(Part 3) Top products from r/corgi

About 1,5 years ago, I was in a similar situation. I had no previous experience of dogs, no idea what to expect. Also, about 6 months ago, my girlfriend moved away and I've been solely responsible for our dog since. It's not easy, but you have to realize that from this point onward, that dog is part of your family and comes first.

First things first: Puppies for Dummies, read it now (or some other book).

As many others have pointed out, there's no way a reputable breeder would give out a puppy at 6 weeks. Around here, 8 weeks is the minimum (otherwise I agree with everything cirocco wrote). It might feel that it doesn't matter, but as you will soon find out, a week is a major milestone in a puppy's development. Anyway, that's happened so let's focus on the future.

A dog is pretty resilient, so you have some margin of error, but I can't emphasise how important each week is and how you need to really focus on the puppy for the first year or so. You'll be rewarded later on.

I'm guessing getting the dog was primarily your girlfriend's idea? That doesn't matter now and you can't use that as any excuse, because you're both going to be equally important to the puppy. If you think about it as your girlfriend's dog, it's going to be a mistake (as I learned out pretty quickly). It will love and depend on both of you. The longest stretch your dog can be left alone is around 8 hours (when adult). However, you're not even close to that yet and you need to teach your puppy that being alone is ok. But that's only possible once your puppy feels safe and trusts its surroundings.

The puppy will poop and puke in many interesting places (and continue to do so when adult). In most cases, this will be normal and caused by something the dog ate and will go away soon. A change of diet will pretty much always guarantee strange poops. Your puppy will soon learn that it should go outside to do its business, but because of a weak bladder it will not be able to do so for a long time and this is the reason why it's never ok to blame the dog for making an accident.

In a year, you won't have a finished end-product. Yes, it will be much easier on many fronts by then, but your dog will still require attention, care and leadership. When you'll girlfriend leaves for graduate school, your dog will miss her but will soon be ok. However, at this point you really need to make sure that there are others that can take care of the dog when you personally can't (trip, sickness, etc.). At around 1 year, your dog is going to be very active and you need to make sure all its needs are taken care of or you will end up with a bunch of behavioral problems. It will get easier, but you can't take it any less seriously. Taking care of an active breed by just yourself means that you'll spend a lot time out with your dog.

You might want to consider taking up a dog-related hobby like obedience training or agility or something.

> for what? So I can "pet" something?

You have lost your independence, but you have gained a new best friend for life. Yes, vets can be expensive. Yes, your life changed and you can't get it back. You chose a breed that has a pretty long lifespan, is relatively active and which is not considered to be "easy". It's up to you to think hard if you're up to the challenge. What you will end up is much more than a "pet".

We talked about gettinga a dog for a year before actually doing so. We borrowed our friends' dog for weekends. We researched breeds and met breeders. Even so, once the puppy came home I was scared, I wasn't sure I was up to the task. But now I couldn't be happier. It is hard, and most of my time goes with my dog but for me it's all worth it. When I get home after a day at work, the massive amount of love that awaits me at home is just amazing. Those tiny feet jumping at me, so happy that I'm back after a boring but successful day guarding the dog fort.

TL;DR: If you jumped right here, you might not be up to the task. I was in a similar position, and it's not going to be easy - but so rewarding if you have the right attitude. You will not learn the guitar nor go regulary to the gym for at least the next 6 months.

• Biting - your puppy will mouth, nip and bite you. It is not out of malice and it is a completely normal (and DESIRED!) behavior. The only way to teach proper bite inhibition is for your puppy to bite you, and for you to help guide them to more acceptable levels of mouthing then to fade mouthing out all together. Here is a great video on bite inhibition. Be prepared for a mouthy herding breed to nip you until they start to loose their baby teeth.
  
  
• Potty Training - You can never let your puppy out of your sight for the first several months you own them. They need to be on a leash in your direct line of sight or in a puppy safe area like a crate or play pen. This means you are going to spend your evenings playing with and tuckering out your puppy - not watching tv. You also need to be around to let your puppy out ever 2-3 hours, max. Hopefully you already made arrangements at work before committing to a puppy. Here is a resource on house training.
  
