First Time Dog Owner Frustrated and Angry....
 

...not at my new 12 week Yorkie but at the countless people telling me an absurd amount of contradicting information about how to raise and train him. Sorry for the rant, but this is ridiculous. The breeder said to just leave food out all the time. But the housebreaking book I just got (Housebreaking in 7 Days, per the sticky here) says feed him 4 times a day per a strict schedule. So does a few blogs. But then another site says to deed him 3 times a day. And another says 2 times a day (yes itnsaid a Yorkie between 3-6 months should be fed twice a day. I'm going to ffollow the book's but my confidence in it isn't exactly great.

I'm also reading places that housetraining is crucial during this time. But then I'm also told by the breeder and the vet that he shouldn't leave the house until his final booster is given and kicks in a month from now. I'm trying to doastroturf litterbox training (he won't stay put in there and it'ss been a nightmare) - but what if I wanted to do outdoors? I don't have a lawn. I live in an apartment on the 4th floor.

I'm going out of my mind. This world of pet care is utter chaos. Where is the difinitive authority? Where is the Bible of pet care that every vet swears by? Why does everyone and every site give tips as if they were universally accepted practices without even mentioning the fact that others disagree?

Sorry to bother everyone with this, I just had to get it out.

I am a believer you have to do what works best for you I free feed all my dogs and it works for me. I had very good luck with the pee pads for training. And I would just restrict the area where the pee pads are the litter box is. Until they learn this is the proper place to potty. Running the whole house does not help you potty train. mine always potty after playing or waking from a nap Even when you free feed they pick a certain time they eat. At least mine do. And the best advice is to be consitstent and if you do potty training will be over before you know it. You both are just getting use to each others body language. Pretty soon your 12 week old pup will have you perfectly trained :) good luck and stay positive it will be well worht it

Almost all of it usually works out okay generally except for those that really believe in punishing the dog for certain behaviors or feeding nothing but a diet of raw carrot sticks but as a responsible pet owner you have to listen to your breeder and vet, read and digest all that you can and determine what is going to work out best for you and your pup. All pet owners have gone through what you are going through. I was raised with dogs in the family and sort of went by what my parents did at first but soon found there were a variety of even smarter and better ways of doing things. So I read and read, watched every TV show on raising/training dogs I could and talked to everyone who would! So soak it all in but be guided by what you think makes the most sense for you and your pet.

It is annoying sometimes. I don't think you'll find a definitive authority on every issue. In terms of training and socialization, I disagree with your breeder and vet and instead look to what the expert vets who are board certified veterinary behaviorists have to say about it. And they say that puppy socialization is best achieved at a time before puppies are fully vaccinated, under certain circumstances. Here is their position statement: http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonli...ialization.pdf

As for feeding, I have always fed on a schedule of twice a day -- three times when they were small puppies. They poop at the same times, every day, so that makes indoor pottying easier for us to manage (we use pads indoors). I have heard stories of dogs choking to death on kibble when their owners weren't home, and I'm a worrier so I wouldn't leave food out. It also would not work well in my multi-dog, household and doggie pack dynamic (one is a bully!).

Good luck w/ your new pup!

Don't give up....He should have you trained in no time...

balderdashian! Deep breath....in.....out.....in......out! It will be fine! You read everything you can about raising these babies, and for the most part, you will get a consensus on most of the important things. Next, you have to use some educated guesstimations about what is going to work for you and your puppy and your schedule.....a very young baby, that is very small, can NOT go all day without eating but twice a day....even 3 times a day....you have to be sure that baby is getting "tanked up" every 2 hours, to prevent possible episodes of hypoglycemia....that is why some free feed.... larger puppies that can ingest larger amounts of food, can go longer between meals....potty training takes consistance, persistance, and patience.....no body curls up and dies if you dont get it exactly right....it may just take longer, thats all! Take them outside first thing in the morning, after you see them eat anything, when they get up from their naps, and at least every 2 hours in between! Give the command you choose, "potty, potty"..."TT", "TT"..."Poo-Poo", "Poo-Poo"....and I always have several treats in my hand....I use green beans....aand when they do what they are supposed to do, even if it is by accident, praise, praise, praise, kiss, kiss, kiss, squeal in delight and "good girl, good girl"...and give the green bean! Do this every single time you take her outside, especially when to potty! As far as taking them outside before the final booster is given, I would not be concerned if the baby was 12 weeks old and I had her in MY back yard....NO DOG PARKS, NO HIKING PATHS, NO LONG WALKS IN PUBLIC AREAS....but just in your own private yard where there is no exposure to other dogs.....and take it easy...we have all been where you are! That baby will be fine and so will you!

