first dog and pet :) a few questions.. - YorkieTalk.com Forums

CodilX · 03-17-2009, 02:19 PM

Hi there,

A month ago I bought the most adorable little puppy girl, fell in love with her instantly. she's now 3 1/2 months old and growing

It's kinda weird having this little bundle of joy and treating here like a baby, teaching her everything etc, and here comes the questions.

As I said, she's 3 1/2 months old. I started training her ~2wks ago, by now she can sit & lay down, but it sometimes it takes a few times for her to understand. I'm trying to add "stand up" to the equation, like on all 4 legs, but she doesn't seem to get it yet.. I was wondering, is it normal for her to have just these 2 commands that she can do (not perfectly) ? Is there a sort of guideline for what she should have be learning at this age and the months to come?

I live in a small studio type apartment (that's why I got a Yorkie but not a Lab), and well there isn't a lot of room for crates etc, so I dedicated my bathroom to her instead of a crate. Her bed, toys, food, water and pee pad are in there and she doesn't really "complain" about it. There's enough room for her to play in there. When I put her there, after ~10minutes she stops scratching and crying and probably goes to sleep. She sleeps through the night without a peep, only at around ~6-7am she starts scratching so I could let her sleep for an hour with me before classes start (really cute). The thing that kinda worries me, is that it's dark there. Well I don't think it's an issue at night, but when I leave for classes at 8am or so and come back at 3-4pm, she is stuck there in the dark for that time. I don't turn on the light when I come home so I don't ruin her eyes, I just slowly open the door so she could get used to it. But my question is, is this a bad place to keep her? Germs etc aren't the issue, I clean that place every day, the light thing worries me. I'm thinking of getting a mesh/fence type divider for the door, so the door could be kept open but she wouldn't get out. Does that sound like a good idea?

Last week we went to the vet to get her shot, and she said that I could start giving her wet food, so I'm mixing half a teaspoon in with her dry food. As I was instructed, she's fed 3 times a day, a spoon size amount. Before I leave, when I get back and before bed time. As I understand, when she's 6months I'll have to just feed here twice, correct? How do I do that? She's like a clock, when the hour comes, even if she's dead asleep she'll wake up and won't stop squirming until I feed her. How do I ease her into feeding her 2 times a day instead of 3? And also, I guess that she'll need more food then, so instead of a spoon per feeding, I'll have to give her 1 1/2?

Another issue we have is breath stink.. I know that you should give dogs the bone things for them, but is it too early for a 3 1/2 month dog? And what are the alternatives for fixing the bad breath issue? My friend told me I should take a piece of cloth, spray with water, wrap it around my finger and kinda brush her teeth that way, but the cloth gets stuck in her sharp teeth and well it doesn't work for me, maybe I just don't know how to do it correctly..

Now, I really want to start taking her outside. The problem is that the weather here is terrible.. It's just above freezing, and it's wet, cold. I guess it's too soon for her to go outside in this weather? And while I'm on the subject of toilet manners, she's kinda down with the whole pee pad thing, but she peed a few times on the carpet, a couple times in my bed, and once every couple days she pees next to the pee pad, but not on it. (#2 usually is done on the pad). I'm not that worried because I've read that it takes a while before yorkies get the hang of it, but how do I get her to go to the bathroom and do her things there by herself? The way I do it is when she starts squirming and kinda looks like she wants to go, I just put her in the bathroom and close the door (otherwise she just walks out), wait for a minute or so, or until she starts whining and scratching and then I let her out. 9/10 times she will have peed/pooped, but she won't go there by her self. I tried putting her down near the bathroom when she wanted to go, but she would just come back and start sniffing around, so I just put her there so she won't pee on my floor. Will she get it sooner or later that she must go to the bathroom to pee, or is there some extra training involved? She gets rewarded for peeing/pooping in the right place, and gets scolded for doing it in the wrong place.

Jeeeez, I didn't realize I wrote so much

I hope someone will have the time to read and respond, it would be really helpful

TishaMoon · 03-17-2009, 04:30 PM

Hi and

!

