Well, I am at a total loss. I've searched the boards and the articles high and low but cannot seem to find an answer so I'm going ahead and posting it here:

I have a 9wk old Corgi puppy that came home a weeks ago that's a furry ball of energy. The problem is, when I take him out for walks he plants his butt and won't budge. If he has to potty, he'll walk to our area (I live in an apartment building but there's grass in the back that we use) but after that it's back to sitting in one spot or laying in the same spot. I've tried calling him, tossing toys around, using food, but nothing works. He'll sometimes be interested in playing, but it inevitably turns into a biting match (he's somehow figured out how to push the toy away and still get back at my hand, i redirect and yelp and walk away, but the next time we try, it's just back to the old way).

He's not getting adequate exercise and is fussy and cranky all the time. I clearly don't want to drag him on walks, and he doesn't seem to have much food drive (treats don't interest him in the slightest). Any suggestions? I've written all of my frustrations off as "it's just puppy stuff", but with him not getting hardly any excerise it's really taking a toll on his demeanor and my patience. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!

Blake, welcome to the board! I've got a few suggestions and I'm sure that others will have more (and better) offerings!

You say that you don't have much luck with treats. What food items have you tried? Experiment; try sliced turkey, cheese, liver treats or biscotti, popcorn, hotdog slices and what not. It's the rare corgi that doesn't have SOME food item they will do your taxes for! :wink:

If food doesn't really seem to do the trick, try plain old fashioned praise. There are dogs (like my Maltese) that want nothing more than that bright happy congratulations from you. You'll find something, I'm sure.

Don't try to make the walks too long; about 5-10 minutes for a 9wk old, 2-3 times per day. Do you crate train your dog? If not, you may want to start. It's one of the best things you can do to help your dog.

Have fun with your pup! Explore things with him.

Luck!
-J

Thanks for the advice. I'll try some other items to see if I can't get him interested in treats. He doesn't seem to care for Old Mother Hubbard dog biscuits (a recommendation of a friend with 2 corgis), Pup-peronni's, his own food (though he eats his meals without hesitation), hot dogs, or a kong full of peanut butter. He'll eat just about anything I'll put in front of him, but isn't excited by any of it. I practically have to hold all of it right up to his nose before he'll blink twice.

I am crate training him. He seems to be doing alright (tho I've got no benchmark, as he's my first pup on my own), some days are better than others, but he has yet to actually go in the crate willingly. He settles down after a bit after i physically place him in, and has had a few accidents in it (never deficated inside, or in his crate, just urinated).

It worries me, tho, in that he won't seem to exert energy around me, only toward me (biting, and HARD), which is making the bonding process unbelievalby difficult. I spent the past 10 days trying the tether method while in the house, but i literally couldn't walk anywhere since he wouldn't walk with the leash (and, like I said, I didn't want to drag him around by the neck). Now, if he's in the house, he's in his crate, or at most if he's just pottied, he's in the bathroom that his crate is in with a baby gate up and the crate door open with treats inside.

I'm at a loss for what to do. He's strictly a pet dog, he won't ever be doing any "work" or competition or showing or breeding. I bought him directly from a breeder with the intention of having a furry best friend with me in my big empty apartment. Any advice would be well received. Thanks!

Patience, patience, patience with pups...(I know it's tough though...urrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!)

I like what another member here (West) has in his signature line though, something about it all "travels down leash". YOur attitude will play into the pup...

Have you tried getting really excited and jumping around like a fool, skipping along, making funny noises to get the dog walking? If not, try it...YOU must be the most interesting thing to this pup...vital in your bond. A couple pulls won't hurt the pup to get him going, but, as I said, make sure it's the most exciting thing for him once he does move.

What about driving him to a different location like a park or something?

 Quote: blake a walters

It worries me, tho, in that he won't seem to exert energy around me, only toward me (biting, and HARD), which is making the bonding process unbelievalby difficult.

Welcome to the world of the shark puppy Blake What is his name by the way?

