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Newbie Yorkie owner needs assistance :D Hey gang! Just got a brand new Yorkie for Christmas yesterday, and he is FRIKKIN' ADORABLE! If this is posted elsewhere, please let me know. I have a few questions that I'm wondering about for little Matt.. 1. Harness drives him CRAZY! I'm trying to let him keep it on today so he can get used to it, but he goes into uncontrollable fits of scratching and biting to try to get it off. Is this normal? 2. Walks - On our walks so far, he hates going out.. to the point of dragging his butt and laying down. Coming back in, he's a saint! Any advice? 3. Biting - right now, he absolutely LOVES to play-bite. Should I be worried at 8 weeks old? Will he outgrow it? I love you guys -- thanks for any responses! |
Welcome to YT! It's normal for them to bite and scratch at collars and harnesses at first. My Lacy scratched her nylon collar to shreds the first week she had it on. But then she did fine. She never really had a problem with her harness though. It's a good idea to put a cheap nylon harness on him to let him get used to it. Just make sure you only have it on while you supervise him. If you have to leave him, take it off. Yorkies are stubborn LOL Sometimes Lacy plants her feet and refuses to move when we are walking...or wants to go in another direction. With a little practice and patients, he should learn to walk on a harness and leash okay. 8 weeks is pretty young to expect walking on a leash anyway. Just let him get used to the harness for now. Biting is pretty normal for puppies. Really, 8 weeks is too young for him to have left his breeder, mother, and siblings. They learn quite a bit from socializing with their mother and siblings from 6-12 weeks, including bite inhibition. So he's going to miss out on some valuable lessons since he left so young. If Lacy ever started chewing on me, I would put a toy in her mouth. |
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1. Put the harness on him for a few minutes a day. Extend the amount of time he has it on each day. Reward him for wearing it. He'll realize soon that you're planning to take him out for walks. 2. Be careful not to take him out too long. He's still young and will need all the vaccinations to ensure he doesn't catch anything while you're on your walk. He's still a baby, so he's not trained to follow the leader and be in your control. 3. He's still teething. When he tries to play-bite, be sure to replace your hand/foot/etc. for a teething toy. This will show him the difference between what he's allowed and not allowed to bite. Good luck! |
First off, welcome to YT and congrats on your new addition.:) Unfortunately...for you and poor Matt...the best way for him to get used to the harness (which, kudos, it's much better than a collar) is to continue with what you are doing....same with the walking. Eventually he will quit resisting and realize that's just the way it has to be.:p In regards to the biting...you need to put a stop to that now. Generally speaking, 8 weeks is waaaay too young for a pup to have been placed in it's forever loving home...most respected breeders agree that around 12 weeks is the best minimum age for placement. Learning to not bite is one of the behaviors that dogs learn by staying with the mom and littermates during that time frame. Definately make it known to your little guy that biting is not acceptable and be consistant with trying to stop the behavior. Definately not something you want him to continue doing. |
Sounds like Widget Now!!! And she's 1 1/2 yrs old. LOL....they are certainly the most opiniated dog I have ever owned, and require alottttttt of attention.....I got my Widget at 8 weeks also, and think some of her "attitude" comes from leaving her Mom and siblings so young.....but she should be over that by now....she ALLOWS me to pick her up, only when she wants me to, mainly when she wants to go to bed, otherwise she hides under a chair even though she wants to go outside for her walk.....she went thru a few harnasses also when she was a youngster, so just bear with your new baby....They need alot of love and understanding for sure.....;) |
Welcome to YT :D :D :D Congrats on your new furbaby :) Everything you mentioned is very normal. They just need a little time to get use to things. With the harness, maybe you can try a different fabric or style if he continues not to like it. There are many different styles out there. He's biting because he's young & teething and thats how they play at that age, so just tell him NO firmly when he does it. I didnt mind when my Meka did it...but when she would bite hard I would say OWE and she would soften her bite... He will get use to walking... Its still new to him, so be patient and consistant :) |
I agree with all that was said above except that... I'm a firm believer in NOT walking these babies until 10-14 days after their last set of shots! They can catch stuff so easily and yours is sooo young. We have pigeons in our back yard (due to neighbors feeding them :eek: ) and they are soo dirty that I had to watch my babies so very close that they did not smell or try to eat that poop! Oh, btw, Welcome to YorkieTalk! Congratulations on your new baby!!! |
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I know it's tough. You want to show your new baby to everyone, but hold off awhile please. Oh! We would like to see photos! :D :thumbup: |
Hi and Welcome to yt:) great advise has aready been given:thumbup: glad to have you join us, would love a pic of matt;) |
Thank you guys SO MUCH ... it really has hit me that the people that own Yorkies are very kind and loving (much like the dogs!). Thank you all for helping me calm my fears a little bit, and you can expect a picture of Matt very soon! |
Welcome to YorkieTalk! Congrats on your baby! |
Welcome to our Yorkie place! It is great fun and a wealth of information. Your pup is acting just as mine did when we brought him home. With a great deal of patience and consistency you learn to work with your new pup. Remi is my first Yorkie and I must say that this experience is like none that I have ever had before! Our little Yorkie beings so much laughter and joy to our home. We would never trade this for anything! Lots of good luck! Congratulations! Happy New Year! |
Welcome to YT!!:welcome4: Congratulations on your new baby!! All the wonderful ladies here have already given you great advise. |
You already got great advice so I just wanted to chime in and say Welcome to YT. I'd love to see some pics of your new baby |
Welcome to YT!! Be sure to sign Matt up for our new Little Gentleman's Club - here's the thread to do that: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ight=gentleman |
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