Your experiences, please

[Literarylady]

We've been looking for a new pup and I haven't had much luck locally.
I've expanded my search to include US States that are within a day's drive and I've found a couple of dogs that are 1 - 2 years old.

Which for me brings up the question of bonding. Do older corgi pups bond
well with their new people or do they forever miss their first family?
Does moving to a home with no other animals make it easier or more difficult for them?

Maybe I'm overthinking this (feel free to tell me if I am), but it's very important to me that I do what is best for all of us.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences either way.

Thanks

[jcj528]

I just brought a 13 month old cardi boy into my family. At first he was quite shy, did not like to be held and seemed afraid of everything. But after only one week, he now jumps on the sofa and into my lap, he asks me to pick him up and put him on the bed so we can play, he no longer tenses when I hold him and he's getting more confident when we go out for a walk.

My first corgi, a pem, was 18 months old when I made him a member of my family. He had been shown quite a bit, but hadn't been able to finish so he was sold to me. He very quickly made himself at home and almost immediately became my constant companion.

So I as my two attempts to meld a slightly older corgi into my family have been so positive, I have to say that it should work the same for you.

One other thought on the matter: You do miss the puppy cuteness, but you don't have to deal with the puppy stress. It's actually a better trade off than you might think it is!

[Literarylady]

Thanks for taking the time to answer.
I know with your new cardi you brought him into a home with other dogs. Was it the same with your pem?

[Merlincorgi]

I think getting a 1-2 year old is a great thing. They will still bond strongly with you...you miss having a lot of the puppy hassles, you know what you are getting personality wise. As for whether they do better going to a home with or without other dogs I think that depends on the dog. I think all would do fine as a single dog, but some would also do fine with other dogs present. Regardless... I would definitely get an older dog (non-pup)!

[jcj528]

No, my first pem, Chauncey, was an only dog. He did hang out with all the dogs at the barn, though. He worked his way into the pecking order there quite easily. But we were only there a few hours every day.

[Jespah]

As I have told you, I got Jemma at the age of 7 months. My first girl Riley had only died 6 weeks earlier and I was not ready for a pup or new dog, but Rupert was in terrible shape. He had gone from his Mum at 9 weeks to our home with a built-in surrogate in Riley. She was the boss of him, and that's how he liked it.

I had decided I would get a puppy - 9 weeks age range, in about 6 months as I needed time to grieve. As it became obvious that Rupert needed a companion as soon as possible, I began the mad scramble of getting in touch with breeders. You know what that is like here in Canada. No one had any young pups, but one very well known and recommended breeder had a 7 month old. I dismissed her hands-down. Friends started suggesting that it would be easier on me and more fair to Rupert to have an older pup. A very young one would have had to have so much attention, Rupert would be neglected - which he did not need.

We went out and met Jemma, then Felicity, and she was a happy, frolicking little girl. He cheered up and even played with her a little that first meeting.

I had a very difficult time bonding with Jemma at first. I was not over losing Riley and I felt badly for Jem because it was hard for me to get close to her. She didn't let that stop her from becoming my girl, and adapting to her new life very quickly. She's a female and has that Corgi-girl aloofness and stubborness, but in the morning when she stands on my chest and "aroooooos" to get me up and going, she's definitely my girl! When we go visit people - even though she loves to visit, she'll climb up into my lap to make sure I don't forget that she's mine and I take her home with us! :SMILE:

As you have no other dogs right now, and have the time to spend with an older pup or young dog, the bonding would come easy. The breed loves to be with us, so it wouldn't take long for one to become attached to you I'm sure!

Deb

[Kassie]

We also got maeve at 7 months. She came into our family with 2 16 year old dogs who were failing.. Although she was a mostly outdoor dog before she came to us and as a result is a bit shy of strangers, she bonded with us almost immediately. Missing the
puppyhood does have advantages also, as we learned with her little sister!

[Jane Austen]

My Duchess had had a very strong attachment to her previous owner and was very willing to be mine from the first day I got her as a 7 year old. In the meantime she had been left with her breeder who of course had a pack of other dogs.
Duchess loves being the center of attention. The only trouble she has had is getting used to my large cat Powder.
I love puppies but never want to take on the job of raising another one. I heartily agree with the idea of getting a trained adult. In fact at my age taking into consideration that I want to be around for the life of the animal, I would probably go for a middle age dog. June

[LoveMySadie]

We got Sadie at 19 months and it was the perfect decision. I was teaching and couldn't stay home with a new puppy, so getting an older dog was the ideal option for us. She joined our six year old German short haired pointer (he was 6 at the time) and they've bonded beautifully. I was pretty careful for the first few days because Sadie had never been around such a big dog. But it didn't seem to faze her a bit.

She is totally bonded to us and had absolutely no trouble adjusting. As some of the others said, she was a bit shy for the first few days, but it didn't take long for her to own the house!

Good luck - we can't wait to hear what happens!!

Leslie

[Dillydoodle]

I got dillon as a puppy at 10 1/2 weeks of age. Then when he was about a yr and a half we decided we would add a second puppy from the same breeder we got Dillon from..only to find out about Gus, one of her dogs that was in the process of being returned to her to be rehomed.. and we decided right away that we would take Gus. He came home to us when Dillon was a year and 9 months old.. Gus was 2 yrs and 4 months old when we brought him home. He came to us perfectly housebroken and as sweet as can be. He and Dillon get along very well ( Dillon wanted to be boss and gus was happy to let him assume that role).

Emilie