2 yorkies + guilt=HELP
 

My question to you is, what exercise do they get during the day? Even my dog who has free roam of the house sleeps the entire time I'm out at work. When I get home, he's ready to play! I try my best to give him physical activities to do as well as stimulate his mind. Otherwise, he won't be sleepy at bed time.

Hi DvlshAngel985-

I guess I'm lucky cause their legs and bodies are so tiny...I play with them on a regular basis, chase them around for a little while after they have eaten and throw their toys, get them wound up. When it's nice out I take Sophie for a walk around my condo unit, but Holly doesn't have any of that. She hates the leash.

I don't let my dogs sleep in bed with me for that reason, I won't get any sleep myself:). I agree, you should take them for a good walk in the afternoons, they are probably sleeping all day while you're gone. You have a very good idea about confining them to an area of the house that is safe for them while you're at work instead of a crate. If you're worried about potty accidents, use a pee pee pad in that area.

Alice sleeps all night long in her crate on the floor in my bedroom without a peep. By the time I go to bed, she's so tired she gladly walks right in to "her bed". They'll probably protest at first, but you have to push your guilt aside and either ignore them or just tell them "NO" if they cry a bit, they'll get used to it in a few days. I'd crate them together at night to help that (get a bigger crate if you need to).

You really do need to make sure they get enough activity to be able to sleep all night long though. And think about it this way - if they aren't in your bed, you'll sleep better and have more energy to walk and play with them when you get home from work. :D They'll be getting exercise and so will you, win win situation:)

If you're not comfortable giving them free roam don't do it, that's your preference. Mine is trained to potty on a pad, and he will walk from the bedroom, through the living room to get to the bathroom to potty. His momma taught him well. :D Actually, I can't take credit for that, he's just so smart and caught on super quick.

Could it be possible that the amount of activity isn't enough? Some pups are more active that others. Mine is ok with a game of fetch, chase, and hide and seek indoors (1 hr to 1.5 hrs) whereas my friends pup needs at least a walk in the morning, one mid-day, and another walk in the afternoon everyday, and to play fetch indoors as well. She is very, very active!

Have you considered doggy daycare for them a few times a week to help them release some energy?

Thanks so much AliceTheYorkie!!

I'm going to try it. I do know that the pee pads work for my dogs. I'll try to confine them to the bathroom asap! And yes, they do crate together during the day, so crating them at night won't be a problem.

Another question though. Holly, the oldest, has such a hard time during bad storms. We had a bad one last night. I can't settle her down. I've heard of Rescue Remedy to help calm pets down...have you heard of it?
I really need to try something. She pants and her heart races so fast.

Saw this post after I posted my responce:) - if she hates the leash, hook it to her in the house and let her walk around with it on. Make sure you're using a harness for walks, not hooking the leash to a collar. Usually with a harness they have no problem with a leash (I learned this the hard way when I got Alice and I knew very little about Yorkies)

HAHA! I'm the opposite. If he's not in bed with me I can't sleep! I don't know how I slept before he came home. I was so determined not to let him sleep with me in bed. I caved, and I love it! He curls up right next to me and he lets me cuddle with him until I fall asleep.

I would not suggest a dog crated during work hours and then during sleep would have much quality of life. Can't you just housebreak them so that they do not have to be in the crate at all once the training is over? That way they can hold it duing the day or use pee pads and then have the run of the house. Nighttime, since you can't sleep, teach them to sleep in their beds and if housebroken, they will hold it during the night. It will take some time to train them but it will give them a lot more to live for if they have some freedom and don't have to spend their lives in a crate.

My last 2 Yorkies were crate-trained until fully potty trained and then allowed free run of their home and I had no guilt and they had/have a great life.

I agree that crating all day and crating all night seems like too much time spent in a confined crate.

Ex pen during the day maybe? Dog walker? Doggie Daycare?

LoL - I'm like this, too. :)

when I go away, I have a hard time sleeping w/o him.

:aimeeyork Totally agree! I sleep with both of my Yorkies - they cuddle right up tp me! :aimeeyork

Unfortunately, I have tried everything to potty train the both of them, and I haven't succeeded. I will confine them to the kitchen, it's a large space and put pee pads down during the day. I wish I could let them have the full condo, but I can't. I love them more than anything, I hope that no one thinks that I believe crating them all day long and all night is an option. IT'S NOT. That's why I am asking for help.

How old r they?:confused:

Holly is 9 years old and Sophie is 5.

