Corgi Mix 10 Months: Too Hyper

[RSX JDM Integra]

I adopted my Pembroke Welsh Corgi Mix (possibly with a Jack Russell, cant tell but she pretty much looks like a Beagle) at the age of 4 months.

She is very hyper and I feel bad putting her in a crate every time we leave so I'll just let her stay in the patio where she can have more room and be comfortable. But when I come home, I'll see her bed all ripped and the cotton all over the patio floor, the blanket I gave her all ripped to shreds and the slippers all gnawed to bits.

When she's in the house, she never does any of these things and I'm a bit worried that this will be a permanent behavior being that she is 10 months old. This is why I don't let her in the house unattended because I'm worried that what I see in the patio will be what I'll see in my house. She doesn't really listen to me either. When I see her chewing I'll firmly say "NO!" And she will come to me and start licking the finger that I'm using to point at her.

She has a licking problem where if she licks and I say no with a finger pointing at her, she will keep on licking that finger. And sometimes when I'd get up to say No or try to ignore her, she will growl and let out a loud yelp.

Also, when I try to take her for walks, I put the harness on her since I don't use collars (they choke and hurt the dog sometimes) and whenever I put the leash on the harness to walk her, she doesn't follow. She seems to hate the harness and whenever I put it on she tries to run away and when I bring it out she thinks she is going to be punished.

Are there any training methods you guys can chime in to help me train her?

 

[squirtsmom]

Welcome to Chaz, and I am sure you will get good advice here. Sounds like seperation anxiety to me.

 

[PWCorgi]

Do a search on NILIF.

She is a corgi, most corgis are very energetic (if she's mixed w/ JRT even more so). You should try wearing her out before you leave, play fetch, go for a walk, etc. I would also try filling a Kong with frozen peanut butter as that will keep her mind and mouth occupied.

I would not point a finger at her while correcting her, that's a good way to get bit and it's obviously not working anyways

There are many more people on here who will be able to help you better than I, hopefully they will be along soon. Welcome to Chaz!!!

*psst* We love pictures!!

 

[RSX JDM Integra]

Do a search on NILIF.

She is a corgi, most corgis are very energetic (if she's mixed w/ JRT even more so). You should try wearing her out before you leave, play fetch, go for a walk, etc. I would also try filling a Kong with frozen peanut butter as that will keep her mind and mouth occupied.

I would not point a finger at her while correcting her, that's a good way to get bit and it's obviously not working anyways

There are many more people on here who will be able to help you better than I, hopefully they will be along soon. Welcome to Chaz!!!

*psst* We love pictures!!

lol she never gets worn out. I get worn out before she does, let's just put it that way, haha.

She can play fetch for long periods of times and will not stop playing until I go inside.

I just need advice on how to stop her from chewing things while I'm gone and stop her licking habits. My other dog, I let her in the house for 5-6 hours and I'll get home with nothing ripped, chewed to bits, or trashed. But this one, she's very secretive when she does these unwanted acts.

(picture added up-top only one I got as she will not stand still like that for long as she is a hyper dog lol)

 

[Maxy24]

I've heard mental stimulation through training works best to wear them out. DO some training sessions and teach new tricks to get her brain tired. Also make her toys interesting by stuffing a kong with yogurt or wet food and freeze it. that way is will keep her busy longer and if she is teething will soothe her gums. Or get some bully sticks. From now on when she is chewing something interrupt her so she stops then get her interested in her toy so she starts chewing it. Praise her for chewing her toy. When you are not home make sure where you keep her has nothing she can destroy (unless it's a bone or something she's supposed to destroy). Get some tough bedding (I think we have a recent thread on that somewhere) and lots of appealing alone time toys. This way she cannot get the pleasure out of chewing things she's not supposed to. If she gets pleasure out of it she will want to do it again.

You said when you get up to ignore her she will growl or when you get up to say no. She might be scared of your "no" does she ever cower when you say it to her? As far as when you are ignoring her she might be trying to get your attention in which case you need to ignore her.

Many dogs will be secretive about when they misbehave if they get punished for doing it. They learn that when you are not home they can't get in trouble. So it is important she can't do it when you are not home either by crating or with a puppy proof room and lots of toys.