I don't have my puppy yet so I can't really help. Actually I'm looking forward to some of the answers too.

MissSophie · 03-17-2009, 04:40 PM

Welcome to Yorkietalk! What is your baby's name? One thing you could do is put a baby gate up across the bathroom door. That would let the light in and keep her from getting out. When you think she needs to potty, try putting her directly on the pad and stand there with her. Then praise her when she does it. Best of luck to you. You will get the food thing when she is ready. Hope to see you on and with some pictures.

jmdt · 03-17-2009, 04:52 PM

What about electrical cords? Are there any she could chew? These little ones can get into something bad very quickly. I too think maybe the bathroom. Couldn't you put a crate in the room only during the day when you are out. That is the safest place for her. You could maybe leave her out of the crate at night. Mine sleep with me, but when I go out they go in the crate. You could easily fold up the crate when you are home so it won't be in your way. Good luck and Welcome to yt.

DanielleAllen · 03-17-2009, 05:06 PM

Welcome to YT! I have a new puppy so I am interested in hear what people have to say to you.

Critter · 03-17-2009, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CodilX

Hi there,

I was wondering, is it normal for her to have just these 2 commands that she can do (not perfectly) ? Is there a sort of guideline for what she should have be learning at this age and the months to come?

I think they all learn differently, our 1st learned most of his tricks pretty quickly, our 2nd one not so much, he just doesn't seem to understand and I think has ADD

But my question is, is this a bad place to keep her? Germs etc aren't the issue, I clean that place every day, the light thing worries me. I'm thinking of getting a mesh/fence type divider for the door, so the door could be kept open but she wouldn't get out. Does that sound like a good idea?

I wonder if you used a night light? we bought a gate but the youngest one knows how to scale all the gates and even his xpen when he wants. we bought the mesh but he tore that up.

Last week we went to the vet to get her shot, and she said that I could start giving her wet food,

I know ever vet is different, ours told us not to feed wet food daily, she said that hard food is better for them and it breaks up tarter build up on their teeth, I do feed some wet mixed with dry but not daily.

And also, I guess that she'll need more food then, so instead of a spoon per feeding, I'll have to give her 1 1/2?

we went from free feeding to 2 meals a day and it was just a transition, I assume you'll have to do the same thing. the food bag will tell you how much and divide that by 2.

Another issue we have is breath stink.. I know that you should give dogs the bone things for them, but is it too early for a 3 1/2 month dog? And what are the alternatives for fixing the bad breath issue?

I think their breath starts to smell really bad when they are teething, my first one went through that. we got bones, CET chew sticks (love these), bully sticks and my friends vet told her about petkin liquid oral care and I LOVE it, it has solved the problem and I swear by it.
Will she get it sooner or later that she must go to the bathroom to pee, or is there some extra training involved? She gets rewarded for peeing/pooping in the right place, and gets scolded for doing it in the wrong place.

it takes time, my first one was so easy but our 2nd one just doesn't seem to understand. I have read that you are not even suppose to say anything if you catch them peeing where they aren't suppose to, just pick them up and take them to the correct spot. Yorkies love any interaction and they really don't understand the difference when we acknowledge them, good or bad.

Jeeeez, I didn't realize I wrote so much

I hope someone will have the time to read and respond, it would be really helpful

It sounds like you are doing so many good things, it takes a lot of time getting them where we want them but they are so worth the investment.

Britster · 03-17-2009, 06:29 PM

Hey! I think it's great that she knows two tricks already, she will learn and get the hang of it. I would practice with her every day for 5-10 minutes at a time using a yummy treat that she loves. It just takes practice and patience but they are smart little things! I don't think there's really a "guideline" per say with their age and what they're supposed to know, it all depends on what YOU teach them. My mom has a 4 year old dog and all she knows how to do it sit because nobody ever taught the poor thing anything else, lol.

