Tips, Tricks and Secrets for two corgis

[Jeni D]

Hey Guys,
I've been thinking about getting another cardi for quite some time now and Dudley's breeder just had a fairly large litter of pups that will be ready mid-february, which will be when Dudley turns a year old.
I was planning on asking the vet what her feelings were on two-corgi households, but I thought since a number of people on this forum do have two, that they would be the perfect people to ask. So, I'm wondering what are the pros and cons? What is a good age difference between the two? How do you manage sharing time between the two? Is the male/female difference that important? Do you think your dogs benefit by having two corgis? Are they still bonded to you? Is it better to have all of your dogs before or after you have children? (It is a little known secret that my husband and I are in our twenties.)
I know this is alot of questions, but I'm hoping to make an educated decision before I just leap into a new pup. My major concern, of course, is how Dudley will handle the change.
Thanks for all your advice!
Jeni

[Dillydoodle]

Deleted my post

[Chip's Mom]

Me too - Two more weeks and Dale will be home - why do I think Double Trouble

[Jespah]

This is exactly what these forums are for - learning about experiences that others have had.

I've been through having two dogs twice. I love it - when Riley died this summer, I missed her terribly, but I also missed having two.

I got Rupert as an 8 week old puppy when Riley was 1.5 years old. She was never jealous, and other than reverting to peeing inside occassionally - because Rupe was a baby, and he was not house trained, it was never a problem. They got on great, they played together when he was older - she would often instigate the play, not him.

I got Jemma as a 7 month old when Rupert was 5.5 and he was very depressed and mourning Riley. He has territorial issues with other dogs and I was very worried about him getting on with Jem. There have been 2 minor tiffs over food items - they both are food protective, but other than that, they have doen very well. They play a lot together, wrestling and chasing and Rupe will even let Jem lay her head across his back sometimes - it's sooo cute!

I don't think there is any guarentee that any combo of sexes, or ages will or won't work. I know people who have dogs that have been together for years, but never play with each other. Certainly, the introduction and the first few weeks are very important.

If you have any specific questions - ask away - you should email Snowden the Cardi owner who was just surprised with Wallace the pup a couple of weeks ago.

[milles2]

Tucker was 17 months when I got Lulu. He has always been people and dog friendly. He started day care 2 days a week at 4 months old and he was a different dog when in the company of his pack or buds in puppy class. He seemed very loney when at home and face it, we can't entertain then 24-7. His puppy sitter said he was very respectful of puppies he met and with a "tea cup" dog he had met.

The final straw was when the neighbors across the road got a 2nd doberman. Tuck would sit on the front porch and just watch them for hours. It broke my heart.

I think 1 1/2 years was a great time for him. He was coming out of his terrible teen years, recall was coming back, etc.

So in comes Lulu even though I swore up and down I'd never have 2 dogs. It was a lot of work when she was house breaking, but like him she picked it up very quickly.

Now that she's 8 months old, same size, they are kind if interchangeable. There is 2x's the poop to pick up, 2 x's the toys scattered around the house, 2 baths to give, 2 x's the barking, and 2 x's the Corgi tumbleweeds.

But the fact that they entertain each other, play so well together, makes it all worth it (to me).

They pick up bad habits from each other: Lulu follows Tucks lead with people: if he jumps up on a person (which he tends to do), Lulu will follow and do the same.

But she never had the puppy nipping stage the way he did, she keeps him moving on walks ( he has to sniff EVERYTHING), when she refuses to come when called, Tuck will herd her.

Walking the two together is getting better. When they are off leash at the park, they tend to stay together.

I'm looking forward to another year when she's totally out of her "teen" years. I'm looking forward to 3 years from now when Lulu's breeder says her dogs tend to stop chewing everything in sight.

Share the love: Truthfully, for the first few months I had this sense that I just didn't love Lulu the way I did Tuck. She bonded to him before she bonded to me. But as her personality developed,and she has a very different personality, I couldn't help but totally adore her (OK, the chewing does test my patience!).

Finding tiome for two: Because of their personalities.... Lulu is a snuggler. She will come up and snuggle so I can giver her time where she is the center of attention.

Tuck lets me know he needs attention. Lulu will play by herself and Tuck just wants to be a foot warmer of get his ears scratched. SOme of the Mommy + Me time gets shared. But because of their different personalities, the one on one time is pretty easy.

They are very close, bonded to each other, but I am Mom - the love giver, feeder, walker, source of treats and lovins. I am also Alpha. As a pup Lulu actually would defer to Tucker but that has changed w/ maturity.

I can't add anything to the children discussion. It's a tough decision to make. Good luck.

Susan

[tandemgal]

This is my 1st time having two dogs at once so I may come from a different angle than someone who has always had multiple dogs household . . .

