Many people in search of a Corgi decide that an adult dog suits their lifestyles better than a puppy. An adult dog is housebroken, leash and crate trained, socialized, and (depending on age), all or mostly through the chewing stages. This is perfect for working families, senior citizens, families with young children, and anyone who does not have the time or energy to deal with a puppy.

The first question most people ask is whether the change of homes is hard for the dog? The answer has a lot to do with how much personal time, attention, and bonding the dog has had in its previous home. In the case of Rescue Corgis separated from loving owners by death or other unavoidable circumstances, Corgis will indeed grieve. However, Corgis are very pragmatic, and those who are moving from a multi-dog or kennel situation into a family setting (as in breeder placements) usually are quick to note the advantages of the new home. "All those toys -- for ME? All the attention -- for ME? YES!" seems to be the attitude.

What can you expect from a new adult Corgi? Mostly a loving dog, eager to make friends and learn your routines. Most Corgis "never meet a stranger"! Of course your new dog needs to learn the layout of your house, become comfortable with the people and pets in the house, learn to communicate with you (and vice versa) and learn your house rules before you feel totally at home with one another.



HOW TO HELP WITH THE TRANSITION

Remember, you set the rules for your new Corgi. Our family is laid back about dogs on the furniture and we usually aren't dressed so that jumping up is a capital offense. You may not like having pets on the furniture and may leave for work in a navy blue suit every morning. Whatever your house rules, it is important that you decide how to plan to handle issues before the dog comes into the house, and be consistent! As long as you are clearly in charge, your new Corgi will simply accept the fact that this is the way things are in its new home. Older dogs learn faster than puppies and retain more of what they learn.

How long does the transition take? A lot of people tell me that it took about 20 seconds for their new Corgi to totally settle in and take over the household! However, err on the side of caution and remember that an ounce of prevention is a good rule in assuring a smooth transition. Treat the new addition like a puppy for about two weeks on house training, and wait two weeks to a month before giving freedom in the house while you are away. It could take several weeks for two Corgis to start to play together, and a month or more for a cat to accept the new arrival. Give the new Corgi plenty of time outs to rest and regroup, particularly in a household with young children. You may notice little things, an occasional faraway look -- this is the time for extra hugs and scritches. In general, the more time and attention you can give your new Corgi, the sooner he or she will feel at home.

One important safety precaution -- NEVER turn your new Corgi loose off leash outside of a secure area (house or fenced yard) until you are thoroughly bonded with your dog and he or she comes when called with 100% reliability. I don't know how many dogs actually try to look for their former homes, or how many are just confused and don't have a good sense of direction at first, but I do know that the early weeks in a new home are the highest risk for having dogs get lost.

Here are some specific issues which may come up in your household, along with suggested solutions.



HOUSE TRAINING

Sometimes there are transitory house training problems, which can arise from confusion (where is the door in this place?), odors from previous pets (particularly if the last dog was incontinent in its final days), uncertainty (do you suppose it's okay to ask this guy to let me out?), change of routine (gosh, I usually go out at 6 am and here it is almost 8!), and even language barriers (it can be as trivial as a strong regional accent). Occasionally we have even felt that a dog has expressed stress or anger through accidents.

My advice is to treat your new Corgi like a puppy for a few days. Keep him or her with you with a leash or baby gate at all times. Use a crate when you need to be away. Take your dog out for a walk after he or she has been in a crate, 20 minutes after a meal, and every few hours throughout the day.

Use your training words, go in and out of the door you would like the dog to ask to use, and praise when the job is completed. Give freedom in small increments -- if your new dog is less than two years old, you may wish to continue crating when you are gone until you are sure that you are through all of the chewing stages. The beauty of an older dog is that this preventative maintenance stage only lasts a few days to a couple of weeks at most, instead of the months it takes to housetrain a puppy!

If you have another dog already, bear in mind that he or she could have accidents during the transition time as well, either as a means of expressing upset over the new arrival or marking territory (even if neutered). Remember to watch both dogs so that you know which one is responsible for accidents!



POTTYING ON LEASH

If I know that you will be exercising your dog on leash, I will make every effort to train him or her to potty on leash before leaving here. As we have fenced yards and a large acreage, this is not a skill that our dogs have unless they have been to shows. I use the words "hurry up", thinking that this is neutral and inoffensive.



CHEWING

Most Corgis stop destructive chewing by around 18 months old. I recommend crating any Corgi younger than this when you cannot be around. A few Corgis go on longer. I will tell you if your new Corgi still needs to be watched. Keeping lots of toys and substituting a toy for the inappropriate chewing object is very helpful during this state.



VOCABULARY

Here are some of the words we use around the house and what they mean to our dogs.

Cookies -- this means for the dog to hold a show pose in return for treats. Wait -- used at doors and gates, dog should not dash through. Saves "Stay" for obedience. Off -- four feet on the floor, no jumping on people. Saves "Down" for obedience. Outside -- used when going to the door to go out Hurry Up -- our alternative to "go potty" That'll Do, Here -- alternative to "Come" for our herding dogs



WORKING HOUSEHOLDS

An adult Corgi is the best choice for a home in which both adults work. Adult dogs have had the time to romp and explore and have lots of experiences as puppies (build those brain cells!), and are ready to snooze all day while you are away. They are also more comfortable holding their bladders for extended periods of time, and should be able to be left uncrated at the end of the transition period, rather than needing to be crated for months or years as a young puppy would need to be. We recommend that you start out crating your new Corgi whenever you are away, and giving freedom gradually and sensibly. Test each stage with short absences, increasing the time gradually.



