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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on March 21, 2008 at 10:09am

It is "normal" for the breed because corgis are herding dogs, their job is to nip at the ankles of the cattle & sheep. Since we're the pack leaders, we need to let them know that it is not Okay for them to nip, when he nip again, immediate "yelp" or "ouch", let him know verbally that you're hurt, then stand up, look the other way, completely not pay attention to him. Until you see him "calm down" in a sit or lay down position, praise him and give him some "lovin". In time he'll get the idea that nipping will drive master away, so i better behave. Keep training him, it is going to take time, but he will get it. My vienna was a biter as well, it is a very normal puppy behavior, we train her with a command "gentle" so that she will lick us instead of biting :)

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Permalink Reply by Erica on March 21, 2008 at 11:37am

Thanks for the advice.

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on March 21, 2008 at 10:37am

This sounds like more than normal puppy nipping. If Wyatt is growling and baring his teeth (truly attacking) when he bites, the issue is worse than play nipping too hard. The problem could be a genetic temperament problem passed down from the parents, or it could be from not enough training for bite inhibition from the parents or littermates, perhaps from being removed from the litter too young.

If the puppy does seem to be playing and just biting too hard, Sam's advice is good. If the dog is truly being aggressive or vicious, biting and drawing blood, you'll want to consult a professional behaviorist to learn how to handle him. Most will come to your home for a reasonable fee per session to observe the dog, assess the problem, and give you the techniques to manage him. He can most likely be trained not to bite, but truly aggressive dogs more than any other will require you to learn a higher level of obedience training skills than most basic obedience courses teach.

I would recommend that you read the NILIF (nothing in life is free) techniques. You can type "NILIF" in a Yahoo or Google search and get some good articles. You can start using these techniques today. I believe that every dog can be trained to be a good companion. Managing a dog with an aggressive temperament will simply require that the dog have more "rules" and training than a dog with a more medium or softer temperament.

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Permalink Reply by Erica on March 21, 2008 at 11:37am

Thanks so much.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy, Curtis and Triley on March 21, 2008 at 11:14am

Triley was very aggressive about food when we first got him and would bite and growl whenever I tried to take things away from him. We took him to puppy socialization classes at PetsMart and they worked with us on this sort of problem:

The first thing we did is to randomly take his food bowl away while he was eating, and then give it back much later. He quickly realized that we are in charge of his food and ever since then he's never snapped at me when he is eating.

We also really drove home the idea of "Leave It, Take It, Give It." I don't quite remember the techniques for teaching it but basically we first taught him "Leave It" - where he could see a treat but wasn't allowed to get it. Then we taught him "Take It" which means, of course, that he can take the treat, and finally "Give It" where he has to set the treat/toy down and walk away. Triley picked up on these super fast (smart corgis!), especially since we use "Give It" when we play fetch, so it is already a fun game for him and he knows he has to give us the toy before we can throw it again.

Finally, we have one, very specific noise we use when he is doing something wrong. We also learned the noise in puppy class and he knows that no matter what he is doing, if he hears that noise he must stop. It works really well.

I would highly recommend puppy socialization classes somewhere. Ours was a 10 week course and cost about $100 and it REALLY helped. I think they are esp good for corgis, since they do have a natural tendency to bite/nip and be in charge, which is not okay as a family pet! Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Erica on March 21, 2008 at 11:37am

I appreciate this advice.

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Permalink Reply by morningstar on March 21, 2008 at 11:16am

Hunter used to be like that too and sometimes he still bites (but doesn't growl as much anymore).

If he bit me, I would say No really loudly and ignore him for a while and not even look at him. After a few minutes, he kind of understands and is a lot nicer so I reward him with a treat.

Make sure Wyatt knows that YOU are in charge and he is not. Don't let that little dog take over you with it's cuteness!

