Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince321  Hello everyone!
I am a brand new mom to a gorgeous little Yorkie boy! Prince will be 8 weeks old on Sunday. I've had him for 5 days now and it's been quite a rollercoaster! I love this little guy more than anything and he's completely changed all of our lives. Prince was born on 3-21-10 and on 5-11-10 he weighed in at 2.2lbs!! He is a very active puppy and loves to get himself in trouble! I am so blessed to have him!
I've read many threads on this site, but I still need lots of help from experienced Yorkie parents!!! I would like to thank anyone who responds in advance... Thank you for taking your time to stop by and offer any advice!
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Food:
Prince will NOT eat dog food if his life depended on it! The first 24 hours he wouldn't eat or drink anything and I took him to a horrible vet who told me he would die if I didn't leave him overnight. Naturally, I didn't leave him and lots of dog owners told me it's perfectly normal.
Since then, Prince will ONLY eat human food. So, I've boiled chicken breast and mixed it with rice, he LOVES it! If I try to mix in a canned dog food, he won't touch it. Same goes for the kibble. Since he's so young I'm letting him get away with eating anything (as long as he eats). I added some organic baby food yesterday and he LOVES it! I mixed kibble into the baby food, he eats around the kibble... what can I say, he really is a Prince!! He is also teething and biting everything he can get his little teeth on!
My questions:
1) Is chicken, rice and baby food enough for a growing puppy?
2) Is Greek yogurt on occasion a beneficial way of getting calcium?
3) What else should I be giving him to make sure he has proper nutrition?
4) Should I give him supplements or vitamins?
5) Should I give him milk or baby formula?
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Skin:
I've noticed that Prince has a bit of a dandruff problem and constantly itches. I bought him "Mahica's Finest" Oatmeal shampoo, and gave him a bath a few days ago. I found after that puppies this young are not supposed to be washed?! I clean him off using bath wipes and spray him down with EarthBath between shampoo to make sure he smells yummy!
My questions:
1) How often can I bathe him?
2) What shampoo and conditioner should I get that is specifically made for Yorkies?
3) Should I give him supplements to make sure he has a shiny coat later?
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Jumping/Climbing:
I'm not sure if it is part of the Yorkie attitude, but Prince is a JUMPER and a CLIMBER. I joke around and tell everyone that the girl I got him from lied to me and sold me a cat, not a dog! He climbs on everything, doesn't matter how high! I'm just worried that he is going to hurt himself. I know that these dogs are not as fragile as I make him out to be. Just concerned!
My questions:
1) How high is high?
2) Is it normal behavior?
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Temperament:
I need help getting this pup to listen. He is starting to be pretty good with going on the wee-wee pads, but still has some accidents. I'm afraid to take him outside because people have told me he's too young and needs all his vaccines before he goes to doggie parks. He already had his first round of shots. He doesn't like to wear his harness. I've ordered a few books on how to train Yorkies, and awaiting their arrival. For now I need to teach him to be a little more independent and stop crying. He's a real mama's boy.
Any advice on training would be very appreciated!! |
Welcome to YT! Your little one is just a doll
Let me see if I can answer some of your questions about Prince.
Food:
What type of food are you feeding him? Since he is so young he might be having difficulty with the size of the piece of kibble too. You might try to add a little warm water to soften. Everyone has an opinion about which food to feed, kibble, wet, raw, homecooking, etc. I feed mine Natural Balance and have feed them since they were puppies. It is a All Age food and they have always done well with it.
As for the vet wanting to keep him~was Prince shipped to you? Did the vet feel that he was dehydrated?
1. Chicken and Rice is not a balanced diet and you need to feed appropriate food that he will get all of his nutriants from so that he is health.
2. Greek yogurt? I am assuming that is a goat milk product which you can give if you would like.
3. If you are feeding a high quality dog food this is all that he needs. There is also a sticky about foods here:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ing-chart.html
4. Feed a high quality food and you will not been to give additional supplements. IMO
5. He should not be given milk since most dogs are lactose intolerant and this will cause him to possibly have diarrhea and vomiting which in turn will cause dehydration. In small breed dogs this can become a medical emergency very quickly. He should not be given baby formula.
Skin:
1. My suggestion would be to use a tearless puppy shampoo since he is so small. Make sure he does not get chilled after his bath and he should be just fine.
2. There are all kinds of opinions on shampoo and conditioners just like food
I personally use Pet Silk, Yorkie Splash and Shine, Tropiclean for mine. I purchased the last to from members here. When I wash round their faces I use a wet washcloth and a little tearless shampoo.
3. Once again, feed a good quality off and they are not needed~
Jumping:
Purchase stairs and teach him to use the stairs to get onto the furniture or bed. It is extremely dangerous to allow a puppy to jump even a little distance. There are plenty of people that have had to surgically repair breaks from even a small jump. It's just not worth the risk. If you teach him early he you will not have to worry about injury. Also, many Yorkies have issues with LP and jumping is not good for that either.