Pros: !) If you love corgis and feel you have room in your life for two/more go for it but I’ll let others tell you the Pros and I’ll play “Bad Cop� (more fun )


Cons: 1) If you are planning to start a family in next few years (say Dudley is three and new puppy 2) and newborn and full time jobs - depending on your own personality of course - it can be a stressful thing. I had two boys 18 mts. apart & one terrier & 40 hr stress jobs - once both sons were crawling/walking & snappy dog I found it too much so we found a good home for our dog - if our schnauzer hadn’t bitten the boys we wouldn’t have given her up. SO your corgi’s personality needs to be considered. I think one of our other members had to make a tough choice not long ago over the same situation - always a painful decission and one I hope you never need to make.

2) your dogs may or may not like each other - Em & Chloe do still have little fights for world domination - they can be jealous of each other - I think Emma would have rather stayed single, it’s just her personality. She plays with Chloe but could just as easily walk away from Chloe when she starts trying to play. Emma is 7 and Chloe is one... also Em was sick this past summer/fall and she is not as playful as she once was. Chloe is a snuggler, Em prefers to be close but she isn’t a lap girl... but if they deside a dangerous leaf has entered the yard the march shoulder to shoulder to defend the fort!

3) if you travel a lot two dogs can be harder to plan/fit into the mix. Sometimes just getting them on a leash to walk together can be a circus LOL * you also need to consider if you are staying at a friend/family’s home they may not want two dogs visiting OR they may have animals that don’t get along with yours . . .

4) Two dogs - twice the expense

That said, I love my Girls and am glad I have the two of them. But I am retired now and have no small children to take up my time. Em and Chloe are two very different sweet fun girls but they fit our lifestyle.

[Checkers]

Wow.. there are a lot of great questions being asked here. I'll start with my feelings on kids and dogs. I was the one that recently had to send my shepard mix of 11 years back home to my dad because she snapped at my son his first day of crawling! (To those following that story, she is doing VERY good there and he is making sure he treats her up to MY standards... and she is happy to back on "her" farm... so that worked out well in the end.) Here is my take on how things went down there. When I first got her I was just 17 years old. At that time in my life I didn't have the foresite or knowledge to realize that she would most likely still be with me when I hit child-rearing age, so I didn't socialize her as well as I should have. She always had a tendancy to be somewhat dog aggresive (I could get her to behave nicely MOST of the time, but not always) so when we made the decision to start trying to have kids we knew it was a possibility, given her personality and age, that she would not accept them. We had been trying to get pregnant for quite a while, but were fighting some medical issues... and I had basically given up hope, when I found Checkers. He was and is a major blessing in my life... when my son is crying because he doesn't want to take his nap, Checkers is the sanity that keeps me going. Back to the story... The week after I got Checkers I found out I was pregnant. I immediately set to work socializing him around kids and dogs at every opportunity I could find. He was around 10 months old when Justin was born and has done wonderful with him from day one. If Justin is bothering him, he knows that all he has to do is go to his kennel and I will close the door for a half hour or so, so that Checkers can have some peace. Since his kennel is right next to where I am working this works out great for us. So far I am lucky because I have not had to go back to work full time since Justin was born... therefore, I can dedicate Justin's nap times to spending time with Checkers. We also play with him together... Justin LOVES playing fetch with me and Checkers. That is my story as of right now. If I were working full time still it would be a very different story, so a lot of it would depend on circumstances. I think having a dog can definitely work with young children, if you make the right choices from the begining. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't change a thing about when I got Checkers because it gave me the time I needed to properly set him up for life with a child later.

I have also had a multiple dog household for most of my adult life. Whether it works or doesn't largely depends on your dog's own personality. If he gets along well with other dogs that you meet, and loves to play with them, chances are he will be the same way (after an adjustment period) with any new dog. Conversly, if he seems put-off by other dogs now, he will most likely not get along as well with another family member. Keep in mind these are generalizations and there are always exceptions. For me, personally, I love being able to have two dogs... but for now we are happy with just the one... especially since I am home all day now to keep Checkers company.

Age difference... I have put all ages together with good results in the past. I watched my shepard pull our family Lab out of depression at 10 years of age. The Lab (Sandy) all the sudden became a puppy again herself... I really think it added 3 years at least to her life because she had been going downhill fast. On the other hand, adding a puppy in with a younger dog can also be great because the dogs are close enough in age to get all their puppy exhuberance out together.

