First adorable yorkie, but I need help!

[lilwhit45]

Hello Friends! This is my first post ever and I need some suggestions and opinions pleaseeeee! I have an adorable baby boy who is a little over 6 months. He is very smart and a lover! Ive read sooooo many threads and post about some of these questions but maybe thought i could get straight answers a little more clear here! So here I go, my first problem is he is sooooo picky with food..we have been trying so many types, what is a good suggestion. Also he is pretty skinny. Colt doesnt eat much either so im a little worried! Two, his eyes are so runny..not stained just water a lot! Allergies because we live in Nevada maybe?? So frustrating. Last is his chewing! I know he is a puppy and teething but will it stop when he has his adult teeth? We always tell him no, tap his nose, say ouch..tried it all! ALL ADVICE IS SOOOOOOOOO APPRECIATED!!!

[kjc]

Hi and Welcome to YT!

First of all... no tapping the nose... just pisses them off and makes them want to bite more. lol! Redirect his attention to a toy and praise him when he shows interest and plays or bites on it. When he grows up and becomes an adult many of the puppy behaviors will disappear.

For everything else you mentioned... you would be best talking to your vet... he/she can run tests to figure out what may be going on with him. Once he gets a clean bill-of-health, then reaccess his behavior, as health problems can affect behavior.

Let us know how it goes! and Good Luck!

[Ahis_Mama]

First off congrats on your little one and welcome to YT!

You will find out that there are a lot of Yorkies that is picky. It's one of those "breed" things. My little Ahi is still picky and she is about the same age as your baby. I tried many different brands of kibble and canned food. I have to offer her and change her food every few days. Some days she will eat a lot and others not so much. A trainer told me that she will not starve herself and that just keep putting out the same food but I can't do that to my little one.

On the eyes thing (also a breed trait) sometimes some found that using bottle water works better and also changing their diet. Some don't tolerate grain well and it clears up after they eliminate it out of their diet. You can try different things to see what works.

On the chewing yes it may also be a puppy thing but you seem to be doing the correct thing by saying no. Be consistant. Also when he chews on something or someone. Tell him no and replace it with something he can chew on and give praise when he bites on that instead. He will learn quick.

Good luck and if you have anymore questions, everyone here is more than happy to help.

[myteddybear]

Hi and welcome!

My little girl loved to chew any and all wood furniture when she was little! I would suggest keeping things available like bully sticks and Himalayan chews that they would prefer to chew anyway. If she has those available she will probably prefer to chew them but if she does chew something else you can direct her to them as said above.

[AmyD102]

My Kiwi was a very picky eater as well, we rotated thru 5 different dog foods until we found one he would eat (blue buffalo small breed puppy) and even tho he liked that food would still only pick at it, he was very lean, so I brought him to 2 different vets because I was a concerned momma and was worried about him being so thin. But they both assured me he was at a healthy weight and if he had always been lean that that was just his build and they were not worried about it!

I also agree with the bottled water for the eyes, Lola's still gets her runny eyes but it has been getting much better since we switched her water!

Lola is also a puppy (18 weeks) and even with consisent training, she still tries to chew our fingers when playing, but we also say No and then she will start licking our hands and she gets lots of praise and love. It is a puppy thing and they will grow out of it, Kiwi did, but I can't remember at what age!! Lol!!

Good luck

[snoopymom]

Welcome to YT!

For the watery eyes, she might have a hair poking her. You can trim the hair on her nose. Snoopy had that.

For chewing, the "leave it" command is good. It's good for lots of things, actually.

[southernbelle04]

Just wanted to say Welcome!!!

[Lovetodream88]

I don't really have any good advise about the food because mine can be picky but then if I hand feed her she normally eats or if we make it like a game when I make her do her tricks. The watery eyes could be allergies, my yorkie has them and the vet gave us a medicine that works great so it might be something you want to talk to your vet about. About the nipping have to tried squirting him with a water bottle and saying no when he nips? Also make sure you have lots of things for him to chew on.

