Growling corgi = aggression

[Newcorgi]

I have a 4.5 month old corgi. She's been with me for the past month and I've learned that she's very energetic, assertive, bold puppy who likes to play rough with other puppies and larger dogs. Lately I've noticed that she's growling more and more as she plays with other dogs, going after balls and toys, and when I touch her cheeks while we are playing.

Is my puppy's growling an acceptable behavior or is this beginning of aggressive behavior?

Little more about my puppy:
Currently she gets about 1.5 hrs of exercise every morning (walking or playing at the dog park), brief exercise at night as long as it's not too hot, and she's enrolled in puppy training class (positive training). She learned bite inhibition from me the first week and hasn't bit anyone since. She's eager to earn her treats during training and is constantly on the go (not a couch potatoe).

So based on this... should I be worried? I read numerous times on various websites that corgi can become really dominant and boss you around so I'm keeping an eye out on potential problems. Thanks for your time.

[Jane Austen]

I am a bit doubtfull when you say she learned bite inhibition from you.
How exactly did you cure her from biting?
An hour and a half in the morning seems to be a lot of exercise for a young puppy.
I think you are right to be concerned about the growling but let's wait for the real experieced members to post before you worry too much. Some corgi are more vocal than others.
What is your puppy's name? Pem/Cardi? Color? If you got her from a breeder you should be able to ask questions about the temperment.
This is a long holiday weekend, There may not be as many members posting until Tuesday. Be patient.
Good Luck and welcome. Jane

[glencorgi]

Growling does not necessarily = aggression. All the scenarios and situations the growling is occurring is during playtimes it sounds. Some corgis, even as puppies are very verbal and vocal. Growling at toys or balls could be no more than - "Just you wait until I get a hold of you! Take this and take that." As adults, some corgis growl when they are getting petted in the same sense of sorts, as a cat purring. They'll also "talk to" and growl at their toys when playing. Growling in play at other puppies and dogs can be no more than an invitation to play, a teaser as if to say; "You can't catch me." or "Wanna wrassle?" or "Stop running so fast so I can catch you." This "play talk" is transfering over to you when you are touching her cheek. She's growing up, so learning to assert herself in more situations. Now I don't have the advantage of being able to see her in action and watch her body language or hear the tone in her growl, but in context of the description you gave, she sounds like a happy, active, confident, talkative puppy to me.

Jane brought out some very good points. Being 16.5 weeks now and having been with you a month means you got her in the 12 - 12.5 week range. Providing she wasn't a singleton puppy, bite inhibition had been taught to her by her dam and littermates. Your job was to train her that the inhibition also extended to you and because she had a solid background, she caught on quickly. Talking with her breeder is also an excellent suggestion. The breeder should be able to fill you in on how she was in the litter (hopefully the breeder matched her to you in terms of personality and lifestyle) and can tell you if the sire or dam have the talkative traits too. Exercise wise, the ones I have raised this summer can go that long at the same age. I wouldn't walk one that long, but at a dog park, they aren't going full out the whole time anyway -- usually. Sometimes that just depends on the energy level of the puppy. Tired puppies can get cranky too, and if there is over exercising then that might be contributing to the growling possibly.

Welcome and please do tell us more about your puppy.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

Corgis can growl away ( talk gruffly) at lots of things and during lots of different incidences - and it mostly is just a innocuous action.
Apart from anything else, my Taylor growls lowly when he knows he is not allowed to bark( shout) - it is his alternative speak - and he growls when he considers that I have stuffed up during agility. He also often growls when he is enjoying a dog-on-dog chase.
Like Jane, I'd like to know what you mean by bite inhibition and exacrly what actions you did to promote it.

[Chip's Mom]

My Dale is 9 months old now - he is growing up fast and he is what I call a grumbler. He grumbles at different things including when my husband picked him up to take him to bed then turned right around and came up to me to be picked up and put back on the sofa where he quickly settled back in to wait for me to go to bed LOL It isn't the same noise as an aggressive growl - it is just talking and maybe you have a talkative corgi too. It is such fun and makes one laugh alot at him.

