Corgi Forums

Michael Romanos · 06:18 PM

Some Go Corgi members have said that Corgis are for people with certain qualities because they are not a dog suitable for everyone, are not easy to raise and require special treatment etc. I don't particularly agree with these notions and in fact feel that Corgis are a very easy dog to raise and train for a large cross-section of people.
I now have spent some time each week with a typical black Lab pup as she ages from 7 months to 11 months and I have had quite a bit to do with a neighbour's Labs from when they were pups. I also know Labs from shows and agility. Labs are the world's most popular breed of dog and yet I find that normal Corgis are much easier to raise and train and look after including exercising, walking etc than are the vastly popular Lab.

I also am now walking a huge, 130 pound, 6 year old Bull Mastiff-Great Dane cross up to four times a week for 30 minute walks. His name is Boof. And he is typical (in my mind) of his makeup - overweight, arthritic, a potential dog and cat killer. Boof is people-friendly but his female owner is too scared of him (re other dogs and cats) to walk him. So that's where I come in. I think of all the Cesar Millan tricks when I walk him and feel a little more relaxed after our last walk. We shall see. Boof has a huge head and is a spraying dribbler. He seems to take everything in. Just got to keep reminding him who is boss and also talk and pat and praise nicely as well. Might work.
But give me a crew of Corgis any day.

MyPemCharlie · 12-13-2007, 06:15 PM

Ditto! Charlie is a dream compared to my last dog. Of course most people aren't comparing a Corgi to a strong-headed, alpha male rottweiler. Had to stay on top of the "No, I'm the boss and that's it" every single day. He would have been more than happy to take over if I had allowed him.

It's nice to have my Corgi who looks to me as the boss, no questions, and can snuggle up on my lap at the end of the day.

glencorgi · 12-13-2007, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyPemCharlie

Ditto! Charlie is a dream compared to my last dog. Of course most people aren't comparing a Corgi to a strong-headed, alpha male rottweiler. Had to stay on top of the "No, I'm the boss and that's it" every single day. He would have been more than happy to take over if I had allowed him.

I've known corgis that resemble that remark. <LOL>

Quote:

It's nice to have my Corgi who looks to me as the boss, no questions, and can snuggle up on my lap at the end of the day.

Sure Charlie's a corgi? <VBG>

Debbie

MyPemCharlie · 12-13-2007, 06:48 PM

Well, we haven't hit the terrible teens adolesence yet. My story may change in the next month two. LOL

fogebotom · 12-14-2007, 07:17 AM

Comparing labs and corgis, is well, unrealistic. Yes I agree corgis are much easier to train and deal with then the run of the mill lab. But then again, some of the run of the "mill" corgis that I have had in my training classes are much more aggressive and pushy then the labs. It's about the person who is on the other end of the leash and their commitment to their dog, which includes who they got it from and the breeder's responsible for producing that dog.

My constant comment to people about labs is this-it's a 3 yr rule. 1st year they get their body, 2nd year they get their coat and substance, the 3rd year, if you are luck, they might get their brains. Not that they are untrainable but the light bulb doesn't go on as quick as other dogs. Think about what they are bred to do-retrieve, take direction and not think too much past the tip of their nose or on their own. Believe me, I have a lab.

Corgis on the other hand are bred to be problem solvers, work and thinking about the consequeces of their actions, and lastly stay in one piece, ie, self preservation against an animal that might weigh 10x's or more then them.

Corgis with the right temperment, breeding and training are wonderful dogs. My Moose is an example. He spent yesterday afternoon laying on the laps of kindergarten kids after our K9Ambassador program on dog safety. He was in his element but if he hadn't had the basic training that is lacking in many dogs, he wouldn't have been there. I can totally see the boy being way out of control.

So, on that note, I think it's more about the quality of the dog and the person's commitment to create a partnership with their dog then about a particular breed being perfect for everyone. It would be great if everyone could have a Moose or Eddie, but doing rescue along with Debbie and Peggy, it's a pipe dream at best.

MyPemCharlie · 12-14-2007, 09:47 AM

Yes, within any breed there will be harder dogs and easier dogs. My next door neighbors own a sweet "easy" rottweiler. I had a "hard" rottie. Reading these forums the last few months, a few people have "harder" corgis. I'm delighted that Charlie is "easier".