  
• Crate Training - Crate training is amazing. It is great for house training, will reduce stress if your dog ever needs to be boarded, go to dog care or spend time at the vet and can help you save your house once puppy is old enough to be home alone for 3-4 hours a day. You will need to teach your puppy to love their crate, however, which means a lot of whining and barking for a couple months until they really start to get used to it. If crate training is such a good thing, why is your puppy fussing so much? A lot of it comes from being away from their litter, in a new place with strange people and being alone for the first time in their lives. It is very important to help puppies get over that and crate training is a great way to help them learn to be OK being alone and that their crate is a safe and rewarding place to be. Learn more about Crate Training.
  
  
• Mistakes are going to happen - your puppy will likely have an accident or two even after they are house trained (tip: your puppy may get the concept of house training quickly, but will not be ACTUALLY house trained until their bladder is mature enough to hold it for more than a couple hours). Your puppy will also bite, bark, grow, dig, and destroy at least one thing you really like. Take it in stride - do not punish your puppy for these mistakes. You would not punish an infant for vomiting on you, having an accident or breaking something - they wouldn't understand the punishment! A puppy doesn't understand either! These books are really great starting point for new dog owners: Don't Shoot the Dog, The Culture Clash, and The Power of Positive Dog Training. They contain a lot of training tips and insight into dog communication, thinking, motivation and having a positive relationship with your dog.
  
  
• Be prepared for anything - have at least $5k in the bank you are willing to use JUST for your dog! A medical emergency can happen at any time and can be very expensive! If you are going through a reputable breeder, hopefully you have seen all the puppy's parents health tests and know the risk of genetic disorders for your puppy - but "LIFE" can happen to a dog, too! Falling down steps, getting hit by a car, accidentally getting stepped on (corgi puppies are tiny!), having a reaction to a vaccination, eating something they shouldn't, getting sat on by another dog (true story - cost us $400 when our corgi hurt is shoulder after being sat on by a bigger dog...), and a myriad of other accidents that can happen to ANYONE. Being prepared to take on that expense is important! I would hope you never have to choose between your dog or a vet bill - make sure you have planned for that! Pet Insurance can also be very valuable and is worth researching (we use PetPlan - I have been extremely happy with it.)
  
  
• Be ready to learn! - Raising a puppy is not unlike raising a child - if you try to operate in a vacuum you are only hurting yourself and your dog! Signup for puppy kindergarten! It is EXTREMELY important, especially if you are bringing your puppy home at 8 weeks! Your puppy needs to be in a kindergarten class as SOON as possible (ideally, starting at 8 weeks.) 8 - 12 weeks is a critical imprinting period where your puppy can develop habits and skills for the rest of their lives. If they spend this critical time locked up inside away from other dogs and people their socialization skills will suffer greatly. Kindergarten is a safe outlet for your puppy to meet other dogs, puppies and people under the guidance of a trainer. Also be sure to hold several 'puppy parties' throughout this time period where you invite new groups of people over to your house to interact with your new family member. Expose your puppy to as much as the world as you can while still being safe!
  
  Socialization 101 -
  
  Do NOT!
  >- Take your puppy to the dog park (before they are 4 months old)!!
  >
  >- Take your puppy to highly populated 'dog hangouts' with people you dont know (Training clubs are different as all dogs are required to be UTD on vaccinations)!!
  
  DO!
  >- Go to puppy kindergarten! And continue obedience classes once the puppy is old enough.
  >- Invite people of all ages, colors and sizes to your house (or go to their house) to socalize your puppy.
  >
  >- Let your puppy play with dogs you know who are UTD on vaccines and are well socialized to puppies.
  >- Carry your puppy around public places to get them exposed to the world.
  
  
  There is a LOT to learn in preparation for a puppy, from knowing the importance of working with a reputable breeder, to knowing and understanding Corgi Quirks, to having a solid training plan. Be as prepared as you can be and enjoy those puppy months! They are very trying, you will loose sleep, you will wonder WHY you did this to yourself and HOW something so cute can be so utterly evil - but once your pup starts to get into the groove and your training starts to pay off, you will realize it is worth it.
  
  Here is my packaged dog starter link list - some are compliments to articles/resources I linked to above, and some are the same, but all are worthwhile!
  
