Welcome to YT. If you can overlook all the bashing, there is really some great knowledge and experience here. First of all, give your wife a great big hug. Fighting over the pup's domain, is not going to help your marriage. I can understand your wife's problem with the kitchen if she is having to crawl over an x pen or crate to open her kitchen cabinets every time she wants to cook or clean.
I have had yorkies before so I knew how bad potty training was going in but it is still quite aggravating and frustrating at times. I do use the x pen with a crate inside for when we are not here. I think a tarp or something underneath would be advisable if you are putting it on carpet. The reason I use the crate & the xpen is because although the x pen keeps them from using the floor, if you don't confine them to the crate for some times (but 8 hrs is too long), you are not really teaching them to "hold it" at all.
I am sure that if you can get past this difficult time, (and it will take much time and patience) your wife will begin to love your puppy as well. They are just so cute, I don't know how anyone cannot!
However, everyone is not as animal crazy as Yters nor are they willing to surrender their house and finances to the family pet. But after you take out all the enraged comments, most of the advice is quite sound. You don't have to put your wife out on the porch or dress your dog in clothes to be a good animal owner.
I sincerely hope that your wife has not been reading these posts (and that you had sense enough not to tell her everything that was said). I think some of the suggestions could give her a bad feeling about Yorkies & Yorkie fans. You, obviously are taking your pet ownership seriously or you would not have asked the questions and been willing to take abuse to get the information you needed.
I love my Yorkie to death but she is not as important as my husband and/or children If your wife is willing to give it a try and you and your daughter are in love with the puppy, I don't see any reason why you cannot be a good pet owner.
I do understand that the weather in CA is totally different from the weather in the northern states & you probably had no intention of putting a 4 month old puppy out in freezing cold weather. What you probably didn't realize is that Yorkies are climbers and can get through the smallest opening. You wouldn't want to take the chance of the puppy falling from the balcony.
Also, I have heard stories from people whom I have no reason not to believe of Yorkies being attacked by birds of prey. Therefore, I don't leave my pup outside unattended. I don't know what size your pup is but some of the smaller ones could be seriously injured by just about anything. What if your pup is in the pen alone outside and a stray big mean tomcat comes into his pen to eat the food you have left outside for your pup. You could come home to a blinded if not dead puppy. I have never seen it happen but if a bird can get a rabbit or similar sized animal, there is no reason to think it couldn't get my puppy.
I have french doors across the back wall of my house and I have set up an x pen outside alongside the french doors and underneath the covered porch and have put my pup out there when I was cleaning the wood floors inside. I could see her and she could see me and it was a pretty sunshiney day. I think she enjoyed it but you still have to watch for a stray cat or squirrel. You have to be careful even of leaves blowing up or sticks. I tell you she will eat anything. Don't drop a dime or a nail or anything on your floor. You have to patrol the floor just like you had a crawling baby.
In all honesty, raising a Yorkie pup sometimes feels like raising a small baby. If your wife isn't totally sold on this idea, you are going to have to take on the lion's share of the work. I'm sure you are the exception but my husband's share of owning a pet is playing fetch and teasing her with chew toys and bobos until she is excited & growling, quickly followed by wetting on the floor (the puppy, not my husband).
I'm sorry to be so long-winded. Actually all I wanted to say was if you really want the pup, you can do it, but eight hours a day is a long time for the pup to be left alone every day and it is going to be really tough getting it housebroken under those conditions.
Please let us know what your family decides to do and don't be scared to come back with more questions anytime.
Good luck
