Worried First-Time Mom
 

First I'm new to Yorkietalk, second I'm a bit of a worry wart, and third I've never had a puppy of my own before. I picked up my Yorkie pup on Friday (so I would have the long weekend to get him acclimated to my husband & I). He was the big boy of the litter, and I'm beginning to think the alpha of the litter also. He was not weened before we picked him up. He is 7 weeks old & his name is Logan. I've had dogs all my life, but they've always been large dogs. I was just wondering if the stuff my husband and I are working through are normal and if it'll get better. 1st We're having a little trouble with potty training, we'll take him out and about as soon as we bring him back in he'll potty on the carpet, 2nd he tries to bite and when you tell him no he growls, 3rd he barks when he wants something, and 4th he whines and cries when we leave him alone. He has a crate he sleeps in. When my husband and I are at work we gate him out on our enclosed patio so he has more room to play. We go home at lunch to let him out. Will he ever get over being left alone? Also we have a cat and they're not really getting on too well. Sorry so long. Just looking for a little piece of mind.

wow, you sound a lot like me. We have also always had large dogs and Nomi (our yorkie pup) is our first small breed dog. All of the problems that you have mentioned sound very normal to me. I am a teacher so I don't work during the summer. We got Nomi at the beginning of the summer. This gave me a lot of time to spend with her. Now she is more willing to go into her crate without a fuss and can spend a couple of hours there by herself. Logan's probably just getting use to his new environment away from his other sibblings and mother. We have found that the potty training just takes time. Our large dog caught on in a matter of weeks. Our yorkie pup .... well she is slowly getting it. Keeping her on a feeding schedule and potty schedule has worked best for us. She also is confined to whatever room I am in at the present time. This keeps her from sneaking off and peeing somewhere else in the house and we have learned to keep her on a leash when around the larger dog. We do this so that we can correct her when she gets too rough with him. Give it some time and it will get better.

Thanks for your reply Nomiland. I'm glad it'll get better. when he's being good he's just the cutest thing. And just to clarify Logan is my first dog of my own ever. All the big dogs were my mom's from when I was growing up. I've taken him over to my mom's and the big dogs just try to get away from him. They're not big on playing with puppies.

Congratulations on your puppy. First and foremost, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but since your pup is so young it will take longer for you.

1. At 7 weeks, especially if your pup is not weaned, it should still be with his mother and littermates. You may want to ask your breeder why s/he let the puppy go so young and see what they say.
2. your pup should NOT be taken outside to pee on the ground. You should get wee wee pads and train the dog to go on them. I like the crate training method, it worked for me. My doggie is almost 5 months and not completely potty trained. Don't even think for a minute that a 7 week old puppy is going to "get" potty training.
3. They are puppies and they will bite.
4. Dogs bark, it's what they do. I do not stand for yapping but I will not discourage my dog from barking. It is natural and I love it when they "talk" to you. If you have yapping which even at 7 weeks, shouldn't be too loud, shake a can with a couple of pennies in it at the pup. They hate the sound and they will soon stop.
5. Regarding your patio enclosure. Granted I haven't seen it, but your pup is so young. Too young in my opinion to be away from its mother. This pup should be snuggled up in a warm blanket tucked away in a small crate. Even on an enclosed patio he could get tangled up in something or something could fall on him and that would be a disaster.
6. Has this pup been to the vet yet and started on its shots? It is a general rule that pups should not be walked on the ground until it's last set of shots. Too many buggies on the ground, he could get sick.

Good Luck with Logan and be patient and consistent :)

I dont understand why a breeder would let a baby go that had not been weaned. That makes no sense!!! That breeder is being irresponsible.

A baby should be totally weaned and eating fully on their own for at least a couple weeks before they are able to leave for their forever home.

How many shots does your baby have if any?

Potty training at such a young age is difficult. I would suggest using the pee pads indoors they are easily trained to that at a young age .. your baby is far too young to be left ouside during the day IMHO, keep him gated in the kitchen, bath or laundry room with pee pads. Continue with your outdoor training throughout the day when you can but give the baby a break at 7 weeks old they dont know a lot.

