Physically Possible

[softlyspeaks]

Hello yorkie lovers,
I am new to the forum after searching the internet for helpful and advice in possibly training a new puppy.

Recently, a dog attacked and killed my precious little yorkie. I am just devastated as I have had my pet for several years and he was my constant shadow and companion. I had spent a lot of time initially training him so he could do a lot of tricks.

Last year I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. There are times that I am in constant pain in my joints and bones. During the night, restless leg and arm syndrome sometimes leave me with only a few hours of sleep and being so sleep deprived I wake up in what is called a brain fog which can sit in my brain for several hours. I am what I would call a very function person with fibromyalgia and am doing my best to overcome this with juicing and other healthy alternatives.

My little yorkie stayed by my side and we had our little routine. What I didn't realize was that my yorkie had some annoying habits that really bothered my husband so much so that he is very hesitant for me to bring home another puppy. This was even more devastating to news for me. As I began to think and ponder, I made a list of what my husband was telling me and began to think if there was a way that I could change my behavior so that I could bring another puppy into our home. From what I have been searching online, I am hopeful. I asked my husband to give me a month, to see if I can figure out how to train and change my behavior to accommodate a new addition for Christmas. Could you help me with any of your tricks, tips, or behaviors that have helped you train your yorkie to stop a possible annoying habit before it has started?

1. barking-my husband said he didn't like the high pitched bark. I read there were collars or debarking surgery. I did read several controversial things about the surgery which sound pretty scary. Is there anyone that has had debarking that is content with that procedure? When I mentioned this to my husband he said that the only time the barking was a real problem for him was when I was coming home. In that case, I found positive comments about barking collars with remotes. Has anyone a favorite collar and do they work well? Are collars then always used or do they really help in training puppies to stop? What do you do to stop your yorkie from barking? Do you have a word, a treat or a sound that seems to give them the signal? If you use a barking collar how soon would you recommend using a barking collar? I don't even remember if my last yorkie barked right away. I honestly prefer a barking collar with a remote over surgery.

2. As I had written above, I don't always sleep very well and it can be difficult for me to get up in the morning. My last pet slept in a small soft sided crate beside my bed. I called him Houdini because he figured out how to unzip the crate and escape. When I would get up in the morning, the first thing I would do was let him go outside to relieve himself. What I didn't know, because I sleep with ear plugs, was that Mr. Houdini was scratching, whining, and waking my husband between 6 and 6:30 a.m., about an hour before he wanted to wake up. How could I train this behavior not to happen with a new puppy? When Houdini was brought home, he slept in a soft sided dog carrier in my bed with me. I don't remember him getting me up but it has been a while. When he grew out of the little carrier he was moved to the larger soft sided crate beside my bed.

I will confess that I didn't take Houdini out for walks, although I wanted to, but he had plenty of space in our home and around in our yard. We live on a hill so there is plenty of exercise running up and down the hill. I was worried about walking him in our neighborhood because of fleas and ticks and picking things up from other dogs on the cobble stone streets. If I were to take him somewhere to walk him, could this resolve the scratching and whining behavior before it's time to get up? Maybe rather than moving him to a crate, I could have a larger soft sided carrier for him so he's confined yet able to sleep with me. I asked my husband if he would go with me to walk the little guy along our boardwalk? If he isn't available, I do have other family members that live near the boardwalk that I'm sure would go with me.

I am concerned about having to wake in the night with a puppy. I can't remember what it's like to have a small puppy. At 3 months of age, how well do they sleep at night? I wouldn't bring one home before 3 months. Can they sleep all night at that age? How often do they need to be fed at that age? If they still need to go out in the middle of the night, I need an older puppy. Then the question is, how old are they when they can sleep through the night? Say 10-11 p.m.-7:30 a.m.

Do I sound like I'm on the right track? Thank you for your thoughtful experiences in advance.

[Harrysmum]

I am so, so sorry that we didn't respond to your heartfelt questions before...I, personally, am devastated for you - both for your terrible loss, and your ongoing health problems

I'm sure that our lovely YT'ers will reply and help you shortly...xxx

[AngelFae]

Hmm, well that's a lot to think about. First off, I'm sorry for the loss of your Houdini. Second, new puppy equals new training and you MUST be consistent. Is your husband willing to help you train the new pup? You have a list of of what was wrong with the last pup's behavior, use it as a check list. Make a check list for the new pup of things you want/need it to learn. Focus less on tricks and more on behavior.

