From the wilds of New Jersey!

[Sherpat]

Hi!

I only found this place a day or so ago despite having owned corgis since I rescued a stray back in the early 90's. What a wonderful place - I wish I'd come across it sooner.

I live up in the middle of a state forest in northern NJ, and my Pembroke "Casey" goes out of his little corgi mind chasing the black bears, foxes, turkeys, deer, chipmunks, squirrels, insects, and MORE black bears that roam our yard. Almost always right behind him, hot on his heels in pursuit, is our cat "Gloria" who refuses to let Casey out of her sight day or night.

Does anyone, anywhere, know how to keep a corgi from trying to herd bears?? Amazingly, he's only been charged twice, and swatted once (it sent him spinning like a helicopter 20 feet down the trail, but the steak knife claws missed him). Stupid overwhelming instincts! And don't even get me started on the vacuum cleaner nuttiness. I'm sure you've been there yourself.

I don't mean to self promote (ok, I do), but I sometimes write stories in my blog about Casey and/or Gloria. This one won some big internet writing contest, as did this one. And this entry tells of the time Casey CAUGHT THE FED EX TRUCK, with pictures of the aftermath. Sheesh. (WARNING: my blog contains Adult Language and Situations. It's not porn by any stretch, but it's not shy either. Just thought I'd mention that....)

So anyway, it's great meeting you all! I'm looking forward to reading about all the other harried and frantic owners' adventures here. I'm sure there's some doozies.

Tom

[Vannette]

Hi Tom...Intresting articles. LOL Glad to hear Casey beat the Fed Ex truck! So have you had Casey since the early 90's? No clue on how to stop him from herding bears ...sorry Fence? LOL Welcome

[MyPemCharlie]

Hi Tom,

Welcome! Glad you've found GoCorgi.

I loved your articles and laughed so hard, that now I'm absolutely positive that I am one sick individual. My friends have been saying so for years, but today I believe them. Thank you.

Bears? Are you kidding? Casey has survived 6 years after being hit by the FedEx truck, handfed chicken bones, enema'd (twice...that you'll admit to), and has a fetish for snarfing down women's underwear crotches. Bears, Schmears! Casey has 9 lives, your cat must have 21. The bears should be afraid...very afraid.

Anyway, thanks for joining us. Looking forward to your tales.

[Sherpat]

Hi Vanette, thanks for the welcome! I'm glad you found my little stories "interesting". (Um...is that good, or bad? Lol...)

Casey is my second Pembroke. My wife brought him home shortly after we were married in 2001, after hearing me say how much I missed "Buster", who'd died a few years earlier.

[Sherpat]

Thank you very much for the ringing endorsement, Chris (& Charlie)! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who finds humor in demolished panty crotches

And you're right, I never thought of it that way. A corgi who can survive trucks, bones and plumbing intrusions ain't got NUTHIN' to worry about when it comes to mere bruins!

Thanks for the nice welcome

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Sherpat

I live up in the middle of a state forest in northern NJ, and my Pembroke "Casey" goes out of his little corgi mind chasing the black bears, foxes, turkeys, deer, chipmunks, squirrels, insects, and MORE black bears that roam our yard. Almost always right behind him, hot on his heels in pursuit, is our cat "Gloria" who refuses to let Casey out of her sight day or night.

Does anyone, anywhere, know how to keep a corgi from trying to herd bears?? Amazingly, he's only been charged twice, and swatted once (it sent him spinning like a helicopter 20 feet down the trail, but the steak knife claws missed him). Stupid overwhelming instincts! And don't even get me started on the vacuum cleaner nuttiness. I'm sure you've been there yourself.

A fence! Boy I'd be doing everything I could to stop my dog from chasing bears. (He is not herding them he's chasing them. Herding involves gathering and bringing them to you and if he does that you're in BIG trouble.)

I'd be worried that one of those bears is going to decide that Casey will make a tasty snack. At the very least he is eventually going to get hurt. If he should be swatted and one of those claws makes contact his insides are going to be on the outside.

As for the vacuum cleaner, well, that's pretty typical. When I have a dog that wants to chase, bite or interfear with the vacuum cleaner I put that dog in his crate or outside while I vacuum. Safer for the dog.

Peggy

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Peggy

A fence!

..... or a LEASH !

Boy I'd be doing everything I could to stop my dog from chasing bears. (He is not herding them he's chasing them. Herding involves gathering and bringing them to you and if he does that you're in BIG trouble.)

