Hello--many questions :)

[Elysia]

Hi! My name is Elysia and I have been researching Corgis for about 6 months now. I have just recently started contacting breeders in my area (Wisconsin). I would love to welcome a Corgi pup into my home this spring or summer, but understand that many breeders will have waiting lists that extend out further than this.

But I do still have some lingering questions...

1) How long is it OK to leave your Corgi at home for?
My job does require me to work 8 hours (sometimes 8-12/1-5, sometimes 8-12/5-9) but I would be able to come home (at least briefly) every 4 to 5 hours. We don't currently have any other pets, but would consider getting another dog 9-12 months after the first. Any thoughts on this as well?

2) Are electric fences a safe and viable option? What kind of cost is involved? And does a wireless or underground wire system seem to work better?
I see that they have worked well for some of the other posters and we have a wooded, unfenced, 1.5-acre lot.

3) What would you estimate total average cost of buying and owning a Corgi to be? Were there any hidden or unexpected costs in your experience?
(Just trying to plan for everything.) : )

4) And, lastly, anything else I should know? Anything that caught you by surprise when you brought your first Corgi pup home?

Thanks so much in advance. This community is an amazing resource for someone just starting out.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Elysia

I have just recently started contacting breeders in my area (Wisconsin).

Just make sure you're working with a reputable breeder. They should be asking you questions too. And the parents should have health clearances.

Originally Posted by Elysia

[1) How long is it OK to leave your Corgi at home for?
My job does require me to work 8 hours (sometimes 8-12/1-5, sometimes 8-12/5-9) but I would be able to come home (at least briefly) every 4 to 5 hours. We don't currently have any other pets, but would consider getting another dog 9-12 months after the first. Any thoughts on this as well?

A puppy cannot hold it's bladder for 8 hours. Figure 1 hour per month of age +1. So a 2 mos. old puppy 2-3 hours tops.

If you get a puppy that's a bit older, then coming home half way would work.

IMO, wait till the first puppy is out of puppyhood before you get the second. That way each get's it own special time to be a puppy. And you can better concentrate on training.

Originally Posted by Elysia

2) Are electric fences a safe and viable option?

IMO, NO! An electric fence might keep your dog in but it does not keep other dogs or people out. And if a dog does run over the wire and gets shocked many won't come back. Won't risk getting shocked again.

I know of one dog that got shocked once and from that time on would only sit on the porch. So that defeated the purpose.

Use a physical fence. At least 4 feet high. It's much safer. Even if you can only fence in part of your lot. At least fence in a play area for the puppy.

Originally Posted by Elysia

3) What would you estimate total average cost of buying and owning a Corgi to be? Were there any hidden or unexpected costs in your experience? (Just trying to plan for everything.) : )

That's hard to say, since it varies from area to area. The typical cost in the US right now for a pet puppy on a spay/neuter contract is $700-900. Costs of owning, well, you need a crate, food, bowls, collar, leash, toys (including chew toys), treats, fence. The collar and some toys will need to be replaced over time. Food can vary depending on what you feed.

Vet costs for altering vary according to area. $100 is pretty reasonable. More can be usual. A reatained testicle will be more than a normal neuter. (If there is a retained testicle.) Same for vaccinations, depends on the vet and area.

And we can't say about unknown illnesses or vet costs.

Originally Posted by Elysia

4) And, lastly, anything else I should know? Anything that caught you by surprise when you brought your first Corgi pup home?

My first corgi puppy was not my first puppy, so well, not many surprises. They are very smart and like to test their limits.

Corgis are "easy keepers" meaning most love to eat. So you need to make sure they don't get fat.

They have big dog personalities and think they are much bigger than they really are.

THEY SHED!!! More than any other dog/breed I've ever owned, corgis can SHED!

Peggy

[tandemgal]

Welcome to GC Elysia

deleted by T-Gal

[Louwants]

They are right about how they shed!!!!! I warned my husband about that when I convinced him this was the dog to have. Even he was surprised!!! We figure that we gather about a puppy a week from around the baseboards of our house (we have two of them, so natch.....double the hair)

And when they blow their coat, the birds in the neighborhood love it. I try to brush them outside as much as possible. Within minutes, all the fur is gone and birds have a nice, soft nest for their little ones.

Unexpected things to look for........love......they are very loving. At least mine are. They were able to convince a man like my husband, who wasn't a dog lover, to think there is nothing in the world as a corgi.

[Michael Romanos]

I would arrange someone to come and attend your Corgi pup once or twice a day for an hour (or two half hours) during your absence, for toileting, feeding, playing. Ideally a pup up to six months is fed four times a day and needs several toilet breaks and needs human company. It could be rostered between neighbours, friends, relations or hired help.

Corgis are busy and thrive on human company and attention. Lack of this might result in problem and unhappy Corgis.

