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Permalink Reply by Monica, Orion, and Laika on July 15, 2010 at 3:17pm

Crate - I got that same crate for Orion. Worked great for potty training and I keep it open during the day and he'll go nap in it. He's only 4 months now but it looks like it will be a good size for when he's an adult.
Collar - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751392&lmd... I got these for Orion and Laika, the "small" size. They each fit at 9 weeks and Orion's still fits at 4 months. I personally don't like the metal buckle because I like to know I can get the collar of quick if it gets caught on something or in another dog's mouth. At the doggy day care I worked at, the quick release collars were the only kind allowed for safety reasons.
Leash - I have a "Flexi" brand 16 foot retractable leash that I bought at Target but I think they have them at Petsmart too. I kept it locked when he learned to walk on it but now it's nice to be able to let him roam at a 16 foot radius if he wants, or lock it if he shouldn't be roaming. When I got Laika after she learned to walk on the leash I got a leash coupler so they can walk together on the same leash and they do well.
Food - I have Purina One but I'm probably switching because Orion has horrid gas and Laika can't stop scratching (she can't even sleep because she wakes up so much to scratch) and I think it may be a food allergy. I may be switching to Blue Buffalo

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on July 15, 2010 at 4:44pm

Is there grain in that food?

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Permalink Reply by Monica, Orion, and Laika on July 15, 2010 at 5:34pm

In the food they're currently on? Yes, corn gluten meal is the third ingredient listed and whole grain corn is the sixth which is why I've been trying to pick a new food for them to try. For grain-free I'm trying to decide between Taste of the Wild or Canidae but I wonder if Blue Buffalo will be alright. The chicken one has whole ground brown rice and whole ground barley and the lamb has oatmeal, whole ground barley, and whole ground brown rice. It has no corn or wheat though, which I hear are the usual allergens. I believe Blue Buffalo isn't quite as expensive as Canidae or Taste of the Wild which is why I'd prefer that, but I'll spend as much as I need to in order to stop the scratching, I feel so bad for her, she's very uncomfortable.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on July 16, 2010 at 1:10pm

Our first corgi had terrible itching problems, creating open sores, which disappeared after my wife put her on a raw meat diet.

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Permalink Reply by Carla on July 15, 2010 at 4:09pm

Regarding the ex pens: I actually have the Midwest Black Exercise Pens with Door (the third one linked in your discussion). Casey has never been able to escape it while closed, and she is a 31 pound Cardigan. She tried when she was younger, but was never successful (she probably could if she really thought about it...her problem is that she first puts her front paws at the top, before trying to jump with her hind legs - she doesn't have the leg power to propel her entire body over the edge. However, she can jump quite high if she gets a running start, or starts from the ground and propels upwards. But she's never quite realized that, so has never escaped).

Right now, it's closed in an octagonal shape in the living room, where she spends her unsupervised time, but it has served so many purposes, I can't even count. You can spread it all the way out to create a nice barrier around/in front of something you don't want them to access (this came in handy a lot when Casey was younger - I used it both outside and inside, and when I took her to my in-laws house - they had an entire section of their kitchen with potted plants on the ground, which I surrounded with the ex-pen to keep Casey from eating). She can easily push it with her nose though, so sometimes she tries to push it around the room (we have panel flooring - I don't know how it would work on carpet). She's never tipped it over on herself though; it's quite sturdy. Picture of it with her in it can be seen here.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 15, 2010 at 4:32pm

Welcome Daniel! Congrats on your addition!

Make sure you check out petsmart.ca return policy and get their petperks card. You can always return food if it doesn't work out. keep your receipt.

Crate: You can skip the bedding until age 2, accidents and teething corgi destroys it.

Collar: You'll start with a size small and graduate with a medium

6 foot leash: Great choice and length, your trainer will want you to use this. You cannot control a dog by stepping on a flexi lead and it'll give you rope burn. Use flexi when your dog is trained and you have more handling experience.

blue buffalo puppy formula: Some corgis don't do well because it is a rich food, make sure you introduce new food with old gradually.

2 stainless steel bowls: Get the rubber gasket type, it will stick to the floor, harder to spill.

disinfectant for odors: Read the label and only get the ones with out bleach, bleach + ammonia = chemical weapon mustard gas, it'll burn your lungs. Always keep 6 bottles of hydrogen peroxide at home, cheapest and largest bottol at dollarama. You can also get a lot of cheap products there.

few chew toys: Kongs are practically bomb proof, tennis ball and deer antlers are also great choice.

treats: experiment and see what is his favourite, they are your most powerful teaching tools.

ex. pen: we used baby gate instead, cheapest place is still walmart.ca , get the plastic or metal type, ours destroyed 3 of our baby wooden ones. Once upon a time we had an old pen that our corgi jumped over.

