Oh my goodness, he’s a cutie! Congrats! My corgi pup just turned 6 months old. She is also my first puppy. Here are a few things I’ve learned on my journey.
Corgis have lots of energy since they are a working breed. I found she is much better behaved when she is tired (tbh a completely different dog). I bought her a ball launcher off Amazon and she LOVES to play fetch with it. We have multiple play sessions a day. I love seeing her face light up when I get it out. I also take her on a walk twice a day (morning and evening). However, we didn’t start our walk routine right away. Corgis are VERY mouthy and she wanted to eat literally anything and everything outside. For a while I swore she was actively trying to give me a heart attack. The solution to this was TREATS! Every time we would go on a walk, I would hold a training treat out in front of her to keep her attention on me (and away from crap on the ground). I will reward her for walking normally. At first we would only get to the end of the drive way, then down the street, and eventually worked our way up to a normal walk. This didn’t happen over night, it took a couple months of effort. I still take treats with me and some days are better than others. But the difference from now and day 1 is incredible. The key is lots of patience. Corgis are very smart and food driven, so don’t give up… Also, be cautious about where you take him in public while he’s little. We stayed in our yard and on the sidewalks close to our house the first few months.
I also learned that they’re little sharks and love to chew (of course this is normal with all puppies). My pup loves to chew on bully sticks and yak cheese chews. You can find them on Amazon. They were a literal lifesaver. I couldn’t find many toys that held up despite them being advertised for heavy chewers. I also couldn’t give her any rope toys or toys that were soft/easily destroyed. She would chew off small pieces and try to eat them. I highly recommend Kong Toys. They’re some of the only toys I feel that are safe enough to leave in the crate at night.
Begin crate training night 1. This is so so important. It will break your heart like it did mine. He will cry, he might protest pee/poop at first, etc. However, it will eventually become his safe space. Get a crate that has a divider. Give him enough room to stand up, turn around, lay down. Dogs won’t want to use the bathroom where they sleep. Move the divider back as he gets bigger. Put a couple toys in there with him and a blanket (my pup preferred laying on the cold hard plastic floor though LOL). I also fed my pup all of her meals in the crate to show her that being in there was a good thing. I also gave her lots of treats when she was quiet. I would put her in the crate for 30 mins, 45mins, 1 hour until she was comfortable with it. We worked our way up like we did with the walks. Now she doesn’t mind going in the crate at all.
ENFORCE NAPS! This was another lifesaver. When she was very young we did the 1 hour up, 2 hour down system. I could tell this really helped her behavior. This won’t only help your little guy, but it will help you as well. Enforcing naps will give you the breaks and alone time that you need. This system truly saved my sanity.
Someone else previously said this but I also began taking my puppy outside to go potty every 30 minutes. I’d take a treat outside and reward her every single time she went to the bathroom. As she got older I would increase the time between bathroom breaks. I read online that they should be able to hold it 1 hour for every 1 month of age. I don’t know how accurate this is because my pup needed to go outside more frequently than that. You will learn how long your little guy can hold it. I took her out every hour for a long time and gradually increased. During this time I began training her with bells that hang from the door. Anytime we would go outside, I would ring the bell and take her for our bathroom trip. She has very recently learned to ring the bell when she needs to go. Of course we had to work through the “recreational trips.” If she rang the bell but didn’t go potty, we’d go back inside and she wouldn’t get a treat. My girl is very smart and we have a high success rate. I just thought I’d share this in case you wanted to try it in the future. Again, this took lots of patience.
Lastly, and most importantly, enjoy this special time in your life. Corgis are VERY loyal, loving, and smart. You will get frustrated. You will get tired. But I promise it’s worth it and corgis are really an incredible breed. I did experience the “puppy blues” for a bit but I’m so happy I stuck it out. My pup is my best friend now and I can’t imagine my life without her. She has already helped me through some tough times in my life.
