Our new Cardigan pup doesn't like us!

[Michael Romanos]

Linda -I'm sure all dogs will toilet outside when on a leash. If the leash is long enough for the Corgi to wander left or right and to smell where other dogs have been before, he/she will toilet one way or another By the same token, if the handler allows their Corgi to follow a smell - then toileting will sometimes be the consequence. Whether on or off the lead, Taylor picks his own spot for pooping and he often rejects an area for reasons I don't know about.


A dog that goes a little crazy at a given time regularly is certainly, frapping. No need to hold him/her back unless there is a absolute dangerous situation. Frapping takes on different forms and is never anything other than letting off steam.
If a Corgi misbehaves, don't turf him/her in a cage. Picking them up gently and puting them into a quiet place for 10 minutes is a good form of calming down any situation. A quiet place could be a small room, (not a dark room) or a bathroom. When you come to let them out, give them a little treat and a little praise. Corgis are sensitive so if the handler oversteps the situation, it can become exebated. However, don't put a stopper on a frap.

[corgimom]

Honestly Michael,

this rescue that I was talking to had this dog,(not a Corgi) that absolutely would not potty if you took him out on a leash. He had been adopted out and returned for that reason so they were only going to adopt him out to someone with a fenced in yard. I know it sounds weird, but that is what I was
told.

linda

[Michael Romanos]

Well there are always going to be exceptions. Dogs can easily get "bound' up by either holding back pooping - usually from being confined - or from continuously having hard food/ having fragments of bone etc caught in their internals. But I would still find it hard to believe that a dog won't urinate just a little as a mark of territory if not to relieve himself/herself whilst out on a short/long walk in areas where other dogs have passed by.

Your rescue dog story is the exact opposite to all the Corgis I've ever had. None of them have ever pooped on their property from the time they were six months old.

[jprechel]

Frapping? Wow, I guess you learn something new everyday! We thought we had done our research, reading books, internet articles, talking to breeders etc., but we never came across the subject of frapping. So yes I guess he is frapping. We actually enjoy watching him when he is frapping.

When I say "downright mean" I am referring to him barking,biting, and jumping on us with the ocasional "hump" thrown in. When you push him off and say "No" he just comes back harder. It has been getting better the past few evenings.

I walk him twice a day for about 20 minutes each time. I also take him out in our back yard to allow him to play and explore. I also attempt to get him going by playing with him inside. He does get exercise, but he does get a lot of sleep too.

Here is a new question for all of you. Does your corgi feel very warm to you? I mentioned earlier that Ace likes to lay on the cool tile in the kitchen. I have noticed that often his belly, paws, nose and ears feel quite warm to me even if he has not been active at all. Is this normal for corgis?

Thanks for all your suggestions. It is really great to have this "corgi support group!"

[Michael Romanos]

Ace wants to play - and play rough and tumble. He wants to wrestle. So if he was jumping and grabbing and hard hitting me, I'd be respondong by pouncing on him and rolling him from side to side and letting him pounce back with me on the floor and doing all kinds of make believe stuff out of the fightin' and wrasslin' comic book. I wouldn't discourage it. Just the opposite. My Taylor knows just when its "killing" time. I get that mean look and adopt a strangling effect with my hands and a slow, deliberate zombie walk. So he immediately goes and grabs his nearest toy and runs for it.. And then it's all on. May the best man....dog.... whatever win.

Corgis warm. Yep. A dog's usual temperature is 101 -102 F which means they are consistently warmer than humans (93.2-104 F). Apart from body heat, Corgis have fur heat as well in being long haired and double coated. If a Corgi felt cold even on a cool day then there would be room for concern.

[corgimom]

Jprechel,

My Corgi loves to sleep on our Ceramic tile floor - we got Him on January 28th of this year - middle of winter here in Wisconsin and He loves to sleep under the kitchen table. Even with a nice family room carpet nearby - sometimes he will go in his crate also, which the door is always open, but yes, loves the tile. And during those winter months when I was potty training
him and freezing my butt off outside, he was rolling in the snow making
snow angels. I just had to sit back and enjoy it. My husband would tell you
that I just about lived in my snowpants because I was in and out so much
with him. We were through it all, rain, snow, sleet and lots of wind and it
never seemed to bother him - So, so glad it is much nicer out now!

Linda
Corgimom

[Jhemphill]

Maxi lays on the wood floor in the kitchen near the AC vent and sometimes on the vent when it is warm outside. He also know exactly where to lay to get the most out of the ceiling fans that we have in all rooms except the dining room and kitchen. At night he sleep at the end of the bed so the air from the ceiling fan blows down on him, he moves in for a snuggle if he gets chilled. I can only talk about Maxi and the weather, but he does not seem to care what the weather is, although he does not like it when it is very hot, but other wise, rain, snow, sleet and ice do not bother him. When it is raining or has just stopped raining, he will go out and try to roll in the water puddles, we have not had any snow this year, but I bet he would really enjoy snow to play in. So far as I can tell your Corgi is acting perfectly normal. When we first got Maximus he did something that we were not used to although we had dogs before. Corgi's are as my husband says dog dogs, so if you have not had a dog dog before they seem act differently. We have a 98% wolf at our house and she and Maxi act very similar, they are the ones that roll in the lawn and woods, sometimes in not so nice stuff, dig in the dirt, play in water and puddles and really are not bothered by the weather except the extreme heat, our American Bulldog does not want to do any of these things and hates getting her paws wet. The other members of our family outside of our house do not feel that some of these traits and behavior are acceptable pet behaviors. I like that Maxi has his own personality and interacts with us and his environment. As I mentioned to Michael, Corgis behave very similar to wolves. I would not trade Maxi and his personality for anything, he is the greatest dog we have every owned.

