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cgpriest · 10-26-2007, 11:35 PM

I'm so happy to have found this site! I am looking for advice from knowledgeable Corgi owners.

Our 6-year-old Cardigan Corgi has recently started biting. She has escaped the yard (she's a housedog, and is never left outside for very long) and bit people walking or jogging near our house. She now has two strikes with Animal Control, and I do not know what to do!

We love this little girl - we've had her since she was 3 months. She was a great companion for our elderly Lab. After that dog passed on (at 16 years) we moved from Texas to Iowa. We then adopted a Lab-Shepherd mix named Gus. Tango stepped easily into the "alpha" position, athough she had been nicely submissive to our old girl. Gus is very meek - Tango usually wins their wrestling matches. They are good friends and do not fight.

Fast forward: Tango has never bitten anyone in the family - not even in play. She does not growl at us, except to grumble occasionally. She is talkative - TONS of personality. We now live in a high-pedestrian traffic area, and she HATES the walkers and joggers. If she is outside, she charges the fence and barks the "intruders" out of sight. We don't leave her out for very long unless someone is with her. This summer I was able to make some progress with the fence-charging, but it is still a problem.

This summer, Tango broke out of the yard and chased a woman (who, being afraid of dogs, ran away from Tango) and nipped her calf. Really, she was going for the capri-length hem of the lady's pants...but also scraped the skin. No blood, but it was decided that the skin was broken.

Strike one: Ten days' observation for rabies vaccination.

We located the weak points in our fence and fixed them, and tried to make the teenagers understand the importance of NOT leaving Tango outside for very long.

Yesterday, Tango got out of the fence - we think the wind blew the gate open - and bit a jogger. This was evidently a more severe bite, although Animal Control is not giving us details.

Strike Two: She's back at the vet's office for another ten days' observation.

Although the city will not force us to euthanize her until the third bite,we WOULD be liable - and may be now - if she bites again. I think that these were "herding" bites - not really aggression - but now that I look back at things, she HAS become more aggressive lately. She growls at our other dog if he comes near her in the kitchen - even if she's just drinking water. He is a bit of a pig, and I wrote it off as a warning to him to back off her food. She used to love playing with other dogs, but is more aggressive with them now, and was very aggressive with a young and very timid female Lab/Chow mix that my daughter's boyfriend recently adopted.

If she IS becoming more aggressive, I do NOT want to put anyone at risk - especially a child. If she bit a child - I couldn't live with myself.

I am not sure what to do - should I try to find her a home outside the city, where she wouldn't have so many pedestrian "threats" to deal with?

Would putting her to sleep be the more responsible thing to do? This is the hardest decision I have ever had to make - We love dogs, and consider them to be family members for as long as they live. We do not "get rid" of pets if they become inconvenient; we take dog ownership obligations very seriously. I feel like I have really let her down - I think the fence-charging was a sign of something more serious that I should have seen earlier.

Help! I need advice.

10-26-2007, 11:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
cgpriest Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 10 Images: 1	Twice bitten... I'm so happy to have found this site! I am looking for advice from knowledgeable Corgi owners. Our 6-year-old Cardigan Corgi has recently started biting. She has escaped the yard (she's a housedog, and is never left outside for very long) and bit people walking or jogging near our house. She now has two strikes with Animal Control, and I do not know what to do! We love this little girl - we've had her since she was 3 months. She was a great companion for our elderly Lab. After that dog passed on (at 16 years) we moved from Texas to Iowa. We then adopted a Lab-Shepherd mix named Gus. Tango stepped easily into the "alpha" position, athough she had been nicely submissive to our old girl. Gus is very meek - Tango usually wins their wrestling matches. They are good friends and do not fight. Fast forward: Tango has never bitten anyone in the family - not even in play. She does not growl at us, except to grumble occasionally. She is talkative - TONS of personality. We now live in a high-pedestrian traffic area, and she HATES the walkers and joggers. If she is outside, she charges the fence and barks the "intruders" out of sight. We don't leave her out for very long unless someone is with her. This summer I was able to make some progress with the fence-charging, but it is still a problem. This summer, Tango broke out of the yard and chased a woman (who, being afraid of dogs, ran away from Tango) and nipped her calf. Really, she was going for the capri-length hem of the lady's pants...but also scraped the skin. No blood, but it was decided that the skin was broken. Strike one: Ten days' observation for rabies vaccination. We located the weak points in our fence and fixed them, and tried to make the teenagers understand the importance of NOT leaving Tango outside for very long. Yesterday, Tango got out of the fence - we think the wind blew the gate open - and bit a jogger. This was evidently a more severe bite, although Animal Control is not giving us details. Strike Two: She's back at the vet's office for another ten days' observation. Although the city will not force us to euthanize her until the third bite,we WOULD be liable - and may be now - if she bites again. I think that these were "herding" bites - not really aggression - but now that I look back at things, she HAS become more aggressive lately. She growls at our other dog if he comes near her in the kitchen - even if she's just drinking water. He is a bit of a pig, and I wrote it off as a warning to him to back off her food. She used to love playing with other dogs, but is more aggressive with them now, and was very aggressive with a young and very timid female Lab/Chow mix that my daughter's boyfriend recently adopted. If she IS becoming more aggressive, I do NOT want to put anyone at risk - especially a child. If she bit a child - I couldn't live with myself. I am not sure what to do - should I try to find her a home outside the city, where she wouldn't have so many pedestrian "threats" to deal with? Would putting her to sleep be the more responsible thing to do? This is the hardest decision I have ever had to make - We love dogs, and consider them to be family members for as long as they live. We do not "get rid" of pets if they become inconvenient; we take dog ownership obligations very seriously. I feel like I have really let her down - I think the fence-charging was a sign of something more serious that I should have seen earlier. Help! I need advice.