I have never been a supporter of electric fences or shock collars. A Corgi needs to be housed where they cannot escape from their property. Normal fencing should ensure this is the result - otherwise confine to the inside of a house when not on a leash until they can be trusted in staying within an invisable boundary - and this might take a few years or never.

Have a read of Cesar Millan's 'ten commandments' for dog management. It covers just about everything.

[milles2]

I work full time and coming home at noon to walk the dogs is very hard. So 3 days a week ai leave them from 8 am thru 5:30-6. Neither ever really had problems holding it. Once they turned 4 months, they began going to day care 2 days.

When I brought both puppies home (they are about 15 months apart) I took a week off to help them get into a routine, crate train, house train, etc.

2) I have an electric fence and I love it. The way my two dig, they'd be long gone if I had chain link, etc. I also have a wooded lot. They even ran the wire through the creek. The dogs can play in the yard, woods, in the creek, run fromfront yard to back yard, etc. And both have done great, no problems w/ the fence.

3) Cost: It ain't cheap! Especially daycare and dog classes.

4)Other: Yes the shedding is all it's cracked up to be and then some.

But the other thing is I suspected I would love my dog but I had no idea how much company, friendship, love, and fun they would be. Even the destructive chewing and the defyant moments are precious.

[Dillydoodle]

Welcome. I think you have already recieved great advice so far - I just wanted to add a few things. In my experience, I found that the best thing you can do is really do your research before you contact breeders, learn as much as you can about the breed, go to a dog show and talk to the corgi breeders, handlers, and owners. Coming here to Gocorgi was a smart move as we can all tell you the pros and cons to having a corgi. Dillon is my first dog and he is a joy...He is 20 months old and such a mellow dude. In my opinion, there is a difference in different breeder's corgis, for example, some breeders are breeding for agility or Herding (often they have a TON of energy ) others breed more for show ( usually a bit more mellow). Someone might correct me on this but I really do see a big difference in the energy level of some breeders lines.
The other thing is that a corgi while small in stature, is a dog that does need daily exercise, and really should be walked every day. I take Dillon twice a day for a nice walk- usually between 2 and 3 miles a day and that keeps him very happy.

I also think that anyone getting a new puppy should make sure to save up for classes, i think taking some basic obedience classes is a great way to spend time working with your dog, learning how to effectively communicate with your dog and to ultimately bond better with your dog. A trained dog is a happier dog with a happier owner in my opinion.

and the shedding, OH the shedding... I heard it over and over again from every breeder, handler and owner and wondered what the big deal is...well, now that i have one, i do understand, they really shed a shocking amount of hair...but that, for me, is a small inconvenience for countless good qualities and the amazing outpouring of love i get from my boy... Best of luck to you!

Emilie

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Ideally a pup up to six months is fed four times a day
<snipped>
Have a read of Cesar Millan's 'ten commandments' for dog management. It covers just about everything.

No they're not. My puppies are on two meals a day by 4 months and down to one meal a day by 6 mos. 4 meals a day is for puppies about 2 mos. old. Between 2 and 3 mos. cut back to 3 meals a day and by 4 mos. 2 meals a day.

Feeding fewer times helps with house breaking too, as they'll need to have a bowel movemen for every meal. At least.

Better than Cesar read books by Carol Lea Benjamin. She has several and they are VERY good.

Also, get "Everything Corgi".

Peggy

[nrhareiner]

Not sure where is Wi you are located and how fare you wish to traval but I have a friend who breeds Corgis. She is located in Mi. Also not sure what you price range is but do not look for the chepest as you get what you pay for and the pup is the chepest part of the whole deal. Her sit is www.corgibreeder.com she is great to work with. Ships if needes and she also has some older retiered dogs at times too that are great. Highly socialized house brocken and well cared for. They are all AKC reg and the older retiered dogs are between 4-5 years old so you would not have to worry about the puppy part. Although at times that is fun.

Heidi

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by taflar

Better than Cesar read books by Carol Lea Benjamin. She has several and they are VERY good.

Mother Knows Best is excellent for raising a puppy.

Also, get "Everything Corgi".
http://www.corgiaid.org

Debbie

[Chip's Mom]

Everything Corgi is a wonderful book - I have it and enjoy reading it over and over.

[mochamix79]

Hi Elysia...welcome to gocorgi. When I first started looking into the breed, this was the most helpful website. We now have two happy and healthy corgis who are both still in the puppy stages. Huw is about 6 months old and Haf is about 3 1/2 months. They came from different breeders and we got them at different times. As far as your questions go, I think everyone here has a variety of answers for a single question. None is wrong or right, but what works well for you.