Get her used to her harness just let her wear it around the house, praise her for being calm. When she gets used to it she'll be fine, all puppies go through the dislike of collars and leashes, they just need to wear it around and get used to it. Don't punish her for running when you try to put it on or for trying to pull it off that will make her dislike it more.

When puppies are young they tend not to get the whole walking idea they just go at their own pace or sit there. DON'T pull her just wait or try to use treats to get her moving, praise her when she does. Puppies take a lot of time and patience so don't get frustrated

Good Luck, if you need help teaching a specific command make a new thread and I'll try to help

 

[Dekka]

Welcome to chaz, I see JRT in her sweet face. Mental stimulation min for min wears dogs out faster than running. Give her a job. Go take classes and get some help on some basic obedience. I would forget saying no. If she has any JRT in her, 'NO" means nothing to them. And its counter productive anyway. Instead of telling her NOT to do something, Teach what you DO want her to do. So no chewing on things, everytime she does, instead of saying no, redirect her to a toy, play for a few minutes and leave her with it. Find some good bones, or pigs ears (there is some controversy over stuff, but I feed most dried animal parts) bully sticks etc. If after a bunch of redirects she is still aiming for a cushion, put her in her crate (don't yell, or say anything at all, just scoop her up and in the crate)

I would leave her in a crate when you are gone. If it is a long time, find a neighbour or hire a dog walker to take her out. The more she shreds things the more she will do it.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Why, your in luck!!

My mix is a corgi/JRT mix as well!

Kona is a hyper one as well, and she used to chew things as we were away.

She even chewed my couch.

So, it's simple... eliminate the problem of chewing!

Get a crate, and when you leave, the dog goes in. EVERY time. Give her some good nummys to keep her busy... a chew bone, a frozen peanut butter kong, things of that sort. This will eliminate the problem of being bored when she is in the crate (which is why she is going batty in there in the first place!). Don't feel bad for putting her there... there she is the safest, away from things that she could ingest, and possibly hurt herself eating. If she is chewing things like blankets and pillows, simply take them away. Kona has never had a pillow inside her crate for that same reason.

As for the pulling, you should get a no-pulling harness. I got one for Kona, and it worked wonders... she no longer pulls, and she can even walk off leash around the neighborhood (as long as I am around).

 

[RSX JDM Integra]

for some reason, mental stimulation doesn't work quite well with her because she never really pays attention.

i'm guessing that my treats that i use aren't of interest to her. i don't remember what brand i bought but i got it at walmart and it says to feed them 2-3 per day and not over feed them.

i have no idea what a Kong is or what you're talking about. lol sorry, I'm new at dog training but would love to try it since I'm always up for new challenges.

and to top it off, when i buy her toys, she never even plays with them, she just looks at them and moves them to her bed. they are never trashed or played with or chewed. however, if they are played with, they last like 2 days and are completely destroyed afterwards.

So I'm guessing I need advice on what treats are best to use and ones that can be used more than 2-3 times per day (because the one I use say don't feed over 2-3 times a day per treat) and what toys are good to use since dog plush toys are destroyed so quick.

 

[Angel Chicken]

I am a big fan of tennis balls... and Kona cherishes them. No matter what toy I get her, it gets tore up pretty quickly. So we get alot of Kong brand tennis balls and toys.

A kong is a chew toy type deal, that you can fill with yummy things. I take mine and fill one with Peanut butter, one with cheese and freeze them. When I am out for the day (about once a week), I leave her in her crate with these, and she licks and nibbles to her little heart's content.

Click here to check out the Kong website.

As for treats, I buy a box of milkbones and boil up some chicken and quail (Kona was trained to hunt this winter), and there she has it. The chicken she is nutty for, the quail she'll jump off a cliff for

You can make the chicken better by adding sauces and baking them instead of boiling them... I know... it sounds like a pain in the butt but if you are worried about giving her alot of treats then chicken is the way to go. I make them by the batch, buying 3 pounds of chicken, cutting it all up, boiling 1.5 pounds, then baking the other 1.5 in the oven... lasts her all month long

Can you tell Kona is spoiled?

 

[RSX JDM Integra]

I am a big fan of tennis balls... and Kona cherishes them. No matter what toy I get her, it gets tore up pretty quickly. So we get alot of Kong brand tennis balls and toys.