[softlyspeaks]

That is exactly what I am trying to do Angelfae, I've made the list, now I need help from other yorkie owners to know if I can fix these annoyances to my husband before they ever begin.

I spoke with a family member this morning, who lives close by us. I asked her how the behavior of her yorkie has been since walking him. She tells me there are no accidents in the house and behaves really well each day that she walks him, so I am hopeful that that was what I was missing.

If the puppy can sleep through the night at 3 months, and we can buy a collar that would stop the crazy greeting when I come home, than it sounds like welcoming a new yorkie is definitely a possibility.

[Maximo]

Welcome to Yorkie Talk. I'm sorry for your loss of your little guy, and for the health challenges you face.

As you know, puppies need lots of training. Smaller pups like Yorkies need ample potty access. Finding one willing to sleep 8 hours is a roll of the dice, especially a puppy. Some will, but many won't. Maybe with a lot of exercise and late evening activity, but many adult Yorkies usually need to potty fairly early in the morning.

Would you consider using a piddle pad in an xpen setup? That is probably your best bet, although I will say, my pad trained boys still want poops taken care of right away, which often means I have to get out of bed around 5 - 6 am.

Barking: de-barking surgically can lead to collapsed trachea, which the breed is already at risk for. Many de-barked dogs learn how to bark anyway, they just sound squeaky and sad. Barking collars, the kind that shock, are not 100% effective and arguably can cause damage to the heart and nervous system.

The citronella collars that spray when the dog barks are also not completely effective. I remember one member here wrote that her little rascal learned how to make the collar spray a doggy sibling.

The best deterrent for barking is training and lots of exercise.

Finding the right breeder who breeds for good disposition is your first hurdle. An older dog who has been well-trained might be best. Everything is a gamble though, and I agree with AngelFae that your husband has to be on board, committed to helping train.

[Buster Brown]

I feel sad for you on the loss of your first dog and all the challenges of fibromyalgia. First your Houdini was barking because he was so excited to tell your husband you were home and the other that he really needed to pee. I use piddle pads with Buster so he gets up and goes himself. Could you sleep with out ear plugs? You could also consider having a trainer initially come and work on the leaving/greeting excitement and train you in ways to diminish the excessive barking. I really wouldn't debark a dog I think that is cruel as barking is communication you just need to limit over communication. I would also consider and older rescue dog that you wouldn't have to potty train and obedience train and just wants a loving home and a lap to cuddle in. Sending best wishes and hugs to you.

[softlyspeaks]

ahh Buster Brown, don't feel sorry for me. I mean, it's alright to feel sorry about my pet. I'm able to function, manage the pain with natural things, just am often sleep deprived and foggy in the mornings. My grammar and speech suffers from it. I just wanted to explain why I needed to know some of these specific details before trying to take on another puppy, which I want so bad. I see that on my list are common annoyance to a lot of people and I just wanted to make sure I could make the changes before I committed to doing this again.

I was very fortunate to have my last yorkie crate trained beginning from the time he came home with us 3 years ago. I house trained him, he knew how to ask to go out and he definitely knew how to ask to come back in lol He knew how to sit, lay down, turn around in circles in both directions, sit pretty, pray and walk around a figure 8, he also knew how to get into his crate at night for bed. He kept me on schedule. He knew when we got up, he went potty and he had his breakfast. Then he knew exactly what time he ate his dinner lol It just never dawned on me that I could train him to bark on command, which would then lead to being quiet on command. This is what I learned just today so no surgery or barking collar sound like they'll be in our future. The scratching and whimpering to get out too early, he stayed in the crate till 7:30ish every morning, could have been resolved with a daily walk. These are simple and doable solutions for me.

Look at this amazing tutorial for teaching my dog to speak and be quiet on command.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtn8NhofOw

I'm so thrilled with it that I practiced with my other pets today. Funny thing is that the toy poodle could care less about treats! So I reward her with a cheerful "good girl" and pat on the head. She was thrilled! Easy to please. Can a yorkie be easy to please?

[Buster Brown]

Originally Posted by softlyspeaks

ahh Buster Brown, don't feel sorry for me. I mean, it's alright to feel sorry about my pet. I'm able to function, manage the pain with natural things, just am often sleep deprived and foggy in the mornings. My grammar and speech suffers from it. I just wanted to explain why I needed to know some of these specific details before trying to take on another puppy, which I want so bad. I see that on my list are common annoyance to a lot of people and I just wanted to make sure I could make the changes before I committed to doing this again.

