<p>My biggest tip for dog owners is that you and the dog will be tremendously happier if the dog gets enough exercise. We have a high demand breed which used to require two exercises a day for at least an hour each day. Even now that he is an old guy, nearly 11, we walk off leash 3-6 miles a day and he loves it. Even now, he does not sleep well if he does not get enough exercise</p>
<p>What a great decision! A dog brings a lot of joy and companionship into a home. Dogs are creatures of habit, so try to let him get into any bad ones. I second the advice about not feeding him from the table. I made that mistake when mine was a puppy, and it’s her most annoying behavior.</p>
<p>Even if you have been told that he’s been looked after by a vet at the shelter, you still want to find a vet of your own and have him checked out completely. Our family has adopted several rescues through the years and there are sometimes issues that aren’t disclosed initially. Be prepared. I second the advice to upgrade from grocery store brand dog foods to one that is available at pet supply stores. The latter are almost always a better nutritional choice. It sometimes takes some trial and error to find the right one, though, and what is right for one dog may not be a good choice for another. That’s why I have four dogs eating three different foods! Lamb and rice tends to be good for dogs with sensitive stomachs.</p>
<p>For supplies, get a few toys, maybe a kong to fill with treats occasionally, some reward treats for training, a good brush. I’m not familiar enough with Corgis to know if they like to chew, so perhaps a chew toy or bone? You can get biodegradable doggy bags at your pet supply store of choice, usually a bag of 150 or so is about $3.99, or in that range. </p>
<p>Make sure you get your dog licensed however it’s done where you live. Where we are it’s our local Humane Society who handles it. You never know when your dog may get loose or lost, and you want them to know right away who owns him.</p>
<p>The advice that you’ll likely have second thoughts at some point in the next couple of weeks is very true. Don’t despair. Come here and vent and we’ll try to talk you through it. Being a first time dog owner at this stage of life is going to be a little unusual and a big change for you. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Congratulations! We picked up our adopted fur-child in March. She is right beside me as I am writing this. She has a thousand sweet mannerisms and one or two that aren’t so great but that’s more than most people can say about a spouse! Just having a dog around lowers your b.p., encourages you to take exercise, and gives you someone in your life who is always glad to just be there with you. Win-Win all the way around!</p>
<p>Tip for smelliness…when you take the dog to the vet, be sure they check the teeth. Give chewy things…we like Greenies but be warned: People have been known to call them doggie crack because they are very addictive. Ours gets one after dinner and that is the signal that there will be no more food 'til morning.</p>
<p>Congrats! We had a rescue lab mix that was my first dog ever. He was about two when we got him, and the adjustment was initially tough for me, but we had ten wonderful years with him, and I think I was the most broken up when we had to put him down. That was three years ago, and I’m still trying to get up the nerve to commit again. It was so worth it the first time, though, that I know I will, when our lives are more settled.</p>
<p>Congrats!!! </p>
<p>:) </p>
<p>I <3 Pets!</p>
<p>Corgis are great! Congratulations. My son got married this summer and the flower girl and ring bearer were two corgis owned by the bride’s family. They were darling and behaved perfectly!</p>
<p>Shelters are kept as clean as possible… which is to say, there’s still a lot of dog poop around. I’d give the dog a thorough scrub with a gentle shampoo (you can buy fancy dog shampoo or you can use up that old bottle no one liked much) diluted about 4 to 1. Then a thorough rinse, and scrub again. </p>
<p>I have to actively disagree with two pieces of advice. Cesar Millan’s shows are dog-training theater and while his core principals–exercise and consistent rules–are excellent, some of his methods are cruel. I prefer It’s Me or the Dog if you must get your training from TV. The second bit of advice that’s questionablw is to roll over the dog. With some dogs, that’ll get you bitten in a hurry. If the dog is offering his belly, by all means, rub it, but don’t force him to expose his belly. That old canard comes from bad observations of wolves. In fact, the alpha wolf never rolls over the subordinate wolves; they offer. You can be an effective leader without forcing a dog onto his back.</p>
<p>Corgis are lovely dogs, but you should remember that they were originally bred to herd cattle. They are fearless herding dogs by nature. Big dog personality with short legs. Oh, and that breeding for short legs? Causes back and neck problems; be careful about that.</p>
<p>More congrats from me abasket. We replaced our college bound D with a rescue dog around 4 years ago because it was too quiet around the house for me with her gone. We rescued a boxer, also around 4 y/o at the time of the adoption 4 years ago. He’s been a fantastic dog - well behaved, playful, loves all people, curious, full of it (typical of boxers), and just fun to be around. I’m sure yours will be as well. I can’t believe anyone would have given him up but I know there are lots of reasons.</p>