He is playing with you the only way he knows how. He is fresh from his litter mates. They played by biting and wrestling and spending all their energy on one another. I've never had a puppy as young as 9 weeks that knew how to play by itself, I'm not really sure when that begins it just seems to develop through a lot of interaction. IMO the directing his energy at you is not only normal but a great thing "you have his attention" . Congratulations, the first step to becoming a great trainer

I would not worry so much about the walks, young pups play in short energetic spurts and then rest. I would continue to attempt the walks but if you are not getting any where you can substitute short romps playing with him.

Since he is a biter, I'd recommend a piece of rope (clothesline) cut long enough so that when you are holding the end he can't get to your hand. Knot the other end several times giving him something to grab onto. Before you introduce this very exotic toy, place it in your hamper with your dirty clothes for a day or so. Then play with him like a cat. See if you can get him to follow the rope. Move it fast, slow, zig zagging, let him pounce on it, grab it and when his grip loosens gently pull it away and move further from him so that he starts to follow you.

My hope for you, is, that not only will you be able to expend his energy but also get him use to following you, so he will start to understand moving with you is another way to interact. I'd like to say that this will put an end to the biting, but it won't. As a matter of fact that's probably going to get worse before it gets better but if he learns to direct it toward the rope at least it will save you some pain.

Goodluck.

Michele is right about having patience. You've only had the dog for a week or so and its a rocky start. Don't push the issue yet. When it comes to using food as a motivator, the dog has to be hungry. The best of treats wont work many times if the dog is full.

If the problem persists then you can try a few different things to get him walking. After you two have bonded a little longer, re-post if its still a problem.

Howard

 Quote: michele mcatee

Have you tried getting really excited and jumping around like a fool, skipping along, making funny noises to get the dog walking? If not, try it...YOU must be the most interesting thing to this pup...vital in your bond.

This is great advice Michele

I wonder often about what a fool I must have looked like (and still do sometimes :blush when I'm out walking with Oscar - I LOVE getting his attention and spurring him on with my behavior, and it's true, to the OP - YOUR energy can be CONTAGIOUS!

Have you tried playing any hide and seek? Does your apartment yard have trees or barriers of some kind that you can hide behind? My "dissapearing" never failed to get my pup all worked up when he realized he was alone and needed to find me - it's a great game, and it reinforces the kind of attention you want from him - it says "Always keep an eye on me because you never know when I might take off out of sight!" You could probably play this in your apartment as well, since your pup is a relatively small breed...

Good luck! *My Oscar's best friend is a Corgi - it looks mighty silly when the 95lb lion dog and the squat little sheep herder go chasing each other around in circles

~Natalya

Blake,

I saw this one on Ceasar. It would be worth a try. Carry or drive the dog a block or two from home. From there walk him home and be enthusiastic about it. Do this several times to the point where he sees the walk as "coming home" and get's excited about walking.

He did this with a bloodhound I believe that would literally just lay there as his owner dragged him down the block. In a few minutes he was a walking machine.

Let us know if this or any of the above suggestions works for you.

That's a GREAT idea. He always does seem really happy and starts walking whenever I say "wanna go inside?". The problem up until now has always been we've always been so close to the apartment that "going inside" wasn't exactly a long way away.

I'll give it a shot this week on his morning and evening walks.

Blake,
Sheila's suggestion of the rope, using it to play with Riley like you would a cat, is an excellent suggestion! That was how I started playing with my pup when we first got him at 8 weeks old (never had a pup before, only cats, so that was all I knew about playing with a baby animal!).

Another thing that we advanced to very quickly with Nickie was to tie the rope (actually I think it was a length of twine) around the neck of an empty plastic soft drink bottle (believe I used the liter size) and pull that around on the carpet. Anyway, he LOVED that! He would pounce on it and it would make crinkley noises and slip away from him on the carpet, etc. Just be sure that if his little shark teeth puncture the plastic, it would be best to replace it with another empty bottle so he doesn't have a chance to swallow any plastic pieces.

He liked that as a toy better than all the toys we bought for him from the store!