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minnesotaCorgi · 07-14-2006, 05:15 PM

Hi All:

I had asked a crate training question back in June and wanted to update everyone with pictures and such. My puppy’s name is still Penny and she’s 11 weeks old now.

The crate training is going well—a few “excitement pizzles” here and there. The first two nights were exhausting, but we’ve gotten into a routine with each other. It helps that her crate is always with me in the living room and at bedtime. When she’s not in her crate, she’s in a supervisable play area along my hallway that I created with a few baby gates.

We go on walks; work on “sit”, “come”, and the “wait” and “take it” game with her chew toys. We’ll start puppy kindergarten after she gets her rabies shots. I’m looking forward to that.

When I take her out walks, everyone wants to say “hi” to her. I’ve had complete strangers honk at me, get out of their cars, and call down to me from their apartment balcony. Being a longtime cat owner, the sudden rush of socialization is more of a shocker for ME than it is for her.

Penny is absolutely fearless! She didn’t twitch a muscle at the July 4th fireworks, didn’t bat an eyelash at the coffee grinder, and when we walked by someone firing off a nail gun in our apartment lobby, she just looked around and kept walking. I try not to make a big deal about these things either, so maybe she picks up on that.

She did the classic Corgi ankle biting thing a few times—especially when walking with me on grass. One day I decided to buy a little plant sprayer and spritz her the next time she did it. That seemed to work. It hasn’t been a big deal since—although she tries to get away with it with my Dad. When she does play-biting I don’t like, saying “no bite” while holding her muzzle has worked. She’s now started to understand what “no bite” means without the muzzle holding part.

She goes ape when she sees people or dogs, which makes potty time in an apartment complex a little challenging, unless of course it’s one of those early morning potty outings (then the lawn sprinklers get us). It’s also hard to avoid other dogs at the apartment. Dogs are supposed to have all their shots where I live, so I guess it’s a calculated risk I’m taking by starting the outdoor potty training right away. I’m not taking her to more public places, like parks and lakes, until she’s had all her vaccinations. Maybe others have had to make that choice.

She had ear mites, a yeast infection in her ear, and runny stool with little traces of blood when she first arrived. We’re treating her for roundworms (which didn’t show up in the first exam) and spirochetes. I apply ointment to her ears a couple times a day and clean them every other day with some stuff the vet gave me. The treatments have helped firm up her stool and keep her ears pink, so good news there. The breeder at carrollcountrycorgis.com was helpful when I emailed her to ask if she had noticed this in Penny or her other siblings.

Right now we’re just trying to stay cool in our third bedroom apartment. It’s pretty warm here in Minnesota right now. On really warm days, I stick a thin ice pack under one side of her crate. That way she can lie down on the cool side of the crate when she feels like it. I also share the fan with her.

That’s probably enough for one person to read. My heart goes out to newcorgiowner. Being a new corgi owner and first time puppy owner myself, I can REALLY sympathize.

A video of Penny on day two in her new home is at:

http://www.artweb.org/family/movies/pennypuppy.AVI

Take care everyone!

07-14-2006, 05:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
minnesotaCorgi Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 66 Images: 4	Penny the Puppy Update Hi All: I had asked a crate training question back in June and wanted to update everyone with pictures and such. My puppy’s name is still Penny and she’s 11 weeks old now. The crate training is going well—a few “excitement pizzles” here and there. The first two nights were exhausting, but we’ve gotten into a routine with each other. It helps that her crate is always with me in the living room and at bedtime. When she’s not in her crate, she’s in a supervisable play area along my hallway that I created with a few baby gates. We go on walks; work on “sit”, “come”, and the “wait” and “take it” game with her chew toys. We’ll start puppy kindergarten after she gets her rabies shots. I’m looking forward to that. When I take her out walks, everyone wants to say “hi” to her. I’ve had complete strangers honk at me, get out of their cars, and call down to me from their apartment balcony. Being a longtime cat owner, the sudden rush of socialization is more of a shocker for ME than it is for her. Penny is absolutely fearless! She didn’t twitch a muscle at the July 4th fireworks, didn’t bat an eyelash at the coffee grinder, and when we walked by someone firing off a nail gun in our apartment lobby, she just looked around and kept walking. I try not to make a big deal about these things either, so maybe she picks up on that. She did the classic Corgi ankle biting thing a few times—especially when walking with me on grass. One day I decided to buy a little plant sprayer and spritz her the next time she did it. That seemed to work. It hasn’t been a big deal since—although she tries to get away with it with my Dad. When she does play-biting I don’t like, saying “no bite” while holding her muzzle has worked. She’s now started to understand what “no bite” means without the muzzle holding part. She goes ape when she sees people or dogs, which makes potty time in an apartment complex a little challenging, unless of course it’s one of those early morning potty outings (then the lawn sprinklers get us). It’s also hard to avoid other dogs at the apartment. Dogs are supposed to have all their shots where I live, so I guess it’s a calculated risk I’m taking by starting the outdoor potty training right away. I’m not taking her to more public places, like parks and lakes, until she’s had all her vaccinations. Maybe others have had to make that choice. She had ear mites, a yeast infection in her ear, and runny stool with little traces of blood when she first arrived. We’re treating her for roundworms (which didn’t show up in the first exam) and spirochetes. I apply ointment to her ears a couple times a day and clean them every other day with some stuff the vet gave me. The treatments have helped firm up her stool and keep her ears pink, so good news there. The breeder at carrollcountrycorgis.com was helpful when I emailed her to ask if she had noticed this in Penny or her other siblings. Right now we’re just trying to stay cool in our third bedroom apartment. It’s pretty warm here in Minnesota right now. On really warm days, I stick a thin ice pack under one side of her crate. That way she can lie down on the cool side of the crate when she feels like it. I also share the fan with her. That’s probably enough for one person to read. My heart goes out to newcorgiowner. Being a new corgi owner and first time puppy owner myself, I can REALLY sympathize. A video of Penny on day two in her new home is at: http://www.artweb.org/family/movies/pennypuppy.AVI Take care everyone!