Things I would add to your list:

1. poop bag: best place and cheapest is dollarama. Be a responsible dog owner and pick up his poop for the next decade and a half :)

2. gore tex raincoat for yourself: you will wear this in the rain and snow, breathable, windproof, waterproof. Forget about umbrellas you will get wet and lose control with a dog decided to dash while you clean up his mess.

3. Hydrogen Peroxide: cheapest. $1 at dollarama it's larger than the ones at Canadian Superstore / Loblaws / Canadian Tire or Walmart. Read the FAQ on how to potty train your dog.

4. Furminator: It is a must have. Check out the videos here and you'll know why. Never ever shave your corgi unless it is for medical purposes.

5. A gentle shampoo: You can splurge on this or use human baby shampoo, it is cheap, scent free, hypogenic and good enough for a baby's butt. Depending on your activity and elements exposure, avoid frequent bathing, it'll strip the natural oil from their skin and coat, then you'll have an itchy corgi. To give you an idea, I live 30 mins from you and only bath mine 3 times since last september. Corgis don't smell like other dogs, their feet smell like fritos :)

6. A good vet: Go on yelp and read reviews, we are blessed with U of Guelph vets here in GTA. You can also look for penn hip certified vets, they are more knowledgeable with our breed.

7. A good air tight dog food container, put some basil leaves in a zip lock bag and poke holes in it, it'll keep the bugs away.

8. Talk to your vet about heart worm rx, you'll need it 6 month out of the year here in Ontario.

9. Microchip, it's cheap and painless, done in less than 30 seconds. Always update the address when you move.

10. fill out his registration and mail it back, the gov will mail you his tag, keep it on him.

11. nail clipper or buffer: we hardly clip ours due to the amount of walking we do, a friend gave us a pedipaw for xmas and we used it. A tip is don't wait till clipping time to introduce your dog to the tools, let them get used to it early, you don't need to clip them during practice, praise him for allow you to handle his feet. review how to clip nails properly, it is not the same as human.

12. lint rollers: ikea is phasing out their pet line, go to the Ectobicoke or North York store and stock up. You can also get the stainless steel bowls there cheap. To get dog hair off your car's carpet, put on a pair of dishwashing glove, it works better and cheaper.

13. toothbrush: DO IT! or else you'll pay for it around 5 years old. Peanut flavor or chicken flavor works best.

14. towel for your dog only: remember your dog don't sweat like human do, always do a temperature test yourself first. Rinse well or else the shampoo residue will make him itch. Use the towel to wrap and pick him up, dry him, stand back with the towel cover yourself, he'll proceed to shake, dry some more then prepare for him to FRAP.

15. Doggie class, when his shots are done and old enough, socialize him and interview a few trainers and see who do you feel comfortable with and okay with their teaching style / method. I know a few great trainers in GTA, let me know if you like a referral.

15. Pawtz, Muttluks and Musher's secret for the salty Canadian winter.

Enjoy your new pup, pay it forward when your time comes :)

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on July 15, 2010 at 4:43pm

I'd get an opaque crate, more private and den-like. I made a plywood partition to move back as Al grew.
FANNY PACK dedicated for dogwalking only. My #1 suggestion!
7-8" Nike children's basketball (good size, toothproof) or a volleyball, maybe even better.
pocket-sized screw-cap odor-proof container for training treats; prescription pill bottles work well.
Cell phone # on the tag or collar.
If you go to the collar FAQ, there are photos of my modified Martingales, easy slipover on/off (ours never wear collars indoors). I try to make the collars as light as possible and avoid jangling/rattling metal.
Vinegar in a spray bottle; supposed to be good for odors.
Baby gates (watch garage sales) can be handy; make sure pup can't get head stuck between the bars.

I always have 1/2" lightweight nylon webbing around. With a TINY carabiner and an overhand loop, voila! A leash. Make the hand loop big, and you can put a reversible overhand slip knot in it anytime, anywhere. You can put an overhand slip knot anywhere on your leash to shorten it, anytime, and one tug and it's gone when you're done with it.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel M on July 15, 2010 at 5:57pm

Thankyou to everyone for your help and suggestions, they really helped :) . Does anyone know a good name for a corgi? i kinda liked jasper, rebel and Royce

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 15, 2010 at 6:07pm

Here's an old thread with 375 replies on Corgi names and nicknames :)

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Permalink Reply by Daniel M on July 15, 2010 at 6:07pm

thanks

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on July 16, 2010 at 1:13pm

When some fresh-faced young mom with an adorable toddler stops to admire Al & Gwynn ("Ohhh! They're so CUTE! Are they *friendly*? Can we pet them?") I like to introduce them as "Killer" and "Fang".

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Permalink Reply by Holiday Thomas on July 16, 2010 at 3:01pm

Our corgi's name is Olive but if we were to have gotten her brother his name was going to be Owen. Good luck with your new baby!

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