Yes I've heard of rescue remedy, but it doesn't work for most dogs. I just learned about something amazing on here a few weeks ago. It's called a Thundershirt and many people here have great success with it. Here's their site : www.thundershirt.com

I used to be like that too with my Beagle, until I got married:rolleyes: lol. Now when my dh works the night shift, I love having that bed all to myself LOL Well, the cats will jump in bed with us but they just plop down by our feet and don't wake us up by moving around or hogging the blanket or pillow so I don't mind:D

@alicetheyorkie! I bought the thundershirt! I read the review and watched the video. I have to try it! :)

Go to the link Thundershirt | The Best Dog Anxiety Treatment, click on the tab that says Thunder. I just couldn't believe it. The little Boston Terrier acts just like Holly.

I'm the same way. I can't sleep if they aren't curled up next to me. If one of them gets up to wander during the night, I wake up, too.

WOW - I thought they were puppies. They are way old 4 this.Does the Vet know?

Exactly how many hours are these dogs crated per day, and does anyone let them out at all during the day?

Your dogs likely aren't potty trained because of the time they spend in the crate. I would hire both a trainer and then a dog walker to come in and help out in the middle of the day. Get these dogs trained, then they can at least be confined to a bedroom during the day and have some room to stretch their legs so they don't have to be confined so long.

I am like most of the others, can't sleep without my babies!

I know some do it, but I am very much against crating a dog for 8-10 hours a day. That is jus too long for them to not get any exercise at all. Of course they are active at night -- they a being forced to sleep all day for lack of the opportunity to do anything else. I would definately invest in some expens or better yet, a gate and let them have at least one room of the house if you don't think they are able to free roam yet.

Yorkies ar every people-oriented pups -- they crave interaction. If you cannot be with them, doggy daycare is an excellent idea. If that is not possible, then they need more room to get out and about. They need enough space to work up to a run. That way they can chase each other, play with some toys and get that much needed exercise. You will probably find a completely different pair of pups at night! If they are getting more exercise during the day, then it would not be bad to crate them at night. But I would not add another 8-10 hours of crating to their already 8-10 daytime hours. That is just WAY TOO MUCH.

:yeahthat: My little girl loves bed time and naps with momma. Her sweet little snores put me to sleep like a lullaby :p

I'm glad you say crating at night and during day is not an option and are looking for suggestions. :thumbup:

I like your idea of gating off the kitchen....so much better than a crate. :) A few things I would do: make sure you leave the crate in the kitchen with them, with the door open. This will help the transition as they likely view their crate as a safe place. Do you have a cloud nine bed yet from The Yorkie Haven rescue? It is soooo comfortable...something like this will make their new area comfy. I assume you have tile of some sort in the kitchen, I would get a blanket or washable rug for them. A tile floor can be cold and uncomfortable for little bodies. Add lots of fun toys. Also, make sure it is dog safe...no cords or cleaning products or even people food within reach.

If you completely eliminate the crating during the day, the transition into the crate at night will likely go better.

I highly recommend getting someone to come once a day to walk the dogs during the day. The anticipation for the walk, the walk itself, and the winding down after the walk will benefit so much. They will have a MUCH improved daytime life and will be more likely to sleep at night. Especially if you walk both of them in the evening and play with them like you already do.

This is a wonderful opportunity to really do something good for your dogs! Good luck and keep us posted!

I agree 100% ! I can't even imagine doing that to a Yorkie, or any dog for that matter.

:D Hope it works well for her:) Have you tried working with Holly more with the leash at all so they can go for walks?
How's the switch to letting them have more room during the day going? Have you tried the crate at night yet?
:)

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), you are going to get a lot of different advice on this one...lol.

However, the bottom line is, if they were getting enough activity during the day and/or evening, they wouldn't be up roaming around on the bed at night. And if they are stuck in a crate all day, then trust me, they are sleeping...not playing.

I'm lucky in that hubby goes to work before I do, and so gets home several hours before I do...total time confined is probably at a high of 6 hours. I still feel guilty for this. However, to relieve the guilt, we have done two things:

1. They don't actually have a "crate" per se....it's a very large cage...in fact large enough that during initial potty training it housed bed, food and water bowls, and a large litter box with doggy litter plus play area. Once we transitioned to going outside, it now has a very large area to play with no litter box.
2. If anyone is home, they are not in the cage, they are with us. Period. We consider the sleeping in bed as part of them being in our pack, and gives them additional time with us. However, if they haven't had enough exercise we immediately know it because of what you described. It is hard to always find the energy to play in the evening, but it's a must if you don't at least do a day a week of doggy daycare. This is a special treat for ours, and they normally stay tired for a couple of days worth from that one day...lol. On those weeks we just can't manage it, the laser light show comes to the living room (you know, the little pen light, just don't shine it in their eyes). Sitting on the couch while they lose their minds running everywhere trying to catch it provides LOTS of exercise...lol. They sleep like babies after that..

Hope this helps :)

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