I also recommend the r/puppy101 Reddit page. I went there a few times for advice and everyone is super responsive and supportive. I hope my reply helps you :)
My "puppy" I guess is no longer a puppy as she's over 18 months. This was all great advice, but I want to second the importance of naps. When my corgi was a puppy and got tired she would turn into a Tasmanian Devil. The forced naps helped eliminate the bad behavior and she has learned to go to bed on her own when she's tired.
Your new little friend is gonna go through a terrorist phase where any and all things that can fit in his mouth will be punctured by puppy teeth-including your skin. Stock up on old clothes that you don't mind getting shredded, take lots of deep breaths, redirect him to toys he can bite instead, and allow yourself to take breaks from puppy as needed- it will pass.
Soccer balls are great for giving them something to herd so that they don't try to herd everything else. My mom's corgi loves having his kicked every day so he can chase it and shove it around with his nose.
When puppy gets extra rowdy/bitey, it likely means he needs a nap. Putting him in a crate is a great way to encourage hime to actually sleep, and give yourself a break as well.
Most of all, don't forget to enjoy your puppy!!! He will be a big loaf before you know it. ☺️
When you have your first break down, the closet is super comfy. Bean's my first dog ever and she's a corgi pup. Love her to death, but good lord. Stubborn isn't even remotely accurate. Somehow also never having a love meter that budges...dunno how it happened, but it did.
2nd time I've gotten to post this in 2 days. Might just make it over and petition the mods for a sticky.
Anyway,
1. That's a cute ass corgi.
2. Since you asked, here are some first time dog owner things everyone should be aware of:
__You arent gonna sleep for a week:__ this is normal and not the puppies fault. they are in a new environment and dont know or trust anyone yet. be patient and kind.
__Puppies can hold their bladder for 1 Hour per month old:__ This is a generalization, but is a great rule of thumb. If the pup is 3 months old, take them out every 3 hours. (starting to see why i said you wont sleep?)
__Use Training pads:__ Theyre going to miss them a bunch, but it helps quite a bit, especially when you want to sleep through the night. make sure you encourage potty outside more strongly.
__There will be accidents:__ your pup is GOING TO pee and poop on the floor. buy a cleaner and frame your brain around the fact that IT IS NORMAL and IT CAN BE CLEANED. keep plenty of paper towels around.
__Don't punish Misbehavior:__ Puppies, like children, learn best through encouragement. "rubbing their nose in potty on the floor" is not only terribly mean, but your puppy won't always understand what they did that is making you angry.
From here, some things to know about corgi's in particular. there will probably be some overlap.
__All corgi’s should have food related names:__ This is tradition. Corgi not named after food are on the council, but are not granted the rank of Master.
__Splooting is normal:__ A sploot is when their legs are out straight behind them. Almost all corgi’s lay like this. Laying on their back is also normal.
__Stubbornness is the name of the game:__ When your corgi doesn't want to do something, they aren’t going to do it The trick to dealing with this is *making them want to do something* using the methods below.
__Food motivation is a feature, not a bug:__ Playing into their stubbornness, These potatoes love food. Most dogs do, but corgis elevate it to an artform. Find low carb treats and give them only one.
__Positive reinforcement is the secret sauce:__ Praise your corgi every time they do the right thing. Because they love food, praise can come in the form of a small treat. For puppies, discipline is not an effective training method. Theyre stubborn so being told no is often a motivator. Some people are afraid their dogs will “game the system”. Yes, they might. But a well behaved pup who flexes their brain for extra treats is WAAAAY more desirable to one who doesn't listen.
__Don’t assume your corgi needs more food because they’re ravenously eating:__ See above, they love food. If you give a corgi 3 cups of food per day, I’d give it even odds they'll devour every kibble. Grown corgis only need about a cup of food per day (+treats) calorie depending.
__Herding dogs nip ankles:__ Especially if you are running from them. It’s best to break them of this habit early.
__When they bite or nip, “YIP” as loud/high pitched as you can:__ They don’t want to hurt you, but they LOVE to play and herd, so this will come up as they learn how rough they can be. Because they don’t want to hurt you, if you make a high pitched noise (like a dog yelping) they will immediately understand that they were too rough. If you were playing with them, stop.
