I'm gailkate, gk for short

[gailkate]

I have long been attracted to Corgis but couldn't find a breeder with any litters. So tomorrow we're bringing home a darling cocker boy. But we have planned all along to have at least two dogs (our others really needed a packmate). All of a sudden there's a post on Craigslist from a woman with an 8-wk-old Corgi girl she must rehome because her toddler is too rough with her.

Should we consider this Fate and go for the little girl, too? How do Corgis get along with other dogs? And would you say it's going to be tough to train 2 pups at once? We are young retirees with lots of time for the dogs, but some people have advised that the dogs should be at least a month apart.

This is long and I'm having trouble being clear. We had to put down our 17-yr-old Beagle about 6 weeks ago, we've always had at least one dog and usually two. They are family to us. Any help will be gratefully accepted.

[glencorgi]

Well, you are looking at twice as much of everything - training, food, house breaking, vet bills, etc. You've doubled the work, which might be seen as a con - another way to think of it is, all the baby puppy stuff is out of the way and you won't have to go through it again adding another puppy down the road. The male female pairing should work out well, opposite sex pairing tend to work out with fewer problems than same sex ones often do and corgis usually do well in pairs. That you do have the time to devote to training the puppies is a plus and gives you the opportunity to work with each individually too.

With the information you gave about the original owner and the reason for placing this baby puppy girl; you might be in for a pistol of a corgi girl with her - she may not have much bite inhibition, might be a little defensive/reactive because of the rough handling from the toddler. (Being involved in rescue and hearing all the reasons people give for giving up their corgis, one learns to put pieces together based on what the dogs are like once they are in our homes.) The cocker puppy could help with the bite inhibition - she bites him too hard, he's going to bite her back and show her it hurts. Mama and littermates would be doing this IF she were still with them, so that isn't a bad thing and you can look at as a continuing education course for them in doggy manners and ettiquette. I'd also recommend enrolling in puppy pre-schools for them and obedience classes when they are old enough.

Can it work? I believe so.

Debbie

[gailkate]

Thanks so much. You're bringing up some issues I hadn't thought of - e.g., what the pup will be like because she's been pummeled by a toddler. One thing people have said is that, as you're housebreaking, it's hard to know which pup did what. Which one gets the "no, no"? But I haven't ever relied on punishment so much as quickly taking the dog outside, so I'm not sure that's a big objection. If you don't catch them in the act, there's no point in scolding anyway, right?

I sent a note to the woman who advertised, asking if she could possibly keep the Corgi for another week or two, while we get the Cocker settled. She hasn't answered me, so I suspect she got a ton of replies. What bothers me is that we are great dog parents, and I hate the idea of her just unloading this little girl with someone not so ready to give her a good life. Another issue is where she got the Corgi - I really have been looking and there aren't a lot of Corgi breeders in MN, so I suspect this is a pet store puppy.

Still, you don't seem to think the two breeds would have trouble. I know boy/girl works well and that usually the girl will end up dominant in a pair. That's ok so long as we've given the little guy a chance to acclimate before a holy terror enters his life ;-)

[Michael Romanos]

I find it a bit strange that the owners of the Corgi pup have come so quickly to the conclusion that their toddler and an eight week old Corgi are not compatable. It seems to me that they must have gotten the Corgi at a younger age and have had her for a few weeks. Not a good start for a Corgi then - leaving her real mom too early and then being "attacked" by a rampant 2-4 year old child whom the parents couldn't keep under control.

Cocker Spaniels and Corgis form great friendships. I have yet to see a Cocker and a Corgi not 'hit it off.' They are similar in size - which is a huge plus - and Cockers - at least the English variety - are one of the more plain sailing type breeds. Their zany antics and busyness is just up the alley for a Corgi,

[glencorgi]

gk,

Gave this a little more thought last night and another possible personality type situation that might be encountered with this little corgi girl is a softer, somewhat skittish type puppy, in which case having a four legged "brother" to help get her back in the "safety" of a litter environment and with patient, nurturing loving humans to guide her, she can regain a more confident corgi puppy personality.