Sounds like Casey has been lucky in spite of everything and I would be doing everything in my power too keep him away from bears. Not every chasing or nipping behavior a corgi does is herding instinct kicking in, they are dogs and all dogs chase and nip.

To answer your conundrum about the bones, well those wild dogs in Borneo eating chicken bones are eating them raw. They aren't frying those chickens up or barbecuing them or cooking them in any form or fashion. Cooking the bones makes a big difference in how a dog is able to process the bone. Again, Another example of Casey getting lucky in spite of .., he's lucky that one didn't perforate his stomach or intestinal wall.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

Casey could be living on borrowed time. Bears and bones are like a pistol half filled with bullets and aimed at the head of oneself. Pull the trigger and you've got 50 percent chance of staying alive.

[Sherpat]

Hi Peggy! Well, a fence where I live is kinda out of the question for various reasons (my wife and I race motorcycles and use our yard to practice in, for one thing). We do have a doggie door that leads out to a rather enlarged pen, but for some reason the stupid dog doesn't want to soil that area with his poop. He just runs around in it, barking at leaves that dare to move, but then waits til I drag my butt off the recliner to take him into the woods for bathroom priveleges. And bears.

He has me very well trained.

[Sherpat]

LOL...yeah, the marked physical difference between raw and cooked bones has been explained in excruciating detail ever since that sordid episode. By my wife, at extremely high volume. Many times. So fear not, it's been Strictly Approved Chow ever since...with just the occassional spoonfull of polenta snuck under the table when she's not looking

Thanks, Debbie!

[Sherpat]

Oh god Michael, could you imagine an armed corgi? FRAP-ing would become "Frantically Running and Pointing". Not a good breed to trust with live ordinance!

Nice to meet you

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Sherpat

Hi Peggy! Well, a fence where I live is kinda out of the question for various reasons (my wife and I race motorcycles and use our yard to practice in, for one thing). We do have a doggie door that leads out to a rather enlarged pen, but for some reason the stupid dog doesn't want to soil that area with his poop. He just runs around in it, barking at leaves that dare to move, but then waits til I drag my butt off the recliner to take him into the woods for bathroom priveleges. And bears.

He has me very well trained.

First your dog is not stupid. He's very smart. Why should he use the pen when he knows he can get you to turn him loose where he can mark his territory and have more fun? He doesn't know his life is in danger.

If it were my dog's life at stake I'd be finding a solution. Dogs should not run free unfenced anyway, and even more so if there's bears around.

I don't know about where you live but here in Utah dogs can be shot for "harrassing" (meaning chasing) wildlife.

Ok, your dog and even more so you can be retrained. You can take him out on a leash to do his business. If you do so on a regular basis he will learn when he should go. Put a word with it, I tell mine to "go potty", some use "hurry up" or "get busy". Praise him when he does what you've told him to do. Then put him in his pen where he's safe.

You can also put a post in his pen that he will want to mark on. Most male dogs will comply. For poop, either you put him in the pen and wait him out or you do the leash walking and when you know he will need to go you take him in the pen on leash. Put some toys and chewies in the pen so he has something to do when he's in there.

Or you fence of part of your yard (maybe the front yard) and only use part of it for the motorcycle practice. Part for the dog and part for you.

Or you let a bear kill your dog. Sooner or later he's going to come up against one that isn't going to run and is going to have a well aimed swat.

Peggy

[Sherpat]

Of course you're right. My dog isn't stupid. I'm just bitter that he's smarter than ME, so I assuage my bruised ego by calling him names.

Hmmm, I don't think dogs can be shot for harassing wildlife, but people sure can be. Often by the wildlife itself (EVERYONE is packing heat in NJ). So maybe I should take your advice if only as a self preservation measure for myself!

Thanks for the idea of putting a "P-Post" in my pen. That sounds like a keeper. If I could just resist the urge to use it myself, I bet it will be pretty useful as a corgi training aid....

Thanks again, Peggy!

[Chip's Mom]

You may want to look into the laws in your state. There are laws that allow people to shoot dogs that chase deer.

[Sherpat]

Thanks, Chip's Mom!

Seriously, I appreciate your concern. But I don't think I have to worry about a scenario like that where I live. Our house is in the middle of a state forest, and what few neighbors I have all know Casey and tend rather to cheer when they see him barreling down the trail a few inches off the ground after a 200 pound sack of venison. Up here there's a "Wild West" attitude - everyone does whatever the hell they want, while in return turning a blind eye to anything their fellow forest dwellers care to indulge in. If a neighbor shot Casey and claimed a legal right, the rest of us would probably band together and run that varmint outta Dodge.