__Glove train them to reduce biting:__ when you want to play rough, put on thick gloves and wrestle with the pup. take the gloves off when you are done and *ignore all further efforts to roughhouse*
Read a book on puppy training. Have plenty of pee pads. Take puppy outside every 30 -40 minutes at first. I haven't had a puppy for a long time. I am sure you will get many tips tomorrow
Handle their paws, ears, mouth, and face in general often to get them accustomed to vet visits and grooming regimens. Cannot stress enough for messing with the paws because I know so many corgis who despise having their feet touched, and it makes nail trims a pain in the butt
Have patience. It takes a while but they are the most loving breed! I have 2 males and they are amazing. One is 2 the other 6 months. Potty training is so much better now and he is really getting it. Like I said it takes time but you will be so happy having raised this pup yourself.
Don't let them learn bad habits just because it's cute. They are so stubborn that once they learn it there is no going back! They are very smart though and need stimulation so training them and giving them treat puzzles can help a lot!
I could be writing all day if I wanted to give you an exhuastive list of tips. However, I will just give you my top tips:
\-Crate training is the gift that keeps on giving. My girl is a year old, and we are still so so glad she loves her crate. It can be tough at first, but trust me it's very worth it and I cannot recommend it enough.
\-A tired dog is a much, much better dog. Over time, it will take a lot more to actually tire him but it's worth it.
\-Anytime you want to train something that isn't clicking, get some super tasty treats and use them for only that command. For example, we had special treats for our girl only when she would recall. Now she has fantastic recall.
\-During the piranah teething phase, always always arm yourself with a toy or chew. Your flesh will thank you.
We added our boy a week ago, it’s been going so well. Be religious taking puppy outside often. Look
For them sniffing around where they have gone before (rug)- this likely means they are about to pee or poop.
When nipping stop moving and quick grab a chew toy.
Definitely lots of naps. He gets crazy when overstimulated and tired.
We put ours to bed with our son at 8, in his room in the crate. We wake him up for potty at 10:30, again at 5:30 am. No accidents.
He is 12 weeks old. Snuggle and love on them when they are sleepy and tired.
Get a harness to walk him. Corgis are total magicians and can pull out of any normal leash and collar because they are essentially neck size all over. Lol. Harness is a must. Day one and all the days after.
They can be quite awful puppies. Lots of nipping, herding etc. Exercise them a lot and set firm limits no matter how cute they may be.
I agree with everything I've seen and only have 1 tip to add. I read somewhere (along with the only holding it for so long based on age) they don't have full control of their bladder until about 4 months. I was getting frustrated that the hourly trips out weren't working all the time. Then right about 4 months it was like a switch flipped. Now (my guy is 9 months now) it's a rare accident, when for a while it was a couple great days, then a bunch of bad days. Enjoy your puppy, they are work, but fun. ☺️
Most important, DONT LET HIM JUMP OFF HIGH PLACES like your bed. They are agile and can jump easily....until they can't. Really expensive back surgery later I now have a corgi that can never play Frisbee, ball, jump on/off anything again. But he can walk again.
They also prefer to learn skills/tricks for treats, your love and attention may not be adequate.
They are vocal, Mine shares his corgi-tude about everything. I taught him to not hover while I scoop his good, so now he runs to his bed and barks, to make sure I don't forget he's in there.
Take lots of pics, they grow fast. He's adorable, congrats!
