Any Corgi fans out there?

[sanfranciscoellen]

Time has passed since our dog died, and after the foster doggy and her pups left our house, and now we are ready to add a puppy to the family for real. After a lot of thought, I am thinking that at this point in our life, with three little kids, we need to get a dog from a reputable breeder; a breed of dog that is typically good with kids, from parents with sweet dispositions, and leave rescuing dogs for later in our lives. I need the best possible chance for a sweet dog that will be good with our kids.

So, I want a pembroke welsh corgi, to raise as a puppy with our kids and cats. I''ve always wanted a corgi, can''t bear to look at those goofy smiles without coveting them, I hear that they are pretty healthy as long as they have good eyes/hips etc. I love how they are like big dogs (what I grew up with but can''t have in a flat in SF) in a smaller package!

I''m looking for input! Anyone out there have opinions for me?

 

[diamondfan]

I never had one but they sure are cute. I think the Queen of England has them...

 

[diamondfan]

PS for a girl I love the name Bijoux

 

[widget]

Oooh, oooh get one! I hear they''re GREAT!

A lot of people speculate that Widget is part Corgi: long low body, crooked front legs, cheerful and friendly with everyone, un-hyper, and as a puppy was a ''heel nipper'' at play...like a cattle dog. She adores and is gentle with my granddaughters.

Besides...they''ve got to be the cutest puppies ever...

This is one, isn''t it? LOL

widget

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

yes, widget, yes....that adorable pup is a corgi! and widget sounds super corgi-ish.

I think I''m in love...

I''ve found a litter of 7 one week old corgis....I''m crossing my fingers that one little puppy lady is destined for us!

 

[Mara]

i used to love corgis and wanted a westie and a corgi for our two dogs..they are SUPER cute and i love their tail-less wagging butts!!! but a few people in our complex have them and they are not the 'friendliest' of dogs seemingly...did you do some research on their personalities with children? possibly with a puppy you could train the dog to be okay with the kids and mellow, but some breeds are not the best with children in general. also gotta say that while i adore their look, their bark is somewhat grating. hehee. one of portia's friends is the cutest corgi but she is obsessed with her ball and she will stand there and bark at you til you throw it and it's a really harsh deep bark that i don't find appealing. but yes they are sooo cute. anyway i'd do some research if you have not already on the breed and it's temperment. westies are not typically that great with children either...but portia 'tolerates' children because we raised her to be mellow with all types of people...even those who poke and prod at her. hehee.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

It is so hard when you are trying to introduce a dog into a family with little kids. For that matter, it is hard to introduce a little kid into a family with a dog!

Most little dogs are on the "no no" list of dogs recommended for families with kids, and the only truly reliable kid dogs are big (can''t have them) or poodles (don''t really want them). After that, all smallish breeds are so so on a case by case basis and need to be raised with *kind* kids, and it helps when they come from calm parents and are not alpha dogs in the litter.

So yes, I''m still weighing this stuff and researching. I love those cavaliers but can''t go down the road into a breed with a lot of genetic diseases. I''ve watched my last dog suffer through her purebred genetic disease for ten years and can''t do it again!

Thanks for weighing in, everyone...!

 

[widget]

Hmm...If I lived in an apartment, I''d probably consider something even smaller than a Corgi.

Have you considered Pugs or Boston Terriers? They''re small, sturdy, and I''ve heard good with kids...or wire-haired daschunds?

Widget (madly studying my Simon&Schusters Guide to Dogs

)

 

[moremoremore]

I'm not just saying this b/c I'm a proponent of rescue dogs...

Does it make any sense to perhaps get a young dog (not a puppy) from a rescue or breeder- only because then, you can judge the personality and know if it's already good with dogs and kids? A lot of dogs are abandoned for reasons other than behavior problems....I tend to not want young kittens because the personality as they mature is a coin toss...or perhaps with dogs you can sort of "engineer" their personality? Maybe even a retired breeding dog? Just a thought....