Bathroom is not a bad place to keep her. If you don't have room for an x-pen or crate, that's your safest bet. I wouldn't worry about the light thing. Dogs eyes adjust. You won't hurt her eyes

Whether it be dark or too light, it's no big deal.

I fed Jackson dry food mixed in with wet food for a while but wanted to get him out of the habit. I just free-feed and leave out dry kibble all day so he can go over and munch/drink whenever he wants. I will mix in wet food every other day or so as a treat for him. He's 5 months old.

Bad breath... haven't experienced that yet. Jackson's has never been bad, really, unless he ate something bad, lol. I've heard PetzLife products work wonders. PetzLife Products Inc - Products For a Healthier Pet I've never brushed any dogs teeth but I may start with Jackson just to get in good habits.

The weather thing.. each dog is different, really. Jackson doesn't mind the cold at all. He played in the snow for an hour at a time with us, no clothes or anything on him. He's bigger though weighing in at nearly 10 pounds at 5 months old so maybe that's why the cold doesn't bother him. But I have outdoor trained him since I brought him home at 9 weeks in December and he's been fine.

Housebreaking, I basically just kept Jackson on a tight schedule for the first few months and tried not to even allow an accident to happen by taking him out every half hour - hour that I was home. When I wasn't home, he went into his crate, where he never once had an accident. He's moved on to the x-pen when I'm not home, but mostly now I just leave him in my room and he's absolutely fine. Consistency and schedule is key.

I'm sure others will give you loads of other better advice!

QuickSilver · 03-17-2009, 06:32 PM

Welcome!

I agree with the other poster who suggested a baby gate. Give her a little bit of a view.

I'm sure you'll get lots of advice on all your questions, but about the training: I've read it takes the average dog two dozen repititions to understand a simple command. I think two commands is just fine. If she seems to be having a lot of trouble with a certain command, try another approach, or work on another command for a while. Shake Hands is super-cute. I recommend you do that one next.

ParrotLady · 03-17-2009, 06:44 PM

Wow, you are doing so great for your first pet and that pet being a puppy Yorkie!

I just joined too, because we just adopted a 7 mo Silky a couple of weeks ago.

You came to the right place. You can search for all kinds of answers here and then what isn't clear, people will help you when you post the questions. This is the greatest!!

I have already purchased the Yorkie calendar and donated some, because this forum is sooo very helpful. I plan on giving more money with the next pay check.

I purchased a potty training manual and got my money back because it didn't work. I joined in the YT potty log here and Penny is already trained to two rooms!!

CodilX · 03-18-2009, 03:01 AM

Wow, so many answers, thank you all!

Someone mentioned electrical chords, well from day 1 I was very strict about them. I have tons of computers, monitors, consoles and thus tons of wires. So as I said, from day one I was strict with her and she doesn't seem interested in them at all, but it's still too early to keep her in my room by herself during the day, so I can't be 100% sure she won't engage in a bite-for-all skirmish.

The baby gate thing, well the ones I saw are quite expensive, and being a student and all, it doesn't exactly fit into my budget, this goofball doesn't help with the expenses

I'm thinking of buying a piece of fence or something, throw some hinges on and make a kinda door thing, it wouldn't look that terrible I guess, and it could be made for like $10.

We practice her 2 tricks right before bed time, that's when she's not so hyper active and pays more attention. The thing I'm probably doing wrong, is that I'm treating her with her dry food. I can't seem to find treats for her age, and she get's excited by her food anyway, so as long as this works for us I guess that's what we're gonna do.

As for the breath thing, I asked this lady at my local pet store, and my vet, and they both said that it's better to not give her the chew things or liquids until she's 6months old, so I'll ty the cloth thing again, and if it doesn't work I'll just put on a mask or something lol

Britster · 03-18-2009, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CodilX

Wow, so many answers, thank you all!

