HELP! I am a prisoner to my 9 wk old Yorkie Baby!

[QueenB72]

Hello!

I am a newbie to this site and this is my first post. As I type this on my iPad. My new Yorkie, Coco Chanel, is taking a nap on my neck. Yes, you read that right, Lol. I have had her for almost 2 weeks, and she has terrible separation anxiety and has a fit when she is put in her crate or play pen. I have raised two previous Yorkies. They both hated the tiny wire crate, but loved their play pen (the plastic Iris kind with the door). The previous Yorkies viewed the play pens as their safe place. I had their food and water and a bed, and placed a potty pad inside whenever I was not home for more than a few hours. But with this puppy, it's a whole new story.

I got her two weeks younger than my previous pups (no choice in the matter), so I am starting to think that maybe she was just too young to be separated from her mom and siblings? The first few days we're ok. She was timid, but did view her play pen as a safe place. She would nap, eat and had a potty pad. I tried to train her to use the artificial turf I got for the balcony, but she had no idea what to do with it at first. She would fall asleep in her bed and wake up in the middle of the night wailing. Since I live in an apartment complex and she is only allowed because she is listed as an ESA animal, the rules state that excessive noise is a no no. And this dog can WAIL!

Here is where things took a turn for the worst... On day 4, I had to go out of town on business for a day and a half, leaving my 19 year old daughter and her boyfriend to take care of Coco. When I returned, not only had she had several accident throughout the apartment, but she now has a fit every single time she is in her play pen or crate. I try to let her ”cry it out” but I can only do that for so long. In fact, a letter was sent to the entire community about dogs not being allowed unless they are approved by the legal department as an ESA or therapy dog, and the rules about picking up after your dog, ”no excessive noise, ” etc we're reiterated. This email came after about a week of getting Coco. Coincidence... I don't think so.

I tried a variety of the high pitch gadgets that worked for my other dogs, like the push button ones and the one's that look like a tiny box, but they don't phase her. I ordered a non harmful collar for tiny dogs which will arrive tomorrow, but if it doesn't work, this will be the third device returned to Amazon. I found a Pet Zoom on EBay which worked for my previous Yorkies that became yappers, but again, no dice with Coco. I know it works, because the moment I push it, my cat bolts... Even if she is several yards away. And don't even get me started on potty training. Case in point... Now that she sleeps with me, which is necessary to keep the neighbors from complaining, I take her out to her turf, which is quite large, the moment my alarm goes off at 7am. Even though she has used it here and there over the past week, she walks straight to the patio door entry way and squatted about a foot away from the turf. She has NEVER pooped on the turf. Just a few times on a potty pad, but mostly on my carpet. I hate carpet. I tried just a potty pad on the patio, but she just won't use it. I tried the ”go here” spray, which smells awful, and she carries the scent on her and into the house, which really sucks! She has only had one round of shots and nasal bordetella once, so the only time she goes anywhere is when I take her with me in her carrier to drop off/pick up my youngest daughters. She whines a little in there, but usually stops. Not being able to take her outside to go is very limiting for this point of the training period. The vet said she can go to puppy class for socialization since she had nasal bordetella, but she doesn't need that as much as she needs obedience and potty training.

So like I said, I am a prisoner. She is only content when she is roaming the apartment unconfined or sleeping on or near me and occasionally my daughters, but mostly just me. She loves playing with her human sisters and my cat surprisingly, who is 4 times her size. She is only about 2 1/2 lbs, so luckily, I haven't crushed her at night since I am a light sleeper and can feel her cuddle up next to or on me. Her loving, playful nature has been great for my depression, which is why I jumped through so many hoops to get approval for her and why my psychiatrist and mental health advocate suggested a therapy dog of some sort since my first Yorkie was amazing in that regard from the moment I got him, but all the other issues are actually increasing my anxiety and putting my job at risk. My cat has PTSD from being lost for 16 months, otherwise she could have been a great ESA. But I need to get Coco on track so that I can train her to be a true ESA and eventually therapy dog. I have seen the magic that therapy dogs can have on people with physical or mental illnesses. To have a companion that could help me as well as others would be amazing and a dream come true.

BTW... The vet recommended puppy classes at this organization called Sirius, but the cost is out of range at this point. She was a gift, but just the money I have spent so far on her has me worried about November rent (I live in Silicon Valley, so let's just say that my rent is INSANE, and I am in a 3 bedroom apartment) So any recommendations outside of obedience training right now would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully, once she has all of her shots, I will be in a better position financially to put her in puppy training camp Thanks!

B

PS Moving is not an option until June unfortunately. If I had been able to stay in my previous home following my divorce, training her would have been much less limiting since it has no carpet and no one would hear her or complain other than us. She will be 10 months old by the time I can move back to a single family home

[tinalove]

Don't feel like you are a prisoner. First of dogs need a crate. It serves as their den. The crate will become your puppy's safe haven. It also helps with potty training and prevents accidents such as stepping on those tiny paws.

