New corgi owner here...

[Gabrick]

New corgi owner here and had a question.
I have a male welsh corgi born on 5-29-06. It is his first day in our house and he doesnt really approach us, but as the day has gone on he showed his playful side. The problem is I have a 2yr old daughter that likes to get down to his level and look at him. She isnt the most gentle, but not hurtful. When she gets down to his level and looks at him he stares back and then starts to nip at her face and growl. I thought maybe he didnt like her because she was younger and maybe a bit in his face. So I had my 9 yr old get down to his level and stare at him from a bit of a distance and as I suspected he stared back and growled at her. Is he going to be aggressive or is it just beacause he's in a new home? Let em know some of your ideas.

Thanks
nicole

[Michael Romanos]

Hi Nicole
Your brand new Corgi needs time to adjust and become acquainted with everyone and the environment before he is subject to a two year old child. I wouldn't want a two year old or a nine year old poking his/her nose and hands at me or staring intently and unpredictably at me either.
Most Corgis just love children - the younger the better. My Taylor does. But kids have got to learn very very quickly to respect Corgis and treat them with due regard and help make the Corgi feel comfortable around them and not on edge or stressed out - or about to be attacked.
Ihave a child who is nine years old and both he and Taylor have been the best of buddies. Taylor treats Nathan as an equal and also as a family member to protect by herding and keeping an eye on, and they have many great wrestles and play fights with each other.

[corgimom]

Hello Nicole and Welcome

I agree that your new Corgi needs to get adjusted to your home, since you say this is his first day there. I would not have my kids getting down on his level on the first day and giving him the "stare down". Why don't you encourage your older child to pet him gently and to play fetch with him instead - which will help to show your 2 year old the appropriate way to treat a pup. Two year olds can be unpredictable since they are still very much babies and they don't know at this age really how to treat a dog, but you can teach your daughter what is appropriate. I would monitor your daugther around your Corgi at all times so she does not poke or pull his ears or get to rough with him and also.

With patience and guidance you can help teach your children the appropriate way to play with a new pup along with teaching your new pup what is acceptable around your children.

Good luck.

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by Gabrick

New corgi owner here and had a question.
I have a male welsh corgi born on 5-29-06. It is his first day in our house and he doesnt really approach us, but as the day has gone on he showed his playful side. The problem is I have a 2yr old daughter that likes to get down to his level and look at him. She isnt the most gentle, but not hurtful. When she gets down to his level and looks at him he stares back and then starts to nip at her face and growl. I thought maybe he didnt like her because she was younger and maybe a bit in his face. So I had my 9 yr old get down to his level and stare at him from a bit of a distance and as I suspected he stared back and growled at her. Is he going to be aggressive or is it just beacause he's in a new home? Let em know some of your ideas.

Thanks
nicole

Hello Nicole, Welcome to Go Corgi and congratulations on your new Corgi

First of all, I agree that you need to let your new dog adjust to your home for a few days. Don't have your kids getting down on his level and doing a "stare down" with him; there is no purpose for this.

Have your older child pet the dog nicely and show your younger one also. Teach your two year old not to poke pull or hit the dog. Have them play fetch with the dog(not tug of war with toys). Kids, especially a 2 year old can be loud and they like to move quickly. If your kids are going to run through the house, your new Corgi will most likely chase them and try to nip at them; so I would discourage this.

If your new dog nips at your hands, say a loud OUCH and stop play for a bit and redirect him with an appropriate toy. Remember to praise him for good behavior. You must always be consistant with this, along with other members of your family.

Also, when feeding your new pup, take his bowl away for a moment, and then give it right back; stick your fingers in his bowl and hand feed him at times.(You should do this first) This will help him not to become food agressive. Have your kids hand feed him also. You don't want your pup to snap at fingers should they approach his bowl. Do the same thing with his toys. Continue to do this for the next several months.

I have a 2 year old living next door to me along with his older siblings, and Cody gets most excited around the 2 year old. And, this 2 year old is always on the move and sometimes like to squeeze Cody too hard, which is when I show him and remind him how to hug him gently.

Always monitor your kids with the new pup, especially your 2 year old; that way you can practice "correction" from both sides on what is appropriate.

I adopted a 2 year old rescue Corgi years ago when my kids were 2 and 4 and with patience and guidance, young children should be taught to respect a dog and the dog should never be allowed to growl or snap at anyone.

Look into enrolling your new pup into obedience class; this will help you and him a lot and will teach you how to be in charge of the dog, as Corgis can be stubborn and willful at times.

Good luck to you. would love to see some pictures of him. Hope you can post them.