Do what works best for you. I feed my yorkues puppies 3 times a day as puppies til 6 months then cut it to 2 times. Around that time the would not eat all 3 meals anyway. They also got snacks throughout out the day as potty training rewards.

Mine are outdoor pottyers from the start. No pee pads for me. Only in my yard though til after they were full vaccinated.

I did not let them walk to public places til after they go all their shots. If it took the with me before they had their shots it was in my arms, their bag, or stroller. No one was allowed to touch them in public til after they got their shots. I told people "No you can't pet her". I even put a sign on the stroller that said "Look all you want but don't even think if touching me. My mom is super protective of me and will yell at you"- It worked.

It will all sort out...you have to do what works for you. Having a puppy is a challenge in itself. I wish you all the best.

OMG, I know EXACTLY how you feel. And, every time you try something and it doesn't work, you feel like crap because YOU screwed up. I have had my 7 mo. old Yorkie for 3 weeks now and it has not been easy. I THOUGHT she was getting the pee pads, but 2 days ago she regressed to peeing all over the floor in the kitchen. DO NOT LET YOUR DOG HAVE THE RUN OF YOUR HOUSE. I did for the first few days and totally screwed up any potty training she had. Today, she pooped in the exercise pen that I keep her in and then proceeded to walk in it. It was everywhere. And don't let anyone tell you they won't poop where they sleep or eat, they DO.

I love the people who tell you to take the dog out every 2 hours. Well, guess what, I WORK. I can't do that. I am killing myself trying to get some kind of freakin "schedule" so that I have some sanity with this dog. Now that it is warmer, I am going to try and get her to potty outside. The problem is, she now won't even pee outside. She holds it till she gets back inside and proceeds to pee on the floor, unless I lock her in the exercise pen. Which she then goes nuts. I try and walk her 3 x a day for at least 1/2 hour each time. You would think that would be enough exercise, but NO.

I feel like I am doing everything wrong and she is just getting worse and worse. Then she will do something so cute and all the frustration just melts away. I am looking into some private training classes. Mostly for ME.

Anyway, I will tell you what everyone has been telling me: Hang in there, it gets better.

Sorry all for the typos. I did all that on my phone, and it looks like there's no edit here for new thread posts! :eek:

Appreciate all your advice! I have been feeding him 4 times and we have Nutrical in case of emergencies. But like I was saying I don't have my own private yard. I live in an apartment in Los Angeles (which was one of the main reasons we chose a Yorkie). And expensive one, but still no yard. There's a balcony but that's not safe for him yet (I need to have lattice put in). My front yard effectively is a dog park. If you stood in front of my building you'll see someone walk a dog by ever 5 minutes.

Everyone is just being helpful. Kind of like having a skin baby isn't it! ;)
Just take what information that works best for you and your little man. I do have to agree not taking him out till he's had his shots though.

Thanks, we're both in the same boat! My wife and I were a bit unprepared when we picked him up on a Saturday night. We thought we did what we needed to to get ready, but we were so wrong. Earlier that week we both read the breeder's notes and the 100 page book she sent us cover to cover (Yorkshire Terriers: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual by Sharon L. Vanderlip). I realize now what a horrible book it is for a first time owner. There's no specifics. Just general vague tips. It explains the basic concept of crate training is and how it works, and then warns "Don't leave him in too long" - that's as detailed as it gets. How long is too long? 15 minutes? 9 hours??? How are we supposed to know? What a joke. So we just figured it'd be when we slept and that's it.