I was very fortunate to have my last yorkie crate trained beginning from the time he came home with us 3 years ago. I house trained him, he knew how to ask to go out and he definitely knew how to ask to come back in lol He knew how to sit, lay down, turn around in circles in both directions, sit pretty, pray and walk around a figure 8, he also knew how to get into his crate at night for bed. He kept me on schedule. He knew when we got up, he went potty and he had his breakfast. Then he knew exactly what time he ate his dinner lol It just never dawned on me that I could train him to bark on command, which would then lead to being quiet on command. This is what I learned just today so no surgery or barking collar sound like they'll be in our future. The scratching and whimpering to get out too early, he stayed in the crate till 7:30ish every morning, could have been resolved with a daily walk. These are simple and doable solutions for me.

Look at this amazing tutorial for teaching my dog to speak and be quiet on command.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtn8NhofOw

I'm so thrilled with it that I practiced with my other pets today. Funny thing is that the toy poodle could care less about treats! So I reward her with a cheerful "good girl" and pat on the head. She was thrilled! Easy to please. Can a yorkie be easy to please?

It sounds like you are the right path. I think many Yorkies can be that easy to please LOL just not Buster he loves his treats.

[gemy]

I am very sorry for the loss of your Houdini. I immediately thought of training your dog to bark on command - which then leads to silence on commad but I see you found a good vid on that.

I too would recommend an older dog - say 1yr old or so from a show breeder who kept them for show but alas it did not work out. Try to source from a breeder who believes in training their dogs and allows the Yorkies to walk outside and all.

I know that fibromyalgia can have more than a few ups n downs and therefor it is important that you have a plan for exercising your dog should you be ill for a few days or so. That could be your husband or a dog walker.

My Yorkie slept through the night since he was 3months old. Although he is a devil for wanting out numerous times during the day - as an adult he weighs about six lbs.

In terms of over excited greeting when you come home - your hubby can use the silence command - and when you get in the door - you ignore your dog for a bit of time. Put your coat and bag away. When greeting him ask for an obedience command - sit for example then give a reward. Do a few commands with rewards for a job well done - then let life resume normally.

It does sound like you are really thinking this through very well. Good luck with your decision

[softlyspeaks]

Thank you Gemy and the others who were kind enough to take time to write and encourage me.

Last week, the owner of the dog that killed my yorkie, placed a deposit for a brother of mine. He will be ready at 8 weeks, if and when the owner makes the final payment. I've spent this last week and continue to search and review training videos. The older I get the more hands on I am, I like to see "it" done rather than just read about it. I sure recognized how I had failed with Houdini and am feeling better prepared to welcome Pax. Why I never took Houdini to the same level as a working dog, I don't know but it sure makes sense. The only thing I can think of is that I was watching too many programs on, "The Dog Whisperer," became confused rather than applying the same training to my yorkie. In the mean time, I'm going to continue to practice on the toy poodle.

Here's an example of the routine I'm working on, my daughter will be helping me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO5NXMF_lU4

Here's my notes:
I've learned that as early as 7 weeks puppies can be trained so I need not fret that it can be done. In less than 30 min a day we can practice this routine:
Heel
Sit
Down
Stay(wait)/with distraction
Wait/at door and for food
Release(from waiting)
Come-when called
Emergency stop(so important!)
Leave it(don't eat it or touch it)
Speak(bark)
Quiet
Go to crate/box
Go to place(dog bed by my chair)

House breaking:
Carry from place to designated area to go potty right away. Leash, command, "Go Potty, Hurry Up!" reward, "Good boy!"
Use the same door to go out. If dog/puppy is by the door always let them out to associate door means, "go out."
No free time in the house while potty training: always crate or tethered to me.
Apparently, it only takes a month to house train so this is also encouraging.

[softlyspeaks]

This is so seriously cute, I can imagine my Pax in place! I loved everytime the trainer said,"break!" His pitch sounds like SNL Mr. Bill.

http://youtu.be/9HPN6McHKMg

[softlyspeaks]

To think in that last video, the 5 month old 3 pound yorkie, learned all of that in 2 weeks! That's ridiculous. Does it only motivate me or anyone else get motivated when seeing stories like that?

[softlyspeaks]

I hope I'm not just talking to myself here and hope there's a few out there that can chime in or send me a p.m. please.

