[Breeds] 1st (ish) time owner, looking at two breeds - Pembroke Welsh Corgi or Whippet

Introduction

1. Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?

• I’ve lived with my wife‘s family dog. I’ve spent plenty of time with her and have taken care of her when they were out of town and have taken care of friends/family dogs as well. My wife (who will be also the co-owner of the dog) has plenty of experience with her own family pets, volunteer work through local animal shelters and working at doggy day care.

2. Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?

• We will be going through a reputable breeder. I’m already contacting local breeders.

3. Describe your ideal dog.

• We’re looking for a pup (small to medium) that can snuggle while I watch a laker game as well as the typical tug o war and fetch, but can be our weekend warrior active buddy when we go on hikes, the beach, etc (I’m imagining a post Covid world where some semblance of normalcy is restored)

Wife and I would love to bring our pup out (again post Covid imagination) to dog parks and dog friendly places, so we’d love a dog that is sociable and comfortable with other pups.

4. What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?

• We have narrowed it down to a Whippet or a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

We also were on the goldendoodle craze train, but I immediately hopped off after seeing so many horror stories on this sub.

5. What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?

• Basic commands like sit, stay, lay down, leave it, wait for food, etc. We’re mainly looking at commands that have to do with obedience.

6. Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?

• We’re just looking for a companion.

Care Commitments

7. How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?

• as long as we need! Outside of work, my wife and I have a pretty clear schedule.

8. How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?

• during the typical work week I can devote 1-2 hours (am/pm) and my wife can squeeze in time around lunch time since she works from home. That’s on the low end. On the weekends we can devote much more time. We will implement a dog park once it’s safe to do so for our pup as well as us.

9. How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?

• daily brushing and grooming is not a problem. I’ve taken care of friends goldens, my wife’s family Akita/German Shepard and my sisters pug with daily face wrinkle cleaning. We are also open to taking our pup to a groomer as well.

Personal Preferences

10. What size dog are you looking for?

• small-medium (no bigger than 30-40 lbs)

11. How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

• I don’t mind shedding or slobber, but I wouldn’t be sad if low shedding/slobber was an option lol. When it comes to barking, as long as it’s not excessive yapping (looking at you Chihuahuas), then it’s not a problem for me. If it’s the typical bark to alert someone’s at the door, I’m totally cool with that.

12. How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?

• It would be cool but unnecessary. My wife’s Akita/German Shepard could never be off leash so I’m used to it.

Dog Personality and Behavior

13. Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

• Snuggle buddy for sure, but if they want their space from time to time I’m cool with that. Looking for that happy medium!

14. Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

• I’d love an eager to please pup, but I’m used to having an independent dog around.

15. How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

• Just to be alert. They don’t need to be extremely vocal about it.

16. Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

• depending on how excessive and if it can be worked out through proper training, then yes.

17. Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

• Not that I can think of

Lifestyle

18. How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

• my wife works from home, so not long if we had to go out for the typical take out/grocery run.

19. What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

• this will be a joint effort between my wife and me.

20. Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

• when it’s time to buy a house (years down the road) we are open to getting another dog, but would look for a compatible breed to whatever breed we initially choose this time around.

21. Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

• Occasionally. We rent a house on a ranch, and our landlords have two kids 3rd-5th grade, and I’m sure they’d want to interact with our pup.

22. Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

• We currently rent a one bedroom house with no firm breed/weight restrictions. We are trying to avoid typical restricted dogs (huskies, German Shepards, pitbulls, etc) in case our living situation changes in the future.

Before I get hate, I have experience with those breeds and they all have a special place in my heart, I’m just being pragmatic.

23. What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

• We live in the central coast of CA, but I’m not aware of any specific breeds banned in our area, just the typical rent restrictions on certain breeds.

24. What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

• Summers can get to high 80s-90s and Winters get as low as 30s (Fahrenheit bc I’m a dopey American).

Additional Information and Questions

25. Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

• We were originally hoping to adopt a retired greyhound, but as soon as we were ready, covid hit and our personal lives were changed because of it. Now that my wife and I are in a better spot, the list for rescues were insanely long (a volunteer said it would probably be 2 years).

I’m pretty set between a whippet or a corgi. I’ve read about the pros and cons of each, and just want some feedback from folks that have experience with these breeds. I’m open to folks giving me other ideas, and I’m appreciative for everyone’s opinions, so thank you!

26. Feel free to ask any questions below.