I have to agree with Chewy's mom and feminvstr on all their points!!!

The breeder we got him from told us we could of taken him a week earlier than we did. right after he got his first shots. I don't think she ever actually wheens her pups. The pups were aloud to run with both parents (the mother & father) til they were picked up by their new owners. As for the patio it's warm and carpeted and the only thing out there are his toys. Also you suggested pee pads. Any helpful hints on how to train him to use them? We thought if we made them available he just would. we got the kind that are scented.

Also i might have misrepresented the patio. it is actually a three season room, but it has been insulated so that it can be used in the winter also.

I wouldnt put your baby in a carpeted room either that only makes bad habits worse...you need to confine in an area where the floors are easily cleaned with pee pad that are scented, each time you see him pee or think he needs to take him to the pad, he will get the hang of it in no time...I leave the pee and poo on it for a day so he/she understands thats the place. If you are using a larger crate to confine put half blanket half pee pad they dont usually dont sleep and pee in the same spot so its the easiest way to begin training (if you must crate) I prefer using play pens, they have room to play, sleep, pee and eat all in one spot!

The NOT weaned just makes me angry! Most good breeder will wean and pee pad train before they are placed to make it a much more simple transition for both you and the pup!

The pee pads are scented to attract them to potty on them. When I took him out of his crate, i took him directly to the pad. As soon as I put him down, he would pee there. you may have to sit with him for a while. I would just sit there with him and not let him run away until he pottied. I still would not leave puppy on the patio. First of all your carpet will start to smell of pee! Second, a little bit of confining to a small space will let them feel safer and help with potty training.

Also, if your pup is not weaned, what are you feeding him? My puppy was older when he came to me than yours, but he was very small and my breeder sent me some puppy cereal (kindof like cream of wheat) it helped to keep his weight steady. I would be happy to find out the name or even send you what I have, because I only gave him 3 or 4 servings. It is important for pup to get proper nutrients.

Kimberly: Do you know what cereal I mean? My breeder called it something like puppy mash and you mix it with warm water. have you ever fed this to your pups? Do you think that is good for a baby like this one?

When I got Maximus at 10 weeks...my breeder had me adding 3-4 tsp of water and 1 tsp of white rice to the kibble to make it a oatmeal consistency...he ate his food like this for a week..I then started adding less water and by 12 weeks he was on dry kibble

We don't have any problem with him eating. The breeder had started him on puppy chow that had been softened with water, but he was still getting mother's milk. The first time we fed him at home we gave him some food that had been softened and some that hadn't and he pigged down both. he eats a small dish of dry puppy chow three times a day with no problem. he's a little pig.

I dont use the cerals at all. I use a good quality dry food mixed with either goats milk or water to moisten it, then warm slightly in the micro. Mash it totally up and serve.

Although at 7 weeks he should be fine eating dry food if you have difficulty with him eating then try the above for a few days and slowly stop adding the milk (do not use cows milk) or water...Dry food at this age is better it helps with the puppy teeth and also helps aid chewing things.

YIKES puppy chow...change that when you can to a quality puppy food...

I use royal canin and bil-jac puppy food mixed!

Please get a quality dry and mix 1/2 and 1/2 with your puppy chow for a few days then less each day until you get him totally on a good quality food!

Kimberly: You and i are totally in sync with this one, i was just going to write about the food.

Most pups are on the Royal Canin baby puppy formula, i find, from their breeders. The kibble is very small and easy for them to chewy. i would change this asap.

What is puppy chow?... I feed Innova puppy, and I add the natural balance meat rolls as a treat occasionally (I started again this weekend)..and he loves it

Put it this way - puppy chow is at the bottom of the bad list, LOL

He-he...easy for them to CHEWY ...lol...yes I used to feed Royal Canin too!!!

I just noticed that too and was laughing. I'm such an idiot...

Welcome!!
 

