First—Let us congratulate you on the decision to make the addition to your family of an adorable, loving corgi companion. While this is an exciting time for you, we hope you will remember that it can be a rather frightening time of adjustment for your new puppy. He will be leaving the security of his dam and littermates and all else familiar for the first time and experiencing many new sights, sounds, and smells. Therefore, we recommend that you pick up your puppy on a quiet weekend. This will allow you to have plenty of time to help him adjust to his new surroundings, and he can be the center of your attention.
The right attitude—The first weeks of your new puppy’s life with you will be busy and demanding. There may be times when you wonder if getting a puppy was such a good idea. However, things will go better if you have patience and keep your sense of humor. Remember that puppyhood only happens once. The extra effort you put into it now will pay off in the future.
Puppy-proof your house—Raising a puppy is a lot like raising small children; they get into everything! Some of what they get into can be hazardous to their health or to your possessions. You can make life safer for the puppy and your furniture by getting rid of hazards and temptations ahead of time. To a puppy, the world is brand new and fascinating! He is seeing it all for the very first time, and absolutely everything must be thoroughly investigated. Puppies do most of their exploring with their mouths — “Look at this! What is it? Something to eat? Something to play with?” Murphy’s Law says that “a puppy will be most attracted to the things he should least have” (electrical cords, your expensive oriental rug, your brand new running shoes, etc.). Preventing destructive and dangerous chewing is easier than trying to correct the puppy every second. Look around your home. What objects could be put up out of the way of a curious puppy? Bitter Apple spray can be applied to furniture legs, woodwork, and other immovable items. Are there rooms your puppy should be restricted from entering until he is better trained and more reliable? Install a baby gate or keep the doors to those rooms closed. Take a walk around your yard, looking for potential hazards. If your yard is fenced, check the boundaries and gates for openings that could be possible escape routes. Puppies can get through smaller places than an adult dog. If your yard is not fenced, make a resolution right now that your puppy will never be allowed to run off lead without close supervision. He will not ever know enough to look both ways before crossing the street to chase a cat. Keep him safe by keeping him on a leash!
Consideration for the puppy—We recommend that after picking up your puppy, you go straight home. Do not take the puppy to visit friends, relatives, or neighbors en-route. And it is definitely not the time to take your puppy to Petsmart, Petco or the mall; remember the puppy has only one set of vaccines, and not his complete immunity to common dog diseases. Lock away all other household pets, particularly adult dogs, for the first few days. The puppy will be going through a traumatic experience. It has never been away from its mother, littermates, prior owner, or its house. Keep the confusion and distraction to a minimum. The first few days are crucial to a puppy’s emotional stability. They can have a strong bearing on how it behaves in your family. I will send you home with a piece of cloth with the mother’s scent still on it. This should help comfort the puppy in its new home.
Visit your veterinarian—Make an appointment with your veterinarian to give the puppy a complete checkup within 72 hours of your purchase. This visit is essential regarding our guarantee that your puppy is healthy and sound. Your puppy has been dewormed three times at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks of age and vaccinated against distemper, adenovirus, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, and coronavirus (DAHLPP+CV) with Bordetella at 6 weeks of age. At 7 weeks of age, we implanted a microchip under their skin at shoulder level for future identification. We used Destron Fearing (Biomark) LifeChip with Bio-Thermo Technology. Besides providing an identification number, this microchip reads the puppy’s subdermal temperature. After receiving your puppy, he will need a booster of DAHLPP+CV and a deworming at 9 weeks of age and one at 12 weeks of age with your veterinarian. Since Puerto Rico is a tropical island, ask your veterinarian about beginning your puppy on heartworm treatment and tick and flea prevention treatment. Your puppy will need to get his rabies vaccine with his last booster of DAHLPP+CV vaccines at four months of age. After this, a yearly visit to your veterinarian is recommended for the health care of your corgi.
Watchful eye—You just brought your puppy home, and after some loving, you turn him loose in the house. How long do you think it will take to get into trouble? Five minutes? There is a way to manage your puppy’s transition to your home. It is called preventive training. You keep your puppy from getting into trouble. How? By keeping him in a crate or some other controlled environment where you can keep an eye on him. Confine your puppy to the room you are in. Provide him generously with chew toys. When your puppy gets into trouble, distract him and offer another toy and some praise. The beauty of this training method is that you don’t have to modify behavior. It also immediately sets you up as the pack leader. You and your puppy will bond a lot quicker if your puppy knows you are in control. It only takes a brief moment for tragedy to strike. Use common sense; for example, do not place your puppy up on a sofa, bed, or chair. Do not let the puppy near stairs until he has entirely mastered them under strict supervision. Dislocated or broken bones may result from even very low falls to the floor. Crawl around on the floor, seeing everything from your puppy’s point of view. Look for pins, tacks, paper clips, and other assorted small items that your puppy could swallow. In particular, check under furniture. Then, look for anything that is dangling, like phone and appliance cords, tablecloths, etc. Remember to check at least as high as the pup can stand on his hind legs. Secure electrical cables to the baseboards, or tape them up high.