[Marna1957]

Best advise I found, before bringing home this TINY puppy, was 'Treat a Yorkie Puppy as if it will Grow to be a Big Dog'. Glad I saw that. Otherwise I might have let her get away with more than she should. I have trained dogs all my life....CRATES are wonderful. Dogs prefer them. Crates make the dog feel safe, like a den. But if they can sit on your lap instead....well? OF COURSE they prefer that. Think of the puppy like a baby person. If you do everything for them, they will never figure out how to.....anything.


Keep us posted on how your training is going....it encourages us all! These TINY dogs with those Big Brown Eyes....can wrap us around their wills, leashes and lives! Ha Ha

[Yorktowny]

You can do it! The community is right when they say you need to be strong with a crate, where your dog can be happy and you can get some space too!!

[yorkietalkjilly]

First of all, move her crate to a new location, preferably one in the same room you're in at the time. And give it a new name. Only call it her "Happy House", not a crate, which probably has bad connotations to both of you now.

I'd only feed her in the crate, of course with the door wide open. So her every meal fro now on takes place in her Happy House. Keep all her favorite toys in there. Using your cartoon, happy voice, praise her lavishly with a smile in your tone every time she enters her "Happy House" and lightly clap your hands, celebrate with big, happy smiles and toss in her very favorite most treats from time to time during the day and evening. Make it seem like she's won the lottery every time she steps a paw inside that "Happy House".

Lure her into her Happy House with toys or her favorite treats tossed into the crate. When she goes in, celebration using your happiest cartoon high, squeaky voice to praise her and whoop it up with her.

Place a worn t-shirt or two of yours in there to help her feel connected to you so she can snuggled down to your scent. She can dig them into a nest of her very own making as Yorkies are want to do. All three of my Yorkies loved making their own bed using their paws and dragging the loose blanket or t-shirt into whatever shape they wanted for the nap to come. Encourage her in every game you play with her to make a "Touchdown!" by running into and out of the Happy House, follow a toy you've tossed i into it, retrieve a ball from it. From now on, only smile when you speak of her Happy House to her and always, always, always feed her in it. She will slowly come to connect only good things like dinner time, your strong scent, treats, toys, games, fun with her Happy House. Your change in attitude in suddenly being totally in love with her Happy House will strongly affect her so your infectious "love" for and display of affection toward the Happy House will grow on her.

I used to pat a rescue's crate and use my softest, highest, sweetest voice when I did as I walked past it, saying "Gooooooooooooooooooood Happy House. Gooooood House! Mommy loves you, Happy House". Big smile on my face, high, squeaky voice, good, fun and game, winning associations and his meals in the crate all came to strongly influence that scared little dog that his crate was the best place on earth.

Once I read the clicker article about "You Won The Prize" I knew I'd done right by my little rescue pup. Well, he showed me I had by learning to love his previously hated crate but read this and see how changing YOUR attitude, your way of positively handling the dog and the crate can positively affect your dog:

ClickerSolutions Training Articles -- "You Won the Prize!"

These happy, positive associations with going into the crate, our happy, happy attitude in putting them in it will eventually change their negative associations to positive ones. Don't forget to occasionally toss in her highest valued treat(warm, freshly boiled unseasoned chicken meat or bits of turkey hot dog!) to make a "Touchdown!" and reinforce her running into her Happy House for a great snack and your celebrating it with her. You'll make a great team! Eventually, you can close the door and leave her in there for 1 minute before you return with high-toned praises and another treat for staying. Gradually increase her times in the Happy House so help train her to stay in her safe house whenever situations requre it. Always make it the highlight of her day to go into her Happy House by YOUR great attitude. Never wane in your enthusing for it! What's to lose?!?!

[yorkietalkjilly]

P. S. Forgot to add that buying her some foraging toys and food bowls to put in her Happy House can keep her occupied in there longer than just giving her treats and tossing in toys. Toys and food bowls, ingenuity games where the dog has to work to figure out how to get the treat/food out of the toy/device/foraging bowl can keep the dog distracted with fun foraging fo food as it used to have to do to survive as she acclimates to being in the crate with the door closed and on her own. Dogs love foraging toys/bowls/games! Love to work for their food!

Work slowly up on her times in the crate with the door occasionally shut, (I always softly yelled "Happy Time!" if my dog noticed when I closed the crate door), even when playing with a foraging toy/treat/food dispenser so she'll know she can trust you to always let her out - that going in her Happy House isn't a 4 hour sentence. Though at times, she may need crate rest where she has to spend lengthy amounts of time in her crate to recuperate or during a hospitalization, when others have to keep her for you and must leave home, so this type of positive-reinforcement training will stand her in good stead in her life to come, a happy, settled, submissive, calm dog apart from you, trained to trust you and other humans of you choose to leave her with and settle herself in whatever housing she is placed in. She'll think she's won the prize once again, if you've trained her to think that!