[rubymoon2072]

try putting ice cubes in a face cloth and wrapping it closed with a bread twist. Cedric loves it for his teething. =*(())

[R_Z]

Welcome. I'm finding Yorkies to be very selective about their food choice. I've gone through 3 kibbles and this latest one he seems to like. But, sometimes, I have to start him off but taking a few in my hand. He loves that! After a couple of kibbles downed from my hand, I walk away and he generally digs in. We pull it up at night so eventually if he's hungry he'll eat.

Make sure whatever you choose for food, it starts with a meat product as the 1st two ingredients. I find grains made Bailey itch. With his new food he really no longer scratches.

Finally as for the chewing, welcome to a puppy's life. I'd look in to a nylabone that they can chew down. Bailey loves the chicken flavor ones. He also loves to chew on my fingers! So, I grab that bone, tease and play with him while holding it, and then toss it. He will sit and chew on that things for 15 to 20 minutes.

good luck and enjoy!

[caw]

Buy some bitter apple spray for the wood....it lasts for a couple of days. Pups dont like the taste

[My lil friend]

Yorkies are just pickie. Mina is 11 months. When she was tiny,to make sure that she ate,she was fed twice a day 1T of wet food (I now cook chic n rice with veges,but I have several dogs),mixed with a little kibble (we use Blue Buffelo). She still chews like crazy,but with persistance it is mostly on her chewy and one of my poodles. She plays hard with the other dogs and us,this burns alot of energy and she isnt bored,this has helped to keep her chewing where it belongs. She gets her face washed with a damp,no soap,washcloth every morning. All of the dogs drink filtered water from the frig. Between the facewashing,the filtered water and a no grain food the staining had completely gone from my poodles eyes for the first time in 9yrs and is mostly gone from my yorkies eyes. I also make sure that none of her hair is poking at her eyes.
Her hair is put in a new topknot and her teeth are brushed in the morning. This sounds like a lot but it is now just part of a morning routine,just like getting the kids ready for school.
Welcome to being a new yorkie parent. They are very smart and have a ton of personality. Very child like,eventhough they are walking around on 4 feet.
Be sure to direct any health questions to your vet and keep them in the loop about your concerns.

[salazark]

Eye tearing can be caused by blocked tear ducts. Your Vet can confirm it with a simple dye test. They put dye in the eyes and waited for it to show up in the mucus in their nose. If the ducts are blocked the dye won't go into the nose. My Beemer has blocked tear ducts. The vet attempted to flush them out last week during his neuter but wasn't able to do it. He's going to try again when he goes for his dental in February. If he still isn't able to clear them we will be taking him to an Ophthalmologist. I'm not sure I'd go that far if it was just cosmetic but I think it does bother him. He rubs his face a lot more than Sadie does.

[Sweetums]

Congrats on your new pup! Had the same issue with food as you for about the 1st year. My husband and I made her little ground lamb, ground veal, ground turkey patties. I also found an online site to order a natural mix of dried veggies and nontypical grains to reconstitute with boiling water to mix with meats. Then her allergies forced us to use Science Diet super hypoallergenic food.

And in the meanwhile, we've found that she will only eat when we put her food down and walk away. She won't rush right over. She will circle the kitchen first, then walk around the food a few times until she sidles over and lick the piece furthest from the middle of the dish. It's like stealth eating lol. If we continue to ignore it, she will dig in. But if we hover, she will abandon the food until we go away. Also, Yorkies are bred to chase small animals, rodents etc. so if we throw pieces of food or dry food, she will chase the food and eat it. And mornings, she has no appetite, so sometimes, we "prime the pump" that way. It's always an adventure heh.

[lilwhit45]

Thank you all!!! I honestly feel so much better that I have people who totally understand my issues and know the right answers! 😄 So here are some of the changes we made ASAP... Good haircut and groomed so no hair in the eyes and bottled water! It's been helping with the runny eyes for the most part.. Still a little watery at times. The food he has been liking is natures variety the instinct version, salmon. Heard many times it might be allergies to chicken??? So we took that out. Instinct has no grain either. When he was about 4 months old he stopped eating and we discovered he wouldn't eat out of a bowl! Haha so he eats about 2 times a day when he wants. I may start with a homemade meal once a day. Last is we got some more bully sticks and hope it works!!!thanks again and more advice the better yorkie mommy I will be!!