  
• Find a reputable training club
  
  
• /r/dogtraining Wiki
  
  
• /r/dogtraining Book List
  
  
• /r/dogtraining Online Resources
  
  
• The Digital Dog Training Textbook
  
  
• Ian Dunbar - Training Bite Inhibition
  
  
• Kikopup Training Videos
  
  
• Kikopup - Clicker Training
  
  
• Kikopup - Puppy Playlist
  
  
• Dont Shoot the Dog (book)
  
  
• The Culture Clash (book)
  
  
• The Power of Positive Dog Training (book)

My basic recommendations, having survived a Corgi puppyhood, are crate training, bell training, good exercise, and safe socialization.

Any pup can be destructive, but if you limit their access to destructible things and spend as much time with them as possible, they will tend to remain a Good Dog. We kept our pup in her crate when we left the house at first (~2-3 hours max). After a couple months, she graduated to the gated kitchen (~3-4 hours max), and gradually we started trusting her enough to give her more access to the house (probably 5-6 hours, but we rarely leave her home that long). She slept in her crate in our bedroom for about a year, but then we retired the crate and she sleeps in her dog bed.

Potty training went rather smoothly for us. As much as possible, we took her outside every 30 minutes while she was awake. It sounds like it's too frequent, but you're more likely to catch them before they go potty, and they'll learn more from actually going potty outside than having accidents and being rushed outside after the fact. Bell training has worked great as a way for her to tell us when she needs to potty. She learned almost immediately, just from us dinging her bell whenever we went out into the back yard, and now she will ding her bell whenever she wants to go outside. It's a little tricky to teach them to use the bell only for potty breaks, but we are fine with her going outside for non-potty reasons.

One other important detail: there will be accidents, and it's important to clean up their urine using an enzyme-based cleaner (urine destroyer) so that they don't smell it later and decide that it's a good place to go potty again.

With exercise and socialization, you do have to be careful before they complete their puppy vaccines. Don't take them to an open place or dog park with unknown dogs. I think before her vaccinations were complete, we mostly played with her in the back yard and took her to see my parents' dogs. If you know someone with dogs and fully trust that their dogs are up-to-date on their vaccinations, it should be safe to have your pup play with them.

Consult your vet on the specific risks in your area, and weigh any advice you hear elsewhere against their professional recommendations, but as much as possible, exercise your pup daily and let them safely interact with other dogs. Tired dogs are happy dogs, and puppies learn so much from playing with other dogs. Going to the dog park is our pup's most favorite thing in the world, and she will squeak and bark at me when it's time to go there.

Specific products?

• 30-inch wire crate (maybe a 36-inch crate would be better for a Corgi on the bigger side)
  
• Flexi Classic leash - the medium/large size might be a little overkill, but we broke our first one right away and wanted something super strong. If you train your pup to walk with a loose leash, you'll only need a simple rope leash. Otherwise, I also recommend a good harness.
  
• Slow feed bowl - It's not a big deal now that she's older, but she started off eating so fast that she would get whole-body hiccups after eating.
  
• Potty training bell - The doorknob jingle bells are good too, but we went with these ring-for-service style bells.
  
  I'm not a dog trainer at all, and this is our first dog on our own. I don't know if we just lucked out and got an exceptionally well-mannered pup, but I like to think the information we learned from lots of other dog owners helped her grow up to be a wonderful Corgi girl.

Hawaii? That's very interesting. I imagine dog showing out there is rather different than in the continental US. Is Cinberlin the Corgi "monopoly" breeder?

A lot of that contrast is from the photo. The dogs look stunning in real life but not quite like that. Like, this is my dog and he isn't the cleanest in this pic. His color is strong in real life, but not quite so intense as in the photo.

Aside from photo trickery, a lot of the color has to do with the type, quality, and richness of pigment in the coat. I have seen many, many Corgis that lack that extra oomph because they simply don't have the richness or depth of color, or have a really tight coat that doesn't catch light well. It doesn't matter how clean they are, they will never be as striking as others.

I'm far from a grooming expert, but for getting what you have bright and shiny, whitening shampoo is your friend--and lots of it. They make color intensifying shampoos for people, so they probably make them for dogs too. You also want to be sure there is as little dead undercoat as possible. ie Remove all the loose undercoat. Do this with a dog/velocity/forced-air blow dryer, which will also fluff the coat up a bit and make it look more impressive.

Handling the dog is a skill, and many places offer handling classes. Contact a local kennel club to find out about handling classes in your area. You may even want to get with the "monopoly" breeder and learn from them about what makes a good handler and what makes a successful show dog. In fact, I highly encourage getting in contact with them and asking to shadow them at a show.

