Million Questions a/b New Puppy

[CinnasMama]

HI all. My girl isn't a purebread Yorkie, but is a Bichon Frise/Yorkie Mix. I hope it's still okay that I post here. It's the only forum I've found for yorkies.

Her name is Cinna, like Cinnamon, and is 8 weeks old. I just brought her home on Friday. After reading practically everything there is and talking to several friends, I still have a million questions. I'd appreciate help with any one of these.

See attached for pics.

I got Cinna after the loss of my 13-year-old lhasa opso/yorkie mix Sandee (she died May 3). So I am 13-years out of practice with puppies and I even find myself with absolutely no recollection of Sandee when she was this age. Granted, I was 14 when I got her and probably wasn't the best of trainers then anyway.

I have been told that crate training is a must and have been told mixed opinions on the best practices of executing this. I know Cinna is young and new to my home so I know she is also just getting used to things and it's going to take time. But I feel like I am imprisoned by this 2lb little fur ball!

I work from home so she will be used to having me here a lot, but I also want her to be okay when I leave for meetings and actually have a life outside of tending to her. I want her to be a self-sufficient little girl.

So now for my questions:

What is a proper daytime crate training schedule? Amount of in the crate, amount of time out of the crate. I am here so it's not as if I have to or want to leave her in all day, but I need to know what the training part looks like. Right now, I feel like I have to babysit her (sit in the room with her) when she's in the crate, otherwise she whines.

Nighttime has been rough. She cries from the crate every 90 minutes or so. I have been told to cover her crate with a blanket and ignore her. I have been told to set an alarm and take her out every 2 hours (when do I sleep, again?). What do I do at night? Having her in my bed or in my bedroom isn't an option. I have a ticking clock, warm towels and safe toys in the kennel.

I already love this little girl, but I am so tired and so frustrated/discouraged.

Any help, advice, encouragement you can offer will be tremendously appreciated.

Blessings,
Crystal
aka CinnasMama

[kjc]

Hi and Welcome to YT! Congratulations on your new puppy!

Crate training schedules I'm unsure of. There's a few different ones out there.

At night, many have had luck with putting the crate on the bed or on a chair next to the bed, where Cinna can see you. To calm her, you can stick your fingers through the door.

I never let my pups out during the night for a potty break. I did get up earlier though to check on them and let them out then, if they were awake. And gave them a potty break last thing before bed.

Remember, she's just a baby dog. She left her Mom and siblings and may be feeling a bit lonely, till she adjusts to her new life with you. This could take at least a few weeks or so. Once she learns her new schedule, she'll get better being left alone. I would plan on spending more time with her early on, then gradually allow her 'alone time' on her own. I wouldn't allow her the run of the house until she's potty trained.

[mzw00dy]

She is SO CUTE. What a face.

[ritapatt]

Cute puppy! She looks so fluffy!
We crated at night (it did take 3 days of whining, but I felt Abby could handle 6 hours alone, she is a year old and is up to 8 hours) We did have a few accidents but not every night. She was closer to 12 weeks.
I blocked Ziva in the dining room when she was a pup, for about 8 months! I bought Abby a 36"tall 8 panel Isis ex-pen, it has worked out well- she still goes in there when I leave the house.

[JaxsonsMommy12]

She's beautiful! I'm a new Momma as well to little Jaxson & he's 12 weeks old. I'm very shocked at how smart this breed is & how much fun they can be. I'm sorry you're feeling discouraged & tired but hang on a bit longer! The first 2 nights were the toughest for us as far as training & crying but we finally figured out if he sleeps in our room in his crate that's covered with a dark blanket he's fine! He sees us & feels secure plus the darkness of the crate makes him think he is in his little cave! During the day I have a large area set up with a childs play pen that adjusts & locks so he can run around a bit more but be secure as well while I'm busy. Jaxson also loves my husbands sneaker & so it's now become his & goes into his crate with him as well. He hasn't cried once at night & has never had an accident inside his crate. We tried training him on pads but he didn't care for it too much & always missed the pad :P so my husband & I take him out every 30 minutes-1hr which varies if he's played, napped or if we see him eating or drinking we time it so he doesn't have an accident. Shockingly he's done VERY WELL & will bark/whine to get our attention now when he needs to go outside. Needless to say we thought he was just trying to play or whine to get out of the play pen but we figured it out quickly after he'd have an accident we put 2 & 2 together! Hope this helps & good luck! She's a baby still so just be as patient as possible with her & everyone here has helped me so much these past few weeks! Love this site & hope you find many helpful answers to your questions. Oh & don't scold if you don't see her mess on the floor! Puppies are like toddlers/babies they have very short attention spans & 5 minutes after they pee on the floor they will be chewing on a toy and not know why you're mad at them! Praise with a piece of kibble, or a small piece of treat when they do good as well! Good luck & again she is BEAUTIFUL!