Someone mentioned electrical chords, well from day 1 I was very strict about them. I have tons of computers, monitors, consoles and thus tons of wires. So as I said, from day one I was strict with her and she doesn't seem interested in them at all, but it's still too early to keep her in my room by herself during the day, so I can't be 100% sure she won't engage in a bite-for-all skirmish.

The baby gate thing, well the ones I saw are quite expensive, and being a student and all, it doesn't exactly fit into my budget, this goofball doesn't help with the expenses

I'm thinking of buying a piece of fence or something, throw some hinges on and make a kinda door thing, it wouldn't look that terrible I guess, and it could be made for like $10.

We practice her 2 tricks right before bed time, that's when she's not so hyper active and pays more attention. The thing I'm probably doing wrong, is that I'm treating her with her dry food. I can't seem to find treats for her age, and she get's excited by her food anyway, so as long as this works for us I guess that's what we're gonna do.

As for the breath thing, I asked this lady at my local pet store, and my vet, and they both said that it's better to not give her the chew things or liquids until she's 6months old, so I'll ty the cloth thing again, and if it doesn't work I'll just put on a mask or something lol

Use cheerios as treats!

TOY · 03-18-2009, 07:16 AM

My Yorkie is still at the breeders while we wait for the calendar to reach April. The things I have learned have been through this site and the books I've read. (That's the disclaimer before I address some of your concerns...LOL)

I would be concerned leaving my puppy in a darkened room for most of the day primarily because I think the lack of mental stimulation would not be good. You could leave a radio on and even a light. Plus, you can probably find a baby gate at a yard sale or thrift store much cheaper than buying a new one.

From what I've read, Yorkies tend to have dental issues as they age. I am under the impression that good dental care needs to begin while they are still puppies. If you do an internet search, you will be able to find demos of how to brush a puppy's/dog's teeth. There are these nubby "thimbles" or doggy toothbrushes/toothpastes. However, even the washcloth that you mentioned is better than nothing at all. From all that I have seen, the preferred method appears to be circular motions on their teeth. (I would encourage you to do this if only with water and a cloth since gum disease is often a problem as they age.)

I saw that someone has mentioned Cheerios as a treat. I understand that behavior modification works well with this breed and that you can cash in on their desire to please to help you successfully train. Again, there are some good clips on the internet showing some basic training.

Sounds to me like you are doing well. I would strongly encourage you to start taking care of the teeth though. The bacteria is probably part of what is causing the odor, as well as the teething. It may be that you will need to get some baby teeth pulled eventually and supposedly that can help the bad breath problem, too.

CodilX · 03-18-2009, 08:21 AM

Well the problem I found with most of the baby gates I found online, is that the bars are too far apart. She's so tiny, she would just squeze her way through, probably even when she's older, thats why I'm thinking of the fence thing on hinges, or just make a baby gate on a weekend.

The teeth thing, yeah I'll have to try harder. How about getting a soft toothbrush and kinda let her bite on the brussels? It's hard to get pet supplies where I live, so not everything is available to me, just the basics.

I really want her to sleep in bed with me during the night, but she needs to go pottie every few hours ://

CodilX · 03-18-2009, 01:58 PM

here is how we started brushing our teeth

YouTube - Yorkie brushing her teeth

MicaDixie · 03-18-2009, 02:24 PM

I use a baby gate and have Dixie in the spare bedroom while I'm at work. It was very inexpensive ($14) and works great! It's pressure mount and has a wood base and plastic diamond for the actual fencing part. Does that make sense? She's only 2 pounds and it works great for her. Good luck!