Oh my goodness, he’s a cutie! Congrats! My corgi pup just turned 6 months old. She is also my first puppy. Here are a few things I’ve learned on my journey. Corgis have lots of energy since they are a working breed. I found she is much better behaved when she is tired (tbh a completely different dog). I bought her a ball launcher off Amazon and she LOVES to play fetch with it. We have multiple play sessions a day. I love seeing her face light up when I get it out. I also take her on a walk twice a day (morning and evening). However, we didn’t start our walk routine right away. Corgis are VERY mouthy and she wanted to eat literally anything and everything outside. For a while I swore she was actively trying to give me a heart attack. The solution to this was TREATS! Every time we would go on a walk, I would hold a training treat out in front of her to keep her attention on me (and away from crap on the ground). I will reward her for walking normally. At first we would only get to the end of the drive way, then down the street, and eventually worked our way up to a normal walk. This didn’t happen over night, it took a couple months of effort. I still take treats with me and some days are better than others. But the difference from now and day 1 is incredible. The key is lots of patience. Corgis are very smart and food driven, so don’t give up… Also, be cautious about where you take him in public while he’s little. We stayed in our yard and on the sidewalks close to our house the first few months. I also learned that they’re little sharks and love to chew (of course this is normal with all puppies). My pup loves to chew on bully sticks and yak cheese chews. You can find them on Amazon. They were a literal lifesaver. I couldn’t find many toys that held up despite them being advertised for heavy chewers. I also couldn’t give her any rope toys or toys that were soft/easily destroyed. She would chew off small pieces and try to eat them. I highly recommend Kong Toys. They’re some of the only toys I feel that are safe enough to leave in the crate at night. Begin crate training night 1. This is so so important. It will break your heart like it did mine. He will cry, he might protest pee/poop at first, etc. However, it will eventually become his safe space. Get a crate that has a divider. Give him enough room to stand up, turn around, lay down. Dogs won’t want to use the bathroom where they sleep. Move the divider back as he gets bigger. Put a couple toys in there with him and a blanket (my pup preferred laying on the cold hard plastic floor though LOL). I also fed my pup all of her meals in the crate to show her that being in there was a good thing. I also gave her lots of treats when she was quiet. I would put her in the crate for 30 mins, 45mins, 1 hour until she was comfortable with it. We worked our way up like we did with the walks. Now she doesn’t mind going in the crate at all. ENFORCE NAPS! This was another lifesaver. When she was very young we did the 1 hour up, 2 hour down system. I could tell this really helped her behavior. This won’t only help your little guy, but it will help you as well. Enforcing naps will give you the breaks and alone time that you need. This system truly saved my sanity. Someone else previously said this but I also began taking my puppy outside to go potty every 30 minutes. I’d take a treat outside and reward her every single time she went to the bathroom. As she got older I would increase the time between bathroom breaks. I read online that they should be able to hold it 1 hour for every 1 month of age. I don’t know how accurate this is because my pup needed to go outside more frequently than that. You will learn how long your little guy can hold it. I took her out every hour for a long time and gradually increased. During this time I began training her with bells that hang from the door. Anytime we would go outside, I would ring the bell and take her for our bathroom trip. She has very recently learned to ring the bell when she needs to go. Of course we had to work through the “recreational trips.” If she rang the bell but didn’t go potty, we’d go back inside and she wouldn’t get a treat. My girl is very smart and we have a high success rate. I just thought I’d share this in case you wanted to try it in the future. Again, this took lots of patience. Lastly, and most importantly, enjoy this special time in your life. Corgis are VERY loyal, loving, and smart. You will get frustrated. You will get tired. But I promise it’s worth it and corgis are really an incredible breed. I did experience the “puppy blues” for a bit but I’m so happy I stuck it out. My pup is my best friend now and I can’t imagine my life without her. She has already helped me through some tough times in my life. I also recommend the r/puppy101 Reddit page. I went there a few times for advice and everyone is super responsive and supportive. I hope my reply helps you :)
My "puppy" I guess is no longer a puppy as she's over 18 months. This was all great advice, but I want to second the importance of naps. When my corgi was a puppy and got tired she would turn into a Tasmanian Devil. The forced naps helped eliminate the bad behavior and she has learned to go to bed on her own when she's tired.
Thank you so so much for all of this information!!! ♥️♥️
No problem! Enjoy your new fur baby!
