Howdy from Anthony et al

[jacksonunit@gmail.com]

Howdy,

My name is Anthony but I go by Andy (I know). My wife and I live on a little .7 acre homestead near San Antonio, Tx with our three daughters and a miniture black Labradore mix named Mercy.

We may be adopting a 2-3 y/o corgi named Dylan from our neighbor who is planning to go "out to sea" for his retirement.

I think Dylan already picked us because two weeks ago there was a storm. Dylan got into our property and started barking at our door. Mercy just looked at him and said nothing. We let him in and took him around next day to the neighbors until we found his owner. Then, yesterday Dylan brought his owner over to see if he could live with us because he does not fancy sailing.

I'm inclined to agree as I have always adored the breed. We have set up a "play date" this Saturday for Dylan to vist for a few hours.

Is there anything I can do to help Dylan during the visit? Anything I should have on hand or be aware of in advance?

My heart has already decided but alas, the head must rule the heart. However, this seems to be one of those circumstances wherin the head realizes it may need to be rather more assertive than usual.

I'm also up against the heads/hearts of four women who want the dog.

Wife: Stay at home mom, Strong Willed, Scottish and well armed.

D1: 12- playing it cool, says she will accept whatever I decide. I know better.

D2: 6 - Most outspoken. Wanted to just keep Dylan when he first showed up and cried when we found his owner. Promises to feed, bathe, pet, play with, walk with and put bows in the hair of Dylan. "Can we keep him? Can we? Can we? Can We?"

D3: 3- Very gentle and sweet and usually well behaved but may hold her breath until I say yes.

Dylan may not be purebread because he has a HUGE head. He looks like a Dwarve German Shephard. His human got him from an animal shelter but he is very well behaved. We were told that he has a "piddling problem" when excited so my wife is already talking about ripping up the carpet and putting in hardwood. The human says he will have him nutered if we choose.

TIA,

AJ

[Jane Austen]

Welcome Anthony, You have a lot to think about adopting another dog. Any dog. Corgis are great, and I know that you will love Dylan if you decide to take him in.
Your wife being a stay at home mom is a big plus. Corgis are keen on having company. The "widdling thing " is something our experts will have to address.
Maybe there is something that can help keep that to a minimum. Jane

[SARATARA]

Hello, I'm sure Dylan will be great. Welcome to go corgi.

[Vannette]

Hi Tony I'm Vannette with Katie and Cody and I would love another. lol
Keep him. Let the neighbor neuter him by all means. Listen to the women folk...they know what is best for you. Trust me
I don't have carpet and its wonderful that way. It's amazing how much dirt has been being hid by the carpet .
Vannette

[Michael Romanos]

Maybe there is nothing left but saying YES to think about. Afterall, Dylan has been in your house for more than a few hours already, Mercy accepts him, the rest of your family does, he must already be house trained, you like/love his personality and demeanour, he likes what he sees and the reception he has previously received, you don't mind an adult Corgi or Corgi cross in comparison to a pup and you hanker for a kind of Corgi. A biggish head may still equate to a pure bred - there are tell tale aspects to other body parts and personality/characteristics - but I suppose the chances of Dylan being a pure bred are slim. But does it matter at all to you and your family. His piddling problem may very well be his current owner problem in as much as atmosphere,toileting arrangements, feeding programme etc. It may disappear with better dog management.

[Clogs]

Hi and welcome, Andy.

I can't really offer any suggestions about the intended visit other than to say keep an eye on Mercy's reactions to Dylan when you handle him. ie any jealousy etc.

As far as the piddling goes, we had a dog here on the farm once who piddled through nervousness/excitement. She did grow out of it at around three years of age or so.

...sounds like the hearts might rule, eh?

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by jacksonunit@gmail.com

Is there anything I can do to help Dylan during the visit? Anything I should have on hand or be aware of in advance?

Welcome Andy. If it's just a visit then no, I don't think you need anything speical on hand.

D2: 6 - Most outspoken. Wanted to just keep Dylan when he first showed up and cried when we found his owner. Promises to feed, bathe, pet, play with, walk with and put bows in the hair of Dylan. "Can we keep him? Can we? Can we? Can We?"

Just realize with most children this only lasts a short time. Only take him in if you and your wife are willing to feed, walk, groom, clean up, etc. after him. If YOU and YOUR WIFE want him.

Dylan may not be purebread because he has a HUGE head. He looks like a Dwarve German Shephard.

What color is he? If he looks like a dwarf GSD he might be a dwarf GSD. There is that gene in the breed.

His human got him from an animal shelter but he is very well behaved.

Shelter workers are notoriously bad at breed identification. Here they label anything with short legs they possibly can as a corgi or corgi mix. They say it helps them place the dog. (I disagree, I see it as a disservice to both the dogs and the new owners. They don't necessarily get what they think they are getting.)