03-17-2009, 02:19 PM	#1
CodilX YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Lithuania Posts: 6	first dog and pet :) a few questions.. Hi there, A month ago I bought the most adorable little puppy girl, fell in love with her instantly. she's now 3 1/2 months old and growing It's kinda weird having this little bundle of joy and treating here like a baby, teaching her everything etc, and here comes the questions. As I said, she's 3 1/2 months old. I started training her ~2wks ago, by now she can sit & lay down, but it sometimes it takes a few times for her to understand. I'm trying to add "stand up" to the equation, like on all 4 legs, but she doesn't seem to get it yet.. I was wondering, is it normal for her to have just these 2 commands that she can do (not perfectly) ? Is there a sort of guideline for what she should have be learning at this age and the months to come? I live in a small studio type apartment (that's why I got a Yorkie but not a Lab), and well there isn't a lot of room for crates etc, so I dedicated my bathroom to her instead of a crate. Her bed, toys, food, water and pee pad are in there and she doesn't really "complain" about it. There's enough room for her to play in there. When I put her there, after ~10minutes she stops scratching and crying and probably goes to sleep. She sleeps through the night without a peep, only at around ~6-7am she starts scratching so I could let her sleep for an hour with me before classes start (really cute). The thing that kinda worries me, is that it's dark there. Well I don't think it's an issue at night, but when I leave for classes at 8am or so and come back at 3-4pm, she is stuck there in the dark for that time. I don't turn on the light when I come home so I don't ruin her eyes, I just slowly open the door so she could get used to it. But my question is, is this a bad place to keep her? Germs etc aren't the issue, I clean that place every day, the light thing worries me. I'm thinking of getting a mesh/fence type divider for the door, so the door could be kept open but she wouldn't get out. Does that sound like a good idea? Last week we went to the vet to get her shot, and she said that I could start giving her wet food, so I'm mixing half a teaspoon in with her dry food. As I was instructed, she's fed 3 times a day, a spoon size amount. Before I leave, when I get back and before bed time. As I understand, when she's 6months I'll have to just feed here twice, correct? How do I do that? She's like a clock, when the hour comes, even if she's dead asleep she'll wake up and won't stop squirming until I feed her. How do I ease her into feeding her 2 times a day instead of 3? And also, I guess that she'll need more food then, so instead of a spoon per feeding, I'll have to give her 1 1/2? Another issue we have is breath stink.. I know that you should give dogs the bone things for them, but is it too early for a 3 1/2 month dog? And what are the alternatives for fixing the bad breath issue? My friend told me I should take a piece of cloth, spray with water, wrap it around my finger and kinda brush her teeth that way, but the cloth gets stuck in her sharp teeth and well it doesn't work for me, maybe I just don't know how to do it correctly.. Now, I really want to start taking her outside. The problem is that the weather here is terrible.. It's just above freezing, and it's wet, cold. I guess it's too soon for her to go outside in this weather? And while I'm on the subject of toilet manners, she's kinda down with the whole pee pad thing, but she peed a few times on the carpet, a couple times in my bed, and once every couple days she pees next to the pee pad, but not on it. (#2 usually is done on the pad). I'm not that worried because I've read that it takes a while before yorkies get the hang of it, but how do I get her to go to the bathroom and do her things there by herself? The way I do it is when she starts squirming and kinda looks like she wants to go, I just put her in the bathroom and close the door (otherwise she just walks out), wait for a minute or so, or until she starts whining and scratching and then I let her out. 9/10 times she will have peed/pooped, but she won't go there by her self. I tried putting her down near the bathroom when she wanted to go, but she would just come back and start sniffing around, so I just put her there so she won't pee on my floor. Will she get it sooner or later that she must go to the bathroom to pee, or is there some extra training involved? She gets rewarded for peeing/pooping in the right place, and gets scolded for doing it in the wrong place. Jeeeez, I didn't realize I wrote so much I hope someone will have the time to read and respond, it would be really helpful

03-17-2009, 04:40 PM	#3
MissSophie YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lincoln, Nebraska Posts: 807 Blog Entries: 1	Welcome to Yorkietalk! What is your baby's name? One thing you could do is put a baby gate up across the bathroom door. That would let the light in and keep her from getting out. When you think she needs to potty, try putting her directly on the pad and stand there with her. Then praise her when she does it. Best of luck to you. You will get the food thing when she is ready. Hope to see you on and with some pictures. __________________ Sophie's Mom :

03-17-2009, 04:52 PM	#4
jmdt YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Long Island, NY USA Posts: 3,498	What about electrical cords? Are there any she could chew? These little ones can get into something bad very quickly. I too think maybe the bathroom. Couldn't you put a crate in the room only during the day when you are out. That is the safest place for her. You could maybe leave her out of the crate at night. Mine sleep with me, but when I go out they go in the crate. You could easily fold up the crate when you are home so it won't be in your way. Good luck and Welcome to yt. __________________ Coco, Pebbles, Trixie, and Wally LOVE MY BABIES!!