Congrats on your new puppy Ponyup and welcome to YT!! You seem like such a wonderful caring person asking all the right questions to make sure your little Logan has the very best. Having a first toy bread puppy is alot like having a "skin" baby. I'm going through some of the same things you are. The good thing is that with time and patience and love, which you show alot of in your postings, things get better. There are some very good threads here with some of the answers you are looking for too. You might like to try www.allaboutyorkies.com to find some great answers too! Again welcome to the boards it's always great to see a new member that cares so much about their "baby" join! :D

LOL....sound like the breeder is on a roll.... 6 weeks, puppy chow, not weaned???

I use royal canin and bil-jac puppy food mixed! (KIM'S POST)


I also use BilJan and RC mixed. You can use the dry kibble..either grind it in a food processor and store it in a container or put it in a heavy plastic bag and beat it into small peices. You can use water in the kibble he will eat right away and some dry in another plate or bowl for him to snack on. At 7-12 weeks, my puppies are still getting 4 meals a day...He needs to be watched and taken to his wee pad as soon as he starts to circle in his poop mode. That probably will happen within a half hour after eating.
A 7 week-old puppy is not gonna house-train yet. Yorkies can be very hard to train but with the 3 P's--patience, perseverance ad PRAISE- you can do it. Is someone checking on his during the day? A young puppy should not be left alone more than an hour or two. They need to be with their humans if they have been taken from their mom and siblings.
Good Luck with your baby and training him to be a great family pet..

Thank you all for your thoughts and help and welcoming me to the site. I just want to do all I can to make my puppy happy and healthy. I read alot so any helpful books would be good too. I take Logan to see my vet on tuesday so I will talk to her about food and any other adjustments I need to make. I knew I wasn't ready to have children, but I didn't realize how much work my new "fur" baby would be. But you all have given me confidence that what he's going through is normal and that things will get better.

I have a book called Yorkshire Terriers for Dummies and I got a lot of good info from it. Also any book on yorkies is bound to give you solid info. Just stay on the site and you will pick up everything you need. It just takes time. Before you know it you will be a pro. Logan is in good hands!

p.s. I am so sorry ! I was on a tear about that breeder letting your baby go so young and forgot to say WELCOMW. There are some of us breeders on board and many wonderful Yorkie owners so between all of us, we probably can help in any situation...and, I am so sorry that the breeder didn't go over every phase of puppy care and insist on a vet check within 24 hours. That way the new owner is a little more objective in the event the puppy has a genetic problem that would result in heartache..
We really want pics....we love those...

I will work on getting pics. i have a brand new digital camera that i got for my birthday and have been waiting for the opportunity to use it. I guess this is it. I will try to get some up by tommorow.

Welcome ! I think i have learned about the food issue, thanks to Kimberly :rolleyes: my poor little baby had to suffer for it :(
About the Puppy Chow... my Breeder had her on that , and when i took Rosi for her first checkup to the Vet, they gave me a big container of the Purina Puppy Chow :confused: (which i gave away) !
By the way Kimberly, Rosi is on 1/2 of each now :D

Pet's "room"
 

I set up an exercise pen like the one my breeder had the pup in. I got a "waterproof" blanket at costco to protect the carpet, put her bed (a tunnel like cat bed), food, wee pads and toys in there. She is in a safe place and has room to roam if she is left alone. In such a confined area she is more likely to use the wee pads. (this week she is using them 90%)

When we are home and I want to give her room to run, I set her free in larger areas that are safe and gated. She has all of her toys and a couple humans to play with.

My pup is 13 weeks old and this is working out really well so far. As she gets bigger, calmer ? and smarter??? we will give her more freedom. right now she never goes outside unless we are holding her. When I *do* try to get her to potty outside I am hoping I can do this by moving her wee pads outside?

My friend's dogs are totally wee pad trained. On the 4th she had a barbecue and a guest dropped a napkin. Her dog ran over and peed on it! The guest was mortified :eek:

I would be sooooooo proud :D

Welcome to YorkieTalk Ponyup ;) were glad you found us! :D