[corgimom]

It seemed like our other Corgi was also warm, we would find her in the morning with just her butt in her bed basket. It was quite funny; the rest
of her entire body would be on the carpet and her butt was in the basket.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by jprechel

Frapping? Wow, I guess you learn something new everyday! We thought we had done our research, reading books, internet articles, talking to breeders etc., but we never came across the subject of frapping. So yes I guess he is frapping. We actually enjoy watching him when he is frapping.

Welllllll, frapping is not exactly a term will find in most breed books, with the exception of *Everything Corgi* available from CorgiAid <http://www.corgiaid.org>

Originally Posted by jprechel

Now it seems he would rather go lay down in the kitchen while we are in the living room. Instead of licking us sweetly all he does is bite and nip. He does not want to be held at all. And he doesn't really care for affection. Anytime we try to pet him it turns into him trying to bite our hand. Of course I am aware that puppies bite a little but this is just weird.

The above quote is from your original post. You have experienced a not so uncommon transition of a puppy or adult dog into a new home. First 24 hours or so - can be all bliss and then as the puppy/dog settles true colors begin showing. Reading thru your thread just a few questions and hopefully reassurance. Not every corgi is a cuddler - they still like to be with their people, and one question I'll ask here is, can he see you from his spot in the kitchen? Some corgis will select a vantage point where they can watch all that is going on and keep their people within their sight. You also said the breeder said that he would wait for you to go to him rather than come to you. That is a big clue about his temperament - he's more of an observer rather than an "interacter" at least at this point.

Originally Posted by jprechel

And he does put up a fight if you try to take a toy from him when it is in his mouth. I know this is a dominant tendency. I usually just distract him wiht another toy and he will drop the first one.

The above is from an earlier post.

You're right to do the exchange and you're teaching you control the resources. This would be a good time to teach the "give it/take it" game where you say- "give it" and take the toy from him and then say "take it" when you give the toy back.

Originally Posted by jprechel

When I say "downright mean" I am referring to him barking,biting, and jumping on us with the ocasional "hump" thrown in. When you push him off and say "No" he just comes back harder. It has been getting better the past few evenings.

While I agree with Michael that it sounds like he is up for a good game of rough and ready "wrasslin." Now a subtle difference between what Ace is doing and what Michael describes with Taylor is, Michael is initiating the play. A few things here - Ace is wanting playtime, however it sounds more that he is "demanding" playtime. IF that is okay with you, then fine; but it doesn't sound like his timing is always within when you wish it to be. This is not the time to push him away - that only becomes a part of the game; why he keeps coming back. IF you truly don't want to play at this time, then pick him up and set him down. No bite is something to be working on - biting is a way puppies explore the world and bite inhibition is something to continue to work on. Another good corrective word/sound instead of "no" all the time is "aaannnnnnnnt." I get incredible mileage out of this whether it is to ward off jumping up on someone or prevent them from getting into the garbage or making an ugly face at another one or even thinking about doing something mischevious or, well the list goes on and on and on. Take the word *ant* and draw it out as long as you want or need.

I think Ace is exploring, testing limits and boundaries, and to a slight degree seeing if he can take over and run the house. While I personally don't see the Nothing In Life Is Free training program as a "blueprint" to raise a puppy, there are many good things in it to help owners learn to be good leaders, build structure and enforce boundaries (and sometimes a backbone in order to resist the cute puppy face )
<http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dog_nilf.htm>
<http://www.dogo.org/Education/NILF.asp>
So much of training a puppy or dog even, is training the human element in the equation.

Originally Posted by jprechel

Here is a new question for all of you. Does your corgi feel very warm to you? I mentioned earlier that Ace likes to lay on the cool tile in the kitchen. I have noticed that often his belly, paws, nose and ears feel quite warm to me even if he has not been active at all. Is this normal for corgis?"

Puppies do sleep a lot, so his exercise, activity, and sleep pattern seem normal to me. A dog's normal temperature is around 101 degrees Farenheit, so yes they are warmer than we are and it is normal. Lying on the cool tile in the kitchen or any other room, some even wrap themselves around toilets in bathrooms, is not an unusual thing for them to do at all.

Patience and perserverance and you'll do fine.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

Ah. the siubtle difference is not me inintiating but that Taylor has a very subtle play look which I pick up on - but it is not a stark, definite action on his part. It is something we both feel from within the bond we have for eac other. With Ace, he puts his feelings out in the open and he looks for someone to respond. Taylor will do the Ace thing with both my sons.