03-17-2009, 06:29 PM	#7
Britster Action Jackson ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 17,814	Hey! I think it's great that she knows two tricks already, she will learn and get the hang of it. I would practice with her every day for 5-10 minutes at a time using a yummy treat that she loves. It just takes practice and patience but they are smart little things! I don't think there's really a "guideline" per say with their age and what they're supposed to know, it all depends on what YOU teach them. My mom has a 4 year old dog and all she knows how to do it sit because nobody ever taught the poor thing anything else, lol. Bathroom is not a bad place to keep her. If you don't have room for an x-pen or crate, that's your safest bet. I wouldn't worry about the light thing. Dogs eyes adjust. You won't hurt her eyes Whether it be dark or too light, it's no big deal. I fed Jackson dry food mixed in with wet food for a while but wanted to get him out of the habit. I just free-feed and leave out dry kibble all day so he can go over and munch/drink whenever he wants. I will mix in wet food every other day or so as a treat for him. He's 5 months old. Bad breath... haven't experienced that yet. Jackson's has never been bad, really, unless he ate something bad, lol. I've heard PetzLife products work wonders. PetzLife Products Inc - Products For a Healthier Pet I've never brushed any dogs teeth but I may start with Jackson just to get in good habits. The weather thing.. each dog is different, really. Jackson doesn't mind the cold at all. He played in the snow for an hour at a time with us, no clothes or anything on him. He's bigger though weighing in at nearly 10 pounds at 5 months old so maybe that's why the cold doesn't bother him. But I have outdoor trained him since I brought him home at 9 weeks in December and he's been fine. Housebreaking, I basically just kept Jackson on a tight schedule for the first few months and tried not to even allow an accident to happen by taking him out every half hour - hour that I was home. When I wasn't home, he went into his crate, where he never once had an accident. He's moved on to the x-pen when I'm not home, but mostly now I just leave him in my room and he's absolutely fine. Consistency and schedule is key. I'm sure others will give you loads of other better advice! __________________ ~ Brit & Lights! Camera! Jackson! CGC ETD TKP ~ Follow Jackson on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacksontheterrier

03-17-2009, 06:32 PM	#8
QuickSilver Thor's Human Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 5,929 Blog Entries: 31	Welcome! I agree with the other poster who suggested a baby gate. Give her a little bit of a view. I'm sure you'll get lots of advice on all your questions, but about the training: I've read it takes the average dog two dozen repititions to understand a simple command. I think two commands is just fine. If she seems to be having a lot of trouble with a certain command, try another approach, or work on another command for a while. Shake Hands is super-cute. I recommend you do that one next. __________________ If you love something, set it free. Unless it's an angry tiger.

03-17-2009, 04:30 PM	#2
TishaMoon YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: So. Cal Posts: 367	Hi and ! I don't have my puppy yet so I can't really help. Actually I'm looking forward to some of the answers too. __________________ ~ Bailey's Mommy~

03-17-2009, 05:06 PM	#5
DanielleAllen YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Phillips, ME, USA Posts: 273 Blog Entries: 1	Welcome to YT! I have a new puppy so I am interested in hear what people have to say to you.

