Orbit the Cardigan Corgi

Snoozers

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:26:46 -0500

Snoozers

Jack did a drawing of Orbit when we went out to dinner one...

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:29:20 -0500

Jack did a drawing of Orbit when we went out to dinner one night. Pretty accurate…

Photo

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:27:08 -0500

Video

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:39:44 -0500

update

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:38:37 -0500

It’s been quite a while since the last post. Here’s what has transpired, in abbreviated format.

Orbit got “fixed” a few weeks ago. We were hoping it would stop or curtail the leg humping but that hasn’t happened.
He has gotten much calmer over the last few weeks. His “zoomy” periods are getting less and less and he’s much more content to sit and chew on his hooves, his current favorite chew toy.
He has been getting better and better at curtailing the use of his teeth, which he tends to do when really excited and hyper.
The new house has a massive back “yard” which amounts to 3 acres of hill behind the house with terraced gardens (we’re renting but it’s amazing). He tears around there on a long leash and gets his exercise daily which has been great.
We went on a long 12-hour trip to North Carolina for Thanksgiving and he did great in the car — chilling in the back seat in his dog bed (strapped in, of course). Up and back were worry-free. We’re glad he is so good in the car. He generally watches us for a bit and then falls asleep.
He is learning how to do a “circle right” trick where he does a little clockwise circle and then sits. He also is a pro at “sit”, “down”, “shake”, “other one”(shake other paw), “touch” (touch his nose to wherever our hands are), “quiet”, “go to your crate”.
Alice started taking him to agility classes and he is doing well at it and loves it.

ready to move! with xmas antlers…

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:34:47 -0500

ready to move! with xmas antlers…

Photo

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:33:59 -0500

Photo

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:33:07 -0500

Photo

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:32:36 -0500

Photo

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:30:06 -0500

Cute dog. The shoe, not so much.

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:58:10 -0400

Cute dog. The shoe, not so much.

Some recent Corgi things

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:04:08 -0400

Orbit turned 5 months old. Last week, we received his AKC certificate in the mail containing his official name “Orbit Plus Infinity Aelhearn”. The last bit is Welsh, meaning “iron head” which is beyond fitting.

Alice has seen a big change in him in the last week with how he is leash walking. I’ve noticed he’s much more confident around the neighborhood, trotting along like he owns the place. He generally leads us across the street to the small dog run to sniff around when he’s in a walking mood.

We also have been going to a dog park in Marlton NJ that allows him to run wherever he wants. Given his “iron-headedness”, his recall isn’t so hot, so we keep a 6’ lead on him that we can stomp if he runs off to certain doom.

He finished his puppy class last Wednesday. The last two weeks were the most challenging (for both him and Alice) because it concentrated on “loose leash walking” and he sucks at that. Combine that with the fact that he isn’t much interested in food or treats and it is really hard to train him or motivate him to do what you want. While other puppies are hopping up and down trying to get the treat used to give them positive reinforcement, he just sits there and acts like they are all idiots.

He’s been going through a barky phase lately. His gigantic ears pick up sounds that no human can so we’ll be sitting around chilling and all of a sudden he’ll get up and bark like someone was stealing his buried bones from the backyard. I am fine with a bark here or there to warn us we’re about to be robbed but barking at every stray sound is something I’m not too excited about. Alice found that, as you’d expect, if you wear him out with a walk or lots of obedience training, he barely barks at all. It’s just hard to find time sometimes.

We are going to create a training plan to start systematically training certain behaviors. We’ll start with the stuff we need him to do, like not puppy-bite (or “mouth”) when we’re trying to put on his harness, or come when called every time. Then we’ll move on to him nosing the ball around the apartment and start our Trieball training.

Handsome little man at the dog park

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:23:20 -0400

Handsome little man at the dog park

Photo

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:22:29 -0400

derp face

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:22:09 -0400

derp face

derp

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:48:05 -0400

derp

Orbit at four months

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:47:28 -0400

Orbit lost 4 of his teeth last week (two middle top/two middle bottom) and grew his adult teeth back already. Then yesterday, while destroying an “indestructible” chew toy yesterday he lost two upper canine teeth. That means it’s time to start thinking about getting him snipped and microchipped soon, I guess.

Walking is still a challenge — some days good, some days bad. We have been trying to follow the same route every day which is about 1.5 miles and seems to be long enough to get him in the zone where he walks well. Today he ate some goose shit and ended up throwing up goose shit, food and stomach phlegm all over the walking path. His latest thing is to “herd” me when I’m not going the direction he wants. He jumps around in front of me, pulls on my shoelaces, etc. When I stop walking, he ignores me and when I make a move to start walking again he’s herding again. Super annoying. I combat it now with just stopping and making him sit, which is boring to a puppy. Then walk, then make him sit, then walk, then make him sit… eventually he gets tired of it and we can walk normally but cripes what a huge pain in the ass.

He has been to Puppy Playtime at Opportunity Barks in Philly a few times now. He was scared at first and bowled over by bigger puppies often but he has grown more outgoing to the point where he was the annoying barking dog when he went to puppy obedience class the other day, trying to sniff every dog in the room. It’s true what they say about corgis thinking they are a much bigger dog than they are.

As of this writing, he knows “sit”, “down”, “touch”, “shake”, “other paw” shake, “go to your crate”, “stay” (sort of), “drop it/leave it” (more or less).

He hit 15.5 lbs last week. Hard to believe he’s going to be around twice the size he is now.

Day at the beach (part 2)

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:05:08 -0400

Day at the beach (part 2)

Day at the beach (part 3)

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:05:00 -0400

Day at the beach (part 3)

Day at the beach (part 1)

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:04:43 -0400

Day at the beach (part 1)