<p>You already have other good advice for a new dog owner but here are a couple more pointers - </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Be extra careful with your new dog up front. Although he may be friendly, follow you around, etc., he’s not used to your home being his and might bolt at some point. Just keep him well confined/restrained (i.e. not loose) for a couple of weeks until you can get an idea of his behavior and he can get more used to the house, yard, and boundaries.</p></li>
<li><p>You should consider doing some training sessions with a good trainer or at least reading a good dog training book. Keep in mind that a lot of the ‘dog training’ is really the ‘human training’ and teaches you how to behave so the dog can understand you, you can be consistent, and you know what to expect from the dog thought process. A lot of people somehow think they can inherently know how to train a dog but they generally don’t because they don’t understand dog psychology. </p></li>
<li><p>Don’t ever hit the dog - there’s never a reason to. Also don’t push the dog or otherwise be aggresive with the dog with your hands. Your hands should be viewed only in a positive light by the dog as beneficial things that’ll provide food, petting, playing. This will help a dog to not ‘nip’ or ‘bite’ people’s hands who are well meaning but move the hands too fast for the dog so it reacts. If the dog only has a good association with the hand then it won’t bite it (i.e. won’t ‘bite the hand that feeds it’).</p></li>
<li><p>Dogs do need some discipline but it needs to be done the right way - not by hitting. Doing the " jerk ‘no’ " with an appropriate training collar and leash is safe and appeals to the dog brain.</p></li>
<li><p>Also be careful in that you don’t know the background of the dog and its idiosyncrasies - he might be extra scared of loud noises, not like to see you swinging a pick-axe (mine was weird about this), might be weird about entering or exiting a door, react in different ways to different people like men vs women, kids, etc. and might react in different ways to different dogs. You’ll just have to see how he does in these areas but keep in mind that the playful puppy-like dog can turn around and attack another dog in a second.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I agree with what dmd77 said, defintely a big dog personality with short legs! And Corgis can be quite stubborn, so you need to have the upper hand from the start. Also, our vet advised to NOT encourage our Corgi mix to jump up and down from the couch or bed. She does jump up on/off the couch and down from the bed, but will not jump up on the bed. I think this is a good thing, as she has to be invited onto the bed. And about that herding trait, mine LOVES to herd! She will herd our Beagle (really annoys her), small children and other dogs. She also follows me around, right at my heels, but does not nudge or nip me. But she is nearly always right there at my heels. She also sleeps in the most awkward looking positions, cracks us up all the time! My Stella is laying next to me right now, on her back. Her back legs look like she has been butterflied and her front legs are crossed on her chest. And she is snoring!</p>
<p>I concur with the advice of dmd77. I also agree with PG regarding behavior at doors: have your dog sit EVERY time you go in or out, you go through before him, then invite him in or out. This is good not only for safety reasons–an escaped, loose dog is at risk–but because you don’t want to spend the next decade attempting to block a dog who is charging the door every time someone approaches it. I would also suggest having the dog sleep on his own bed in your room. If he is housebroken you won’t need to confine him at night, especially since he is beyond the teething age. I personally NEVER let my dogs up on furniture. EVER. Maybe that’s because I’ve always had large, double coated breeds that shed like mad all year round, but I want to be able to sit on my sofa without getting covered in dog hair, even though the GSDs and goldens I’ve always had shed enough to stuff a small pillow every week and it blows in drifts around the floor. :)</p>
<p>It’s likely that he’s had some loose stools from stress. A corgi does not need to have its bottom shaved! Clean his bottom with a warm cloth right now, and after a while give him a bath. If there is a dogwash in your area, it makes the whole process a lot easier. Ours also sells high quality food at good prices, which is a plus.</p>
<p>Switching him to a higher quality food will produce smaller, firmer stools. Look at the ingredients, and avoid anything that includes corn, or one grain listed three times by its components in order to make it seem like a smaller proportion of the food. Don’t buy Science Diet. 
Millions of words have been written and thousands of cyber battles have been fought on the subject of dog food, but there are some brands out there that are widely available and decent by the standards of almost everyone except maybe the raw diet fanatics…er… I mean purists. 
