May I introduce Lola?......

[UtahBelle]

I grew up as a cat person. I have never owned a dog and was never a dog lover. My husband and son are allergic to most pets anyway, so it was never a issue. I have three kids and my baby started 1st grade this year leaving me home by myself all day. My husband told me I needed a buddy so he started looking into Yorkie dogs since he thought he would not be allergic to their hair.
We decided to give my kids a puppy for Christmas! They really are so pet-starved and I knew it would be such a surprise to them! We found a breeder and went to pick out a puppy. The litter consisted of two boys and one girl. I fell in love with her when she came right up to us with this look in her eyes that said she was going to complete our family! I knew I wanted to name her Lola! We had her stay with her breeder until she was 11 weeks old. We picked her up, surprised my kids, and now she has been with us for 1 week and doing well. We took her to the vet for a check-up. She weighs 1 pound 14 ounces. She got some vaccinations and was so brave.
Life for me has been the biggest change! I never knew the work this would be! The thing is, she LOVES me! She only wants ME! My kids feel bad sometimes, but I try to tell them she loves them too. She is a total sheep following me everywhere! She is always underfoot and whines if I have to leave the room. I guess this is pretty normal for yorkies?
We are crate-training and she is so good as long as she can see someone. If I put her in her crate and leave her alone she will cry and cry. The past two nights in a row she has slept through the night! I know I should be happy, but it makes me worry she can go that long without going potty! She is only 12 weeks old. She goes all the time during the day, but she does not wake up at night to go. Is that normal? Potty training is going okay. We take her outside, but here in Utah it has been snowing like crazy! She is freezing and I am always shoveling a spot for her to go! Winter is not ideal to potty train. I can't wait for spring. She will have accidents in the house everyday, but from what I am reading here, it sounds pretty normal.
What else? She sleeps a lot! She will be playing so hard with my kids and then, like a lightswitch, she is out cold. She takes 2 hour naps. She eats good, so I don't worry about the hypoglycemia, but she does sleep a lot.
I am so glad we have her even when she drives me crazy. It is a lot of work! Nothing really gets done during the day as I have devoted myself to her to get her trained and part of the family. I hope all the work will pay off. I really want a good dog. The kind of dog people will comment on how well she behaves. Is it possible? Will I ever get my life back? I feel like I just got a 2 year old! Always into something!
Thanks for letting me post my story! I look forward to learning a lot on this site!
UtahBelle

PS- She is really into playing and eating her poop. Is this normal? It's really gross and I wonder what it means?

[NewYorkieLover]

Congratulations on your new puppy! I think you will continue to be very happy with her.

I wish I had time (and the knowledge!) to answer all of your questions, but I should be in bed already.

I will say that, especially now, I am so glad that Lexi is litter box trained. I started out by bringing her outside to potty, but one morning there was a storm with really bad lightning...and the rest is history! I put a pad in a doggie litter pan, and change it a few times a day. It is so easy, and with the rain, cold weather, and snow, there have been so many days I've been thankful it worked out this way.

I will also say that in the beginning it is a TON of work, and can be overwhelming. But...it does get easier! And it will happen little by little, and one day not too long from now, you will realize that things are going a little more smoothly.

Enjoy your puppy and welcome to YT!

[Ashley V]

You sound like you've read a lot about the breed! Yes, it is like having a two year old in the house.

For her size and eating poop, I would give her maybe half a spoonful of fresh pineapple with her food. It makes the poop taste bad (as strange as that sounds).

Maybe consider pee pad training since the weather is so bad?

[Ice Lady]

Welcome. These ladies can sure give you a lot of good advice regarding all aspects of raising your little sweetheart.

Yes, you sure have had a lot of snow there in Utah! I was there on the 25th and 26th and it sure came down! There were even some major road closures!

Personally, I find that winter is the best time for potty training. The minute their little feet touch the cold snow, they squat and piddle. I reinforce the concept by telling them to "go potty" and praising them the minute they go. It can be a little difficult for you, but a warm jacket and a pair of slip ons right by the door, so you can get the little one outside with minimal delay, will make it a bit easier.

Good Luck! Just like children, they grow up way too fast!

[Shelby&Seymour]

Congratulations on your new Yorkie, Lola!!! ... and Welcome to YT!!!



With all that snow, the little gal may need a sweater. Yorkies are not good with heat and cold (they, unlike other dogs, don't have a down coat, so they get cold just like we do!!!)

You can find sweaters at Walmart or any petstores. Some YT'ers have MADE them out of tube socks because it is hard to find one to fit the little ones sometimes.

[lemonlauren]

Tube socks are wonderful! We used one before we got our rain slicker with fleece-ish lining for Christmas. :-)

Lauren & Nikko

[JoeyP]

Aww ... Good luck with your new one

Yes, dogs do sometimes attach onto one person
if you want the kids to be more involved with her and her with them
Make them be the ones who feed her
also ... are you her protector?
If the children are very young and become rambunctious around her
the puppy may see you as her protector from them if you are the referee
and rightly so
The eating and playing with the poop
That's usually not a Yorkie thing ... but the pine apple is a good idea
also make sure she has toys to play with in her crate instead of her little turdlettes

[luvfla]

Congrats on you new addition.
Yes. I agree, she'll bond with the boys better when they start being part of her care & feeding. When they're home there should be a schedule on who does what for her & when. It will make a big difference PLUS you will not feel the pressure of all the responsibility.

PS - we sleep for 8 hours without peeing, so can they.

[manolos mom]

Having these little dogs requires lots of work at first. Sounds like you are going thru new mom syndrome. Kinda like when your first child was born. Getting ajusted. Give it time and you and Lola will be fine. She wants you because you feed her and take care of her. She just left her momma and wants your neuturing. I have 3 yorkies and a scottie and yestie that follow me everywhere. When I sit they all want to be on top of me. I am their Pac leader and you will be Lolas pac leader....Good Luck to you and send us pics.........

[jeanietoo]

I wanted to address the poop eating thing. One of the above posters said it's not a yorkie thing. I've been raising yorkies for 20 years and IT IS a yorkie thing. Just do a search on here and you'll find tons of people who have asked for help on this subject. If you find a cure let me know because I have tried every remedy know and none have worked for me except to be vigilant and clean up right away. Yes, it does get easier but having a yorkie is much like having a young child and it will take lots of time and patience

[Ashley V]

Originally Posted by jeanietoo

I wanted to address the poop eating thing. One of the above posters said it's not a yorkie thing. I've been raising yorkies for 20 years and IT IS a yorkie thing. Just do a search on here and you'll find tons of people who have asked for help on this subject. If you find a cure let me know because I have tried every remedy know and none have worked for me except to be vigilant and clean up right away. Yes, it does get easier but having a yorkie is much like having a young child and it will take lots of time and patience

I think it's mainly a dog thing. Sometimes when their food doesn't "digest" all the way, they can still taste their food in their poop and that's why they eat it... because it still tastes like their food. That's why you put the pineapple in it. It makes it yucky for them.

[Sass]

Congratulations on your new Yorkie and Welcome to YT!