Time for you to be the alpha dog—Your puppy is a pack animal, and he still follows the call of the wild. Actually, he is a domesticated wolf (its species is Canis lupus familiaris, just like the gray wolf, Canis lupus lupus). Your family is your puppy’s “pack.” Who will be the leader (alpha dog), and who will be the follower? There are some ways to set yourself and your family up as “top or alpha dog.” You want to earn your puppy’s respect. That can mean being tough but always fair. Never hit your dog. Never scold for something your puppy did a while ago. Your puppy will have no idea what the problem is and think you are mad for no reason. Only correct your dog when caught in the act. Always walk through doors first. When you get home, you and your family should eat in your dog’s presence before setting out the puppy food. In packs, the most important dogs always eat first. Also, use a tone of voice to communicate. A high pitch is exciting and playful; A normal tone is like a bark, direct and commanding; A low growl is a warning. Do not let children play with the puppy lying on their backs on the floor with the puppy on top. This could place the puppy in a higher hierarchy than the child, something that is not desirable. With practice, you can make your puppy understand your mood.
Everybody needs their own place—Your puppy’s crate or kennel is his place of security: a safe enclosure when home alone or at those times when you can not provide supervision, a den in which to sleep, and the safest place for him to ride when traveling. We ask that you please bring a the crate with you and place your puppy in it for his ride home. At home, decide where to put the dog crate or kennel, and have it set up and ready for his arrival. Where to keep the crate will depend on what is most convenient for you as well as the puppy’s response. Many puppies do not like to be isolated in one part of the house while their family is in another but some puppies will not settled down in their crates if there is too much activity going on around them. You might have to experiment with different locations until you learn what works best for both you and the puppy, but once found, the dog should sleep in the kennel at the same locality every night. We suggest a medium or large plastic kennel (kennel plástico tipo intermedio o grande (32.1”L X 21“W X 23“H ó 36”L X 25”W X 27”H). We use either the SportPet Designs Plastic Kennels, or the Petmate Vari Dog Kennel. Use the kennel or crate as the dogs sleeping quarters. Use an old towel for bedding the kennel. Before bed-time, take the dog out to releif itself, bring him back to the kennel and say “kennel”, “crate” o “jaula” o “casita” (always use the same term) and lead him in. Keep him in the kennel until just a little after your wake up time. Take him out to releif itself. Do not feed the dog less than one hour before placing him in the kennel. .
Feeding dish—We suggest using a stainless steel no-tip bowl for feeding your corgi. For puppies, we use an 8 oz. Top Paw Bones Stainless Steel Dog Bowl. For adults we use a 16 oz Top Paw Bones Stainless Steel Dog Bowl. For adults we use a 16 oz.
Food—We suggest either Purina Pro Plan Puppy Large Breed Formula for puppies up to a year (what they eat now), and Purina Pro Plan Performance 30/20 Salmon Formula (what our adult corgis eat). Our feeding schedule per age group that has worked for nursing and keeping our corgis on the right weight is the following:
- 2-3 month of age—4 oz three times a day of puppy kibble.
- 4-5 month of age—5 oz three times a day of puppy kibble.
- 6-9 month of age—6-7 oz two times a day of puppy kibble.
- 10-11 months of age—8 oz two times a day of puppy kibble.
- After 1 yr of age—8-10 oz once a day for Pembroke corgi females and 12-16 oz once a day for Pembroke corgi males of adult kibble; 12-16 oz once a day for Cardigan corgi females or males of adult kibble.
Three times a day could be 7am, 2:30pm, 9pm. Twice a day could be 7am and 7pm. Feed the dog in the same location every time, and for 30 min only. Do not leave food for the dog to eat during the day, leave only water. After 30 min, remove the food and feed again at the next scheduled feeding. Take the dog out 5-15 minutes after feeding the dog, Do not feed home-made food or snacks/treats outside food hours, unless you use treats for training purposes. Never let your dog eat anything with onions or chocolate in it. Both are toxic to dogs.
Remember that corgis tend to obesity. If you see see that your corgi puppy or adult starts to look like “porky pig,” cut down on its food a little, or feed 3/4 of the normal amount but using Purina Pro Plan Adult Weight Management Formula until you reach the desired weight. This diet has worked for two of our corgi females. Adult Pembroke Welsh Corgis should weigh between 24-27 pounds for females, and 27-30 pounds for males. A 30 pound female Pembroke corgi or a 34 pound or more male Pembroke corgi is porking too much. A 35 pound or more corgi is not a dog anymore, it is a couch-potato swine! For Cardigan Welsh Corgis, use the same formula but add 3-4 pounds to each weight category, as they are larger and heavier than Pembrokes. Corgis on the right weight are healthier and more active.