The youngest rescue puppy I have had so far in rescue was 10 weeks old, bought from a pet shop as a make up present by a boyfriend for his girlfriend. The girlfriend has always wanted a corgi, but at this time in her life - she was responsible enough to know this was not the right time. She received the puppy on Friday and I got it on Sunday evening.

That this little girl is only eight weeks old and Mom is seeing issues with the toddler - she may have been a pet shop purchase which means the family would likely have only had her a few days or either from a backyard type breeder (there are a number of those there) and may have been sold at six weeks old.

The breed mix of cocker and corgi - I don't see any issues there at all. Your first few days with both puppies will likely find you with your hands more than full.

This is an excellent of example of why, in the US at least, among the reputable corgi community there is a wariness and reluctance to place corgis in homes with children under five.

Debbie

[Corgis'R4me]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

I find it a bit strange that the owners of the Corgi pup have come so quickly to the conclusion that their toddler and an eight week old Corgi are not compatable. It seems to me that they must have gotten the Corgi at a younger age and have had her for a few weeks. Not a good start for a Corgi then - leaving her real mom too early and then being "attacked" by a rampant 2-4 year old child whom the parents couldn't keep under control.

Cocker Spaniels and Corgis form great friendships. I have yet to see a Cocker and a Corgi not 'hit it off.' They are similar in size - which is a huge plus - and Cockers - at least the English variety - are one of the more plain sailing type breeds. Their zany antics and busyness is just up the alley for a Corgi,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*~* I am so glad that you gave your opinion about Cockers & Corgis.
My sister-in-law just brought home a cutie-batootie male 8 week old Cocker. My sister-in-law named him: Charlie Brown (Charlie...for short).
He is mostly white with little light brown freckles on his face & little brown spots all over his body. He is...too cute !!

Midnight & Sunshine met Charlie for the first time this past Wednesday.
They ALL got along GREAT !!!
I was afraid that my girls would bark at Charlie or try to chase him and herd him around...but, NOPE !! The Canine Cousins...were all wonderful together !!

Proof....from Nikki (my name) that Corgis & Cockers......get along fine !


*~* Nikki

[gailkate]

Thanks for the further insights. I wrote to the woman again and she again didn't respond. I asked if the pup was from a dealer, as they would likely want to place her themselves. I'm thinking Michael's right that this is a pet store puppy.

After spending the afternoon with Mozart the cocker, I've decided two puppies together couldn't be much worse than one. What an adorable little monster he is! No problem at all with his plumbing, so I figure we might as well deal with two. It isn't as if you get a lot of time between accidents anyway. Just keep taking them both out till they get the message.

I'm now very excited about a Corgi as his sister. Everything you all have said makes me comfortable with a such a pair. I'm wondering if the woman doesn't have a computer at home and will write tomorrow. If not, is there a good registry to go to for MN breeders? The idea of buying from a faraway state and having her shipped here is not very appealing, though I know people do it all the time. Maybe you all have some experience with that too.

[Michael Romanos]

Hell, I don't want to put a damper on English Cocker Spaniels - but generally speaking, they are rather silly in nature. That's not to say they are not cute and adorable. But generally they just are not on the same street of cleverness as that of a Corgi. American Cockers, at least the ones in NZ, are much less good natured than are the English variety and the Americans tend to be more highly strung. But I do love the good looks and the coat of an American Cocker.

It will pay to think twice before getting this Corgi puppy because she has a history you know nothing about - and I'm not just talking about her recent history. Her background - parentage - might be questionable. The ideal is to know exactly what you are taking on for the next 13-15 years and be in a position to consult with responsible breeders of your puppy.

[Michael Romanos]

Hell, I don't want to put a damper on English Cocker Spaniels - but generally speaking, they are rather silly in nature. That's not to say they are not cute and adorable. But generally they just are not on the same street of cleverness as that of a Corgi. American Cockers, at least the ones in NZ, are much less good natured than are the English variety and the Americans tend to be more highly strung. But I do love the good looks and the coat of an American Cocker.

It will pay to think twice before getting this Corgi puppy because she has a history you know nothing about - and I'm not just talking about her recent history. Her background - parentage - might be questionable. The ideal is to know exactly what you are taking on for the next 13-15 years and be in a position to consult with responsible breeders of your puppy.