Another issue, we were under the impression that he'd be in his gated off area except at night. We got this play gate:

Amazon.com: North States Superyard 3 in 1 Wood...
...which my wife said was recommended somewhere (here I think). We learned in about 30 seconds that he squeezes right through it (it was really cute)! The next day I bought some wire mesh to make it work but it took me all day to get it ready. We have hardwood floors and just wanted him to be happy and unstressed and like his new home, so we let him run around (supervised) that entire day. We were led to believe that we could tell when he's about to go and just pick him up and put him on a pee pad or the litterbox. Not true. He was sniffing the ground all day so there was no telling he was gonna pee until he did, and he'd occasionally run behind something and poop really quickly. It was nuts. But it was easy to clean so we just laughed like it was no big deal. Little did I know it caused housbreaking setbacks. I spent two days trying to get him to go in the astroturf box or outside. He won't go either so far. It wasn't until today when I bought the ebook that I see he must be trained for the litter box OR outside - not both (that's a bummer, I want him to use either which is what bought the box with the fake grass for).

Just chuggin along and following the schedule now. He didn't eat or potty last time out of the crate and now I'm worried he could have an accident in it. I'm supposed to let him out at 5 (Pacific). It's like, do I break the schedule and let him out early, or wait the remaining 2 hours? The book says to not deviate from the schedule. But it also says if he goes in the crate it's a major setback. Oh, what to do! **facepalm**

Training
 

Listen to your vet. We got a new Yorkie-poo. There is something called Parvo. It is a disease in animals. It can kill your dog if you put him on the ground outside before he gets all his shots. Try the puppy pads. You can find them at Walmart or other stores. You can get the plastic tray to put them in. Go on line and find Crate training. Our puppy was completely trained with very few accidents in two weeks. Good Luck and happy puppy training.

Hey i got my baby in december,and owning a yorkie is a whole diff world then owning a bigger dog fr my experience so far. it is hard to know what the right answers are, i think whats right is what works for you.
I'm not as experienced as alot of people here, but heres what i learned so far, don't let him around other dogs until hes had all his shots, you said alot of dogs walk by where you live, so don't let him out there either until he's had all his shots, he could catch parvo(very dangerous), my baby found it too cold to let out all winter so she'd just go out on the deck for the first while, i suggest getting your balcony secured and letting him out there for some fresh air, maybe even take him for a walk in your arms for some fresh air,thats what i did with my baby for the first bit,too much snow for her.Oh and dont let too many people touch her until shes had all her shots.
Potty training this is what i've learned so far...
If you don't clean up where they've peed or pooped extremely well, if they even get a little sniff that they pottied there...they will do it again. they will have accidents the first while, you need to praise them so so so much anytime you seem them go on a potty pad and give them treats,if you see them sniffing around fast circling sniffing(it took a little bit of watching them to see the difference between just sniffing around and sniffing to pee or poo, it takes a bit to get to know your babys habits,as u get to know him more u will also begin to see his habits of the times he pees and poos for example after drinking or eating of after naps etc, they pee and poo ALOT at first because they're still young and have a small bladder, they will slowly begin to pee less as they get older thier bladder gets bigger and they have the ability to hold it longer) put them on the potty pad however if you don't cath them in time NEVER pick them up while they're crouched down ready to potty and never never get mad at them for not pottying on thier pad, they will then think pottyings a bad thing and try to hide it from you and poo or pee in places you can't see.I let my baby have free roam of the basement,now that shes finally gotten the hang of using ptty pads and rarley has accidents she has free roam of the whole house, this works for me but i hear crating is also good too. now that she has the potty pads down were starting outside training now that the snows melting(shes about 21 weeks now). My vet said with these little guys its good to free feed them at first, now were switching to feeding her 3-4 times a day because she is a bit overweight, but i have heard so many problems with young yorkies i just thought i'd free feed her to keep her healthy, not sure if i did the right thing but shes as healthy as can be, so i guess it worked.but i would deff feed a baby yorkie more than 2 times a day, they are growing and fragile little things,i'd want it to be as healthy as can be!,i played fetch inside with my little one to make sure she got lots of exercise due to her not being able to play in the snow, i chase her around with favourite toy pretending i'm trying to get it from her, keeps her healthy.i give her baby carrots and apple slices very tiny pieces,she loves these.anyways just thought i'd share my experience so far...everyone will raise thier baby differently , you need to learn your babys personality, consider your lifestyle and figure out what works for you!..everything you will read will have conflicting information, i would read it all and figure out whats going to work for you, thats what i did, i read alot here on yt, and found my own way to raise my yorkie from bits and pieces of everyones info, oh and praise praise praise!!!these little guys need alot of praise for potty training,put on your happiest high voice when u see him go potty on the pee pad!!(everytime mine dose i go "YAYYY MEESHA!!!GOOD GIRL" clap my hand and she comes running over so proud of herself,you need to praise them for pottying on the pad..these little ones are sooo much harder to potty train..don't get frustrated though your dog will sense that, don't stress and just enjoy your baby while they;re still a baby, get lots of pics too! they grow up so fast!!:)goodluck with your new baby!:)

