I just wanted to post and say hi to everyone! I have a 4 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Byngham. He is the light of my life! I work at an animal hospital and in August will be attending school to become a licensed small animal massage therapist. I am very excited. I love the ONP site as it is the greatest collection of product information I have been able to find! Thanks for listening!

Welcome, CorgiMomma. Check around the Dog Discussions. A lot of great information has already been talked about.

See you soon. 

Thanks, Jay! I look forward to catching up on previous topics, might take me a little while as the site seems to be running a little slow.

Hi CorgiMomma,

Welcome to the community!  I have 2 Corgi's, Eli and Dixie, they are 5 years old. They are the light of my life as well! Soooo much personality in such a small package!  Have fun checking out all the posts, there is alot of information. Small animal massage sounds neat. It would probably help Eli, as he has juvenile arthritis. I don't think there are any theraists in my area.....

I know the severs can be slow. I have found that by going to Internet Settings on your Control Panel, and deleting the cookies sometimes helps things go a little faster.

Take care! 

Thanks for the welcome!

My guy has arthritis forming in his shoulder so you are not alone. He doesn't exhibit any pain so for now he is just on glucosamine supplements. I would have never known he had arthritis already forming (found this out when he was 3) until he dislocated an elbow and had to get some xrays done. I decided to go into massage mostly because of him. After getting a massage from our licensed friend he felt great and glided as he walked as though he were a show dog. It was absolutely amazing!! If I can become licensed for him and make him more comfortable then I can share this skill through work at the animal hospital. Just trying to share the good vibes! ;)

Eli was diagnosed the same way. He had a sports injury and had x-rays done at the E-vet. When I took him to the regular vet, she was very surprised. She asked if the E-vet said anything about arthritis, and I said NO. I had been curious about why his bones looked so jagged on X-ray. Now I  know. I had seen him moving kind of slowlybefore the x-rays, especially going up the steps, and just didn't think anything of it. He takes In Clover K9 Connectin, and is doing much better. Along with home cooking and antioxidants, I hope to keep him comfortable for a long time. I must admit I was pretty upset about the diagnosis. Arthritis in such young dogs is probably genetic(or perhaps the result of over-vaccination). Goes to show how you really have to research the breeder and her dogs to detect any genetic disorders.

I'll have to look into animal massage, too.

I would assume arthritis in our young ones would probably be genetic. The dwarfism gene probably doesn't help. Luckily arthritis is something they can live with for a very long time. I had been surprised that it was found in Byngham's shoulders and not in his hips. He had a little issue with growth plates when he was younger but he's fine now. These little dogs are so stoic, so happy. They live in the moment and people can really learn a lot from them. I guess the next breeder I encounter I should really grill them about OFA xrays. Gotta double check those elbows next time! But truthfuly, My Byngham has such an awesome personality/ temperament that I would do anything for him, crazy elbow/shoulders and all!! Man, I could talk corgi all day long. ;)

I could talk Corgi all day long, too! I am a first time dog owner, and man, what a learning curve! E is definately not the easiest dog in the world, but I love him all the way. Dixie, who we got from rescue, is very easy. It's amazing how different they are, such little idividuals!

Eli has a few other congenital anomalies, but, we don't dwell on them too much. He was in the litter of a first breeding of 2 dogs, one with a known history and one not. The breeder never bred the dam again after we discovered a heart defect. But, after all is said and done, E is fine.

Both Eli and Dixie are featured at www.reefdoggrooming.com as the #1 Reef Pet for June and July. Eli was in the top 12 in the SPOTusa calandar contest. He will be featured in the 2009 calandar for August. SPOTusa stands for Stop Pet Overpopulation Together, and provides free spay and neuter services here in Floida. They also sponsor and help rehome pets and need. They have a nice website at www.SPOTusa.org.

Sorry for the bragging, I am such a proud momma.

Good luck on your massage therapy classes. Sounds like so much fun. I will have to check into classes in my area if available.

You definately have a great looking pair! I would be really proud too if Byngham was a coverdog for something. I was thinking about getting a bag of Dog's Life Cookies where you can order with your pets picture on it. Haha.

Byngham was my first dog too, and all the research I did said corgis were not good for first time owners but it worked out. I can definately see how they get unruley. They are so stubborn and strong willed. When we get corgis in at work, about 75% of them throw a tantrum and act rotten because the owners never laid down rules or structure for them. It's sad to see a dog (any dog, not just corgi) with so much potential lost because an owner doesn't want to persue it. There was this BHT corgi who came in as a tiny puppy, the lady didn't know what she was getting into and I warned her to really be on him, get ready for lots of training to keep him busy and not let him be the boss. He's in the 'teenager' phase now and a pure terror because she lets him do what ever he wants. I find that very disappointing.

Byngham did agility classes for a while and LOVED it, I thought he would he awesome at flyball but we don't have anything casual close by. We try to take it easier on those joints nowadays. Once in a while we will go to the agility class and make the 'long legged kids' drool at how fast he is on the dog walk. He is a BLUR!