The USA is full of Pembroke Corgis - despite its vastness of size, it should be the easiest place on earth to get a nicely bred Pem. With your internal airline services, no Corgi in the USA should be unobtainable. Maybe your breeders are pricing themselves out of the market. Corgis are half the cost to buy in NZ and there is a big demand for them here as well.

[glencorgi]

gailkate,

As far as the little 8 week old puppy you have inquired about, a few things could have happened. One as you mentioned, the owner might not have access to a computer on the weekend and may get back to you tomorrow. She may have already placed the puppy with someone else is another possibility and isn't bothering to respond. <sigh>

I know I was encouraging you to get the puppy, but that was a little girl definitely in need of a good home and I believe you could offer her that. If it comes about you are not able to get her and you do decide to go the reputable breeder route; then check with the PWCCA site <http://www.pwcca.org> under the members link and you should be able to find some leads for breeders in MN. I'm not real sure which regional club covers MN, so check under the regional clubs link as well. That will give leads to more breeders regionally close. You may wish to check with some rescue options as well and that information will be available on the site as well.

Michael is correct about rescues not having the background one would get with a responsible breeder. However, a reputable rescue will do an evaluation period, get to know the puppy/dog, and pass along any and all information they know. That is more than one gets from many breeders in the States. A reputable rescue will be like the reputable breeder, there for you the entire life of your corgi.

Michael says:
>The USA is full of Pembroke Corgis - despite its vastness of size, it should >be the easiest place on earth to get a nicely bred Pem.

Even so and with as many Pembrokes that are bred, nicely bred ones are in the minority.

>With your internal airline services, no Corgi in the USA should be >unobtainable.

Ahhh, but you are forgetting the breeder's discretion. One simply does not write out a check for a nicely bred Pembroke (or any other breed for that matter) and get what they want just when they want it. GK will most likely need to get on a waiting list when she finds a breeder she likes and wants to work with. It is highly doubtful she will be able to pick up a Pem puppy the quality of which you would wish for her next weekend or even within the next month.

>Maybe your breeders are pricing themselves out of the market. Corgis are >half the cost to buy in NZ and there is a big demand for them here as well.

Quality breeders here do not breed that often; they may have one or two litters a year or they may not even breed annually and they are the minority of the breeding community. There are some true cultural differences in the ways things are done between NZ and the US.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

Hi Debbie
Wouldn't it be lovely if you could compile a list of Corgi breeders in the USA that you would classify as honourable abd trustworthy when dealing with Corgis for potential takers. Go Corgi would place a high value on such a list.

It's not cultural in my opinion - just the scale of size. There are breeders here you wouldn't trust too but I could reel off many that I would- I mean the ones whom I could tell a newcomer to contact and tell the breeder what they would like and wait for the eventual arrival of the Corgi "at their door." It may take some time. These breeders will say I've got nothing at present available and there won't be anything soon, but if you contact such and such, they may have a pup available - now or in the very near future. Now you can do that and cover the country - but we only have a population that barely ranks as a large city in the heavily populated nations. But there must be great potential for this kind of network in the USA.

Your Corgi rescue service is wonderful and you do a wonderful job.

[gailkate]

Friends, it's more than a month later and I hope you all pick up on this post. What a strange set of coincidences - I'd call it Kismet. The dog owner never got back to me. We wavered a lot, as people were telling us it would be best for both pups to get another soon or wait close to 2 years. Not wanting to wait (already 60!) I called all over trying to find a Corgi, with no luck.

Then a Corgi was posted on the same site as the first, this time by the woman who had bought her from the original harried mom with the rambunctious toddler. She adored the pup,cried when we came to get her, but her husband wanted fewer animals in the house.

So reading this thread over, I see that everything you say is true, but circumstances have conspired to bring this little girl to our house. Mozart the Cocker and Tosca the Pem are doing very very well.

She was indeed a bit shy and absolutely refused to have anything to do with a leash, so we suspect the toddler was always pulling on her. Some patience and the sight of her new brother going on a walk took care of that. She's delighted to go walkies and some day may actually walk in a semi-straight path.

We don't know if the breeder was reputable and we do know that being her 4th set of humans can't be easy for her. But she's a love! We'll see if problems develop, but we think the dogs and people all got really lucky.