I want to avoid dominate behavior. Meaning, when I look at my yorkie, I just want to scoop him up, cuddle, have him sit on my lap and carry him around. Which they love. I just don't want to war over my chair or him jumping on furniture. Anyone with a well behaved yorkie that you can cuddle with that doesn't soon think your chair is his? This is a mistake I made with Houdini and we've already purchased a bed for Paxton to have next to my chair when he arrives. I'm just wondering if having them on our laps creates this bad dominate behavior that I know doesn't bother a lot of people but it does me. Call me a Mrs. Clean or Prim and Proper, I don't like sitting where a dog has sat. In other words, I don't sit in his bed so don't he sit in mine lol

[Buster Brown]

I think that the easiest way to be sure of a non dominate Yorkie is to rescue and older Yorkie whose personality is a known factor. With any puppy you can determine if they are shy or dominant to a point but I also believe how you train can influence a behavior but not necessarily change a personality. I am an hyper A type I have learned to modify my behavior so that I am not stressed all the time but I will never have a calm sedate demeanor because that is not "my nature" For me with Buster he has full run of the furniture and sleeps in bed with me. He only goes to his crate for time outs or if I am cleaning or doing something like moving heavy items where he can get hurt. It all comes down to their personality and your being consistent with the training.

[Janalynn]

Hi,
First of all, my sincere condolences on the tragic loss of your beloved companion.
Our 11 month old Yorkie puppy was grabbed off of our patio, while on a leash attached to our chair and while we were out there, by two neighbor dogs that got out and came directly over to pretty much kill her. It was the worst thing I've ever seen or heard. Miraculously she survived and suffered severe trauma and a puncture would that caused a hernia very close to her lungs. The harness she had on pretty much saved her life. Btw, these two dogs had recently killed a chihuahua. It died from a puncture wound to the abdomen as well.

I too have Fibromyalgia. I have a severe case. have had for many many years functioning pretty well, until about 4 yrs ago when I could no longer work. I have pain every single day, horrible headaches and chronic fatigue. I can rarely make plans to do anything at all.

We had dogs while I was growing up and had a Llasa Apso until June of 2012 when we had to put her to sleep. After going through that I really didn't think I could get another dog anytime soon as I grieved so much.

Fast forward to Oct.of 2014 when we got our little Mia. She was almost 10 weeks old when we got her. Both my husband and I had watched the Dog Whisperer every morning before he left for work and we both vowed if we ever got another dog, we could really commit to doing it right.

This girl has stolen our hearts! She had THE most incredible personality,Malays happy, is the "community dog", as everyone knows and loves her.
After I stopped working and our kids were grown, we downsized from a huge house with huge backyard to a townhome with no private yard of our own. Not ideal for deciding to get a dog. However 3/4 of the people who live here have one or two dogs!

Mia has been the best thing for me and my doctors all agree. She gets me out several times a day for her walks. (Probably wouldn't get out at all otherwise). I would say that most of the time physically I do not feel like walking, but I know how much she enjoys it and how good it is for both of us! I do believe walks are very good for dogs.

I can honestly say that the amount of times that we've been really irritated by her behavior is very low and it was really only when she was younger, maybe pottied in the house in the middle of the night and I was tired! I always remembered that she never did anything to be naughty! She was just a little girl who didn't know better. Every single thing we did or encountered that first year especially, I reminded myself that everything is brand new to her, every experience, every new thing she saw that made her bark etc.
We did everything with her with pure love.

Since she was attacked 3 months ago, she barks at the dogs going by like crazy. We try to be understanding because it's really whenever she sees the dogs from next door. We let her know that we're in charge. Every time we do anything with her it is that message that we convey. She is extremely well behaved, curious, playful, happy, funny and has the cutest quirky behaviors!

I guess my main point is, don't let your Fibro hold you back from loving another companion. Secondly, have realistic expectations. He/she may not be potty trained through the night at 3 months, he might be. If he's not its not to be naughty.
If the barking when you come home was a big problem, that can be easy to correct, by not giving affection until he is calm. Eventually he will learn that barking out of excitement to see you wont give him the petting etc, he wants when you get in.
Really these Yorkies are smart dogs! I can't believe how quickly they learn. To me tricks aren't nearly as important to learn as being respectful and not ruling the house.

We are madly in love with our little girl. She's almost 15 months and I can't believe how we made it through winter potty training with no yard and me in constant pain. We did it out of love and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Sorry i got so wordy! Dogs can be great for those of us with chronic pain.They do wonders for our mental health, give us a reason to get up, give us something to nurture and care for and can fill our days with laughter and love!