We were told that he has a "piddling problem" when excited so my wife is already talking about ripping up the carpet and putting in hardwood. The human says he will have him nutered if we choose.

Could be he's marking territory because he's intact. And he might have a urinary tract infection. I'd have him neutered and checked for a UTI. And then work on housebreaking as if he were a puppy.

Peggy

[jacksonunit@gmail.com]

Thanks for everybody's good advice and help. So far, the "play date" has been a smashing success. Dylan is a very sweet and tolerant dog. He seems to have brought forth the puppy in Mercy and he loves romping with the Girls. The current owner says he will have him nutered and up to date on his shots

We went for a short walk down through our heavly dog populated neighborhood. At first Dylan was apt to alarm on the other dogs but when I fastened him on the same leash with Mercy and did a little premptive redirection he marched along like a true soldier. A cute fuzzy one.

So, it looks like it's all over but the crying. There be corgi here!

<I had a link to a picture but It did not work so please have a look at Dylan on my photo blog and let me know what you think.>

BTW, I think the "fat head" comment was premature. I met Dylan in the middle of a stormy night and It seems his head has since shrunk to normal Corgi-head size. While I am told he is not a pure Corgi, I don't think I can tell how.


SNAKEFARM DIARIES

[Vannette]

Now if I saw the right picture... A black dog(who later is titled Mercy) and a normal looking corgi. It was in the website you had posted...snakefarm diaries. I'm not even close to an expert but he looked total corgi to me. cute
Vannette

[Louwants]

He looks like a pure corgi to me. There are some corgis that seem to be longer legged than others. Mine is a short legged one, but that doesn't stop him from running like a gazelle. Glad to hear that Mercy will have a brother to play with.

[Michael Romanos]

If he not full Pem he might be three quarters. His legs are extraordinarily long which could mean he is not pure bred. But I can't see an out-of-kilter head in relation to the rest of his body. He seems slimmer and is leggier than the usual Corgi and this probably accentuates the head.

[glencorgi]

I'd say purebred. He is a bit leggier than some, but I don't see his legs as extraordinarily long. In my rescue work, I see a lot of corgis. When a breeder isn't breeding for type, well then a lot of variation can show up. Some might say it a throw back to earlier Pembrokes which were higher on leg than what might be seen in the conformation ring today.

With his age a guestimate (and he does look young), he probably hasn't completely matured and bodied out yet. When that happens he'll not look as leggy.

Sounds like everything is working out well and congratulations on your new corgi.

Debbie

[jacksonunit@gmail.com]

This guy is GREAT. I can't get over him. He has decided that I am the one who needs hearding. He's probably right. If I put my hand on a dorlatch, his nose is on the seam. I have to shut him out of the lavratory when I go in and when I come out, he is patiently waiting with that "Spanish Inquisition" look on his face.

I've noticed he has a small patch (2 inch diam.) of irritated skin on his left side where his hair is falling out. This may be because his previous owner was using Heartz 3 in 1 (DOES NOT WORK AT ALL!) for a flea treatment and he was chewing that spot. I have switched him to Advantix and there are no more visible fleas. He seems to have stopped the scratching but he still shakes his head violently. I plan to get him into the vet this comming Saturday for nutering so I will bring these things up then.


Thanks again,
aj

[Louwants]

Some flea treatments are very harsh to a dog's skin. Best to stay with the good stuff.
As for him shaking his head violently, he might have ear mites. A good ear cleaning sounds in order. I try and clean Duncan's and Chloe's at least once a week, but it such a battle doing a good deep clean. I just pay the vet to do it about every 3 months when I take them to get their nails trimmed.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by jacksonunit@gmail.com

This guy is GREAT. I can't get over him. He has decided that I am the one who needs hearding. He's probably right. If I put my hand on a dorlatch, his nose is on the seam. I have to shut him out of the lavratory when I go in and when I come out, he is patiently waiting with that "Spanish Inquisition" look on his face.

That's not herding. That's following you around. Herding is when a dog manuvers something from where they are to a new place of their choosing. Or gathering animals into a group and keeping them there.

He's a bit insecure as it's a new home and wants to keep track of what's going on.

I've noticed he has a small patch (2 inch diam.) of irritated skin on his left side where his hair is falling out. This may be because his previous owner was using Heartz 3 in 1 (DOES NOT WORK AT ALL!) for a flea treatment and he was chewing that spot. I have switched him to Advantix and there are no more visible fleas. He seems to have stopped the scratching but he still shakes his head violently. I plan to get him into the vet this comming Saturday for nutering so I will bring these things up then.

It's probably a hot spot. Is it red and moist? Put some Gold Bond Powder on it. That will stop the itch, which stops the biting and it will heal. Might have to do it a few times a day.

Peggy