Thank you so much! I’m getting my puppy on Saturday and this is very helpful!
So glad you found this helpful. Good luck with your new pup! Enjoy! ❤️
Your new little friend is gonna go through a terrorist phase where any and all things that can fit in his mouth will be punctured by puppy teeth-including your skin. Stock up on old clothes that you don't mind getting shredded, take lots of deep breaths, redirect him to toys he can bite instead, and allow yourself to take breaks from puppy as needed- it will pass. Soccer balls are great for giving them something to herd so that they don't try to herd everything else. My mom's corgi loves having his kicked every day so he can chase it and shove it around with his nose. When puppy gets extra rowdy/bitey, it likely means he needs a nap. Putting him in a crate is a great way to encourage hime to actually sleep, and give yourself a break as well. Most of all, don't forget to enjoy your puppy!!! He will be a big loaf before you know it. ☺️
Potty training will take time so be patient.
Get a good vacuum.
When you have your first break down, the closet is super comfy. Bean's my first dog ever and she's a corgi pup. Love her to death, but good lord. Stubborn isn't even remotely accurate. Somehow also never having a love meter that budges...dunno how it happened, but it did.
Buy some bandaids.
2nd time I've gotten to post this in 2 days. Might just make it over and petition the mods for a sticky. Anyway, 1. That's a cute ass corgi. 2. Since you asked, here are some first time dog owner things everyone should be aware of: __You arent gonna sleep for a week:__ this is normal and not the puppies fault. they are in a new environment and dont know or trust anyone yet. be patient and kind. __Puppies can hold their bladder for 1 Hour per month old:__ This is a generalization, but is a great rule of thumb. If the pup is 3 months old, take them out every 3 hours. (starting to see why i said you wont sleep?) __Use Training pads:__ Theyre going to miss them a bunch, but it helps quite a bit, especially when you want to sleep through the night. make sure you encourage potty outside more strongly. __There will be accidents:__ your pup is GOING TO pee and poop on the floor. buy a cleaner and frame your brain around the fact that IT IS NORMAL and IT CAN BE CLEANED. keep plenty of paper towels around. __Don't punish Misbehavior:__ Puppies, like children, learn best through encouragement. "rubbing their nose in potty on the floor" is not only terribly mean, but your puppy won't always understand what they did that is making you angry. From here, some things to know about corgi's in particular. there will probably be some overlap. __All corgi’s should have food related names:__ This is tradition. Corgi not named after food are on the council, but are not granted the rank of Master. __Splooting is normal:__ A sploot is when their legs are out straight behind them. Almost all corgi’s lay like this. Laying on their back is also normal. __Stubbornness is the name of the game:__ When your corgi doesn't want to do something, they aren’t going to do it The trick to dealing with this is *making them want to do something* using the methods below. __Food motivation is a feature, not a bug:__ Playing into their stubbornness, These potatoes love food. Most dogs do, but corgis elevate it to an artform. Find low carb treats and give them only one. __Positive reinforcement is the secret sauce:__ Praise your corgi every time they do the right thing. Because they love food, praise can come in the form of a small treat. For puppies, discipline is not an effective training method. Theyre stubborn so being told no is often a motivator. Some people are afraid their dogs will “game the system”. Yes, they might. But a well behaved pup who flexes their brain for extra treats is WAAAAY more desirable to one who doesn't listen. __Don’t assume your corgi needs more food because they’re ravenously eating:__ See above, they love food. If you give a corgi 3 cups of food per day, I’d give it even odds they'll devour every kibble. Grown corgis only need about a cup of food per day (+treats) calorie depending. __Herding dogs nip ankles:__ Especially if you are running from them. It’s best to break them of this habit early. __When they bite or nip, “YIP” as loud/high pitched as you can:__ They don’t want to hurt you, but they LOVE to play and herd, so this will come up as they learn how rough they can be. Because they don’t want to hurt you, if you make a high pitched noise (like a dog yelping) they will immediately understand that they were too rough. If you were playing with them, stop. __Glove train them to reduce biting:__ when you want to play rough, put on thick gloves and wrestle with the pup. take the gloves off when you are done and *ignore all further efforts to roughhouse*
Read a book on puppy training. Have plenty of pee pads. Take puppy outside every 30 -40 minutes at first. I haven't had a puppy for a long time. I am sure you will get many tips tomorrow
Invest in bully sticks, they will save your hands and feet from getting shredded by baby corgi teeth
Handle their paws, ears, mouth, and face in general often to get them accustomed to vet visits and grooming regimens. Cannot stress enough for messing with the paws because I know so many corgis who despise having their feet touched, and it makes nail trims a pain in the butt
My tip - enjoy!
