Intro and a few questions
 

Hello everyone. I have been lurking for awhile and decided it was time to introduce myself, my name is Heather and I have an almost 19 week old yorkie named Sophie. I have to say I am so happy to have found this website, it is a miracle! Also thank you to everyone because you all are so informative and helpful.I have a few questions that I was wondering if anyone would know how to solve. Thank you in advance and I'm sorry this is rather long.

Sophie is getting pretty good at learning commands, but when I get her around other dogs, it seems hopeless. I find it adorable that she loves other dogs so much, but was wondering how I could get her to respond more to me than ignoring me.

Also, Potty training is going better than expected, except for the fact that she can go about every 1-1/2 to every 2 hours, unless she is in her kennel. Is this normal for an almost 5 month old puppy? She will hold in her kennel, but if playing, she just goes anywhere. She seems to drink quick a lot, and I've debated monitoring her water intake to help with potty training.

Finally, I feed her 3 times a day, wet food in the morning, and dry food at noontime and around 6 at night, she has some nutri-cal before bedtime. I'm worried about her teeth, as with terriers it is a big issue. Would it be okay to make her diet completely dry food after she is 6 months old? I'm getting her spayed at 6 months, and wanted to let her have that for a few days after and then switch because she loves it so much and I know spaying is very hard on them.

Welcome.

Give her challenges, e.g., training, with lot's of praise & treats.

Welcome Heather. I just got my new baby three days ago. She is nearly 12 weeks old and I named her "Sophie Mae"! I also have Katy Lou and she is 6 months old. I think your Sophie is still young and the other dogs are a big attraction. I took Katy Lou to puppy classes and she is doing great. She learned there to pay attention to my commands while around other dogs in her class. I highly recommend puppy classes even if you don't take their training any further. It makes for a much more obedient adult. Even if it looks like they are not paying attention in puppy class, they are still absorbing everything.

yes, I do all dry food, recommended by my vet as best for the teeth. Puppy class will train her to pay attention to you even while their are distractions if you practice. My 7mo old still needs to be let out every 2-3 hours when not confined. I was doing every hour at your stage.
Enjoy your cutie!!!
Bonnie