various questions from a new parent
Hi Everyone,
I have had Cardi for little more than a month. I have some silly questions to ask you all as a first time corgi owner.
1. I noticed that my Cardi (Zena) got really longer than when I got her first but not much difference in terms of her chest circumference. Is this a typical growth pattern? In other words, get longer first and put a weight later?
2. Zena seems to be on the smaller side. She weighed only 7.4lbs at 9 week and 9lbs at 12 week. She does not seem to put 1 lb /week as everyone says. Should I be concerned? Her behavior and food consumption is normal, though.
3. I read that a dog should have a waist line but no spine showing etc. I am not sure how to look for a waist line. Should I look at her from the top or the side? If I see her from the top, I can see an hour glass shape due to her thighs. It seems to me that she has to put a lot of weight to lose this shape looking from the top. But her chest circumference is already smaller than her belly.
4. I read a lot about no stress on corgi's back. So no stairs (or jumping) until 8-12 months depending on where I read it. So, I carry her to the second floor. But can I let her go up and down a single step? I have a couple of single steps here and there where she is allowed to have an access (e.g. from a kitchen to a family room, or to go outside). The height ranges from 6 to 8 inches. Is it okay for her to go up and down this?
5. How do I know that my puppy is getting enough exercise? I have to admit that walk/outside session time vary depending on the weather and other conditions (10 min to 45 min). Regardless of how long we play outside, she just runs around the house for another 5-10 min. Also, I can see that a long outside session makes her nap for longer time and fall asleep earlier. By the way, she does not show any destructive behavior even with a short outside/play session than average days.
I really appreciate any input from experienced corgi owners.
I have had Cardi for little more than a month. I have some silly questions to ask you all as a first time corgi owner.
1. I noticed that my Cardi (Zena) got really longer than when I got her first but not much difference in terms of her chest circumference. Is this a typical growth pattern? In other words, get longer first and put a weight later?
2. Zena seems to be on the smaller side. She weighed only 7.4lbs at 9 week and 9lbs at 12 week. She does not seem to put 1 lb /week as everyone says. Should I be concerned? Her behavior and food consumption is normal, though.
3. I read that a dog should have a waist line but no spine showing etc. I am not sure how to look for a waist line. Should I look at her from the top or the side? If I see her from the top, I can see an hour glass shape due to her thighs. It seems to me that she has to put a lot of weight to lose this shape looking from the top. But her chest circumference is already smaller than her belly.
4. I read a lot about no stress on corgi's back. So no stairs (or jumping) until 8-12 months depending on where I read it. So, I carry her to the second floor. But can I let her go up and down a single step? I have a couple of single steps here and there where she is allowed to have an access (e.g. from a kitchen to a family room, or to go outside). The height ranges from 6 to 8 inches. Is it okay for her to go up and down this?
5. How do I know that my puppy is getting enough exercise? I have to admit that walk/outside session time vary depending on the weather and other conditions (10 min to 45 min). Regardless of how long we play outside, she just runs around the house for another 5-10 min. Also, I can see that a long outside session makes her nap for longer time and fall asleep earlier. By the way, she does not show any destructive behavior even with a short outside/play session than average days.
I really appreciate any input from experienced corgi owners.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beauty and the Beast on
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Congratulations on a new puppy!
Answering your first question, she will change many times before maturing. Shiro is a pem, but it seems he's a new dog every month. He's 10 months now and is going through another coat change. His chest just started filling up and still isn't like a big boy's. So no worries with Zena.
Have you seen other breed puppies at a similar age? You can notice that they all have long legs and skinny bodies, huge heads and paws. Since corgis are short it's hard to see similarities, but it's the same process. Bones grow fast, then muscle and fat add up. I fed Shiro 1.5-2 cups of food a day till 8 months, now it's more like 1-1.5. He was very skinny when he was little, you could see the ribs.
To find the waste look at your dog from straight above. There should be hourglass shape that you're talking about. I wouldn't worry about it at this young age though, she's still growing. When she's 1 year old you can switch to adult food and start watching her diet more closely.
Stairs. You heard it right that little puppies shouldn't use stairs too much. However I'd let Zena to do it once or rwice a week so she can get used to it. Some dogs get scared of stairs if not taught from puppyhood. A friend of mine has a 90lb chow mix that is terrified to go downstairs. It's a huge inconveneince.
