[Ashley V]

It is possible to train a yorkie to use a litter box, but you could also train to use a pee pad to. This is what we did:

Chip was crated all night. As soon as he came out of the crate, I sat him on his pad and wouldn't let him move until he went to the bathroom. When he was out, we watched him 100% of the time. If we caught him going somewhere else, we would tell him "no" firmly and take him to his pee pad and tell him "This is where you POTTY" and emphasized POTTY because we wanted him to learn the word. If we could not watch him 100%, he was crated. Thankfully, hubby and I had two different work schedules, so he wasn't crated a whole lot. He was trained in just a couple weeks.

NOW since you have to work, I would block your new baby in a puppy proofed room... a lot of people use bathrooms or laundry rooms. Since he is still a puppy and probably tiny, I would recommend free feeding until he is bigger. Leave him in the choosen room with a pee pad/litter box, food, water, soft place to sleep, and toys. Maybe to make him feel more comfortable, leave a radio on with some quiet music and/or a TV on quietly and maybe put in a shirt that you've worn.

For shots - the vets will tell you to get shots every year, however a lot of times, once a dog is vaccinated, it is good throughout their life or at least a few years. I would recommend getting a titer's test to check the levels and it will tell you whether your baby needs the shots.