Water—Provide fresh water to you puppy in a bowl at all times. We use a 52 oz Top Paw® Bones Stainless Steel Dog Bowl.
Vitamins—We supplement our corgis with daily vitamins. We use Deley Naturals 15 in 1 Dog Multivitamin Treats. However, the recommended commercial food should have all the minerals your dog may need. In addition, we supplement their food on a regular basis with these oils and powder supplements:
- Daily—Isle of Dogs Coature No. 91 Royal Jelly Coat Supplement, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) once a day.
- Daily—Isle of Dogs Couture No. 92 EFA Coat Supplement, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) once each day.
- Monday, Wednesday and Friday—HDP Nupro Suppliment Gold, 1/4 scoop once each of these day.
- Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday—Nupro Joint Support + Glucosamine, 1/4 scoop once each of these day.
Collar and leash—We suggest using a nylon collar with a quick snap black buckle (for example, Top Paw Gunmetal Adjustable Dog Collar). Puppies should wear a 1/2” wide, 10” long collar. They need to wear it to learn to feel comfortable wearing a collar and for protection. Older puppies should wear a 5/8” wide, 10-14” long collar. Adults should wear a 3/4” wide, 14-20” long collar. As soon as possible, send out to prepare a Pet ID Tag for your puppy. We recommend the round or heart 7/8” stainless steel tag. This will ensure that if somebody finds your puppy, at least they will know who to call. We also recommend using the newest Bark Badge pet tag for a rapid recovery of your dog if loss. It contains a QR code that provides you with a very accurate location of your dog if the Bark Badge tag is scanned. A perfect fit for a collar is when your index finger can fit snugly between the collar and the dog’s neck. A nylon leash 5/8” or 3/4” wide by 48” long should be used to walk your corgi. Train your dog to walk on a leash every chance you get. At first, it may be difficult for them to comprehend that they can not run and must walk next to you. Walk your dog always on your left side.
Grooming—Do not bathe your puppy unless he is entirely filthy or if he rolled in something objectionable or in the dirt. The puppy’s skin is susceptible and dries out quite quickly. Corgis need little grooming. With a good brush a day, the puppy should be in good shape. We recommend a Burt’s Bees Double-sided pin. Most dogs do not need regular bathing if brushed every day unless they get dirty (as with mud). Corgis are self-cleaning, meaning that they can get a little dirty, and within the day, they are clean again. However, once they are 6 months or older, a sound bath every month is recommended. A good dog shampoo and conditioner would be appropriate. We use TropiClean Lime & Coconut DeSheding Dog Shampoo and TropiClean Lime & Cocoa Butter DeSheding Dog Conditioner. It is essential to thoroughly dry your dog, as they have an undercoat that also needs to be dry. If you use a hairdryer, do not use it in the heat mode, just in the air mode, as its overheats the dog. Most dogs do not like the sound of a hairdryer, so use a couple of towels, one for the beginning to get most of the water out and a second to finish the drying and really dry the undercoat. Corgis are not groomed as in other breeds. They are not trimmed or shaved, mustaches are not cut, and they do not need a bikini line on their private parts. They are farm dogs, not lapdogs. The only “trimming” done to corgis is to cut the extra hair that grows on the underside of the feet. Many people think that in the summer you should shave them because of the heat. This is not correct. Corgis have a double coat, which protects them from heat. If you see your corgi panting excessively in the summer, give it cool or ice water, or give him a little bit of vanilla ice cream without a lot of sugar; But please, do not shave them. If the nails need trimming, be careful not to cut the pink portion of the nail. This can be done with a large nail clipper in puppies, but you may need a dog nail clipper or modern Dremel tool for an adult corgi.
Toys—Two or three high quality, safe chew toys, like Puppy Nylabones, Cressite rubber balls or bones and sturdy stuffed squeak toys should be use to entertain the puppy. Tennis balls are excellent, either cheap ones or those made especially for dogs. Never use toys that resemble houseware, shoeware or items from you or your house that you do not want the puppy finding and chewing. If you let him play with this, there is no telling what he is going to do with your shoes! Nylabone, gumabone and nylafloss products are excellent, safe outlets for your puppy’s need to chew, as are, in moderation, smoked cow or lamb ears, and cow hooves (my dogs’ favorite). Heavy knotted or pressed rawhide chews will also keep your hound entertained for hours; however, rawhide products must be used with caution, as some dogs will try to swallow large pieces and could choke or experience digestive problems. Pig ears and related items; these can cause upsets due to the excessive grease, and recently have been shown to carry salmonella bacteria. Dog toys are for dogs and children toys are for children. Teach your children to not let the puppy play with their toys. They can be dangerous for a puppy (small parts, etc.).
