knows). Once she does that give her a treat and return to play, but as soon as the biting starts, put her right back in time out. You may have to do this several times, but I guarantee you it will pay off. Not only did Little Francis stop the biting, but I've got stellar calf muscles from picking him up over and over again! It's repetative and it sucks, but if you keep up with it, she will stop the biting. Sometimes when I'm walking through the house he will still nip at the ankles, but I just stop righ in my tracks and ignore him. That's really the name of the game with a corgi puppy with what I've learned so far. They HATE to be ignored, so if they are doing something unacceptable, ignore them...i.e, time out, and it will stop. Francis just turned 6 months old, and he is still a bit of a handfull, but is getting better and more attentive everyday. I don't feed francis any of those crap dog treats they sell at the stores either. He gets green beans (unsalted) or small chunks of apples. That way you can treat her more, and not have it hurt the tummy. I've found that he's better behaved if I give him little treats when he's not expecting it. Like if he's just sitting around, playing with a toy or something, I'll crouch down and give him a little treat and tell him good boy!Positive reinforcement is good.

Permalink Reply by Doug & Sarah Haag on August 4, 2009 at 9:44pm

I can relate to the comment about floor time - it's golden with my 6 month old pup Tank. We never found the magic trick to stopping the nipping, but we try to wear him out enough that he doesn't want to! We bought a membership to a bark park and I try and take him almost every day. He can run off some of that puppy energy and not be so roundy at home. However, we've lately noticed a trend that he's just like a little kid: when he's really tired, he gets wound up again and starts being bad. We've learned that's when he's ready for bed!

Permalink Reply by Fran & Ranger on August 6, 2009 at 10:04am

I'm relieved to read all this about possessiveness. Being a first time dog owner of course the worst nightmare would be a dog who bites. Ranger is about 4 1/2 months and he is really mellow, doesn't nip, or even mouth us... except he will occasionally find something bizarre that he seems to know he shouldn't have. Then off he goes and all that practice with drop and leave it is out the window! If I don't have the most fabulous treat to trade, he will most certainly growl and I'm sure bite if I try to take it from him. I going with the theory that Corgis are food motivated and always try to have a treat handy when I need him to drop something. I handle his food, his mouth, look at his teeth, hold his muzzle and he is calm and complacent through it all. But recently he found my cat's food and, oh my gosh I felt like he was a vicious pit bull (no offense to pit bull owners!) Sometimes I wonder when I will have to stop rewarding everything with treats but I guess because he is still a puppy I just have to be patient and believe that I won't have to walk around with a treat pouch on my hip forever!

Permalink Reply by Nicole, Stanley and STELLA! on August 6, 2009 at 12:41pm

I definitely agree and have had the same experiences as those who have said to use food or treats to teach "drop." My experience is exactly like Kathryn who wrote the first response. Stella doesn't growl or snap when she has something in her mouth that she shouldn't, but instead just holds on so tight that it's difficult to even pry it out. I actually just got back from a walk with her and she picked up a dead bird and my roommate and I both had to hold her down and pry it out (with great difficulty, and she's only 4.5 months old). She used to obey "drop"---it was one of the first commands she learned. But in the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that it means absolutely NOTHING to her now. After today's incident I've just decided that I'm going to have to have treats in my pocket at all times to retrain her. The most important thing is to be patient and be consistent. It will eventually pay off. Also, as they're going through puppy stages, they'll seem to regress and unlearn things or have crazy behaviors, but if you are consistent with your training, those behaviors are temporary ( for example biting, snapping, especially when teething). I've had many dogs from childhood until now (Stella is my 9th) and I still get really frustrated even though I know better! At least 2-3 times a day I get frustrated and tell Stella "Ok, the puppy thing was cute, now can you please magically turn into an adult dog by tomorrow?" :) Good luck! I hope that people's responses have helped.