Those would include Nutro and Wellness. I also like Verus and another brand that is something like “Fromm.” Be aware that your dog will eat less of the better foods–and most likely the bottom of the range for his weight cited on the bag, unless he gets a LOT of exercise–so the price differential won’t be as big as it seems. Do not feed your dog canned meat. It is not good for their teeth, it is expensive, and they just don’t need it.</p>
<p>Also agree with never chasing a dog in play. Add to that: never play tug of war, never encourage play biting. Mouthiness is not a positive trait. Also agree with never hit, especially around the head. Corgis are known for trying to herd everyone and everything, and sometimes nipping at the heels. Not to be encouraged, but understood and beware of the possibility, especially with shrieking hordes of small children. I love corgis.</p>
<p>I figured we would check into some simple training classes in a couple weeks (?) once she gets to know us better and gets attached to us.</p>
<p>Never heard of a dogwash before! What exactly is that??!</p>
<p>A dog wash is a place where you can take your dog and wash him/her yourself in greater comfort than at home. It usually costs a fraction of going to a groomer. They have waist-high tubs with rings to clip the dog to, so you don’t have to break your back bending over, and hand-held shower thingies for wetting and rinsing. There is also a ramp that the dog can walk up to get into the tub, although the attendants will help you lift the dog in if they won’t walk up the ramp. They have an array of dog shampoos and conditioners, and tools such as shears, brushes, combs, and nail clippers, as well as ear cleaning supplies. Perhaps most importantly for those with dogs who have thick coats, they have special blow dryers that are very high velocity/low heat that really speed up the process of drying a double-coated dog! It literally takes hours to dry a golden retriever using a human hair dryer at low heat, and you can’t use high heat on a dog. The dogwash dryers just blast the water out. The guys who own mine will also clip the dog’s nails for a very reasonable fee, and they are very good at it. (Unlike me! ) And when you are done you just walk away, and someone else cleans up the hairy mess. :D</p>
<p>Oh, and they supply you with a big rubber apron to wear while you are doing it.</p>
<p>About the loose stools, pumpkin is great for that. My Corgi mix has a pretty delicate stomach, so I keep a few cans of organic pumpkin on hand at all times.</p>
<p>Pumpkin! I had never heard that. Good to know. I’ve always used plain white rice boiled with some hamburger for diarrhea. (Recently, it has bee hard to find pumpkin in the supermarket, due to that bad harvest. I’ve taken to stockpiling it! )</p>
<p>Make sure it is pumpkin and <em>not</em> pumpkin pie filling. Sometimes grocery stores put them right next to each other.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your new dog!!! Except one, all of our dogs were rescues. And the one we got as a puppy, while wonderful, was the least well behaved. Cesar Milan believes in “hanging” a dog for misbehavior. IT IS HORRENDOUS! Find a gentle/positive trainer. Changes in diet cause loose stools. But our dogs, either from us or self help have had human food. After a few weeks, except for an occasional illness, their tummies are solid.</p>
<p>And yes, practice rolling the dog on his back and then rubbing the stomach. It makes submission “fun”, but establishes you as the pack leader.</p>
<p>One of our dogs, from rescue, survived in the dessert on rocks. When we got her (minus a few teeth from the rocks) she ate everything we gave her…never a complaint. On her third night here we brought Chinese food in for dinner. She jumped in the air like a marlin! She had eaten Chinese food…and was THRILLED when she saw it here. Yes, she got some that night…chicken lo mein and dumplings are her fav.</p>
<p>And as for dog grooming: NEVER take your dog to a groomer where they are put in a box (crate) for drying!!! Dogs have literally been roasted and died when the heat goes wacko. Hair dry by hand only. Or, in summer, outdoor (with supervision).</p>
<p>Consolation, we went through a rough patch when we could not find it in the stores this summer and very early fall. Our local raw food supplier always had it though, so we bought it from her. Both my 11 yr old Beagle and my rowdy 18 month old Corgi mix love it! Others have said they have a hard time getting their dogs to eat it, but absolutely no problems here.</p>
<p>I loved my crate, my dog was crate trained a s a puppy, help to potty train. He still has it and goes into it when he needs a break. it is is his cave. We do feed him after we have eaten. He has never been allowed on the furniture. We hold him only on the floor. (when he was smaller) he is a golden. Pumpkin is great for loose stools. has fiber. He sleeps in our room on his bed. he comes in the room goes to my side waits to be patted, then goes to lay down. he is a quirky wonderful guy and we love him to pieces. Congratualtions!</p>