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Originally Posted by olfnicchris  Hi, my name is Karen and I am new to YT. This is my first post (and it's a long one). Myself, my husband and our two kids (ages 12 & 15) will be getting our first ever furbaby at the beginning of March. We will be bringing home an 8 week old male Yorkie who we've named Rocky. We are so excited and would like to start purchasing all the things we need to prepare for Rocky's arrival. I was just wondering if some of the members here could help me out with some answers and advice.
I've been doing a lot of research lately but still have a few questions and concerns. Since it is very cold where we live in Canada right now, I would prefer to housetrain Rocky instead of having him go potty outside. We have a large deck with lots of stairs and a large inground pool in our backyard so housetraining seems more practical and safer. Our neighbours on both sides have larger dogs who they let out in the backyard quite frequently. Also, a neighbour behind us has a few very large dogs who are outdoor dogs. I think it is best for Rocky to always go potty inside. What do you think?
I was planning on keeping Rocky in the kitchen in one of those petyard containment pens from Petsmart with his little bed for daytime naps, toys, water, food & pee pad while we are not playing with him. I work from home so I can keep an eye on him most of the time. From all I've read, this seems like a good setup until he is out of the puppy stage. When he's older, I have no problem with him having free run of the house. Now for bedtime, our son really wants Rocky to sleep in his room with him upstairs. Actually, I would prefer this over him being all alone downstairs. I'm just worried about Rocky getting out of his bed and wandering around my son's room while he is sleeping. My son's room is carpeted so I'm afraid about potty accidents at night and also I don't want Rocky to get hurt. So, do you think it would be better to use one of those travel kennels (crates) that can be locked during the night instead of his little bed (just until he learns to stay put and sleep through the night). I don't want to confuse him though with two different beds or confuse him further with using a travel kennel for a nighttime bed and then using it also for car travel.
Another question. If we have Rocky go potty just before bedtime, do we need to get up in the middle of the night to see if he has to go potty again. If so, for how long do we need to do this? I do know that it is very important to take him downstairs to go potty as soon as he wakes up in the morning.
Last question. At 8 weeks, will Rocky need to go for regular walks outside? Like I mentioned, it is so cold where we live. Right now we have tons of snow and there is ice & salt on the sidewalks. I'm sure he will get lots of exercise inside playing with all his toys and with our two children. In the summertime though I'd like to take him on regular short walks.
I would really appreciate any advice you guys can give me. Sorry about the long post and all the questions but I just want to do what is best for our new member of the family.
Thanks so much!!! |
Welcome to YT! We are looking forward to seeing pictures of your baby.
First off, yes.. I think that potty training him inside would be a good idea. If you do decide to take him outside, please keep him on a leash. Otherwise.. it'd be hard to keep him near the pool or the other big dogs. The playpen is a perfect idea. Most of us use them and it's a better way to keep your dog safe while you're not there without confining him to a crate.
I really wouldn't suggest letting your dog sleep with your son until he is older and fully potty trained for all of the reasons you've listed. Franklin is about 4 months and we won't be letting him sleep with us for at least another year. That's just my opinion though, maybe others can offer their insight.
Lastly, I don't think at 8 weeks he'll need a ton of exercise. He'll get enough running around playing with the kids. Like you mentioned, it's cold. Also, you should wait until he's finished with all of his vaccines. It's an absolute must. We didn't (and still don't) take Franklin out and he still got Parvo and it was scary. He won't be going out for walks for a couple more weeks... we're also waiting until it gets warmer.
If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask!
