[celstu1]

I am a single yorkie mom to 2 boys. I got them when they were 9 weeks old. They are now a healthy, happy year and half. It WAS hard at first, and still sometimes is. I feel guilty leaving them home while Im at work. They both have seperation anxiety and knawed on the walls, cabinets, baseboards, shoes, clothing, rugs, etc...
I realized that things were my fault, right off the bat, I did not blame the dog. I blamed myself. If they chewed my favorite shoes, I blamed myself for leaving them out. This helped me have the patience it takes to get through the puppy stage! (well and chardonnay, lots of it! haha)

I had 2 boy pups at the same time!! What a job! They still are.

During the day I gate them into a 3x3 area of my kitchen. They have newspaper/puppy pads on the floor in one spot, all their toys in their crate in another spot and a nice comfy bed with a blanket in another spot. They also have food & water left for them all day. I suspect they sleep most of the day! I used to let them look out the window, but I got complaint letters from the condo assoc that they barked ALL DAY long so I had to stop that.

Best thing you can do is prepare yourself that this is a job at first. In order to have a great pet, you need to MAKE a great pet. Put your things away so the puppy won't chew them ... I mean EVERYTHING ANYTHING! If it crosses your mind that your dog might chew it and its reachable, put it somewhere else bc more than likely your dog WILL chew it!

Im having problems housebreaking my boys STILL. I got rid of the carpets downstairs but my whole upstairs is carpeted, Im suspecting that someday those will have to go or will need endless amount of carpet cleaning done on them!

The hardest part is giving them enough attention. I wanted yorkies so much but I did not realize how much attention they needed! They are very needy and affectionate little dogs who want nothing more than to be with you 24/7! Its hard, when you leave them all day to go to work, to have a social life too. Oftentimes I find myself turning down friends or family for something because I need to stay home and spend time with my boys.

To me the joy they give me is worth the pain of being a single 'mommy'. But that is not always the case for everyone! I love them to pieces, when one learns a new trick, or falls asleep on my lap or at night when they curl up in bed with me, or peek in when Im taking a shower and I see that little black nose and big brown eyes, they give me endless amounts of joy!

But yup... does put a damper on some other aspects of your life... its like being a single mom to skin kid, except you don't NEED daycare! thats about the only difference! haha But if you have patience and blame yourself, not the dog, for his wrongdoings... I think you will find that your puppy will give you lots of joy too (especially when hes trained and well behaved)!!