Keep them lean

Keep them lean

Keep them lean

Preferably provide them a varied diet that is mostly lean protein (either lightly cooked or raw) some vegetable matter and a little bit of coconut oil.  Dr. Harvey’s base mixes are a great start.  They encourage you to vary the protein which is really important to prevent sensitives.

Corgis need a great deal of exercise to keep them happy and you happy.   I find my corgis are the happiest when they get a walk first thing in the morning followed by a game of fetch.

And then another walk in the afternoon and another game of fetch. 

Depending on the corgi – a lot also like a quick training session at some point of the day.  A session would include having them run through basic obedience commands rewarded by treats and praise or have them practice their show dog stuff.

Since corgis are so smart, us humans need lessons on how to properly train them with positive reinforcement.  They do not respond well to old fashioned punishment heavy training.

Corgis are herding dogs.  They have strong herding instincts to nip your ankles.  They will grow out of it but until then you must refrain from doing anything that you notice exasperates the behavior.  For example: don’t run away and scream when they bite your ankles this will kick their herding instinct into overdrive. Just stand still and gently point the bity part away from you.

We highly recommend getting a PennHip evaluation on any corgi that might eventually be used for breeding purposes (aka – a show dog).  OFA is used by a lot of breeders but it is an antiquated method whereby 3 radiographers judge as to whether the hips in the x-rays look dysplastic.  PennHip uses measurements (compares numbers) and is objective as opposed to subjective. The PennHIP method of evaluation is more accurate than the current standard in its ability to predict the onset of osteoarthritis (OA). The procedure is more objective (comparing numbers) than OFA radiographs. PennHIP radiographs can be done as early as 16 weeks of age.  Here is a link to read more about it: https://antechimagingservices.com/antechweb/pennhip

Other health tests that should be done on show dogs: DM, VWD, and get an OFA eye certification.

Before you take a puppy home you should ask these questions: what is the temperament of the sire and dam? Temperament is definitely heritable.  Of course, how the puppy is raised from the time it is born influences temperament also. https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/is-our-dogs-behavior-genetic/

This is why we think temperament is vitally important as well as using reward-based training, tasks, and gentle exposure to stimuli in the first 12 weeks of a puppy’s life.  https://shoppuppyculture.com/pages/puppy-culture-1.  And, this positive reinforcement-based training should be continued by attending a puppy kindergarten class, beginning obedience and canine good citizen class.  All of these classes not only help the dog to be a better canine citizen they greatly improve the bond between the dog and the human handler.

We highly recommend watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enPCZA1WFKY

As you may or may not know, cancer has become a major problem in dogs.  We think it is from a combination of factors: over-vaccinating, spay or neuter too young, kibble, and x-rays on puppies while in the womb:

As you may or may not know, cancer has become a major problem in dogs.  We think it is from a combination of factors: over-vaccinating, spay or neuter too young, kibble, and x-rays on puppies while in the womb: https://www.avidog.com/how-badly-do-we-need-to-know/