So you want a puppy

Murdoch is a purebred Tri-Coloured Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He is the first puppy we’ve owned where we are solely responsible for him and not our “family” dog.

It has definitely been an interesting journey so far. At the time of writing, we have had Murdoch for exactly one year. He’s been a fantastic pup, super faster learner but still requires a bit of behaviour training.

Why a Corgi?

Originally I wanted to get a Husky cause I thought they were cool. My wife however, wanted a Corgi instead. I hadn’t considered Corgi’s before so I went and did some research about them. After figuring out the pro’s and con’s about their potential health issues and how to mitigate them, behaviour traits, etc., I was happy to move forward with a Corgi as well.

Things I liked about a Corgi

• Stubby legs
• Smart/Quick Learner
• Active
• Dorky looking
• Bubble butt

Things I thought I liked about a Corgi

• Smart/Quick Learner
• Active

Taking care of Murdoch really showed me how lazy I am on a regular basis. Because Corgi’s are an active/working breed, they require daily exercise otherwise chaos and destruction aways at home. That means, after a long day of commuting over an hour + a full day’s work, I still need to come home, rain or shine, hot or cold, light or dark and take Murdoch out to either the dog park nearby or to a park nearby for at least 45 mins to an hour.

The other fun part of having a smart dog is that they learn quickly but because they learn quickly, they are also quick to figure out how to exploit your behaviour. For example, Murdoch will know after he’s done something wrong, he can give his puppy eyes and be all cute and stuff just so that he can avoid punishment.

Certified Breeder or Nah?

CKC Breeder We had contacted at least two of these breeders prior to getting Murdoch. Typical wait list time is about 1 year. So plan in advance!

Are you ready?

Owning and training a puppy/dog isn’t just about you. It’s about you and everyone who would be interacting with him/her in your household that need to be on board and consistent.

Can you commit to the following:

• Time
  • Puppies require a lot of time. The first couple months require you to take the puppy out every 2-4 hours, even throughout the night.
  • Additionally to that, there’s the daily walks, some say 3 times a day, but at minimum it’s 45 mins to 1 hr daily of walking or going to the park to raise a healthy dog.
• Consistency
  • Everyone in the house must adhere to the same set of rules in order for training to go quickly and well. It would also be wise to ask your guests to behave and operate in the same way so that it is consistent across the board.
• Cost
  • When they’re young, there’s a lot of initial costs involved such as shots, toys, crate, bowls, food, etc. to purchase aside from the cost of the puppy as well.