Anyway, welcome to the Board and their are people here who can give you great advice.

[Michael Romanos]

Yes, Bonnie, a grumbling pup or dog is a growling one and it can be hilarious.

[Newcorgi]

I might have misused the term "bite inhibition". What I meant to say was that she used to bite me really hard but now after yelping out loud "Owww" for few days she stopped biting me and other people.

I bought my corgi from a pet shop so i'm on my own in terms knowing her tempermant.

Well every day I take her out for 40 min walk and she gets to stop and relax for few minutes during her walk. Other times she gets to play at dogpark or at daycare from 1 - 2 hrs. I kept on reading everywhere how I should tire out my puppy and give plenty of excercise but no one said for how long.

Can anyone recommend a general guideline i should follow in terms of duration of dog exercise? Thank you.

P.S. Pup's name is Sergeant Pepper, tri color female pembroke welsh

[Jane Austen]

Glad to hear of the way you handled "Bite inhibition" Corgis are sensitive so "man handling is not recommended" for any dog but 'specially this breed.
As far as duration of exercise is concerned, take a hint from your puppy. You will be able to tell when they are tired and don't get them too worn out.
I love the name you picked. Do you call her "Pepper" for short?
Can you post some pictures? I am partial to tri colored corgis too. My Duchess is a nine year old tri Pem that I adopted two years ago.
She is my first corgi and I found that this website has been a blessing to me, because she is such a different kind of dog than any breed that we have owned before. Every corgi has a unique personallity but they share a lot of the same traits.

[Michael Romanos]

I don't know where you picked up the idea that a young puppy should be made to tire. I would not exercise a four-six month old Corgi pup to the extent that you have. I would exercise an 18 month old- plus Corgi for anything up to 90 minutes daily and even longer once a week. But not any sooner. At four-five months my Pem Taylor would have stopped and crouched down and refuse to walk any further after 20 minutes - and I would carry him the rest of the way home.
However, if you break your 45 minutes a day into four walks of 10 minutes each, that would be great until he is over 6 months then say 3 walks of 15 minutes for 6-9 months.

[pmavrich]

Miller was a high energy pup. He required lots of walking and playing. We used to walk Miller for about a Mile and a half from when he was 4 months old. My husband now takes Miller on a 1 mile jog starting with a 5 to 10 minute warm up.

Molsen on the other hand would never take long walks. He enjoyed playing frisbee in the backyard and fetch. We would play for about a half an hour at a time. He also enjoyed chasing the neighbors dog around the yard.

I think most puppies have their own personality. My Vet says that excersize in Corgi's at any age is good for their long term health.

As for the growling ... Molsen growls when he plays ... He growls when you lay beside him ... Sometimes It sounds like he is using doggie swears in his growling for when we do something silly.

[Cardiguy]

When I play with my cardigan, Ruby, she starts to growl when she really gets into the game. She is 6 and has never ever growled at me or my wife in any other circumstance except for 1 instance when I tried to take a greenie from her and she let out a very slight growl. I cut her off at the pass on that one. That kind of growl is much different than a play growl.

[Michael Romanos]

I would always qualify the amount of exercise a Corgi gets at any age - especially during their puppy and junior stages of life.
The same goes for other dog breeds to a lesser or greater degree - let's take the Lab. It is not recommended to run a Lab hard or subject to excessive exercise until they have at least reached the age of 12 months. Then having been 'carefully' nurtured, they should be fine for more vigourous activities and endurances.

[Pawsies]

I'm quite concerned that she came from a pet store. Pet stores really aren't good at all, no matter what people say. So many things going on, so much stress for dogs, imagine being picked up by a different person every day, people peering at you in the glass window.

Unfortunately you can't tell if she'll be aggressive, not without the genetics/parents. I too think this sounds like play growling and nothing to be concerned about but something you should do is to teach her to