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Originally Posted by ShortnSweet I'm looking to get a Yorkie sometime in the next couple of months, but I have some questions. I've been doing research, but I'd rather hear from real, "live" people who own Yorkies than read it off of some article.
First, I live alone in a two-bedroom apartment. Will a Yorkie be content in a small space? I plan on walks and frequent trips out of the home, but I worry that a dog would be MUCH happier with a yard ...
Also, I know Yorkies can be difficult to potty train. I plan on crate training and using pee pads (since I'm in an apartment.) Are they really that much more difficult than other breeds? I potty trained my mother's miniature American Eskimo with little problems, just a few accidents.
Also, I was thinking of getting a playpen. Would this work as well as a crate? Will a playpen hold an older Yorkie? Will baby gates hold a Yorkie (my apartment has stairs). If I get a playpen, do I really need a crate?
Many of the neighbors in this community have dogs as well, some pretty large. How likely is a Yorkie to start a fight? I know they can be a bit rambunctious ...
In a year, I will be moving about 30 minutes away to a house with my friend. The house will be fenced. Do you think it will be difficult to go from pee pad training to having a yard as well? Do you think a move (albeit small) will upset my Yorkie?
What do ya'll suggest I do for socialization?
While I'm at work, would puppy day care be a good idea or should I leave her home alone for about 6 hours?
Okay, so that's probably enough for now. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon. And to anyone willing to tackle some of my questions, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! |
I crate trained Rowdy at night - he started sleeping through the night just a week or so after I got him (8 weeks old). He would wake me up to go potty about 3:00am, but after a couple of weeks, he started sleeping through the night. During the day, I used a pen (metal pen, not play pen) with a bed and papers, because I didn't want him to have to be in the crate all night, and then in the crate for more hours during the day. I am fortunate though in that my husband is retired and is at home most of the day. However, I used a pen so he would have room to romp and play some during the day when we were gone.
It did take me longer to potty train him then our Jack Russell terrier, but now he is almost 7 months old and I don't think he has had an accident in the past month. Of course, I am lucky again, because we have a fenced yard and he has a doggie door and can come and go as he pleases which greatly helped the potty training.
You asked about paper training and then getting them ot go outdoors after you move. I once had a poodle who had to be paper trained because we lived in an apartment at the time. I don't think he ever was really paper trained because he would start going in a particular spot on the floor and I would move the papers to that spot and he would use the papers for a while and then he would move to another spot and start going on the floor again and I would move the papers to that spot and on and on. Anyway when he was about 9 months old we moved into a house with a fenced yard and it only took him about a week to learn to go outside and he never had any accidents - except when he was mad at me for bringing my baby home from the hospital.
Good luck with everything - you won't regret one minute getting a Yorkie - even if they are a bit more work in some respects. The payoff is waaaay worth the effort.