I have also had many different sexes together at different times (including the dreaded female/female mix) and as long as both dogs are fixed I have not had any issues with it. Still, I do think if given a choice I would prefer to go with a male/female combo just to be sure.
Since being married, when we have had more than one dog, typically, one dog would be "my" dog.. and the other "my husband's" dog. This afforded that each dog had their own special person to go to for affection. Of course, we both paid attention to both dogs, but that method worked well for us and helped to ensure the dogs were bonded well with one of us at least.

Sorry that this is so long... but I hope it gave you some food for thought.

-Cheryl

[Jeni D]

Wow guys! Thanks for all the great advice! And it's great to hear the positive and the negative!
As far as children go, Dudley seems to love all of them. It is actually amazing to watch how he becomes gentler with younger children and babies and is more exuberant around older ones, but, he's never been around kids 24 hours/7 days a week. I agree that it would be very stressful trying to raise two dogs and children, but I kind of live for that stressful environment (work with kids with severe emotional and behavioral disorders and love every bit of it!)

He also loves playing with the basset next door as well as a pug when we go to our parents' house. Traveling is something I'm concerned about. Our parents are very gracious when we go to visit them and allow Dudley to stay with us in their house; I'm not sure how they would feel about having two dogs visiting. I hate boarding Dudley unless it's absolutely necessary.

I am hoping that things will turn out much like Cheryl suggested--with Dudley being "my" dog and the new pup being my husbands. Of course, we will love them both but Dudley definitely favors me and rarely leaves my side.

The breeder said that she would definitely have a puppy for me if I wanted one. She has suggested the smallest brindle female who was the first to open her eyes and eat "gruel". My concern is that she may prove to be very dominating, especially since Dudley is incredibly submissive, but maybe that would make them a good pair.

My other choice, so far, is a red/sable male. This is a bit alluring to me simply because I have never seen a red cardi (that I know of) but I don't know much about his personality yet and it still is pretty early to tell.

So many decisions to make!
Thanks for all the advice and any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Jeni

[tandemgal]

Jeni

I should have mentioned in my long post - our schnauzer was 5 when our oldest was born, she wasn't by her nature child friendly. Emma & Chloe on the other hand are very gentle with children and I trust them completely with little ones.

[woogiebear]

Hi all!! It has been awhile since I've posted but I saw this thread and just had to chime in!

I have Rotten (14 months old now) and Spoilt (10 months old). Both boys. And let me tell you!!!!!!!

I spend alot of time at home when I am not working and they are my bestest freinds ever! That does NOT mean they don't take my last nerve and go jumproping with it! Rotten is my dog and Spoilt was SUPPOSED to be my husbands...let's just say they both luv da mommy!!! She has the food!

When they are not crated, they play constantly. Yes, that means twice the barking, twice the sound of herded buffalo running through the house. But also twice the joy.

They have different personalities and they are jealous of each other quite often. More Spoilt than Rotten. Rotten just looks out the corner of his eyes at you as if to say "whatever....." while Spoilt can't stand it when Rotten gets attention and has to try to nose his way in for his fair share. That is the perfect time for Daddy to come play LOL!!

Twice the doodie pick ups (sometimes it feels like that's all I do) and a real hair raiser with the potty training!!

The biggest problem I have with two pups so close in age and being so young is the potty training and walking. I had massive spinal surgery about 9 years ago and we do not have a fenced in yard. That means my fat arse must get up and walk them.

Rotten is fairly good on the leash but Spoilt! Oh my....he is another story altogether! He is much bigger than Rotten is and was 27 lbs the last time we took him to the vet. He is SO over protective of me that anyone walking a block down the street, with or without a dog, looks at us as if I am holding a snapping dragon at the end of that tether! He is very VERY hard for me to control and it is causing alot of pain in my back right now. I am working on it but I am in a great deal of pain right now. Oh how I wish I had a yard with a fence!!

They are both barky at any little shadow or noise. I am also working on this. As much as I love them both...I must say, it is most definetly FOUR times the work I ever expected. But I love them and love being with them and we will eventually get everything behaviour wise where it needs to be cause don't cha know....you get twice the love from them as well!!!

[Jeni D]

Well, I may just be crazy, but after talking to all of you and getting the positives and negatives of a two-corgi household and talking to my family (parents included since we like to bring Dudley home with us when we go to visit them)--I have decided to go ahead and get a second puppy! They are three weeks old and it looks like I will more than likely be getting a red/sable female. The breeder is still waiting until their personalities develop to suggest one in particular, so as soon as I know which one will be mine, I'll be sure to post a picture.
I guess what I need to know now is how you all went about introducing the two of your corgis. I live in Illinois and the breeder is in Arkansas so we have to try quite a distance to pick her up (last time the breeder met us half way and I'm hoping the same will happen again.) Should we bring Dudley along or leave him at home? When do puppies start to become immune to diseases? Should I worry that Dudley may be carrying some kind of disease that she could get? Am I just being a fruit loop?
Basically, all of your advice is helpful. Needless to say, I'm nervous and anxious for the new pup to come!