03-17-2009, 06:44 PM	#9
ParrotLady Donating YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ross, TX Posts: 259	Wow, you are doing so great for your first pet and that pet being a puppy Yorkie! I just joined too, because we just adopted a 7 mo Silky a couple of weeks ago. You came to the right place. You can search for all kinds of answers here and then what isn't clear, people will help you when you post the questions. This is the greatest!! I have already purchased the Yorkie calendar and donated some, because this forum is sooo very helpful. I plan on giving more money with the next pay check. I purchased a potty training manual and got my money back because it didn't work. I joined in the YT potty log here and Penny is already trained to two rooms!! __________________ Tracie and Penny http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com

03-18-2009, 03:01 AM	#10
CodilX YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Lithuania Posts: 6	Wow, so many answers, thank you all! Someone mentioned electrical chords, well from day 1 I was very strict about them. I have tons of computers, monitors, consoles and thus tons of wires. So as I said, from day one I was strict with her and she doesn't seem interested in them at all, but it's still too early to keep her in my room by herself during the day, so I can't be 100% sure she won't engage in a bite-for-all skirmish. The baby gate thing, well the ones I saw are quite expensive, and being a student and all, it doesn't exactly fit into my budget, this goofball doesn't help with the expenses I'm thinking of buying a piece of fence or something, throw some hinges on and make a kinda door thing, it wouldn't look that terrible I guess, and it could be made for like $10. We practice her 2 tricks right before bed time, that's when she's not so hyper active and pays more attention. The thing I'm probably doing wrong, is that I'm treating her with her dry food. I can't seem to find treats for her age, and she get's excited by her food anyway, so as long as this works for us I guess that's what we're gonna do. As for the breath thing, I asked this lady at my local pet store, and my vet, and they both said that it's better to not give her the chew things or liquids until she's 6months old, so I'll ty the cloth thing again, and if it doesn't work I'll just put on a mask or something lol

03-18-2009, 07:16 AM	#12
TOY Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,094 Blog Entries: 4	My Yorkie is still at the breeders while we wait for the calendar to reach April. The things I have learned have been through this site and the books I've read. (That's the disclaimer before I address some of your concerns...LOL) I would be concerned leaving my puppy in a darkened room for most of the day primarily because I think the lack of mental stimulation would not be good. You could leave a radio on and even a light. Plus, you can probably find a baby gate at a yard sale or thrift store much cheaper than buying a new one. From what I've read, Yorkies tend to have dental issues as they age. I am under the impression that good dental care needs to begin while they are still puppies. If you do an internet search, you will be able to find demos of how to brush a puppy's/dog's teeth. There are these nubby "thimbles" or doggy toothbrushes/toothpastes. However, even the washcloth that you mentioned is better than nothing at all. From all that I have seen, the preferred method appears to be circular motions on their teeth. (I would encourage you to do this if only with water and a cloth since gum disease is often a problem as they age.) I saw that someone has mentioned Cheerios as a treat. I understand that behavior modification works well with this breed and that you can cash in on their desire to please to help you successfully train. Again, there are some good clips on the internet showing some basic training. Sounds to me like you are doing well. I would strongly encourage you to start taking care of the teeth though. The bacteria is probably part of what is causing the odor, as well as the teething. It may be that you will need to get some baby teeth pulled eventually and supposedly that can help the bad breath problem, too.

03-18-2009, 08:21 AM	#13
CodilX YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Lithuania Posts: 6	Well the problem I found with most of the baby gates I found online, is that the bars are too far apart. She's so tiny, she would just squeze her way through, probably even when she's older, thats why I'm thinking of the fence thing on hinges, or just make a baby gate on a weekend. The teeth thing, yeah I'll have to try harder. How about getting a soft toothbrush and kinda let her bite on the brussels? It's hard to get pet supplies where I live, so not everything is available to me, just the basics. I really want her to sleep in bed with me during the night, but she needs to go pottie every few hours ://

03-18-2009, 02:24 PM	#15
MicaDixie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 44	I use a baby gate and have Dixie in the spare bedroom while I'm at work. It was very inexpensive ($14) and works great! It's pressure mount and has a wood base and plastic diamond for the actual fencing part. Does that make sense? She's only 2 pounds and it works great for her. Good luck!