Training a corgi

[ace_88]

I'm mostly wondering about the Cardigan, pembroke comments are welcomed as well.

The thing is that I've heard many times over that a corgi is a gsd in a small body (or maybe a gsd a corgi in a big body?)
- but I've also heard that they don't have the distinct need to please their owner as much as the gsd and are very food modivated. you say sit, he says
"what's in it for me?"

*and of course there is no smilie of a sitting corgi, lol*
*must make do with this one*




Is there any thruth in that? are corgis a bit stubborn? how are they to train in general?

[Cardiguy]

Not everyone knows acronyms so while I understand what you mean in context with the term "gsd", I have no idea what the g and s means.

Now to your question-I have a 6 yr old Cardigan female and she has a distinct need to please her owner if nothing else is going on. However, if something else is vying for her attention, then the respect factors comes into play and hence the perception of being stubborn. A corgi more so than many other dogs needs a leader and if your corgi perceives you as the alpha, the corgi will be very obedient. From what I have read and have experienced as a first time dog owner, the corgi is not the best dog for a first time owner as they do need leadership. However this is just a general statment as all individual dogs within the breed are differerent.

And yes the corgi is food motivated as are most dogs.

[fogebotom]

Having a GSD(German Shepherd Dog) along with my corgis-only cardigans at this time, yes they very much are a big dog in a little dog suit. There is no grey area in training, either it's accepted or not acceptable and as the alpha or leader in your pack it's up to you to make sure that they-the dogs-understand that.

With the "what's in it for me?" comment, well yes I have seen many dogs, not just corgis, act this way. What that tells me as a trainer is that you are not in charge and your dog knows it. They are testing your leadership abilities when they act that way.

It's up to us as the smarter(HA) person in the group, to make sure that the dog works for us and that orders are to be followed. Positive reinforcement when a behavior is correct and cardigans know darn well that there are consequences for knowingly doing something wrong.

Cindy and the crew at Foggy Bottom

[MyPemCharlie]

My last dog who passed in June, was a strong alpha male rottweiler. Like the GSD, a german dog bred for guarding. He was definitely a "no free lunch" dog, and a struggle everyday all ten years of his life to keep him "fooled" into thinking that I was bigger and stronger, e.g. "alpha".

My Pem and second dog, Charlie, by comparison, is so much easier so far. He has a much sweeter disposition. The first week he learned "sit", "down", and "wait". Sometimes he grumbles about "down" which I suppose shows some of the "stubborn" you speak of. (Still working on "no bite", "come" and others.)

Anyway, I think within any breed, you'll get stonger and weaker temperament dogs. But my experience so far, is that my Corgi is much more eager to please than my german rottie.

[Michael Romanos]

There might be an element of truth in describing a Corgi as a 'big dog in a little dog's body' but I believe the term is an exaggeration. Quite a few of other breeds are described that way as well. I realise it is an attitudional aspect. Generally speaking, Corgis relate better to dogs nearer their own size rather than the medium and large dogs.

[fogebotom]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

There might be an element of truth in describing a Corgi as a 'big dog in a little dog's body' but I believe the term is an exaggeration. Quite a few of other breeds are described that way as well. I realise it is an attitudional aspect. Generally speaking, Corgis relate better to dogs nearer their own size rather than the medium and large dogs.

Actually I think it's how the dogs are raised. My crew is just as comfortable with the corgi pack as they are with the collie pack. Actually several of my guys would rather snuggle and play with my rough collie then each other. They are also more then happy to let the GSD know where his place is, regardless of him being 3 times their size.

My pomeranian has no issues at 6 lbs putting a 40 lb cardigan male on the ground and terrorizing him. And my brussels would much rather be with the collies then his own kind. When at the breeders home, we let Ace run with the other brussels and he is actually scared of them. Yet at the shows we put him in an xpen with the cardigans and he's just fine.

Cindy and the crew at Foggy Bottom

[Michael Romanos]

Taylor puts the Labrador pup that I walk three times weekly, in her place. He'll play with the Lab on his own terms. And when I had Alice for three weeks, the two Corgis ganged up on Nina, the Lab. They do the kinds of things like this they wouldn't do with dogs around their own size and of a strength and weight that is closer to their own. There is also the self-preservation aspects.

[Pawsies]

My cardigan is very food motivated. Which is why clicker training is so fantastic.

She does think she is a big dog in a sense. She has no fears going up to a big dog on lead, however off lead she will cower if that big dog runs towards her (usually with a yelp).

Cardigans play quite rough, she always wins against my Bichon who enjoys playing with her and running around, but she doesn't always listen to him when he tells her enough. In this sense, she does think she's bigger than him and can do what she wants.

Cardigans tend to have a 'you can't beat me attitude' towards other dogs, and they won't give up anything willingly without a fight towards another dog i.e if there is a bone on the ground, a rottie goes to get it for example, a cardigan will quite happily grab it before the rottie gets it, and proceed to play tug of war and probably win as they have a lot of determination.

However each dog is an individual.