Two Big Issues with Our Corgi

[melissa]

Hi everyone. Our nine-month old corgi (Gimli) is a great companion but has presented us with two major challenges:

1. He doesn't come when we call him in from outside. Indoors he is very responsive, but outdoors, he ignores us and wanders away. All the books say "go get your dog if he doesn't come," but that is easier said than done (he turns it into a chase game). Our yard is big and unfenced, so we are afraid of losing him. For now, we just keep him on leash all the time, but that's a hassle for us and a bummer for him.

2. He dribbles pee around the house when left unsupervised for a couple minutes. We have a couple cats and live in a pretty small house, so I'm guessing this is a territorial thing. But what do we do to overcome the problem?

Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

[tandemgal]

Hi Melissa,

Welcome to Go Corgi! I have a 10 1/2 mth old Chloe (the black head tri) and Emma is 7 yrs.

Know what you mean about easier said than done when trying to retrieve your corgi! When my Girls are outside they have OYD (outside yard deafness) - amazing how many corgi have this LOL. I gave up and put in an electric wireless fence with collars for The Girls. There is no wires to bury underground and you can adjust the frequency to the size yard you have up to an acre. The transmitter unit sets in my kitchen and when The Girls go outside I put their collars on them. Takes only a few days training and now they are safe in the yard.

This was my best option but others here can help you with good training tips if a fence isn't what you want/need for Gimli. Maybe your Gimli only has a mild case of OYD and with a little work he can overcome this corgi problem.

[CorgiMum]

When I trained my pups to Come I used a long line and kept it on them outside when we worked on the recall. Start with short distances and work up to longer ones. When I called the pup and he didn't come all I had to do was reel him him. I praised him as I walked backwards to the spot that I had called him from. Using this line made sure that he never failed. He was set up to win, everytime!

"Come" must be said keeping a happy cheery voice, also very important, is never scolding the pup. Coming to you must always mean something good will happen. Whether it is getting a treat, a pat or verbal praise. For treats I use a really high value one such as chicken when training for a response that is new to the pup, or that the pup is not fond of.

"Come" Must not mean the end to the fun. Even now at 9 & 12 years old, with mine having always been reliable on recal, I will call them, have them sit, and then realease them back to play. Practice is a way of life, not a chore. It is important to have them sit, and for you to touch them, that way when you need to put a leash on, they do not try and run away. When the leash is on, then I would give a treat, and chat happily, as I mentioned, the fun must not stop just because they are back with you and the leash is on.

Montrose has always been a great sniffer and it was not unusual for her to lag way behind us in an open field. When this happened, I would call out Bye, and she would come running, so as not to be left behind. Still works to this day. Chasing the pup puts him in charge.

Something else to try, in an enclosed area, just walk around and don't call the pup. When he comes to you praise him & give him a treat. Then walk away in another direction. Everytime he comes to you, give him a treat & keep praise, then walk away again. He will probably walk away, that is fine, but he is learning that it is great being close to you. Even though there are so many great things to see & smell outside.

Not easy for us to be more interesting that bugs, bird poop or messages left on the ground by so many other dogs, but we do the best we can.

[milles2]

Can you say "teenagers?" I've read that from 6 months to 18 months dogs act like teenagers. Defiant. I would chalk some of it up to that.

Tucker knew "come" at 4 months but around 6 months- no way! So he basically never went anywhere off leash. Most annoying was getting him back into the house or car. Chase was clearly what he was after.

Fortunately, around 12 months he showed signs of coming out of it. He;s actually very good aroun 18 months!!!! Lulu just turned 6 months and I see the defiance in her eyes.

Keep practicing the recalls, it's always good practice. But I am cutting Lulu some slack because of the teen years. I survived it w/ Tucker so I expect she will grow out of it too.

Good Luck!

[minnesotaCorgi]

Hi Melissa:

It’s a real challenge to be more interesting to a Corgi than whatever he or she is sniffing for in the yard or at the dog park. Like corgimum, I’m an advocate of using treats to start teaching the “come” command.

With my Corgi, I started teaching “come” by finding opportunities in the smaller space of our apartment to call her. For example, when I was in the kitchen or just sitting at the computer, I’d say “Penny come!” and when she did, I gave her a treat. I just sort of kept doing this so that she associated “come” with “treat”. I eventually took the excercise on the road to the dog park.

Right now I’m trying to phase out the treat a bit. Sometimes when I call her to me in the apartment, I’ll pet her, give her a toy, or do something else positive in place of the treat.

Whatever you decide, just keep working at it. I think Gimli will catch on eventually.

[darci]

Great advice on the recall.

Btw, welcome to the boards.

I am sorry but I have no advice regarding the marking in the house, except for maybe crate training, and when he isnt in the crate leash him to you so you can keep an eye on him.

Hopefully others will have some more advice on marking for you.

Good luck.

[ZdogZ]

Isn't it mostly males that mark their territory? Supposedly if you get them neutered at an early age they are supposed to mark less frequently. Not sure if that is true or not. Just something I heard awhile back. My male Cocker marks his territory, but we didn't get him fixed until he was about 6 years old. I'm not sure how to get them not to mark their territory. If anyone knows, I'd be grateful!

[Chip's Mom]

Chip is definitely going through his teenage phase. He is now 10 months old and has forgotten everything that he ever learned except when I say, "Chip I am going home" when we are visiting then he comes running (as if I would ever leave him) I have started putting a little training collar on him in obedience class because he has suddenly forgotten everything that he ever learned. When I told him to sit, he laid down. He now is refusing to associate with Judy the instructor at class because she put the collar on him. What a boy LOL.

[MissGambler'sMommy]

I also had read of the leash training, and used it on Miss Gambler when she was a puppy, and it only took a few times because she hated to wear the leash indoors, who wouldn't? The logic is that they will not want to do anything wrong(and in Miss Gambler's case I mean destructive) while in your view. Think about it, all their mischief is discovered after the fact, while we have let our guard down and left them to their own devices, which will always get them in trouble. I will tell you this, do not take thes incidents personally or be disappointed in your dog. They are only doing what dogs do, and if you don't want them to do that particular thing, then it is up to you to train them, they do not train themselves, and it does take time, and an awful lot of paitence. Don't get frustrated, they aren't puppies for very long, sadly, and you will be having cases of puppy fever before you know it.

[Michael Romanos]

I have had that problem and it is just persistency that wins out. It is entirely possible that you can contain a Corgi within an invisable fenced area ie no fencing, no barriers. I did this with a rabbit let alone an intelligent, faithful Corgi who loves you dearly.

[melissa]

Thanks for the advice.

Regarding the marking.... Gimli was neutered at about 5 months. So we already took care of that. And it's a new behavior which makes it concerning.

[MissGambler'sMommy]

Hello again, and I didn't realize that this was new behavior for your puppy. I would not rule out an infection of some sort, since this is all recent. Just something you should consider. However, he is still a puppy and they definately urinate more frequently, and they also can respond to any sort of change or discomfort by doing this.

[Dillydoodle]

I was thinking the same thing about the "marking" That sounds like a urinary tract infection (UTI ) or maybe a bladder infection..I would take the pup to the vet for an exam.
Emilie