To Balderdashian. Yup, I know. I went through it all. I too, thought I was prepared. Nope. I didn't get a big enough gate to gate off the kitchen, so I had to supplement the one I had with a big box. I also couldn't tell if she had to potty because all they DO is freakin sniff. EVERYTHING. I mean everything. I take her out and she finds the nastiest places to sniff.

You CANNOT give her the run of your house. Please, please don't do that. You will SO regret it.

I tried to get her to potty outside this a.m. because it is beautiful here, but that didn't work. I tried putting the pee pad down. Didn't work. She just cried. So I took her back inside and let her go on the pee pads. Some people actually have luck with them going inside and outside. I don't know if that is going to work for me (or you).

I also know what you mean about the freakin crate training. Ya right, so you are supposed to take them out for a few minutes, if they don't go, put them in the crate, then just keep doing that. Who has the time to do that if you work?? Besides that, I am sorry, but I just don't believe in keeping a dog cooped up in a crate for hours at night and then hours during the day. These are LITTLE DOGS with LITTLE bladders and they can get urinary tract infections if they hold it too long. Plus, they WILL potty in the crate if they have to go too bad. Then you have another whole mess on your hands.

Ahh, the schedule. The stupid schedule. AGAIN, how can you keep a schedule when you work and have to take care of your own life? I ended up beating myself up because I couldn't keep the stupid schedule.

But you know what? Last night, something happend that put all this into perspective for me. She was on my lap chewing on a rawhide bone and a piece got caught in her throat. She started gasping for air and choking. I freaked out. She was looking at me like, please help me. I opened her mouth and stuck my fingers down her throat and she puked up a chunk of rawhide. My dog almost died. I was shaking and crying after it happened. But she was o.k. I will NEVER give her rawhide again.

I am posting this because after that happened, I realized that her pooping and peeing on the floor is not a good thing, and me not being able to keep a stupid schedule is not a good thing, but you know what? It is all NOTHING compared to the fact that she could have died on my lap. So now, I am a lot calmer about stuff and am going to do what works for me and her. If she isn't going to go outside, then she isn't going to go outside. I will work on getting her to go on the pee pads all the time. If I can't walk her 3 x a day at the EXACT SAME TIME, then I can't walk her and I am not going to stress out over it or beat myself up. I am going to do the best I can and be thankful that I still have her.

I hope this helps you guys that are going through new Yorkie he1!. And please think ten times before you feed your doggie rawhide. There are better alternatives out there like beef bully that doesn't get chewed up the same way.

............."Earlier that week we both read the breeder's notes and the 100 page book she sent us cover to cover (Yorkshire Terriers: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual by Sharon L. Vanderlip). I realize now what a horrible book it is for a first time owner. "~~~~
I always recommend 2 books for my new owners..."Yorkies for Dummies" and "Yorkshire Terriers: A Smart Owners Guide".......I love both of these books but the first one is my favorite....and you refer to it time and again! Both theser books are available on Amazon.com

With my previous yorkie, I had a terrible time house training in fact I never succeeded. However I have a new yorkie that brought home on Friday & I bought the Puppy Apatment & so far she only had 1 mistake in her bed!! She has been going in the the little area to potty every time. Im keeping my fingers crossed that the success contintues to work but It definitely doesn't hurt for you to try!!! Hope this helps!!

Hi, what is the puppy apartment and where did you get it??

Thanks!

:)Hi, I got it off a website called modernpuppies.com - & it got delivered quickly too!! Watch the small video clip thats on their page & see if its something that you think will work for you. All I know is that I didn't want to take any chances b/c of the last situation with my other Yorkie. Hopefully it will work for you!!