A kong is a chew toy type deal, that you can fill with yummy things. I take mine and fill one with Peanut butter, one with cheese and freeze them. When I am out for the day (about once a week), I leave her in her crate with these, and she licks and nibbles to her little heart's content.

Click here to check out the Kong website.

As for treats, I buy a box of milkbones and boil up some chicken and quail (Kona was trained to hunt this winter), and there she has it. The chicken she is nutty for, the quail she'll jump off a cliff for

You can make the chicken better by adding sauces and baking them instead of boiling them... I know... it sounds like a pain in the butt but if you are worried about giving her alot of treats then chicken is the way to go. I make them by the batch, buying 3 pounds of chicken, cutting it all up, boiling 1.5 pounds, then baking the other 1.5 in the oven... lasts her all month long

Can you tell Kona is spoiled?

ohhh! i was about to say, i buy her tennis balls to go chew on and she just brings them by her bed. she doesnt play with it at all. i'll throw it so she will go fetch but never does.

i think thats what i fed her too, the milkbones. she doesn't get too excited for them. whenever i'll tell her to sit she will sit then if i take the treat out she will get back up and then bring it to her bed (guess she thinks I'll take her food away) and wait for me to go away so she will eat it. (is this normal?) then when I'll try to reinforce her learning by saying sit, she wont do it.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Kona is like that as well, she doesn't like to eat her treats in front of people.

Your pup thinks these treats are of high value, so she waits until she is alone to eat them.

You can reinforce the behavior by simply making her do the command before the treat... I don't like to train with milk bones because they can take longer to eat, which can get the pup to lose focus on you. I use these as more of a snack type deal.

So, if I were you, I would try to get some smaller bite sized treats (I also use Jump and Sit Bits from Three dog Bakery for training).

 

[RSX JDM Integra]

Hmm, thanks for your input Angel Chicken!

Do you think they sell these at Pet Supermarkets or Pet Smart or any type of pet store locally?

 

[Angel Chicken]

I got mine at a local grocery store...

Pet shops should have them, I do believe... if not, order them online!!

 

[RSX JDM Integra]

Thanks once again!

Hopefully she will like these and learn to be obedient before getting the treat.

Oh yeah, one thing I also noticed comparing her to my other dog. She's not that much territorial at all which I think is weird since most dogs are. When she meets strangers, shes VERY excited to see them. Not that this is a bad thing, but is this because she is 10 months old? I read somewhere that they become mature and territorial and protective over their owners once they are 1.5 years of age.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Probably because she is a puppy, yes... I wouldn't encourage the territorial behavior though. I like my dogs to be well mannered, and willing to meet most anyone. Kona is allowed to bark at people only IF they are outside my house, once they are inside, she has to be quiet and greet them nicely.

So, if she is approaching them with smiles and puppy licks, that is a good thing.

 

[RSX JDM Integra]

I'm glad to hear that. LOL.

my other dog would analyze the guests and if the guests were a bit rowdy (in one case a younger child play fought my nephew) and the dog got really upset and started to growl and bark. so yeah, my previous dog was very protective of people that it grew accustomed to.

 

[RSX JDM Integra]

Well just an update:

She stopped chewing things but I wouldn't count on that if she were to be left unsupervised in the house (but that shall never happen). The only problem I see that is left is her licking. I can't seem to stop this and I tried putting lemon juices on my skin and she still does it!

The other day she was introduced to another dog and she was overly excited to see the other dog. They seem to get along real well. I heard most of the time when female dogs get together they usually start growling at one another, as it was also demonstrated by my previous dog.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Licking can be controlled... if you just say "No no!" in a stern voice and ignore her after... once she stops, pet her and praise. If she starts it again, ignore her again.

 

[Dekka]

For treats I use diced cheese, freeze dried liver, baked liver, baked chicken hearts, diced hotdogs (rarely) Most commercial stuff is full of crap

I wouldn't say no (yay mom acknowledged me!) I simply would remove myself from the puppy, get up and walk away. If she approaches you without licking, then stop and play a few moments.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Yeah, Dekka, I feed good food to Kona as well, but milk bones are her chocolate... you know, the food that we know CAN'T be good for her, but we give her 1 or 2 anyway...

The jump and sit bits aren't too bad...

Jump 'N' Sit Bits Ingredients