A hard dog can become a fine pet with consistent, vigilant training. An easy dog can become a real nightmare without at least basic training skills, but really flourishes and shines with a lot of attention and training into the type of dog that "everyone" wants to own.

Just seconding Cindy's comments: training (to fit the dog's unique personality and breed), temperament, and breeding.

Peggy · 12-16-2007, 08:14 PM

The AKC recoginizes over 145 breeds, world wide there are over 300 breeds. I think it's very safe to say that no one breed is right for everyone or there would not be so many breeds.

Someone who prefers another breed and is considered a "xxx" person won't find a corgi easy to raise.

I have friends with shelties. She finds shelties to be her cup of tea. My corgis, well, not so much. She's not a "corgi person". Same with my friend who has whippets. She's also not a corgi person.

Now both of these friends are great with my dogs. They've helped me show corgis when I needed to take more than one back in the ring. They've helped groom them, have walked them, etc. They like them, they just don't want to live with them.

Again, it's my opinion that corgis are not for everyone. There are some people who are not suited to owning and living with corgis.

Peggy

Michael Romanos · 12-16-2007, 08:31 PM

Peggy -Are you sure that the AKC only recognise 145 breeds of dogs? Like New Zealand, the AKC is part of and/or associated with, the two world canine organisations and the older of these two recognise 335 breeds ( the last time I looked it up) and so NZ and the USA would follow suit surely as part of the international umbrella. NZ has 195 recognised breeds currently represented in NZ. I would imagine that the USA would have many more recognised pure breeds living in that country.

I would still argue very strongly that a typical, normal Corgi is far easier to raise, train, care for, manage etc than is a typical, normal Labrador.

glencorgi · 12-16-2007, 08:52 PM

AKC is now up to having around 160 recognized breeds. (They've been adding quite a few in the last few years.) Still that is about 1/2 of the recognized breeds world wide.

Debbie, who also agrees corgis are not necessarily the right breed for everyone. Lab people might just find Labs to be very easy to raise in comparison to corgis from their perspective. I do know it happened with a Chesapeake Bay Retriever person, her daughter's Cardigan was a puzzlement at times to her.

Michael Romanos · 12-16-2007, 09:06 PM

Well that is astonishing. The NZ Kennel Club has no choice but to recognise automatically any breed of dog that is recognised by the parent world canine organisation and accept the most relevant standard of the breed. So NZ has as many breeds it recognises as the international organisation it pays affiliation fees ro annually. This means of course, that at any of the conformation shows here, a internationally recognised breed can be exhibited and the judges expected to be able to judged according to the standard on a pre-warned basis. The only exception here is the half dozen breeds who are barred by Government regulations (these include American Pit Bull Terriers).

Peggy · 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Peggy -Are you sure that the AKC only recognise 145 breeds of dogs?

I said "over" not only. I haven't kept track, but knew it was at least 145.

Quote:

Like New Zealand, the AKC is part of and/or associated with, the two world canine organisations and the older of these two recognise 335 breeds ( the last time I looked it up) and so NZ and the USA would follow suit surely as part of the international umbrella.

The AKC is not part of or associated with the world canine orginizations. The AKC stands alone and answers only to itself and it's customers.

Quote:

I would still argue very strongly that a typical, normal Corgi is far easier to raise, train, care for, manage etc than is a typical, normal Labrador.

For YOU a corgi is easier. For a "labrador person" a lab would be eaiser.

I've owned several breeds of dogs over the last 28 years and while the Pembroke is the one that has my heart, there are other breeds that are easier to live with. Corgis take a good amount of managing, especially when you have several and not just one or two.

I still think that corgis are not for everyone. If so then there would be no need for all those other breeds. No one breed is suitable for everyone who wishes to own a dog.

Peggy

Michael Romanos · 09:17 PM

Peggy - the USA is so a member of at least one of the two world canine organisations. I actually think that along with Australia, the USA is member of BOTH. NZ is a member of the original world body only.

When researching for an article some years ago, I got membership lists along with other details such as internationallly recognise breeds of dogs. Easy to look it up again if necessary.

Corgi Forums

Corgis easy to raise