[suki's grandma]

Happy to have found this forum.

We've had "Suki" for about 2 weeks. She is a doll! She is also the first dog we have ever had. She is 12 wks. old.

Suki's "area" is a child's playpen and I think she has grown to really enjoy it. We have her little 'donut' bed at one end, a potty pad at the other end and have been leaving her Eukanuba kibbles and water in the middle. (altho last nite we took it out, on the advice of a friend, who said we need to get her on a schedule) We'll also put toys in there. We have also used the playpen for her to bed down in at nite and we put the playpen next to my daughter's bed so they can remain close at nite. Suki settles right down usually at about 10-10:30pm at nite and will stay quiet until about 7am, when the household rises for school/work. Most of the time in the morning the potty pad is dry or just a little wet. I think she does a good job of using it. She has used it to poop on in the night becasue we found it that way in the morning.

First thing in the morning, we take her outside to go to the bathroom. Then, we fix her breakfast. We take her out to go to the bathroom after breakfast, but she isn't interested. She wants to eat leaves and garden bark.

Then, thruout the day we keep her in the playpen/let her out to play/go outside to pee/poop.

Most of the time outside, she just wants to sniff around and eat the leaves and bark. When I get tired of this (sometiimes up to 20 minutes and she doesn't produce!) I bring her in and she'll then proceed to poop/pee on the carpet. Sometimes right next to the potty pad!

My questions are these:

1. Are we confusing her by using potty pads and expecting her to go outside to pee/poop.

2. Is it too late to crate train? (I really dread this if the answer is "no, it's not too late") Does it sound like it is necessary to crate train Suki based on my confusing description?

3. How do you get a yorkie to stop pooping/peeing on the carpet and to realize to either go on the pad or outside. (is it wise to teach them to do both?)

4. I've read a little on this forum about leaving their food/water dishes out all day for them to have available to graze on. We've gone back and forth.

Based on what you've read in my post, please give me your honest opinion on how much I've screwed this up. Tell me what to not do anymore and what to keep doing.

Also, how many hours in a day should a yorkie be sleeping? I think we may be keeping her going to many hours a day.

Thanks!

Suki's grandma