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New Puppy
Penguin_Otaku
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Registered User regular
Ok well not yet, but I will post pictures as soon as I can.
I'm getting a corgi puppy soon and I was going to ask for tips on things I should have. I've had dogs in the past, but we've never really trained them, they've always been outside dogs. I want to do it right this time.
From what I know corgis need exercise and they're pretty smart dogs. I think I can deal with that, but as far as general puppy care goes what should I be expecting? I live near campus and we have a big back yard with a park or two not far away so space isn't really an issue
I'm getting a corgi puppy soon and I was going to ask for tips on things I should have. I've had dogs in the past, but we've never really trained them, they've always been outside dogs. I want to do it right this time.
From what I know corgis need exercise and they're pretty smart dogs. I think I can deal with that, but as far as general puppy care goes what should I be expecting? I live near campus and we have a big back yard with a park or two not far away so space isn't really an issue
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Puppy care is kind of the same as baby care (but maybe to a lesser extent). It'll cry in the middle of the night, shit all over the place, and scare the hell out of you with illnesses. Just...I dunno. Maintain discipline.
And I'm just going to say this now because my friends who have dogs do it, and my parents do it, and I feel like it's worth saying: don't fucking hit your dog ever. I know that should be common sense, but every dog owner I've ever known has resorted to beating it when it pisses on the floor or whatever. There are better ways to discipline an animal. Don't fall into that habit.
e: Things you should have:
A dog bed.
I'd recommend buying some cheap, throwaway towels or rags just to have around when things get messy
Plenty of chewie toys and squeakers (if your dog is super young, it will be teething, and it'll chew on anything it can get its mouth on. Plan accordingly.
An emergency phone number for your vet
Possibly a little cage or a box, depending on how young the puppy is
Agreed. They'll cry for a bit when you first bring them home, but I don't suggest bringing it up to your room or letting it sleep on your bed when it does. Otherwise it'll want to come into your room to sleep every single night. Unless you want it to. What I did with my dog was I put a stereo next to his crate and softly played some classical music. He quite liked it, and he fell asleep pretty fast.
Also, make sure you discourage nipping while they're young. It's harder to get them to stop the longer you wait.
You might want to consider those deodorizing things that you use after they crap on your floor or something. I've found them quite useful.
For general pre-puppy acquisition reading I recommend Ian Dunbar's Before you get your puppy. A lot of libraries have it or you can download it for free here.
You don't want to eliminate nipping too early. First you need to teach bite inhibition so that they are being gentle and then you want to eliminate nipping. Your other big priority when bringing home a puppy should be socialization and letting the puppy see lots of different looking people and different looking dogs.
That said, he has potential to be a great dog, he just lacks the proper training. The key to training Corgis is definitely consistency and patience. They're herding dogs so having another animal to play with would be nice for it when you're not home, and I would definitely recommend two walks a day (you can probably get by with a walk and catch playing, depending on how much running and whether the dog will even want to play catch (our Corgi loves it at home, but will just stare at you if you try to get it to fetch in the park or whatever)).
If you live in an area with a dog beach is recommended taking your dog there after its out of puppy phase as both of our dogs love it, although the Corgi basically just uses uses the time to herd other dogs (our other dog just tries to chase birds, I'm not sure she even knows what she'd do with one if she caught it).
So yeah, consistency and patience.
Oh, and I don't know if other Corgis are like this, bit our dog chess his bed up. He doesn't chew anything else, just his dog bed, so now have doesn't have one, but I kinda think he prefers it this way. But like I said, our Corgi is an asshole. He awesome, but he also an asshole.
Also, someone said don't hit or beat your dog. While true, I would like to qualify this just a bit... There is a difference between hitting or beating and using a bit of physicality to make a point. They are dogs after all, and sometimes a slap on the nose or ass is necessary to get your point across that some behavior is unacceptable. Peeing/shitting on the floor is not the time for this though because they don't have the ability to connect a past action with current consequences. If you actually catch it in the act, make a huge fuss w/ loud angry noises, grab it and run outside. If the dog sticks its nose in your people food or otherwise invades your space when you are not okay with it, or to correct biting/nipping, that is a good time for a wack on the nose.
Those are the big things in my opinion. The rest you will just sort of figure out as you go.
edit: Also, on the physicality point, it's obviously relative to the size and breed. Some dogs have a remarkable pain tolerance and totally won't give a shit about a slap on the nose or whatever, whereas the same force could break a chihuahua's neck. Adjust accordingly... corgi's are fairly small dogs. I have met pitbulls and rottweilers other big, tough, hardy breeds that don't seem to know pain is even a thing and as such physical discipline is almost entirely lost on them.
Seriously, do not let it out of your sight. Puppy proof your home as much as possible and avoid the need for expensive replacements and vet bills.
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But watch them. The baby comparison is apt. If you cant see it, its probably fucking something up. And that something is probably expensive.
Just remember than when they are barking up a storm, it's not becaue they want you to be annoyed, it's simply because they are babies that don't know anything.
I been working with Malone and a crate, and it really does work. The first week was the worst...while he never whined or cried at night, he would do so at any other time we put him there and left the room. It's slowly been getting better, but he still doesn't willingly go there.
We also bought a large exercise pen that we keep along with the sofa edges as boundaries for him. That way he has plenty of room to move, but we don't worry about him destroying anything.
Also, I don't know if it's with every puppy, but he follows us everywhere if he has the chance. While it's tempting to let him do it, you have to teach him early that it's okay for him to be alone and entertain himself.
And finally, there are exceptions, but for the most part do not give in to his barkings.
Do not whack the puppy on the nose for invading your space. Puppies live in a perpetual state of "HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THIS," and a sharp "Uh-uh" or "No!" (combined with getting up, teaching him that jumping = no more play) will make enough of an impression on a smart little Corgi, provided you do it consistently; causing him pain every time you want to establish boundaries will just teach him that you'll hurt him at seeming random.
How long do you intend to leave the dog alone all day?
Will you and the dog be going to puppy class?
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198006524737
I've heard good things about this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Raising-Puppy-Monks-Skete/dp/0316578398
The monks of new skete book isn't bad, but it is pretty out of date with regards to the science about vaccinations, socialization and behavior. I prefer Patricia McConnell's Puppy Primer as she is a vet and it was just updated last year: http://www.amazon.com/Puppy-Primer-Patricia-B-McConnell/dp/1891767135/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298901121&sr=1-1
Basically for a long time it was recommended that puppies not meet any dogs or people who have dogs until they finished all their vaccines at 16 weeks. At the time it was thought that the puppies were more in danger of dying from parvo or distemper than from being under-socialized. However, as we understand canine immunology and canine behavior better, people have realized that puppies are temporarily protected after the second set of vaccines and the third set just helps them keep that protection for longer. Also, a lot more dogs die in the US from being put down because of behavior problems than die from parvo or distemper at this point. You don't want to let a puppy who hasn't finished their vaccines run around in a dog park or meet dogs that you don't know their health status, but there are safe ways to socialize your dog even before they get any vaccines. This is a big difference between books written twenty years ago and books written now. The older books try to terrify dog owners into basically not taking puppies out of their houses until 16 weeks but we now know that the period of primary socialization ends between 12 and 16 weeks. Even if you are the type of person who would never give up a dog for behavior problems, living with a well-socialized dog is generally more enjoyable as they have better social skills.