[JasmineNoelle]

I have just got to say Cinna is just about one of the cutest little pups I have ever seen. What a precious little face!

[bamawife]

Cinna is definitely a cutie!! When I crate trained Raley, I didn't really use a set schedule. However, he started out in his crate in our home on the very first day we had him. The main key is persistence and consistency. If she whines, do not immediately remove her from the crate. Praise her each time she goes in! I always say "kennel up"...that is what worked for me. Raley is 2 1/2 years old and loves his kennel/crate. He goes right on in all by himself! Good luck! I am sure you will be just fine!

[gracielove]

I have never crate trained. I have always had a small room to confine a puppy to when I was not at home or unable to watch the puppy. A young puppy has no ability to hold it's urine in. That ability does not start until they are around 4 months old and I am convinced it is older than that for small dogs. So the first several weeks your timing is really important.
Many people are using exercise pens as an aid to training their pets, which is much like having a small room to confine them in. The puppy has enough room for a bed and a puppy pad and can move around. You may not feel as restricted if you use something like that and your puppy may be much happier. A pen is not a substitute for good training and constant watching. This may sound strange but 8 weeks is still very young for a puppy to be away from it's mom and the litter. It is going to cry because it has no warm body to cuddle with. She is basically an infant and you are now a substitute mom. Since you don't want her in the bed or the bathroom you are going to have some crying going on for a while.
I can't help you with a schedule since don't crate train but I can tell you that your puppy is a way off from being trained. It's very young and your going to have some busy days and nights ahead of you. You are dealing with a baby.

I got Gracie after my 15 year old Shih Tzu passed on. I know how it is to be a bit rusty. Gracie has been a dream to potty train though. She has slept with me from day one and we have had very few accidents and no sleepless nights. When I first brought her home I was terrified that I had made a terrible mistake but that only lasted for a few hours. I have had other challenges with her but we have worked though them.

I hope you find a suitable way to train your baby. There are many "experts" out there but you really need to find the method that works best for you.

[Hopesmom]

Congratulations on your new little one.We got our little girl Hope when she was 9 weeks old. She is my first puppy and I didn't know it was better to wait till they are 12 weeks old. Her breeder was headed out of town. The first night was a long one. We too are not keeping her in our bedroom. Hubby has a really bad back and we have too many medications for us to feel she is safe there. Afraid if she got out of crate and got into meds that would be the end.

The first night Hope cried alot...she had been removed from her litter mates and I know she was lonely. I kept wanting to check on her. Went to the vet for her checkup the next day and he told me she was a healthy little girl and would adjust to staying in our family room at nights but it could take a couple weeks. If you go to her every time she cries it will reinforce her behavior. Someone here suggested I put a pair of socks that I had worn all day in with her at night because she would have my scent. It did help. The second night she only cried half of it and by the third night she slept all the way through.

We also use the iris play pen and keep her bed, pee pads, toys, food and water there. Constant supervision and rewards when they do well has worked for us. We've just gone 2 weeks with no accidents. She will potty outside or run to the playpen to use pee pad. I keep hoping she will bark or let me know when she has to potty but so far if she has to go when inside she just runs to her pad. I guess that's a good thing because our winters get cold and she will need to know how to go both places.

Good luck with your little one. He is ADORABLE!