Also going up the stairs is not as bad as down, so you can let her do it. Jumping off the furniture is not good either.
I think your puppy gets a great amount of exercise. She's not destructive so it's a good sign. Destructive behavior due to lack of exercise usually appears after a few days of restricted activity. You'll probably see it more after spaying. Shiro was a very good boy most of the time, but that week after neutering he was just a little nut, walking around, looking for stuff to chew on. If the weather is bad you can do some training at home or even take her for a car ride or to a pet store. Even seeing new places and things cang get a puppy tired, not just physical exercise.
Hope this helps!
Sounds like Zena is a very good and energetic puppy and you're doing a great job raising her.
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Permalink Reply by Blue Corgi Zena on
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Thanks Marisa and Shiro. I did not know about a car ride. That is a good idea. We try to min-fetch game in the house when it rains. But a car ride is a good idea.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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She will grow awkwardly, and sometimes appear skinny or too long or gawky. Her head will be too big for her body, or her ears will.
I agree with Maria: that hourglass shape is important in adults, but don't be too concerned with a puppy. I like to see an extra layer of flesh on a puppy or they can quickly get ribby in a growth spurt. You don't want them obese, of course, but a little puppy chub is a good thing until they hit somewhere closer to around 6 months.
Hopping up and down a single step should not hurt her. I'd let her go up that and I also agree with Maria that you want her to learn stairs at a young age. Corgis short legs and long backs make stairs difficult for them. If you can find a shorter flight (four steps or so) and take her once a week to practice, then gradually let her learn to do the full-length flight.
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Thanks Beth. I should let her practice stairs occasionally.
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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1) Yes, they tend to be very long and skinny at a young age. Think of a teenager and how they shoot up then take time to fill out and look mature.
2) Dogs all grow at a different rate. As long as she has been checked out by a vet and is healthy I would not be concerned. She may grow to be a smaller adult but only time will tell. Just feed her a good quality food and adjust the portions as needed to keep her from become too thin or plump.
3)When looking for a waist you are typically looking down on them from above. The body should indent between the rib cage and the hips. When you run your hand over the side of the rib cage you should be able to feel the ribs, but you should not be able to see the ribs. It's harder to tell on a very young puppy since puppies often have a puppy belly and a lot of extra skin to grow into. If you are in doubt about her weight you can always consult your vet.
4) It's true that you should not allow your puppy to use stairs or jump off furniture because until the growth plates have closed they are more susceptible to injury and not just to their back but also their legs. You even want to be careful about how you pick up the puppy to avoid putting stress on the spine. Always lift with one hand under the chest and one hand under their bottom (kind of like they are sitting in your hand). Lifting under the arms like a human baby causes the hind end to dangle which can strain the back. We waited until Finnigan was about 9 or 10 months old before we let him start climbing stairs (not in excess) and we still keep him from jumping off of things for the most part. Yes, it's ok for her to go up or down a single step. I wouldn't be worried about that.
5) Depending on the dog, some never think play time should end (ie Finnigan) but as long as they are being walked daily and get play time inside they do fine. We played a lot of fetch indoors with Finn when he was little. Once he had all of his shots we took him on more walks or even to the park to romp around. Very young puppies should not get too much hard activity (I wouldn't take a 12 week old puppy jogging for an hour) but sounds like you are doing fine. Finnigan was never a destructive puppy either. He chewed one thing when he was about 9 months old but that's when he become an "teenager" and was testing us every chance he got and being very inquisitive. If she does start trying to chew things, just make sure you correct her with a "no" or "uh-uh" or whatever you choose and offer her one of her own chew toys instead. Crate training also helps I've found.
Good luck with your puppy; she's a cutie. :)
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Zena has been crate trained. Well, we did not do anything but she does not seem to mind going in and staying there. Thanks a lot for a lot of good advice. Cardi is really rare one around my town so I haven't seen any (even Pem) around here at this age. I thought that my dog is getting really deformed by getting really long. I feel better now. I have to admit that I did not walk the dog when it rains outside. (Temp is not an issue.) I take her out to eliminate, though. Instead, I try to do thug of war, fetch game, catch me if you can type of games inside. It has been okay. If these are not enough. I should take her out for a walk regardless of the weather.