[tandemgal]

Welcome Nicole,

deleted by T-Gal

[glencorgi]

Welcome to the board and congratulations on your new corgi. I'm going to be repeating some of the advice already given and bringing in the perspective of a corgi rescuer.

It is his first day in our house and he doesnt really approach us, but as the day has gone on he showed his playful side.

Okay, think about major changes in your life - the first time you spent the night with a friend, going from elementary school to middle school, the first of your married life, etc. - in none of these I suspect did you carry on like it had always been that way. Give him time to adjust, get acclimated, to explore and get to know his surroundings and the new people in them. He's been taken out of the safety of everything he knew and has been thrust into an alien environment.

The problem is I have a 2yr old daughter that likes to get down to his level and look at him.

Corgis "can" (and that is a qualified) be wonderful with children, they can also be a nightmare. Negative incidents with children is one of the top reasons corgis find their way into need of rescue and or rehoming. Just this summer, I took in a 6 month old boy as a foster dog for this very thing. I see him as a very normal corgi puppy. The challenge you have before you is training both the children, as well as the puppy to interact with each other with respect. Corgis do not always recognize children as "humans" and above them in the pack order and will often see them as peers even littermates and they'll walk all over them, which can lead to problems down the road.

STOP the two year old from staring at him NOW! As has been mentioned, when two dogs stare at each other and hold the look, that is a challenge and the result will be a fight. Your daughter is setting herself to get bitten by issuing the challenge with her stare. Puppy is NOT aggressive (although if this is continued to be allowed, that could develop because your daughter taught him to be - not that she knows this is what she is doing, but it is), puppy is only reacting naturally and instinctively as it would if a littermate were doing the staring. I am being a bit strong in the wording here - first because, I never want to see a child put in harm's way with a dog. Secondly, I really get upset when an innocent puppy/dog reacts naturally and gets the blame for a child's misconduct and especially when accidents are preventable.

She isnt the most gentle, but not hurtful

Corgis enjoy respectful children and often have long memories when it comes to some mishandling. The two year is going to have to learn gentle. Puppy is going to need quiet time and naps. I hope you have a crate for him to use as his den/room/safe place and she is going to have to learn to be respectful of him and leave him alone when he is there. Other things to watch out for - don't let her mess with him or his food when he is eating or tease and roughly take away his toys. She's going to have to learn to keep her toys out of his reach as well.

When he is old enough, get him into obedience classes. Corgis appreciate and do best in structured environments. The classes also work to help the bond between you and the puppy, he'll look to you for leadership and most importantly perhaps, is they will teach you to be a good leader for him. Take what you learn in classes and come home and teach it to the children. This will help give the two year old a better way to interact with him and also teach him to respect her as above him in the pack order of the family. This can be done as playtime and should be fun for all involved. Having watched a three year old little girl put a grown Belgian Shepherd through sits and downs and stays, I know this is something that can be done.

Also as has been mentioned, always supervise the children's time with the puppy, especially the baby. A good book to check out right now is Carol Lea Benjamin's [U=]How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With[/u], get into obedience classes as soon as you can, and be vigilant 24/7. Taking these measures and precautions can avoid many preventable incidents and help you raise a wonderful dog that will be a loving companion and asset to your family.

Debbie

[corgimom]

Very Good Advice Deb

[Corgis'R4me]

*~* Welcome to gocorgi !!

I have 2 sister 1 year old Pembroke Corgi dogs.
Their names are: Midnight & Sunshine.

My children are older that your daughter...BUT, when I first got Midnight & Sunshine I was a little bit worried about my kids playing too rough with my puppies. I just directly disiplined my kids EVERY TIME they would play too rough with Midnight & Sunshine. I tried really hard NOT to say, "NO" too much to my children. I tried to use descriptive words like, "Pet the puppies....NOT PUSH THEM AROUND THE ROOM !!" <--- lol...

My children are now 13 years old & 11 years old. They know better than to wrestle with 2 puppies !! But, when MOM is not around.....ya know what can and sometimes DOES happen. CHAOS !!!

My respectful advice ??
As you interact with your puppy....explain to your children what you are doing and WHY you do it that way. Then, you can have your children to the same activity. Always with you there watching.

*~* Nikki

[tandemgal]

deleted by T-Gal

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by tandemgal

Nicole,

I forgot to mention, when I took Chloe to puppy class at Pet Smart I also brought my 10 yr old granddaughter. She was the primary handler during the class training - I really think this helped both her and Chloe learn how to be respectful of one another and how to enjoy each other more. I think your 9 yr old could really have a fun time going to class with you and the puppy.

That is a good idea, and in Cody's last class, there were a couple of kids that age also participating with their parents.