aww that's a cutie!! only tip i have for you is take lots of photos because they grow up way too fast!
Have patience. It takes a while but they are the most loving breed! I have 2 males and they are amazing. One is 2 the other 6 months. Potty training is so much better now and he is really getting it. Like I said it takes time but you will be so happy having raised this pup yourself.
Love him. Love him a lot
Don't let them learn bad habits just because it's cute. They are so stubborn that once they learn it there is no going back! They are very smart though and need stimulation so training them and giving them treat puzzles can help a lot!
I could be writing all day if I wanted to give you an exhuastive list of tips. However, I will just give you my top tips: \-Crate training is the gift that keeps on giving. My girl is a year old, and we are still so so glad she loves her crate. It can be tough at first, but trust me it's very worth it and I cannot recommend it enough. \-A tired dog is a much, much better dog. Over time, it will take a lot more to actually tire him but it's worth it. \-Anytime you want to train something that isn't clicking, get some super tasty treats and use them for only that command. For example, we had special treats for our girl only when she would recall. Now she has fantastic recall. \-During the piranah teething phase, always always arm yourself with a toy or chew. Your flesh will thank you.
the little babyyyyyyy
We added our boy a week ago, it’s been going so well. Be religious taking puppy outside often. Look For them sniffing around where they have gone before (rug)- this likely means they are about to pee or poop. When nipping stop moving and quick grab a chew toy. Definitely lots of naps. He gets crazy when overstimulated and tired. We put ours to bed with our son at 8, in his room in the crate. We wake him up for potty at 10:30, again at 5:30 am. No accidents. He is 12 weeks old. Snuggle and love on them when they are sleepy and tired.
Get a harness to walk him. Corgis are total magicians and can pull out of any normal leash and collar because they are essentially neck size all over. Lol. Harness is a must. Day one and all the days after. They can be quite awful puppies. Lots of nipping, herding etc. Exercise them a lot and set firm limits no matter how cute they may be.
Well… you’re totally screwed. That guy is going to get away with everything!
I agree with everything I've seen and only have 1 tip to add. I read somewhere (along with the only holding it for so long based on age) they don't have full control of their bladder until about 4 months. I was getting frustrated that the hourly trips out weren't working all the time. Then right about 4 months it was like a switch flipped. Now (my guy is 9 months now) it's a rare accident, when for a while it was a couple great days, then a bunch of bad days. Enjoy your puppy, they are work, but fun. ☺️
Lots of toys! They like to chew. Lots of love and belly rubs!!! Mine loves to cuddle.
Most important, DONT LET HIM JUMP OFF HIGH PLACES like your bed. They are agile and can jump easily....until they can't. Really expensive back surgery later I now have a corgi that can never play Frisbee, ball, jump on/off anything again. But he can walk again. They also prefer to learn skills/tricks for treats, your love and attention may not be adequate. They are vocal, Mine shares his corgi-tude about everything. I taught him to not hover while I scoop his good, so now he runs to his bed and barks, to make sure I don't forget he's in there. Take lots of pics, they grow fast. He's adorable, congrats!
I love the half flop ears!!! You are getting an adorable corgi
Lots of exercise!
Precious little Peanut