Amazing Little Dog

…and amazing countryside. Check out this spectacular post at MyCorgi.com!

These little sheep dogs are so amazing! Given how small they look, you’d never realize how much speed, energy, and endurance they possess.

People certainly dote on them. I’m afraid that won’t be good for the breed. These days instead of asking me what kind of dog Cassie or Ruby is, passers-by instantly recognize them as corgis and then go on about how much they want one. {sigh} I fear the corgi will be the next breed to be ruined by love. That seems to happen every time a breed becomes popular.

Problem is, admirers see Cuteness(!) but have no idea what’s entailed in living with Corgi Cuteness. Cassie ended up at the dog pound, so her former humans noted, because she “barks.”

Well. Yes. That is what we would call an understatement.

Cassie does not bark. She converses. Her conversation consists of a series of loud yaps. She likes to talk with humans. A lot.

And as Ruby attains adulthood, she’s also come into her own in the communication department. She doesn’t bark, either: she bays. Not quite  like a hound, though. The sound she emits combines a bark and a bay: ARF-A-ROOOOO! It’s used for alerting the world to every cat, dog, coyote, neighbor, and bum who passes by in the alley, for harrying the teenagers across the street, and for conversing with distant barking dogs.

While I would say that raising Ruby was far less difficult than coping with a young, high-drive German shepherd, it certainly hasn’t been easy. House-training a corgi can be quite a challenge. I’ve had quite a few dogs over the years, and I think I’m pretty good at house-training. So…I kinda doubt that my fumbling was the reason it took a good six months to house-train this dog. Other corgi owners say the same: expect to spend half a year to get your puppy reliably trained.

It really is a powerful, energetic dog — so much so that in spite of the dwarfed legs it’s classified as a “large” breed. The corgi needs a “job” to do, many daily dog walks, plenty of training…and it can’t be left in the yard or house to entertain itself or sleep the hours away. Believe me. A corgi will not sleep the hours away.

Here’s Ruby’s idea of mountain-climbing…

Ruby can jump onto M’hijito from the floor. Cassie, on the other hand, does not climb on anything except her mattress.