 Does Eli like water/swimming? Perhaps hydrotherapy would be a good thing for him. :)

Thank you so much. I post the pups pretty much anywhere. Part of this is due to the fact that I just figured out how to upload photos, so, I'm sure the novelty of it will wear off eventually.

One site that is kind of fun is the Pedigree website. I think it's www.dogsrule.com. There, they have the million dog mosiac, and you can upload pictures of your dogs. They give you an ID code that you can share with friends and co-workers. Each time someone downloads the photo of your dog, Pedigree makes a donation to help animal shelters care for, and rehome man's best friend. You can cruise around the mosiac and look at the photos of all the dogs, and it's really neat! E and D are in there somewhere, but I forgot the codes to zoom in on them. E is on an edge, and D is in an ear, I think. Anyway, maybe you could add Byngham to the mosiac.

It's a shame about that lady and her dog. That situation couldn't possibly have a good outcome in the long run.

I had wanted to do agility with Eli, but after the discovery of his heart defect, the vet did not think it would be a good idea to push him into an activity that he would be so anxious to please me, lest he push himself too hard. He does play and run hard in our back yard. And, like Byngham, he is lightning fast. Amazing for a critter with such short legs. He does need frequent breaks, though. He does like to wade, but, once he starts getting bouyant, he gets a little freaked out. We haven't been to the beach in a long time. I hope to change that. We don't know if Dixie likes to swim. But, she loves to attack the sprinkler heads during the water cycle, so she doesn't mind getting wet.

As for Corgis being stubborn and hard-headed-I had NO IDEA. It's absolutely mind blowing at times. Fortunately, I have learned how to assert myself. Dix is no problem, but sometimes I want to sell Eli to the circus!

Well, I enjoy all the chat. Hope I didn't bore you. Have a great night, and I look forward to more posts.

Byngham has a Dogster account http://www.dogster.com/dogs/100199 but that is about the only place he is on the web. No reason really, I just get busy and like to keep up with where we go. I will have to check out this million dog mosaic! Sounds pretty cool!! I am going to go look for your kids in the mosaic.

 I love talking corgi with you, I never get bored of it! Thanks for chattin' it up with me!

P.S. I found Dixie in the middle of the ear on the right!

Hey there. Good to hear from you.  It's pretty neat that you found Dixie in the ear of the mosiac. Eli is somewhere along the upper edge. I think it is so amazing that they can make an entire new photo from thousands of smaller photos. There are a lot of beautiful dogs to view in the mosiac.

Eli and Dixie are pretty good spellers, too. My husband and I sometimes have to use special code language in order to get it by the dogs. Their vocabulary is pretty basic. They are both fairly good with obedience training. E can walk off leash pretty well, but we don't practice enough. Dix, on the other hand, relishes her freedom, and takes off like a bat out of you know where without the leash. She is 99% angel, but there are times when she just blinks at you, and pretends that she has no idea what you want from her. She just bats her eyes at me, and  gives me this "Golly, I really have NO IDEA what you're talking about. Did you want something?" look. Then I know that it's time for a demonstration. Then she usually submits. Eli is pretty good most of the time as well, but, when he gets an idea in his head, it's game on. He gives up alot less easily than Dix. Sometimes I wish they weren't so hard-headed, but, I wouldn't give them up for the world!  I do wish I could do their nails like you do. E is really quirky about his feet, and really doesn't care for people handling them. Fortunatley, he runs around enough that they don't need trimming often. Dix doesn't seem so sensative. They both go to the groomer regularly, but I know E gives them a hard time on occassion. I guess that goes along with being a groomer-sometimes the clients aren't very cooperative. Does Byng go to the groomer? I have a hard time keeping E coll in the Florida summer. I was thinking of shaving him. Some say it's a good idea and willhelp keep him coll. Others say bad idea, he needs the insulation. I don't know what to do. Hmm.

Oh well, maybe I'll add that to a new post-to shave or not to shave.

Have a good evening!

Byngham goes to the groomer on rare occasion but for the most part I will wash him myself and trim his toe hairs myself. It's not that he gives her a hard time, it's mostly because our schedules don't work together. Byng's worst problem is being in the kennel at work or at the groomer, he is very vocal if he knows I am around. He panics and wants to be right there with me. I did treatments on the animals at work this morning (sundays we are closed but we keep some animals for simple medication like insulin). I took Byngham with me and he got to play with his friend but then decided he couldn't live if he didn't know exactally where I was. He wasn't in a kennel but he wanted to be right there with me. We have a mutual separation anxiety, though I am good not to let on to it while he is near by. I know that sounds really goofy.

 One of these days I need to get a video camera or a webcam and take a video of Byng coming to get his nails done. He hates the clippers, he shakes like a chihuahua or something when he sees them, to my knowledge he has never been quicked. There is no reason for him to have this fear. The dremel on the other hand just tickles and gets a little hot sometimes. It also makes noise. Some dogs do fantastic with the dremel, like mine, and some dogs fight it worse than clippers. Just like people dogs tend to be individuals.