OTHER DOGS

The easiest pairing for multiple Corgi households is a neutered male and female. In addition, it helps if at least one of the Corgis is laid back and ready to take the submissive role. A little noisy but bloodless scrapping is to be expected as the two dogs decide who is dominant, but try not to let food, toys, or jealousy compound the situation.

The rule of thumb is to make the new dog fit in around the first dog's routine at first. Be sure that your first dog doesn't sacrifice time or attention for the new addition. Feed the dogs separately (mine are used to eating in crates, or use a laundry room or baby gate to separate Corgis during feeding.) Make sure that there are plenty of toys, and supervise situations in which coveted toys are on the floor.

Once it is clear who the dominant dog is in your household, peace and harmony are ensured by "supporting the dominant dog". This means that the dominant dog eats first, gets treats first, goes through doors first, and so on. Sometimes when there is a lengthy problem with two dogs bonding, we figure out that the owner is inadvertently is keeping the dominance struggle alive by putting the would-be submissive dog into dominant situations. This keeps both dogs on edge. Dominance also becomes an issue when the human leadership is not clear. Remember that YOU are the head of the pack!

In a multi-dog household, the situation is more complex, and selection of the third dog must be undertaken with great care. But it can and does work with the right combination of dogs. We do suggest that you never leave three dogs loose in the house and yard together unsupervised. Particularly with a highly reactive breed like Corgis, if two dogs get into a trivial scrap over some small thing, having a third dog jump in can have tragic consequences.



CATS

We have a large number of cats, and most of our dogs are great with them. A few will herd cats if they have another dog as a partner in crime. I will let you know my observations about your particular new dog and our resident cats so that you can know what to expect. The big issues with introducing a new Corgi to a household with cats are cat food, those yummy gooey munchables found in cat boxes, and the attitude of the cats toward the new arrival.

Cat food and cat boxes need to be in places where the Corgi can't reach them. Baby-gating a laundry room or basement stairs is one easy solution to this problem. Most Corgi owners report that training a Corgi to stay out of the cat box and cat food works only as long as the owner is home and watching!

Your cats' attitudes toward the new dog may take longer to resolve. Again, a baby gate can provide the cats with a dog-free zone into which they can retreat during the transition period. Insist that your new Corgi treat the cats with respect, and with time the cats will adjust.



OTHER PETS

If you have other pets, they are an important part of your new Corgi's new world. We have cats, big and little dogs, sheep, horses, and small furred, feathered and finned pets, so there isn't much that our Corgis haven't encountered in the animal department. Our neighbor's potbelly pig even visits regularly! I will tell you from whether there are situations about which you need to be especially alert with your particular Corgi. Our Corgis have herding instinct and many of them have worked sheep, so they should be on leash around livestock until you have absolute verbal control.



OWNER GENDER

My dogs are, naturally, woman's dogs. My husband is not pet-oriented, so my animals tend to expect more in the way of care and affection from women. This doesn't mean, of course, that they can't happily adjust to belonging to a man -- it just takes a little extra TLC. My Corgis also love children, since I have four. When I know that one of our Corgis is heading for a home with a man, I have my 16 year old son spend extra time with the dog.



CHILDREN

My children are, alas, getting older every day, so much as my Corgis love children and thrive on running, screaming, pillowfights, and general chaos, we no longer have daily exposure to infants and toddlers. In general, Corgis are very good with respectful careful children, and tolerant of the occasional (and inevitable) things that can happen with toddlers -- as long as they have confidence in the supervision and protection provided by the adults in the household.

The essentials to a good transition in a household with small children include providing careful supervision and safe places for your new Corgi to go when he or she needs some time out. Supervision means watching ALL child-dog interactions for the first weeks while the dog's stress levels are high, and being sure that nothing painful or frightening happens until love and loyalty have had a chance to work their magic. Provide a crate in a quiet room, and perhaps some baby gates set at a level to allow a Corgi to slip under the gate to get away into a baby-free zone. (No, I don't own stock in a baby gate company though sometimes I wish I did!) Give regular time out in a quiet place, even when the dog does not appear to be stressed. Think of activities that you and your child can do with your new Corgi to help with bonding, such as giving treats, supervised petting or grooming, and throwing a ball or squeaky toy. NEVER allow children to play tug of war or chasing and nipping games with your Corgi!

If you have small children, I have additional written thoughts to share on the process and the expectations, and additionally will talk with you extensively about issues particular to your family needs and the particular Corgi who will be joining your household.



OBEDIENCE TRAINING

I highly recommend obedience training for ANY Corgi, whether adopted as a baby or as an adult. Obedience training creates an intense bond, provides a common vocabulary for dog and human, solves basic behavior problems, and builds communication and training skills for the owner. Your obedience instructor is also an important resource for training information.

Choose your obedience instructor carefully. Intuition is good here. Choose someone you instinctively like. Observe a class or two -- trainers who are keeping up on current methods are using lots of positive motivation and very little pop-and-jerk correction. And be certain that the trainer you are considering likes Corgis! Beware of the trainer who is full of negative misinformation about the breed -- lots of owners don't begin obedience until they have a problem, but if the trainer is a good communicator and uses Corgi-compatible methods, he or she will also have plenty of positive things to say.



RESOURCES & SUPPORT

Questions? Need help? Please email or call me any time, day or night, during the transition period -- or at any time in your Corgi's life.