I worked when I got my Jilly and I bought a larger crate than she needed and created a puppy apartment within that crate so that she had a separate end of the crate to toilet in and a clean end to eat, sleep, play in. She quickly adapted to the area for pottying and eventually, as she gained control of her bladder/bowel, began to hold it until I got hom, preferring to hold it so she could potty outside. She still had access to her potty portion of the puppy apartment crate but she herself decided not to potty there any more and make her toilet outside, like canines have been doing for centuries. It is just more natural for them if they get a chance to toilet outside.

The reason your breeder said to leave food out all the time is Yorkies are prone to hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar and it can be prevented by having food available 24/7. If you pup gets hypoglycemia you can treat it by giving Karo syrup or Nutri-cal, but food should be given within 20 minutes. Hypoglycemia can be very serious and can even cause death, and the main problem with it is a dog will lose its appetite and won’t eat, so that’s why you give a little Karo syrup, you have to raise blood sugar enough to stimulate the appetite. Your breeder knows Yorkies, these other sites are giving all breed information. Also, you breeder understands that your dog will be regular in time, you main job right now in to keep it safe and healthy, housebreaking is secondary. Joey was free fed, until the age of 7 months and water was also available at all time, this did not interfere with housebreaking. In fact, water actually helps the bladder gradually stretch so they can hold their urine a little longer. Withholding water doesn’t help do this.

Puppy parenting advice is just like child parenting advice....there's lots of opinions and views out there about what's "best"...but you need to figure out what's best for you and your pup, and your life-style.

There is usually a reason behind people choosing the things they do. My end goal was that I wanted a completely potty pad trained yorkie.

For me, I schedule feed because I want poop times predictable, as I take ZoE with me as many places as I can.

I potty pad train because my work hours vary day to day, and as I said, I like to take her places with me and potty pads are portable and convenient. I've thrown one down in the bathroom at a friends house, my parents kitchen, my kids dorm room and even my car trunk and she knows to go on it. It makes traveling with her easy.

I didn't crate train because I prefer to use an xpen (playpen) set up with bed at one end and potty pads at the other end, to train. My goal wasn't to have her 'hold it' for hours on end, but to train her 'where' to go potty, whether I'm home or not.

So, it might help if you figure out what your end goals are so that you are training toward them.

Oh wow, I wish I had discovered this puppy apartment earlier. I use an ex-pen with potty pads and put her bed in it. Except she pees on the pads, then walks in it, then goes in the bed or moves the bed around and it gets in the pee and poop. She WAS doing really good going on the pads, but yesterday she decided to pee all over the kitchen floor. I changed the expen around a little to try and get her to stop walking all over the pee pads and I think she got confused.

Anyway, I am going to think about getting that puppy apt. and maybe using that. I just don't want to confuse her even more!!

Be patient, She will get you trained. My Luci was a easy puppy to train, But i think that was because of her breeder.
Hang in there, give it time.

Oh my GOD, we are having a horrible week. She has totally regressed in the potty training. She peed and pooped on the floor yesterday. Peed on the floor in FRONT of the pen this a.m. I am really struggling with this stupid exercise pen. The problem is that this is supposed to be her "home", like a crate, just a little bigger. BUT, it really isn't a happy place for her because that is where she is put when she pees and poops on the floor. Her pee pads are in there. Also, that is where she goes when I leave for work. So, she does NOT associate this pen with a happy place. Plus she constantly jumps up on it to the point that I am afraid she is going to break her hind legs. SO, I have to squirt her with a water bottle to stop her. Another not happy thing. BUT, I am training her to sit on her bed which she is doing really well. SO, she gets a treat. But the bed is IN the pen. So she is now totally confused because she gets squirted when she jumps on the pen, but then lays on the bed like she is supposed to. I can't punish her by squirting her in the pen and also give her a treat immediately after. She doesn't know what the eff is going on. She is totally confused because the pen is used for her punishment as well as supposed to be her "happy" place.

She also constantly whines and cries and barks when she is in the pen and I am home. When I leave, she goes nuts. She is MUCH better when she is running around the kitchen when I am home, but then she pees on the floor. But I swear, she is not going into the pen where the pee pads are because she KNOWS that the door gets closed.

I really don't know what to do. I am thinking that I will get another large gate, gate of the other part of the kitchen, put her crate, bed, toys and water and a ton of pee pads and see how she does. I feel like I would rather work on getting her to go on the pee pads where she is supposed to go and just eliminate the pen.