 

[Cehrabehra]

I love pembrokes and dh and I always talked about getting one....but def not until the kids are older and more respectful (they''re used to our indestructable lab) because of their backs! I just wish they didn''t shed!!! hahaha

 

[Mara]

hmm i wouldn''t get a pug as they definitely have some inbreeding diseases and can be tricky if you get one that might develop breathing problems later. they are super cute but i have heard good and bad re: the issues with them. but yes they are pretty good natured from all the ones i have met for sure. i love boston terriers, there are a few of those here and they are SO cute and pretty good natured. but with any terrier, definitely look into whether or not they are good with kids because a lot of the terriers are not. what about something like a shih-tzu? we know a handful of them and they are always sooo good natured and friendly, and super cute too. and tolerant for the most part. or you can get a mix as well...any sort of non-purebred is probably going to have less inbreeding issues with health aka hips, breathing etc than a purebred. we adore portia but she has the typical westie skin allergies and a sensitive inbred stomach. good thing she''s so darn cute, hehe. but i knew how westies were before we got her, and it didn''t matter, my heart was lost years ago!!

the other thing i wanted to say is that while the books and all that are great with information on the breeds and what their ''typical'' temperment is with kids or other people etc...the westie books were wrong on about 90% of the stuff with portia. i think a lot of it has to do with the owner and how they train the dog. she is very tolerant, doesn''t snap, may not ADORE kids (but she was also not raised with them, which may have turned her into a different dog) but she stands there and lets them pet her and hit her and stuff, she''s affectionate, she''s a lap dog when the situation calls for it and a fireball when it''s time to play, she''s not that stubborn at all (like terriers are famous for)...she sleeps until we get up and doesn''t bark that much or do anything really negative...no scratching, biting, picking at the carpet, etc. she''s really a fabulous dog. the doggie daycare guy says we have the perfect dog. and i think it has something to do with the owner. not like we are wonderful or anything...but we were pretty strict with her from the beginning yet we showed her a ton of love and affection a the same time. she knows her place in the house and won''t step out of it but she is pretty darn spoiled as well. so i think we did a good job with her. so if you get a puppy or a very young and still impressionable dog, you may be able to get around ''breed traits'' because we did.

anyway i''d just continue to do some research and also check out a local breed group if you can (aka there is a SF bay westie club so there''s probably a corgi club or similar around here) to get more information and go to an event and view corgis in their element or visit with the breeder etc etc.

 

[decodelighted]

I''m a Corgi lover!! I love those foxy Pembrokes & had ''em #1 on my Most Wanted Breed list fur-ever.

Ultimately I ended up with a Papillon because I thought a Corgi was too active & too much dog for "just me" & my rather slothy lifestyle. But -- now all hitched & stuff I am ever hopeful that DH will consider Corgis "real enough dogs" to be our NEXT dog.

He''d rather have a big ol'' Lab -- but that''s no good with a tiny Pap. MEDIUM .. MEDIUM I say!

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

diamondfan, bijoux is an awesome name!

Well, we will continue to poke around and do our due diligence. I still go crazy at those corgi grins, though....sigh....

 

[luckyhonu]

I luuuuuuuurrrrrvvve Corgis. Their face and radar ears are irresistable!! My former coworker used to bring in her Corgi puppy and he was definitely a ham. The only thing is that he had a tendency to nip at the heels (herding instinct) but overall he was a good dog.

 

[AmberWaves]

I agree with Deco, corgis are herders, so need to be active, otherwise they go a little nutty. I have heard from friends who have one that the corgi is very patient with their kids, and this one was a rescue, too. I'd stay away from a wire-haired dachshund if you want something good with kids, out of all three of the dachshund types, the wire is the most tempermental- like Mara said, it's the terrier in them. If you would get a dachsie (I have one- avatar), a long haired may be slightly high maint, but VERY sweet and cuddly, the sweetest of the bunch, to be honest. They are also semi-hypoallergenic, and so so darling. They have the shape of a corgi with the attitude of a larger dog.

But they also have problems, but they are avoidable, the most common is a herniated disc problem, it comes from the long backs, corgis suffer from this, as well. Good luck!!

ETA: Corgis are REALLY cute, though. My fi wants one, too.

 

[Cailet]

Oooohhhhh - We had a corgi-beagle mix when I was a kid (she was mostly corgi, just had a couple of beagle spots). She was my best friend!! I used to take naps with her all the time. There are actually pictures of us cuddled up together on her huge doggie pillow bed. awwww.

she was the best dog ever. EVER.

She eventually got cancer and my parents put her to sleep when I went to college (without telling me!!

)

It took us a LONG time to get another dog because she was soooo great we didn''t think any would compare.