[mochamix79]

WOW!!! It must be in the water. All this talk of getting a new puppy. I just started a new post, and someone so kindly directed me here. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who takes this so seriously.

A little background on us. Justin is 31, I am almost 28. We are prime for having children, but honestly, the thought of it doesn't suit us or the lifestyle we have chosen. We take good precautions to keep it that way.

Huw came into our lives on July 27, 2006, and was brought home on September 29, 2006. For the last 4 months he has been the love of our lives. He is definately a daddy's boy though, and gets mopey when daddy is gone too long and he has to hang out with mommy, even though mommy is the food person. Anyway, when we first looked into getting a corgi, there was a breeder here in Jackson, CA that we talked too, but they weren't sure when they were having the pups. So we found one in Colfax, CA that was having pups in July, and we claimed the first male.

Ok..fast forward to early October. I get a phone call about a week after we get Huw, it's the breeder here in Jackson wanting to know if we had found a dog. They had a small litter of 2, a girl & a boy, both tris. I explanied that we picked him up last week, and appreciated the call, and would keep her # on record for future use.

Ok...fast forward to December. We are in Jackson at the Old Town Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration, and we run into a couple that breeds Corgis. They then began to discuss that they had just had two corgis about 6 weeks ago, a boy & a girl, both tris, and then when we exchanged info, I recognized the name from early October. I didn't say anything about it, but gladly took the #.

Ok...fast forward to today. Justin calls me and says that a co-worker of his, her mom breeds corgis, and they have a tri color female that is 3 months old, and wanted to know if we were interested. I can only imagine that it is the same dog. Honestly, I feel like I'm being his over the head with this so much, that someone is giving me the sign "HELLO STUPID....THIS IS THE DOG FOR YOU." When we first got Huw, I told Justin that I will want a tri female next, well if this doesn't scream TIMING...I don't know what does.

Huw is great with other dogs, and really loves kids and people. He's good with cats, and very independent. I think getting another dog would be a fine idea. And I really want one to call my own. Huw is Justin's dog 100%. Neither can live without the other. That may sound a little jealous (and I am), but a little girl would be so perfect.

Are we nuts to even consider it?

[ChloeLouise]

...Uhhh, I may have to take a break from gocorgi for a while... ...all this puppy talk and TWO-Corgi-household discussions.... I am feeling vulnerable - especially since our youngest daughter moved out again (when she left for school the first time we got ChloeLouise!)...Fluffypants, are you feeling puppyfever coming on, too????

Seriously, tho, I read with great interest and admiration all of the stories of longing, advice and experience. But what it all basically boils down to is what YOU PERSONALLY feel you can and want to undertake. And it is such an intensely personal decision - not dissimilar to deciding to (or not to) have children (and how many and how spaced!)... The commitment is overwhelming, the effort awesome, but the potential rewards are "priceless"!! We struggled for MONTHS with the decision of whether or not to get Chloelouise!! I was SOOO afraid of allowing myself to love another dog - losing Wimsey was terribly painful and I wasn't sure I wanted to open myself to that love/pain again. ...Now we are so completely crazy in love with ChloeLouise that, in a way, I can't see us dividing our affection and attention...I think about it tho - especially when I see photos of your darling new puppies and hear the wonderful stories of happy, well-adjusted multi-Corgi homes... sigh.... actually, I can live vicariously this way, tho...(without having to scoop more poop and pay more vet bills!! )... so keep those stories coming!!

[Delilah]

Here's my 2 cents worth! I live in a house that has two adult (my daughter and I) females, one 5 month old corgi female, one 6.5 yo female chihuahua, one 8 yo male cat, one year old male cat, one three yo male chihuahua and one 6 yo male labrador. As of today - all of our animals are fixed. I think that's what makes it all click around here. Plus our animals know that we won't put up with fights. I am the alpha animal and my daughter is second in command. They all know this. How they get along? Delilah is still learning her way. Sampson (the lab) is starting to tolerate her. She likes to clean his eyes and ears. When she starts trying to clean his teeth, he "huffs" at her. I then say "Sam" and he backs off. As for the chihuahuas, they play chase and tumble with Delilah. The young cat plays "bat the puppy" when they are in the living room. Old cat just hides! LOL

I have always had two dogs - usually different ages and/or sexes. They are companions for each other when I can't be there and the more love the merrier for me! Selfish - maybe, but then my babies have never wanted for anything either. I would have more dogs (foster) if I had my own home, but I live with my daughter and have pushed my luck as far as I dare! LOL