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Permalink Reply by Erica on March 21, 2008 at 11:37am

Thanks for the advice, it is appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Sylvia & Timmy on March 21, 2008 at 11:16am

Ercia,
I second the recommendations from Sam and Charlie. This is a potentially serious issue. Please seek some help from a corgi experienced behaviorist who can assess the situation in your home to see what provokes the behavior. Most importantly, as has been stated, Wyatt needs to recognize who is the actual one in charge. NILIF has saved many "bossy" corgis' lives. You have to be committed to changing the status quo though. That includes any other members in the household as well.

One question, has Wyatt been altered? Sometimes hormones can play a factor in assertiveness also.

Good luck and Wyatt certainly deserves all of your love. He's a very handsome boy!

Sylvia and Timmy

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Permalink Reply by Buckley's folks on March 21, 2008 at 11:40am

Buckley went through a period where he suddenly became *very* aggressive when I would try to take something away from him that he shouldn't be chewing on -- shoes, remotes..whatever.(even though we would try to keep things out of his reach, he'd get them. I swear he's half kangaroo!) He would growl, bare his teeth and then snap at me. Actually bit my hand once. It was literally terrifying. I didn't recognize him when he did that. He wasn't neutered yet when this started (at about 6 months of age) and I got in touch with my breeder, who is also a dog trainer who led us in our obedience classes.

I had been hoping that this aggressive behaviour would disappear when he was neutered, but she had some hard news for me. It was going to take a lot of patience and hard work to get Buckley back in shape. He's quite the alpha dog with a VERY strong personality, and he was under the impression that he was the leader of the house: hence the snapping at me when I 'dared' to remove things from him, the alpha dog. My breeder told me that it was quite a serious issue that can let sweet dogs turn into nightmares if not handled correctly. I believed her -- I was scared of my dog when he did that!

So, it was right into what we called Puppy Boot Camp. Under her advice, he wore his choke collar and leash in the house at all times, in case he got something he shouldn't. (although, we did seriously puppy-proof the house to be proactive, it did still sometimes happen). We did 'sit stay' exercises where Buckley would have to sit at my command and stay beside me until I released him for 5 -10 minutes at a time, so that he would learn I was the boss. He HATED that, and at first he would only stay for 2 minutes. It took a lot of perserverance on my part. Before going through any doorway, he had to sit and stay to let me in first. When out walking, he walks at my side. He got toys when I gave them to him, not when he picked them up off of the floor. He was not allowed on laps unless invited, outside unless I offered, food unless I gave it to him and he ate it in the appropriate amount of time. Basically, he got nothing for free, and I really had to show him that I was the boss. Not gonna lie, it took a *lot* of work. Puppy Boot Camp lasted intensely for about a month, but the results have been amazing. He's back to the awesome dog he started out being. The things that were so much work before are now just part of our lives.


The hardest part was having other people in my life understand the seriousness of what I was doing, and to adopt the strict Nothing is For Free attitude as well. My man still wanted to be the dog's "buddy" at first, but then caught on when he saw how well Bucks responds to me. It's been over a year since Private Buckley attended Boot Camp, but we still re-visit the "sit stay" activity when he's having a particularly 'alpha' moment! All in all, things are wonderful with him after we put in all of the hard work. So glad that we did!

Good luck with your boy...there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

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Permalink Reply by Erica on March 21, 2008 at 11:40am

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate all the help. I will def look into the NILIF

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Permalink Reply by NoClaws4Alarm on March 21, 2008 at 11:49am

You might want to try making a sharp sound (like the sound a puppy makes when hurt) and complete removal *immediately* following the incident. From this he will learn two important things:

1. He hurt you
2. When he hurts you he doesn't get to be with you.

Nancy mentioned food aggression and since Sadie gets growly sometimes around her food dish, I sought help on the net from a behaviorlist. She was dead ON. She said to regularly hand feed your dog because when you have food aggression, what's happened is they have staked claim and said "This dish is MINE."

They have to understand that they don't own that bowl... You do.

To occasionally emphasize this point, you need to start off with the bowl of food, sit on the floor and feed them from it out of your hand. They learn real quick that their only source of food is YOU and that YOU are in charge... Food aggression stops when they release the ownership of that bowl of food to their pack leader.

I still hand feed both our dogs... just to remind them who that really is :)

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