I have been trying to get her to go outside, but she just won't. She will hold everything until we get in the house and THEN go. She was doing perfect for almost 3 weeks going right into the pen on the pee pads, and now she is right back to where she was, pooping and peeing on the floor outside of the pen if I don't basically block her from leaving it.

I am SO confused and she is confused and I feel really bad again like I SUC!K at this being a dog mother. I just love her so much, but I am getting discouraged for the MILLIONTH TIME.

I have only had her for a little over a month and I know all this takes time, but I can't just keep her locked up in this stupid pen all day when I am not home and then even when I AM home. I don't have a lot of time with her anyway. But, I have to train her to be a well behaved dog. And I read everything and it all seems just totally different every time I read something new.

Anyway, thanks all for reading this missive.

I feel your pain. I got my baby a little over a week ago. I had lots of time before I got her so I read everything I could get my hands on, I was going to do this the right way. I too live in an 8th floor condo and didn't want her peeing in the house so I determined that I would put her potty pad on the patio. However she could get under my railing so no problem I would always take her out on her leash. I also determined that when she was in the house she would either be in my lap, in her crate or I would watch her like a hawk and take her put every hour. I got her on Friday night and by Sunday night I was in tears! Nothing was going according to plan. She wouldn't stay on the pad when I put her on it, she didn't pee on it, she barely would drink so didn't pee very much and the 2 times she did start to pee on the floor I would catch her at it ick her up immediately, say no, and take her to her pad. Well she wouldn't finish peeing. She also would pee in her crate even though it was really tiny as recommended. So Monday morning I went to the store, bought an xpen that sits on my balcony and it totally changed the situation. She is now going on her pee pads on the balcony and things are fine. I can never get her to eat lunch, only breakfast and dinner, despite my well laid out plans. So my point to your question about why are there so many varying opinions and no bible is because each little baby is its own individual. One size doesn't fit all you have to adapt and change, just because it works for my baby doesn't mean it will work for your baby. If it doesn't work one way you have to try a different way. Good luck to you and don't give up, just be ready to be flexible and go with the flow. Since I have done that we fall deeper in love with each other every single day.

OK as a trainer myself I know the same thing does not work for every dog and every person. BUT, it really is best if you choose a training method that feels comfortable to you. Some one else suggested Dog Perfect by Sarah Hodgson and I think this is an excellent and easy to understand book. Another book I really like is, 1000 Best Dog Training Secrets by Robyn Achey and Bill Gorton. Harder to find is this book, Dog Dilemmas by Gary R. Sampson DVM. But it that really helps with common problems. All three of these books will work together. Hope this helps :)

Thanks guys. I think that we new Yorkie owners need to just chill out and figure out what works best for US and OUR dogs and not beat ourselves up when we don't fit into the box of every freakin Yorkie book out there.

I love my dog and I feel better tonight that I can figure it all out.

Yeah, you're getting it. Reread what I posted in one of your other threads... mainly that you do not punish for potty accidents. This is what is confusing your little girl, and is causing her to backslide. You need to ignore the accidents, and super-praise when she does it right. Period. She'll catch on quicker and won't mess up as much. And it will eliminate her confusion as to whether her crate/pen is a good or bad place. She won't pee outside for you because she is afraid to pee while you are watching her. She can't tell if it is a good place or a bad place to pee, she's afraid you will punish her.

Many of your posts read: "I work, I don't have time." Well, you have to make the time, as does everyone else who has a Yorkie puppie. You do get days off? Spend a few, just a few, not forever, with her. When she has problems, it means that you need to put more time into training her, which is telling her when she does something right. Yorkies learn quicker that way. As soon as I stopped punishing my Yorkie, I immediately saw subtle changes toward the good in his behavior, which made me happier being with him, and him happier being with me. I realize this thinking goes against everything we have learned as humans, but just try it with her.

Also, if a specific method is not giving you the results you desire, change the method. All Yorkies are not alike, and some have been through different experiences than others, but I am positive that one method you find on YT will work. Remember too that she is not a 'bad' dog, only that you don't like her behavior at this point in time. Yorkies can sense if you're having feelings other than Love for them.

Good job with the choking incident... but I will warn you here and now: Bully sticks can be just as dangerous.

Good Luck with your girl....