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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I notice you have lots of smooth flooring, like we do. I put in the hardwood flooring before we had dogs. Had I known then what I know now, I might have reconsidered. It makes it easier to clean and control fleas, but it's not the best surface for dog footing. The dogs would likely prefer our horrible old carpet. You might consider rubber-backed nonskid throw rugs for launching/landing pads where she jumps to and from furniture. We've arranged a step for the bed and tried to get them to use that. Gwynnie obviously dislikes jumping up off the slippery floor. I've heard of dogs hurting themselves, slipping while turning/landing on a smooth floor. Helps to trim the fur that infringes on their pads.
Our breeder was quite firm about "no big challenges or long hikes" before 1 year; you want the bone growth plates fused.
Tennis balls great for exercise play; also look for balls just slightly lighter/smaller than a soccer ball. Water polo ball is light and big enough to discourage teeth. We have a child's basketball, small radius, not too heavy but tough enough to survive. They LOVE this if there's a safe place to roll/chase/herd it.
Oh, and don't let that puppy be seen outside. If there aren't laws about puppies that cute, there oughta be. :)
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Actually, I don't have any carpet in the house. Some rugs here and there. Zena had a hard time even sitting on this slippery surface in the beginning. I could not tell whether she wants to sit or pee for the first couple of days. Now she learned to slide when she is trying to catch the toys I throw . We will see how she does and it may be a good excuse for house renovation. LOL.
She starts to enjoy a soccer with me. I use a ball for toddlers. So it is little bigger than a baseball. Since she can't bite through it, she just hugs it and asked me to take it. It is kind of fun to watch her hugging a ball.
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Heh Shiro learned to carry a soccer ball in his mouth! He sinks his teeth in the seams and runs around with it like he won it. Can't teach him to actually herd the ball, maybe I should switch to something bigger and smoother, like basketball.
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Permalink Reply by Shepdog on
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1) She sounds like she's growing in a pattern similar to my Cardi Caleb - long, long, long - up, go long, bum high shoulder high fill out again... etc. Caleb still looks rangy and lanky compared to Simon, who shot up, out and done. I would say it's a typical growth pattern for several lines of Cardigans. I don't expect Caleb to be full grown and filled out until four, and neither does any of the breeders who see him.
2) Every dog weighs in a little different - seriously. Caleb didn't put on one pound a week either and he eats like a pony. Heck, the pony eats less! Actually, both of my dogs went through spurts of growth, leveled out, and did it again. :)
3) Look from the top of the dog, but remember, she's a puppy. She's growing fast right now and most of those calories go right to that. Well, that and playing. ;)
4) I have a few steps in from the dog yard -- they're low. I don't mind my crew going up and down a even a few steps personally. They tell you the same thing about Shepherds, and for 20 years, my dogs have had a few steps to go up and down. It hasn't done any damage. I don't let them fly down the steps, but a healthy, well conditioned puppy should have no problem doing one or two. What I don't want them doing is constistant, up down, up down jarring motion on shoulders and back.
5) I'd say if the puppy is non-destructive and not constistantly bolting around the house, you're good. Just like people they have different needs to match different personalities, I've found. Simon would play 24-7 if allowed -- Caleb after a hour wants to quit and go inside and lay on the sofa. ;) I'm in the same boat you are about weather, but I often toss a toy down the hall rug for a bit. Simon will toss his toys for himself. I agree with someone's opinion that seeing new things and new places can be as mentally exhausting as fetch. My crew is often wiped out after a long day of riding in the car and stopping places for short times!
She's an awfully pretty girl! :D
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Finn went through a stage when it looked like he had a giant head. Other than that he grew pretty evenly. He never had that long skinny look but my Mom's Cardi did. For a time he was just a giant head on an extra long body. He grew out of it by age 2.
I agree that puppies need mental stimulation too. Taking her to new places and doing some training at home is great. We taught Finn all the basic commands plus a couple tricks which kept him focused and thinking. A great game to play is "track it". You have her sit in another room, hide some treats then let her smell your hands and say track it while pointing at the room the treats are in. The first couple times you may have to give her hints by pointing at where each one is hidden but she'll catch on. Finn loves that game and he's got a great sniffer for it. Start out with easy hiding places to such as just inside a shoe, behind a table let etc.
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hiding thing inside a shoe might be too tempting. I know Shiro'd come back to lick it clean and chew.
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