well-temperedforum.groupee.net
ANOTHER puppy! My son's new corgi, Lyra.

This topic can be found at:
https://well-temperedforum.groupee.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9130004433/m/5893994597

31 January 2021, 09:46 PM
Amanda
ANOTHER puppy! My son's new corgi, Lyra.
Her ears are both corgified now (both standing up).
She was nine weeks old here (a week ago).

He's absolutely nuts about her. Smiler

Oh, crum. Can't seem to paste this image from Instagram.
(anyone know how to cut and paste from that site?)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKXP0TVHJ_7/


--------------------------------
The most dangerous word in the language is "obvious"

31 January 2021, 09:52 PM
piqué
Omg what a sweetheart!


--------------------------------
fear is the thief of dreams

02 February 2021, 08:45 PM
Steve Miller
Cute pup!

Is your son working from home? It’s a great time to bring up a puppy.


--------------------------------
Life is short. Play with your dog.

02 February 2021, 09:25 PM
Amanda
Yes, he is working from home and also finally has his own (small) apartment.

So, yes, it IS the perfect time to acquire a puppy. He's devoted to her - spending an inordinate amount of time training her, enrolling in an online and live puppy class, playing with her and walking with her.

That is subject to his training regime - he's relying mostly on positive reinforcement to train her. That means not infrequently he scoops her up when she disobeys him since playtime and walks seem to be even more reinforcing than treats for her!

I used to joke he ought to ask for pup paternity leave after he got his long-awaited puppy, but COVID has enabled that.

I can't even remember when he first started longing for a Corgi puppy!

Our only big worry about her, is that she may grow too big to fit under the seat in front of him when he flies home (it's been a year) for our family reunion. SO hard to plan! Older brother and I will have had our vaccinations, but not him.

He wants Lyra to bond with us, and does his best via Zoom. Really seems like his child.


--------------------------------
The most dangerous word in the language is "obvious"

02 February 2021, 11:36 PM
Cindysphinx
Awwww. What a cutie!

Kudos to your son for making time. Does he have any help?

There are 3 adults here, and we are barely keeping up with our Aussie. It is hard to get any work done, as someone needs to supervise him almost constantly.

We have had him almost a month and he is 2.5 months old. He is fully crate trained and rings a bell when he needs to go out. No accidents, but definitely not ready to be far from the door. He has sit and down. The other basics are a mess, like down, stay, drop it, leave it. Stubborn, he is.

But his bladder is the size of a shot glass, so that bell rings many times per hour.

And he bites and is too scared of everything and everyone, so walks take forever.

Still, he’s a joy and my little baby.

Post lots more pics, Amanda!
03 February 2021, 11:35 AM
Steve Miller
I just finished watching a Masterclass by Brandon McMillan. He used to host a show called "Lucky Dog," which I have never seen.

His approach to dog training is different from others I have seen. Very gentle, more tightly focused. Lots of training is done with the dog on something like a picnic table.

He has several videos on YouTube.


--------------------------------
Life is short. Play with your dog.

03 February 2021, 04:27 PM
Amanda
quote:
:
Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
Awwww. What a cutie!

Kudos to your son for making time. Does he have any help?

There are 3 adults here, and we are barely keeping up with our Aussie. It is hard to get any work done, as someone needs to supervise him almost constantly.


No, he's managing entirely alone (I'm wondering if he's actually getting any paid work done...)

quote:
:
We have had him almost a month and he is 2.5 months old. He is fully crate trained and rings a bell when he needs to go out. No accidents, but definitely not ready to be far from the door. He has sit and down. The other basics are a mess, like down, stay, drop it, leave it. Stubborn, he is.
But his bladder is the size of a shot glass, so that bell rings many times per hour.



WHAT?! I've never heard of ringing a bell to be let out! Wow!!

My son's breeder prides herself on sending her pups out already pre-trained to use special indoor pads to pee, which he relies on to get a full night's sleep.

After Lyra was with him for about a week, he began to set the pads out leading towards the back door and his tiny backyard (concrete and dirt). He'd bring her there during the day - when he thought she must be "ripe" for some process of elimination - and then made a HUGE fuss when she produced. At first that didn't work (apparently, exposure to interesting smells and noises distracted her, however much she'd been ready to go). Then, though, she'd release whatever as soon as she was back inside. ("Nuh-UNH! Lyra. " Shaking head. ) Today's trainers advise him - canine Dr. Spocks - not to call her "bad"!

What a silly nuance - just what I used to laugh at when he himself was in preschool. I.e., "Teddy was a 'bad cooperator' today", rather than anything like 'bad boy'.

She's finally caught on, though, to what modern trainers refer to as 'potty training' (instead of 'house-breaking' Big Grin ). I never heard of such a thing as those pads for dogs! Perhaps an invention of necessity because of how many CA dog owners lack even small yards, especially apartment dwellers.

quote:
:
And he bites and is too scared of everything and everyone, so walks take forever.

Still, he’s a joy and my little baby.


But, of course!!

My son was instructed by both breeder and vet, not to walk Lyra until she was four months old (and had had all her shots, especially against parvovirus).