I hear that showing in UKC is good because there's less competition, less pressure, and UKC is more welcoming of newbies.

Definitely know the standard and what all the terms mean. I highly recommend buying a copy of the illustrated standard. It will be better for you as a show competitor and potential breeder if you understand more about why structure is important, so I also recommend reading up on dog structure in general. This was my first book and I loved it.

Any portable vac will be good for things like crumbs, pebbles, and larger clumps of hair, but for cleaning upholstery, especially inside the car, I use one of these things: https://www.amazon.com/Gonzo-Pet-Hair-Lifter-Furniture/dp/B000209Z2C It actually does a fantastic job of removing hair, is reusable, and easy to clean. It can take a little bit of getting used to to start, but I've honestly not found much better, especially anything reusable.

But more importantly, a back-seat hammock cover has been a GODSEND for my car!! This is the one I use, and it keeps the back seat safe from muddy paws, drool, any potential accidents, and 95% of shed fur. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFZGZ0 It is easy to set up and stays in place - also easy to clean since I can just wipe it down, vacuum it, or even throw it in the washer if I absolutely have to. Also has the benefit of hiding the floor of my back seat. I drive a Nissan Cube so I don't have a covered cargo - this thing lets me hide things during shopping trips where I can't drop anything off in between stores.

Before I got that little hammock, I would just keep an extra blanket or a couple towels in the backseat, and that did a fair job at keeping things at least manageable, so long as I remembered to shake them out or replace them every few trips.

You can start training your puppy now, just keep in mind that small puppy=small attention span. Training sessions should be 2 minutes tops, keep them exciting and full of positive attention. Start out by getting him used to being handfed, then move to an easy-to-train command like "sit". Once he's got that down or seems to need more variety, gradually begin to introduce more commands.

As for treats, you can use kibble from his main diet as a minor training reward to start out with. You can also use soft treats like training treats or freeze-dried liver. Just don't go too overboard on rewarding!

Get as many friends and family of a variety of ages to come and visit/treat your puppy in the next couple of weeks as possible. Socialization is key and the 8-10 week window can, in a lot of ways, determine your dog's demeanor going forward. I'm sure you know, but you should avoid taking the puppy out to meet other dogs or into areas with high dog traffic until he is finished with the parvo series of vaccinations.

This is just the tip of a very large iceberg of puppy info. I'll put in a plug for /r/dogtraining and /r/puppy101 here! Both are great resources. We also relied heavily on the advice of Ian Dunbar while training our corgi. His website is here, he also has a great book Before and After Getting Your Puppy which was our bible. We basically did a less intense versions of his errorless house, chew toy, and crate trainings and our corgi was accident free by 3 months, is happy and bark free in his crate, and has yet to legitimately destroy anything.

Congratulations on your new pup and happy training to you!

Cinberlin is not the monopoly, she is actually very selective about who she sells to and is a reputable breeder/shower, but her prices were high as well, but I respect her because she explained to me the care and effort she puts in, and informed me of the backward practices of the monopoly person as if they're dogs are always pregnant, basically a backyard puppymill. Basically his pricing is 1.8-2.2k without papers, 5-6k with limited papers, 10-15k fine if you breed without their consent. Obviously the no papers are not registered with the AKC.

Thanks for the info on the standards, I read up on the corgi standards and mine seems to be in good shape, but that's just me measuring.

So for whitening shampoo i use this, https://smile.amazon.com/Chris-Christensen-White-Shampoo-fl-oz/dp/B000NV87FG?sa-no-redirect=1, I have no idea how much help it does because I only bathe him every month or every other.

What is the frequency I should bathe him to get his coat cleaned and ready?

Same with ours! The secret is having lots of little treats handy. Corgis like Rocky will do just about anything for them. We used click training (tldr: establish that the sound of a handheld clicker is a good thing and then click when he does the action you want). Start from the simple tricks, like shake and lie down, and you'll find you can usually build up more complex tricks from simple components. For example, this one is just a combination of having him hang on to whatever you hand him and roll over. Corgis are smart and this trick was the result of just two 15-minute sessions on separate days.

The source for this trick was Tricks for Treats, a tiny book we picked up from the checkstand at a pet store. Anyone can do it, just takes a little patience.