I work full-time Monday-Friday and my boyfriend works part-time whenever they tell him to. Usually 7 on 7 off. Anyway, as far as leaving the kids alone when we are gone, we both work over 30 minutes away from home and don't have anyone to check in on them while we are gone. The maximum time they are left alone is 9 hours. Huw (our boy) has free roam of the house, but he also has a "potty box" that he will pee in. He never has to poo until we get home. Our little girl, Haf, is baby-gated in the kitchen with her crate and her potty box. It sounds like a lot of work, but in reality it's not, we just put the boxes outside when we get home so we can work on the potty training. So far so good. We have not had anything destroyed in the house and they are not ill-tempered or disobedient because they haven't had attention for 9 hours. We do pay them a lot of attention with walks and short obedience sessions most nights of the week, and they also go with us everywhere when we are not at work. This is our first time with puppies, and I think we have done well, even if some of it has been by trial and error. You will find what works best for you. Just remember...any behavior you do not stop will become a life long habit. It may seem cute when they are puppies, but as an adult it will be inappropriate, so nix it now.

As far as cost is concerend. The only major cost we have incurred was the actual purchase of the dogs. Huw's vet had a puppy package that included a complete exam, fecal test, 1st month of heartguard, his last DHPP and his Rabies for $110.00. Haf came to us with her 2nd vaccine and her first puppy visit was $30.00 plus $30.00 for Clavamox to treat a UTI. She only has her last DHPP and her Rabies, so I'm looking at about $30.00. The neutering and spaying will be a little costly, but necessary. Then there is monthly maintenance, such as Heartguard, Frontline, cookies, toys, treats, obedience, etc. It's not really something you budget for, kind of like kids, you do what you have to do.

Ok, I've rambled. Good luck with your quest. Keep us posted.

[Jeni D]

Hi and welcome to the site! It's so exciting to have new people with new puppies. I have an almost one-year-old Cardi named Dudley and will soon be getting a female named Maya.

You have gotten alot of great advice from the other members, but I thought I'd throw my two cents in as well

As far as costs go, I agree that it depends on what you are willing to spend. Dudley frequently gets new toys and more treats, even though they are not always needed. Vet bills can get pricey, especially if you are a bit of a worrier like I am. I don't know how many times I have taken Dudley to the vet only to find that there was nothing wrong with him--40 dollars down the drain, but worth the peace of mind.

Also, not being home for the majority of the day is not necessarily a problem. I was very concerned about this when I first brought Dudley home, but there simply was no one I would trust to come into my home and play with him. At first, he was gated in a small room with his crate, puppy pad, toys, radio, and bowl of water. Now that he is older and potty-trained he is crated in the bedroom, and actually seems to prefer this. We just made sure to take him everywhere with us when we were home and spend lots of time socializing and bonding with him. It can be done!

Check out some of the previous threads on puppies and I can't wait to learn more about you and your pup!

Jeni

[Michael Romanos]

Peggy - a lot of people consider frequent small meals better for young puppies digestive systems and for keeping them more contented (to name just two reasons) than one or two meals a day. I suppose one can relate this to that of human babies - who don't get fed once or twice a day - but several times. It is interesting that in the field of sport, a lot of top sportsmen and women in physically demanding sports, are also eating frequently rather than the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner. So they have maybe eight small meals (snack type sizes) a day rather than one large meal and a couple of appertisers.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Peggy - a lot of people consider frequent small meals better for young puppies digestive systems and for keeping them more contented (to name just two reasons) than one or two meals a day. I suppose one can relate this to that of human babies - who don't get fed once or twice a day - but several times. It is interesting that in the field of sport, a lot of top sportsmen and women in physically demanding sports, are also eating frequently rather than the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner. So they have maybe eight small meals (snack type sizes) a day rather than one large meal and a couple of appertisers.

Ok, dogs are not people and puppies are not sports people. YOUNG puppies meaning under 3 mos. need multiple meals a day, older puppies do not.

Who are "a lot of people"? The breeders I know follow a schedule like I posted. If you feed a puppy every few hours you are going to make housebreaking so much harder. They will need to potty after every meal. Cutting back on the number of meals as they grow will help them have better success with housebreaking.

I have raised several litters and a few other puppies I've gotten from other people. This has worked for me for over 28 years.

And almost any corgi would be content to eat several times a day. That is not an indication of how to feed a dog. If I fed mine as often as they'd like, puppy or not, they'd all be as fat as pigs.

By the way I have also raised three sons, so I am quite familar with human babies too. And a few kittens, a parrot, an iguana and some tropical fish.

At some point you have to limit meals with every animal as they grow. You can not continue to feed puppies several meals a day for the entire puppyhood. The poster asking will have to leave her puppy alone for several hours at a time. Cutting back meals to the schedule I recommended will make it easyer for her puppy to be cleaner.

How many litters of puppies have you rised? From birth? How many puppies over all?

Peggy