Gibbs

Cuteness alert!! Here’s Gibbs, an adorable 9mth old Pembroke Corgi ready to find his forever home.   If a Corgi is a breed of dog that has been on the top of your wish list then have a read, ‘cuz this here is a great little dog. 

Weighing in at a whopping 20lbs this cutie has a bit of filling out to do but will always be a smaller Corgi.   He came to us from a commercial breeding operation as part of an unsold and then unwanted litter.  Due to this he spent his first 8mths in a kennel environment so we are teaching him all about the world around him.   Gibbs is equal part brave and timid.   New things scare him, but then when he realizes that these things are actually fun, or not dangerous, he is all in and ready to go.  He just needs more gentle and gradual exposure to the world around him but has a lifetime ahead of him to do so.  

Gibbs is a complete love bug and doles out affections whole heartedly.  This is a dog who is 100% sure that Corgi’s were bred to be lap dogs and he does like a lot of lap cuddle time.  He gets his best naps sprawled out across his person’s lap too.  And while he is up on your lap he has a whole lot of kisses to dole out too. If you don’t enjoy doggie kisses then Gibbs won’t be the pup for you as he feels kisses are completely necessary.  Due to his stubby legs he can’t make the jump up onto the couch so he does the cutest little front legs up, adorable puppy dog eyes look, waiting for a boost.  He doubles up the cuteness by often times having a stuffie in his mouth as he wants to cuddle and snuggle with his stuffie at the same time.  Gibbs has cuteness mastered and he uses it to his advantage often.

Gibbs is completely crate trained and is quiet in his crate.  He is crated whenever we aren’t home and at night. He sleeps the whole night through without a peep. Gibbs is doing really well with his housetraining as well.  We take him out regularly and he will get his jobs done outside.  He doesn’t know how to ask to be taken out so you need to be proactive and let him out regularly, but by doing this we haven’t had an accident in the house since his second day here.  Gibbs can do the deck stairs without issue and with time and training would be able to do stairs in the house too as long as they aren’t slippy.    Gibbs would do well in many housing situations.   A house with a fenced backyard would be really nice as he does love to run freely in the yard and play…but he doesn’t enjoy being outside by himself so does want his people out with him.  He would do equally well in a home without a fenced yard and going for walks and hikes for his exercise.  He is doing well on leash and will do his potty business while out on a walk.   He is nervous of new areas so gentle and gradual introduction to his new neighbourhood is needed.   Gibbs will not do well in a busy traffic area, be that foot traffic and/or vehicle traffic.  He is a sensitive puppy and still learning about the world outside of a kennel, and we don’t want to overwhelm him and harm his budding confidence.  A quiet rural area, town or subdivision will suit him well.   Gibbs is a quiet dog in general but is an alert barker, as all good Corgi’s are, so he wouldn’t be suited to an apartment building with hallway or neighbour noises.  But a quiet low rise, small building, like a triplex for example might be suitable for him as long as there is some greenspace outside and the neighbourhood is quiet. 

Gibbs is being fostered with other dogs.  He was initially scared of them, but his foster siblings are calm, quiet, and well-mannered dogs who gave him the space he needed and by day 2 he was comfortable with them all, and is now playing with them.  He would do fine in a home with a dog just like his foster dog siblings who is a passive dog.  Gibbs has shown some sassiness around some of his prized toys with his foster siblings.  He is easily corrected and is learning he doesn’t need to be greedy over toys, but he would need the other dog in the home to not care about this and not react.  Gibbs would do just as well being the only dog in the home and getting all of his people’s attention.   Gibbs is also being fostered with very dog savvy cats.   Kitties are scary to Gibbs and he is still getting used to these strange creatures and while he no longer shrieks in fear when a cat makes an appearance, he is still not 100% comfortable around the cats.   In more time he will only get better. He could go to a home with a totally dog savvy cat that will give him space and ignore him like his foster cats do, but any cat that will pester him, swat him or pay any attention to him will be too scary for him at this time.

Gibbs is very affectionate and good natured and could share his home with gentle natured children over the age of 5yrs old.  A chaotic, loud home would be overwhelming for Gibbs but quieter kids who would enjoy puppy kisses, petting him and playing with him would be nice for Gibbs.  

Gibbs doesn’t love car rides quite yet but this is a work in progress.   Again, a short while ago he was living in a kennel, so all things are new to him.  For car rides we crate him for his safety and security.  He is quiet in the car and doesn’t get car sick which is really nice.  Gibbs enjoys meeting new people in a quiet area.  Give this dog another 6mths and he is going to be a social butterfly, he just needs to build more confidence in the big world around him.  Gibbs loves treats and food and so training him with positive reinforcement with praise and treat rewards works really well for him.   He will take to training well, he is a very smart little dog.  True to his herding breed nature, he loves to work, wants to please and loves learning new things.  

Anyone interested in Gibbs needs to be very knowledgeable on the Pembroke Corgi and be suited to the needs of this breed.  He is a moderately active dog and is nicely sated with a couple good walks a day and some yard play.  But, he does need these walks and play time daily as he is a young herding breed.   We want Gibbs to live his best Corgi life so his forever family must be able to manage the needs of his breed and be invested in training as Gibbs needs to have his brain worked as well as getting his physical needs met.  He has been to the vet and gotten all his medical needs taken care of and is a healthy dog.  He is at a perfect age to join a family and continue on his journey of learning about the world around him. His people just need to be kind and caring and fully understand that he needs to be introduced to new things gently so that he can grow in confidence and not be scared or overwhelmed.  He is a brave boy at heart but just nervous about new things to start.   Corgi’s are a fabulous dog for the right person/family and we are looking for that perfect fit.  We know that they are adorable, especially with their stubby legs,  little fluffy Corgi bums and the way they sploot on the floor legs out behind them, but we also need to take into account that they are a highly intelligent herding breed so they need to work.  If you know that Corgi’s are the breed for you and your lifestyle tell us why in the adoption application! We want to hear from you!