Do I want a Corgi?

[mkevent]

I have 3 pems. One is a rescue-former puppy mill breeding bitch. The other two are brother and sister but from different litters.

Yes, all that you’ve heard about the shedding is true. This summer we decided to gasp fully body clip them. They actually look cute-kinda like overgrown puppies when clipped. The difference in the fur factor has been amazing. We’ll let them grow their coats back for the winter months but clipping for the warmer months of the year has made everything sooo much easier.

They are independent little buggers and suffer from convenient “deafness”. One of my dogs will turn her head the other way when I call her-she seems to think if I don’t see her looking at me, then it doesn’t count!!

If you have a sense of humor, get a corgi. I love their personalities and just watching them play. Ours like to watch tv on the couch with us-that is their snuggle time.

[Marshfield]

So much of what people cite at the negatives of the personality of the breed can be addressed with training. Tempi is 8 months old and has been in class weekly since she was 9 weeks old and is almost ready to start competing in Rally. All four in our house have solid voice and whistle recalls. Good with kids. All but the baby have readily earned Rally titles. The same holds true for littermates to mine. I routinely see many excellent working corgis at Rally/Agility/Obedience trials. Mine all love the chance to work with me and earn cheese. They’ll clamor for their turn to work when they hear the clicker. A big trick seems to be that if you leave them to find their own “jobs” you may not like what they come up with. Tempi’s favorite activity when bored is shredding toilet paper. We’ve learned not to let her get bored.

[propspony]

Marshfield: DEFINITELY! When I take mine out places, I am so proud of them I could burst. They’ve got great recall, and are very polite. (Sit, heel… etc) They’re just a joy to do stuff with, and they LOVE it. They love having jobs. I wish I lived someplace that I could do things like rally with them, that would be so cool. (and lord knows they’d sell their souls for some cheese!)

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=Marshfield;6550676]
So much of what people cite at the negatives of the personality of the breed can be addressed with training. [/QUOTE]

Yep, poor manners are not a “Corgi” trait, they are often a “Smart Dog” trait. I’ve got a Puggle foster here who was a debil to his original owners. Here, we utilize that inner mischief and he’s isn’t nearly so out of control for us. Frustration and high intelligence are often disguised as poor manners or out of control behavior.

[wishnwell]

SHEDDING. Forget about wearing fleece or pretty much anything black. They shed shed and shed. IMO, the only real drawback. Some are more fluffy than others. If you don’t vacuum daily your house becomes a wild west set with tumbleweeds made from corgi hair.

I wish someone warned me when I was first looking into the breed! Holy Cow do they shed!! If I had known that before I chose the breed, I probably wouldn’t have my wonderful Corgi now. I wouldn’t trade “Princess” Darby for the world though. She’s feisty but super friendly. We also have a Springer Spaniel and she’s great with him. Great with kids, but again, go with a good breeder.

[wanderlust]

Just stumbled across this… we have a 9 month old pembroke that we just adore. She is sweet as pie, super friendly, wonderful with kids and other dogs, respectful enough of the horses to give them wide berth. She’s not aggressive or bitey, except for feet with socks on them… those she has to herd around the house. No socks, no problem.

She is smart smart smart, which can be a blessing and a curse. The basic training was really easy and quick, but if she doesn’t want to do something, no amount of bribing (and there isn’t much she won’t do for treats) will get her to do it. Potty training was not easy, but we live in an apt with no yard, so that certainly made it harder.

She is pretty orally fixated- we make sure she has appropriate chews toys available at all times (cow hooves and bully sticks are her preference), and it has saved all of our furniture except for a wicker chair we don’t like all that much anyways. We get her out for a lot of walks and play dates, too, which cuts down on any neurotic behavior.

I got her from a non-show breeder who has a bunch of kids that handle the puppies from birth on, as well as quite a few dogs running around. I think that early socialization was really helpful, as she has been nothing but wonderful with kids. I’ve found that the best way to train/discipline is by positive reinforcement and repetition. It’s especially effective if food is involved. And you have to start early to nip any of those potential bad behaviors in the bud.

We wouldn’t trade our corgi for anything in the world. She is just so charming and funny and sweet.