December 27, 2013

Is my 6 month old Corgi puppy dominant or does she just lack training?

Full Question:
I'm afraid this may be kind of a stupid question to seasoned veterans such as yourselves, but I've seen "dominant"/independent behavior from my 6 month old puppy ever since she came home with me at 10 weeks. She is a corgi so by breeding she's very stubborn and smart. She attempts to jump onto furniture all the time (I tell her OFF and enforce with body block if I have to), blows off my commands even in the house (or complies very slowly), bullies other puppies (not adults), used to be extremely sensitive about being touched and she still does not like to be held or cuddled, and she has bitten two people on the hand before for taking things out of her mouth. Is this truly dominant behavior or just a lack of good training on my part? By reading some of your material I'm inclined to think that due her age she shouldn't be showing dominant behavior just yet, but just personality-wise she's never been one to please or care about humans. In either case, what should I be doing with her?
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
I'd recommend taking away some of her options to continue making mistakes.

We don't allow any of our puppies (regardless of breed) to have the ability to get on furniture, not pay attention to us or have things they are not supposed to.

I'd highly recommend our videos Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months and Living with Your Puppy ~ Establishing Pack Structure. You'll see how we raise puppies in our own home.

She's simply doing what she's been allowed to do, which is very typical of a puppy that's not been shown crystal clear rules.

Good luck, we've had Corgis in our family for many years. They are super dogs, but like ALL dogs, they need rules and training.

Cindy
User Response:
Hi Cindy,

Thank you so much for your email. I took a look at the online preview and it is EXACTLY what I have always hoped for, so needless to say I will be watching them both today. I thought I had read all I could about raising a puppy but apparently I have still given her too much freedom too soon.

Thanks again for your help

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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