Training—Every puppy can learn. If your puppy has convinced you otherwise, then you have been outsmarted. A puppy needs to learn to be well-balanced and well-behaved. As an owner, it is your job to bring out your puppy’s incredible qualities. When do the lessons start? Basic commands can begin as early as seven weeks of age (that means at least one week before getting your puppy!). Socialization is also a critical element in your incredible puppy’s growth. Just like with people, your puppy needs to meet others to learn how to act. For some puppies, that means enrollment in an obedience class. It is an excellent way to learn and meet other puppies and people. It is a great extra-curricular activity for your children at the same time that you get your dog trained. As you know, training with positive reinforcements for your pet (dog, cat, parrot, hamster, etc.) is essential for the well-being of these animals. But to achieve this effectively, one must train as well. We do that here continuously enrolled in the ABC Animal Training “Dolphin to Dog” course. We recommend it for all new corgis homes. The teacher will be one of the best-known and most respected animal trainers in America, Shelley Wood. You can also locally learn about obedience in dogs with De Varona Dog Obedience (787-338-0040). We also recommend the following sites www. clickertraining.com, and books on training your dog: Pryor’s 2001 Getting started: Clicker training for dogs, and Pryor’s 1999. Don’t’ shoot the dog: The new art of teaching and training. Karen Pryor, one of the leading expert on dog (and dolphin) training, also has the following video: Clicker Magic. Plan to spend at least two periods a day with your dog. Mix a lot of play with a little bit of school. Patience is the key, along with generous doses of praise. With a positive approach and determination, you can help bring out the incredibly best in your puppy. You can also have an impact on your puppy’s perception of the world by going for car rides. Finally, try to visit new places every week with your puppy and meet new people and new dogs. This is a busy time for your puppy, and there is so much to learn.
Register your dog with AKC as soon as possible—Your new corgi is pure-bred; thus, he is registered in the American Kennel Club (AKC). This is commonly referred to in Puerto Rico as “con papeles,” which details who he is the progeny of, date of birth, and the breeder. Please fill out and mail with payment your AKC registration as quickly as possible. First, you will need to choose a name for your puppy. Remember that his full name begins with “De San Juan” (for example, De San Juan Marco Polo, De San Juan Guli, etc.). You can choose your own name or find suggestions at petrix.com/dognames, or bowwow.com.au. Most people register an official long name but have a short call name for the dog (for example, for “Foxfire’s Tachán de Tamaríz,” his call name was “Tachán”). Remember to choose a name that is easy to call out and a name that makes you proud of your wonderful new puppy. At this time, you will also register the puppy’s microchip number in AKC’s Reunite, a database used to find your puppy if he gets lost. You will notice that since you chose a “pet” corgi (not for conformation shows), the AKC registration will be limited. This means that the puppy, while registered, it is not intended for breeding purposes. However, the puppy may compete in other AKC activities as Canine Good Citizen, obedience trials, and agility competitions. When the application has been processed, you will receive an AKC Registration Certificate. Please make a copy of the AKC certificate and send it to our email address for filing.
Spay and neutering—As part of the contract with Corgis de San Juan, one of the clauses establishes that the pet’s new owner must sterilize (spayed or neutered) his puppy before 18 months of age. This is so because you asked for the puppy as a pet and not as a competition dog. Therefore, since the reproduction of the puppy is not contemplated, the best and responsible thing to do is to spay or neuter the pet so as not to have puppies. The main benefit of sterilization is that you help control the crisis of homeless and stray pets in the city, countryside, or beaches. There are also medical benefits, including preventing females from developing uterine infections or mammary gland tumors and in males preventing testicular cancer and prostate complications. There are also behavioral benefits, such as less aggression, a reduction in urine marking, and a decrease in “riding” other dogs, people, or inanimate objects. At any rate, we do not recommend spaying or neutering before the age of 18 months, as it interferes with the normal growth of the puppy into adulthood. However, you should consult with your veterinarian when would it be the best time to sterilize your new puppy.
Love and attention—Do give your puppy all the love and attention you can possibly spare. He is going to need it and will return it to you with interest.
Ask questions—If you have any questions, please do not be afraid to ask. I want your relationship with your puppy to be successful and full of joy, and I am happy to help you in any way to make this happen.
Congratulations!—Kudos for beginning your new adventure as a corgi owner. It is an experience of a lifetime, one that proud corgi owners repeat over and over again. Your new life with a corgi is a much happier one. You will enjoy it, as much as our family and we have enjoyed it for years.
¡Bienvenido!