 As far as shaving Eli down, I can't really give an opinion really. I know people who shave their dogs completely down and they do great and everything grows back full and even. I have also heard horror stories about the hair not coming in right or it taking forever to come back in. I don't have to deal with the heat and humidity that you do in florida. For up here, I wouldn't shave Byngham. he would have to be looking pretty miserable for me to shave him down. I might probably sing a different tune if we had your weather up here though!

 I know you have mentioned that you cook meals for your furkids at home, I was wondering if you also bake them cookies and treats or if you buy from the store. If you bake, what sort of snacks are a big hit? If you buy, do they have a favorite type of treat? Byngham will eat almost anything, he LOVES it when I make cookies and treat for him at home. He's not a picky guy but he knows when his momma makes it and does extra tricks for those morsels!

Stay cool! Have a good weekend!

Hi. I am trying to stay cool, but it's not working. The Weather Chanell says the heat index is 93. That could not possibly be right! ot feels more like 103. The AC is working overtime.

I don't think E gives the groomer a hard time until they get to the nail trimming phase. I think they use clippers, and she has said that he is not fond of them. He seems to enjoy the bath once it gets going. He realizes that he is the center of attention, so he just relaxes and lets himself get "massaged". The girl who used to groom him is no longer there. She always did such a good job. E would be so clean, and she always got all the undercoat, so he didn't shed at all between grooms. She used a brush called a "Furminator", and I guess it worked really well. The new girl doesn't do nearly as good of a job, so, I am thinking of  doing the grooming myself. Just have to get a Furminator.

Unfortunately, I don't bake for the kids. In my adult life I never had an oven that worked well until now. But, my baking skills have slipped, and I don't have cookie sheets, mixers, etc. The neighbors behind me own a dog boutique called Bark and Browse, that specializes in wholesome natural and organic foods and treats. So, I buy from them. I do try to be sure that the treats are made in the USA. The kids enjoy Twistix, Texas Toothpicks, all types of Zuke's Naturals, Dried chicken feet, salmon skin rolls, and Wellness brand Chicken and Sweetpotato snax. All of the listed are made in the USA except the salmon and the Wellness. They come from China(cringe!). But, the Wellness brand is owned by the guy who owns Whole Foods Supermarkets, an oganic/whole foods chain. I was hoping that he would be more conscientious about what he imports and from whom. I also own a food dehydrator, so, when chicken or turkey tenderloins are on sale, I'll make jerky for the kids. They really love it! If you have an easy treat recipe, I may give it a go. My husband may be jealous, though. Sometimes I make more of an effort on the kids food than our own. I just figured out that I should buy organic for the whole family, not just the dogs! So expensive!

Earlier you had said mommy always wins. Eli has been a terror on Friday and Saturday. Chasing the cats and having a bad attitude in general. I had to put his training collar on, with a 4 foot lead attched, and pop him a couple of times. Today he is totally different, back to his sweet self. May take him to the vet to make sure there is nothing going on. We'll see.

Take it easy! 

93 degrees is way too hot for me! My grandparents live in Georgia so I know a little about humid summer temperatures. I am a heat weenie!

I have a furminator, it works really good but it takes a while because the 'brustles' pull up a lot of undercoat in a short amount of time. I filled a grocery bag once with just Byngham hair. I recommend doing that outside or where a fan in not blowing directly at you because these little magnetic tufts of hair go everywhere and seem to stick to everything.

When Byngham is being particularly beastly I pull out the BBC (Bad Boy collar). It used to be a citronella bark collar but got dropped so many times that it no longer works. Just seeing this changes his mind about what ever he is doing, rarely I put it on him like a badge of shame. Don't worry, not very long, and it doesn't do anything because it is broken and I don't want him to figure that out. I wonder what rubbed Eli the wrong way to make him act in such a way for 2 days. Hopefully he is over it. :)

I used to bake a lot. Seems like I work a lot more now. I used to come up with all kinds of baked goodies for Byng, I even made a little cook book but I don't know where it is. I remember getting organic dried banana chips and crushing them up into a powder and adding that to a traditional dog cookie mix with a little honey. I also made up little beef/oatmeal/cheese treats that get balled up into meatballs and baked until cooked through. I swear they smell just like hamburgers... I guess in a way they are. Just no salts or seasonings. I always tried but was never successful with making a carrot cake recipe for dogs. I will have to try it again one of these days. We try to eat 'natural' at my house, organic, though I think it tastes better is a little pricey. I definately strive to stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup!! Just like it was a Wheat or Corn Gluten!! Scary stuff!

 This is going to be a random question, have you ever had to kennel your dogs while you were on vacation? I am getting ready to go on a family vacation and had to find a nice place for Byngham to stay. I am curious on how fellow corgis may do at a boarding facility.

I think you and I are the only people who regularly check this forum! it is pretty sleepy around here!

Have a good one!