Thick washed cotton rope, the thiccer the better.

Bully sticks or antler are the best thing to chew. Rawhide isn't digestible, but both the bully sticks and antler are. They prevent nasty, paint peeling rawhide farts too.

Some butcher shops also offer smoked femoral heads that have meat, marrow and cartilage on them that make really good treats. The bone is heavy enough that can't chip it and the rest is digestible.

https://www.amazon.com/Flossy-100-Percent-Cotton-3-Knot-25-Inch/dp/B000634LKQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=cotton%2Brope%2Bdog%2Btoy&qid=1562111113&s=gateway&sprefix=cotton%2Brope%2Bdog&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1

[https://www.amazon.com/6-Inch-Boutique-Grain-Free-Sancho-Lolas/dp/B01HBVSG74/ref=sxin_2_osp43-0b60fd20_cov?ascsubtag=0b60fd20-4cc7-44c9-90ce-c25e7355471e&creativeASIN=B01HBVSG74&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osp.0b60fd20-4cc7-44c9-90ce-c25e7355471e&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_wn=osp-search&keywords=beef+pizzle+sticks+for+dogs&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B01HBVSG74&pd_rd_r=836f8947-f800-4163-8962-cbaf2421d1f1&pd_rd_w=xYfF2&pd_rd_wg=yr3yS&pf_rd_p=372a0539-72f9-4fd9-896b-c1a93295ea7a&pf_rd_r=N8ZGDWDN4F6ZQRDPWGRR&qid=1562110942&s=gateway&sprefix=beef+pi&tag=bgr0a0-20](bully sticks)

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Deer-Antler-Pieces-Guarantee/dp/B01AFEP9J2/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=dog+antler+chews&qid=1562111215&s=gateway&sprefix=dog+a&sr=8-6

if you're an anti Amazon person, pardon the links, but they give you an idea what to look for. I use Smile because they donate money to the charter school my kids attend.

Just make sure that anything you're buying comes from a nation that enforces food standards for dog toys and chewies. U.S., EU, Brazil, and India are the big ones that pop up in my mind. Avoid anything Chinese like the plague. Stuff is frequently toxic or carrying pathogens.

We just moved to Dallas with our corgi Winston, but last summer got really hot for KY. Winston has a coolaroo bed that keeps him elevated so he can get some air under him. We just made sure that he has lots of water in the summer and would only walk him before 10 or after dusk so he wasn't out in the heat. Just furminate regularly and give Belle a bath when she gets really hot and I think it'll be fine.

Amazon! I got one from a reddit gift exchange

http://www.amazon.com/Douglas-1819-Stuffed-Ingrid-Welsh/dp/B000EINJPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368201085&sr=8-1&keywords=stuffed+corgi

I've flown with my grown corgi on six different flights now, ranging from 1 to 6-hours all underseat in cabin. Most airlines seem fairly restrictive, so I've only used southwest (only $95 each way) and choose the middle seat with a Sherpa Large carrier; haven't run into any issues so far. Everyone has been really nice and let me open up the carrier in flight so she can pop her head out.

For reference she's about 27 lbs 10" at withers and 22" long - with that carrier she is able to stand up and turn around while under the seat which is pretty spacious. Again I've only used the middle seat because it has the most space though window and aisle would work as well but look more cramped.

Edmond will most definitely have one of these.

Amazon link because you know you want one too.



Also apologies if this has been posted here before, I don't think I have seen it here though.

Corgis are pretty stout, like small big dogs. On ours we use a small choke chain.

If yours is anything like ours, they'll love those Squirrels to death. You can find replacements if you need.
http://www.amazon.com/Outward-Hound-31012-Hide-A-Squirrel-Replacement/dp/B000NVA06A

For those interested, here's where you can find the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Ruff-Dawg-Hardware-Wrench-Assorted/dp/B000LP34PW

Here ya go.

make sure you roll her on her back and hold her muzzle lightly and say no.. make sure they know biting is not a game... or it will be a kids face as a game.. and a very bad one at that.. dont ask her to stop biting your hair.. tell her... This is a great book. http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Perfect-Dog-Puppyhood/dp/0307461300/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397524876&sr=1-1&keywords=Cesar+Millan

key note: sometimes you have to be the bad guy to have a good dog. but being the bad guy only lasts a few seconds when your stopping bad behavior.