[Rosemary]

As readers will know, we lost two dogs at Dalmore in December, leaving just Meg.

Of course, we're now tentatively thinking about getting another dog. Meg's pretty easy going and we think she'd be fine with a new addition.

I'd really like a corgi (I have no aspirations to being royal though).

Anyone any experience of these dogs? Anything we should watch out for if we do decide to pursue the breed?

[sabrina]

I have only ever work with one corgi when I used to take a dog training class and he was a very bold wee dog. Could be very friendly but I felt would not be good around small children. He was prone to I might do what you want or then again I might not. Like other working breeds needs to be kept busy but then you have the right type of home I would think.

[sokel]

Only had experience with 3 of them. 2 bit me on different occasions for no reason at all other than I walked away from them    the other one was a perfect dog
all 3 dogs had known me for years

[in the hills]

My father bred Pembrokeshire Corgis when he was a young man. As a little girl we had a corgi bitch as a family pet. She was a feisty old girl and a one man dog who adored my father. She was very obedient for my father but could turn a 'deaf ear' to the rest of the family when it came to commands though she was very willing to come dashing if she heard a biscuit wrapper!

I used to try to train her Barbara Woodhouse fashion and by and large she put up with things .... just giving an odd grumble! She probably wasn't the most 'child friendly' dog ... we were only small children..... but she wasn't awful either. Needed more respect from children than most retrievers that I have had experience with and not very playful for youngsters. She was fine with adults, older children and other dogs and came everywhere with us, including holidays.

We all loved her and she lived to a grand age .... about 18! 

Cross posted with Sokel.

Sorry to hear that you lost 2 friends so close together .... so hard. 

[SallyintNorth]

Very little personal experience, although I am told that I was bitten, twice, by the same Pembroke Corgi when I was 2 years old.  I tell this story to people who tell me they were bitten as a child and so are frightened of dogs.      I'm sure I wasn't paying attention to its warnings.  And nothing has ever put me off dogs.  Not even being bitten 6 times on one arm and seven on the other by a Dachshund, and requiring heavy-duty antibiotics.  There were two specific very unfriendly dogs I'd try to avoid when I was little, but it never made me expect other dogs to be other than friendly, and most were.  Including another Pembroke Corgi.

Sorry, rambling.

Do you want Pembroke (bobtailed) or Cardigan (long tailed)? 

[Rosemary]

I'd like a Cardigan - there's a breeder in Fife. I know corgis did have a rep for being nippy - I suppose if you're herding cattle, being a bit nippy is a positive asset 

Like you, Sally, I used to get nipped every Sunday by my Granddad's Cairn Terrier. I loved her; she was less keen on me Every week, we'd visit and my Dad would say, "Rosemary, that dog is going to bite you", as I climbed into her basket and she did. I guess I did learn eventually and I still have ten fingers.

[bumpkins]

You've just taken me back about 40 yrs!  My grandparents had 3 Corgis which were nicknamed Nippy, Snappy and Feisty and I was on the receiving end of a lot of it!  They were much loved though and I still have all my fingers and toes too 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

As readers will know, we lost two dogs at Dalmore in December, leaving just Meg.

Of course, we're now tentatively thinking about getting another dog. Meg's pretty easy going and we think she'd be fine with a new addition.

I'd really like a corgi (I have no aspirations to being royal though).

Anyone any experience of these dogs? Anything we should watch out for if we do decide to pursue the breed?

One of my neighbours had a female, she was lovely, she went missing twice and came to our house, she was a chubby little dog and loved attention. I have a feeling she went missing on acccount of the fact there was a male dog on our farm.

[doganjo]

All you need to know here - http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/breed/display.aspx?id=5145

There are two separate dog breeds known as Welsh corgis that originated in Wales, one being the Cardigan, the other being the Pembroke. Corgi's are one of the oldest herding breeds.

Cardigan Welsh corgis can be extremely loyal family dogs. For their size, however, they need a surprising amount of daily physical and mental stimulation. Cardigans are a very versatile breed and a wonderful family companion.

Most working breeds have the same requirements - mental and physical stimulation in fair amounts or they can be aggressive/destructive/escape artists

[SallyintNorth]

Oh I do hope you get one or the other, Rosemary, and I can learn vicariously how these dogs fit in around the smallholding! 

I read about the Pembroke on that link of Annie's, and found the equivalent for the Cardigan

Would you let yours work with the cattle?  Difficult perhaps when you have your cattle so tame - but I do let my collie dogs help with our cattle (who are also pretty tame), and it's useful to have that option

[Rosemary]

I don't know about working them - I wonder how strong the instinct is now. S/he would certainly get plenty exercise 

There's a breeder in Leven - the only one in Scotland so I might contact her and ask if we can go and see hers before we commit either way.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I don't know about working them - I wonder how strong the instinct is now. S/he would certainly get plenty exercise 

There's a breeder in Leven - the only one in Scotland so I might contact her and ask if we can go and see hers before we commit either way.

The problem with buying a dog is..... If you want it to have a working instinct you have to buy it from people who work them. I had to choose carefully when buying my bearded collie.

[doganjo]

I don't know about working them - I wonder how strong the instinct is now. S/he would certainly get plenty exercise 

There's a breeder in Leven - the only one in Scotland so I might contact her and ask if we can go and see hers before we commit either way.

The problem with buying a dog is..... If you want it to have a working instinct you have to buy it from people who work them. I had to choose carefully when buying my bearded collie.

Not strictly true - it's the dog that works not the breeder/owner so it's in the breeding lines.  You need to check those not the breeder.

[Rosemary]

Ours will just be  a pet. I'm bombarding Dan with cute corgi photos on Facebook. Believe me, there are lots 

[SallyintNorth]

Ours will just be  a pet. I'm bombarding Dan with cute corgi photos on Facebook. Believe me, there are lots 

They're all gorgeous, although I think I have a preference for the tricolour over the plain tan.