Then the vet relented and said as long as they stayed on concrete, it was OK (supposedly, the pee, possibly infected, from other dogs, doesn't "stick" or whatever on concrete - less than as on grass). Have you heard that, Cindy? Our pups are the same age, I think.

He also takes her out a good bit riding in a special bike basket. That way even when he worries about contagion, he gets exercise and she gets stimulation (and plenty of attention from passersby! ) It's also a way to punish her. If she disobeys on a regular walk, into the basket she goes. Like if she "mules". For instance, she often plops down in the middle of a walk, because she wants to observe nature from one spot - by smell or visually.

To socialize her, he also invites small groups over to watch movies (and make a fuss over her). Then there are the puppy training classes - very small. And puppy play dates! I had no idea how important it was to socialize corgis, but apparently, spoiled ones can be quite vicious. After all, without biting, how can they get the attention of the cows they herd? (He's gotten not a few ankle nips.) Those teeth ARE sharp! I tell him what I was taught as a puppy mom - to never allow one to "mouth" me, much less bite, however good-humored it seems to be.

She has mastered all the usual verbal commands, paired with hand gestures. Most impressive to me, is that he's trained her to modify her barking - "inside voice!" LOL

And talk about stubborn!!

quote:
:
Post lots more pics, Amanda!


Thanks! Actually, he's pretty involved in posting updates on her Instagram page. If anyone cares to scroll down from the link I posted, they'd see plenty of other pics - some of which turn into short videos with clicking. (He's SO proud of her!)

(Still wishing I knew how to post Instagram pics besides in links! *Sigh* )


--------------------------------
The most dangerous word in the language is "obvious"

03 February 2021, 04:42 PM
Amanda
quote:
Originally posted by Steve Miller:
I just finished watching a Masterclass by Brandon McMillan. He used to host a show called "Lucky Dog," which I have never seen.

His approach to dog training is different from others I have seen. Very gentle, more tightly focused. Lots of training is done with the dog on something like a picnic table.

He has several videos on YouTube.


Interesting. I guess there are so many acquiring dogs these days, the market for associated selling points is exploding: insurance, novelty training classes - books, videos, online - and toys. (I am sure son's small appt must be chock full of toys: "But, Mom! I have to rotate them so she doesn't get bored!")

Son also relies a good deal on "clicker training "- his brother used it on his cat and sent younger bro a how-to book about it plus kit of clickers. Anyone heard of that? It's a way to get the pet's attention and pair that with reinforcement, positive or negative. Pretty fine-tuned.


--------------------------------
The most dangerous word in the language is "obvious"

03 February 2021, 11:45 PM
Cindysphinx
Yeah, they sell bells that hang on the door for this purpose. Best seven dollars I ever spent.

Our last dog would not bark to go out, or any other reason. He would sit by the door and if you didn’t notice, that was on you. So I wanted a way to be alerted without encouraging barking and whining.

Gotta get serious about come and stay. That’s important . . .
04 February 2021, 01:21 AM
piqué
quote:
Son also relies a good deal on "clicker training "- his brother used it on his cat and sent younger bro a how-to book about it plus kit of clickers. Anyone heard of that? It's a way to get the pet's attention and pair that with reinforcement, positive or negative. Pretty fine-tuned.


I do it with my horse. You should see her eyes bug out and her ears shoot straight up when she hears the click ROTFLMAO


--------------------------------
fear is the thief of dreams

10 February 2021, 05:59 PM
wtg
anybody got puppy updates?


--------------------------------
We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



12 February 2021, 12:58 AM
Cindysphinx
Yeah. This puppy is biting a lot. He is also quite obstinate. I feel like he needs more exercise, but the weather sucks.

He is only three mo ths old, but the jumping up, biting, and challenging me are getting old.

What seems to work with the biting is a time out in his crate. So far, none of the standard tactics work. He wants to be alpha, and I'm not having it.
12 February 2021, 10:18 AM
wtg
I'm sure you know all the strategies for mouthiness. In his case it's likely part puppyhood, but I'm sure he's also channeling his inner shepherd.

As for dominance issues....I read about a couple of strategies to establish the humans as alphas. They play on the "leader of the pack" concept. They're easy to work into the daily routine. They may sound a little hokey, but they helped us a lot.

Dog sits and stays before going through any door. The human always goes out first. This also helps keep the dog from bolting out the door when someone carelessly opens it. Same for walks - dog walks next to or behind the owner and never leads.

Similarly, have the dog sit and stay at feeding time. Set down the food bowl only after they sit and don't let them start eating until given a release command. I read in one book that pretending to eat some food from the bowl before setting it down also shows the dog who is alpha; that dog always eats first.

Good luck!


--------------------------------
We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



14 February 2021, 01:13 AM
Cindysphinx
Good tips, WTG. I'll try them and report back.

On some level, it's personal. He likes to bully me, not Mr. Sphinx or Little Sphinx.
14 February 2021, 10:52 AM
CHAS
Puppies bite.
I have rolled puppies lips to put the lip over the puppies teeth.
When the puppy bites it hurts itself. That has always stopped the biting.


--------------------------------
Several people have eaten my cooking and survived.