A Bunch Of Questions

[ShortnSweet]

I'm looking to get a Yorkie sometime in the next couple of months, but I have some questions. I've been doing research, but I'd rather hear from real, "live" people who own Yorkies than read it off of some article.

First, I live alone in a two-bedroom apartment. Will a Yorkie be content in a small space? I plan on walks and frequent trips out of the home, but I worry that a dog would be MUCH happier with a yard ...

Also, I know Yorkies can be difficult to potty train. I plan on crate training and using pee pads (since I'm in an apartment.) Are they really that much more difficult than other breeds? I potty trained my mother's miniature American Eskimo with little problems, just a few accidents.

Also, I was thinking of getting a playpen. Would this work as well as a crate? Will a playpen hold an older Yorkie? Will baby gates hold a Yorkie (my apartment has stairs). If I get a playpen, do I really need a crate?

Many of the neighbors in this community have dogs as well, some pretty large. How likely is a Yorkie to start a fight? I know they can be a bit rambunctious ...

In a year, I will be moving about 30 minutes away to a house with my friend. The house will be fenced. Do you think it will be difficult to go from pee pad training to having a yard as well? Do you think a move (albeit small) will upset my Yorkie?

What do ya'll suggest I do for socialization?

While I'm at work, would puppy day care be a good idea or should I leave her home alone for about 6 hours?

Okay, so that's probably enough for now. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon. And to anyone willing to tackle some of my questions, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

[Thorsmomma]

First off, welcome to YT! I will take a stab at some of your questions. First one, I believe that an apartment is okay for a yorkie as long as you provide the proper excerise. I would like to tell you that yorkies have a lot of energy. Lots of articles and books say that they are a breed of dog that their energy can be run off around the house. NOT TRUE! Well, there are some like that but through talking to people here I have found that their are a lot of furbabies that have tons of energy. They are worth every ounce!
I think crate training is the way to go. That helps out with potty training too. I half and half crate trained my little guy, and I believe its the best way to go. As for potty training, I heard that yorkies are rally hard to house break/potty train too. Thor is 6 months old and he still has accidents. He is MUCH better than even a few months ago, and I think half of his acciedents as this point are my fault for not making him go out more. They do have tiny bladders, but my advise is to just hang on. It can get frustrating but it will get better as they get older. It's not so bad i.m.o.
It depends on how big your dog gets, and also how ballsie your dog can be, but Thor learned to jump over his baby gate. So that didn't hold him back! When you are away I think it would be best for him to be in his crate(as a young puppy) and maybe as he got older you could let him have more space. As for leaving your dog alone for 6 hours, thats a lot of time to be in a crate all alone, maybe dog daycare or some alternative would be better.
I am scared that my dog is going to get himself beat up some time because he just has a huge mouth!
I hope I answered some of your questions!
Hannah

[yorkieusa]

I'll answer what I can of your questions (in blue).

First, I live alone in a two-bedroom apartment. Will a Yorkie be content in a small space? I plan on walks and frequent trips out of the home, but I worry that a dog would be MUCH happier with a yard ...

I would say, of course, a yorkie would be much happier with a yard. Any dog enjoys their own little yard to run and play in and it does become THEIR yard, if you get my meaning. But since you are planning to move in a year and the yorkie you are getting is a small yorkie and not a big yorkie then you will be fine.

Also, I know Yorkies can be difficult to potty train. I plan on crate training and using pee pads (since I'm in an apartment.) Are they really that much more difficult than other breeds? I potty trained my mother's miniature American Eskimo with little problems, just a few accidents.

I don't find them any more difficult than other breeds. I train ours to go outside. I (myself) believe this rumour of their difficulty in housebreaking came about with the use of pee pads instead of training to the outdoors.

Also, I was thinking of getting a playpen. Would this work as well as a crate? Will a playpen hold an older Yorkie? Will baby gates hold a Yorkie (my apartment has stairs). If I get a playpen, do I really need a crate?

It depends on the size of the yorkie. They come in all sizes.

Many of the neighbors in this community have dogs as well, some pretty large. How likely is a Yorkie to start a fight? I know they can be a bit rambunctious ...

Are you talking about a little yorkie on a leash or do you plan to allow it to run loose? If it is on a leash, then there should be no problem.

In a year, I will be moving about 30 minutes away to a house with my friend. The house will be fenced. Do you think it will be difficult to go from pee pad training to having a yard as well? Do you think a move (albeit small) will upset my Yorkie?

Yes, I do.

What do ya'll suggest I do for socialization?

Allowing your puppy to meet people on a regular basis, puppy play dates...an introduction to car rides (slowly at first); just a continued introduction to different surroundings and situations, but not too much at a time. A timid puppy can be easily frightened. Training classes.

While I'm at work, would puppy day care be a good idea or should I leave her home alone for about 6 hours?

If you can afford puppy day care, then that would be a plus. Six hours is not terribly long. Is that five days a week or more?

[RowdysMom]

Originally Posted by ShortnSweet

I'm looking to get a Yorkie sometime in the next couple of months, but I have some questions. I've been doing research, but I'd rather hear from real, "live" people who own Yorkies than read it off of some article.

First, I live alone in a two-bedroom apartment. Will a Yorkie be content in a small space? I plan on walks and frequent trips out of the home, but I worry that a dog would be MUCH happier with a yard ...

Also, I know Yorkies can be difficult to potty train. I plan on crate training and using pee pads (since I'm in an apartment.) Are they really that much more difficult than other breeds? I potty trained my mother's miniature American Eskimo with little problems, just a few accidents.

Also, I was thinking of getting a playpen. Would this work as well as a crate? Will a playpen hold an older Yorkie? Will baby gates hold a Yorkie (my apartment has stairs). If I get a playpen, do I really need a crate?

Many of the neighbors in this community have dogs as well, some pretty large. How likely is a Yorkie to start a fight? I know they can be a bit rambunctious ...

In a year, I will be moving about 30 minutes away to a house with my friend. The house will be fenced. Do you think it will be difficult to go from pee pad training to having a yard as well? Do you think a move (albeit small) will upset my Yorkie?

What do ya'll suggest I do for socialization?

While I'm at work, would puppy day care be a good idea or should I leave her home alone for about 6 hours?

Okay, so that's probably enough for now. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon. And to anyone willing to tackle some of my questions, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I crate trained Rowdy at night - he started sleeping through the night just a week or so after I got him (8 weeks old). He would wake me up to go potty about 3:00am, but after a couple of weeks, he started sleeping through the night. During the day, I used a pen (metal pen, not play pen) with a bed and papers, because I didn't want him to have to be in the crate all night, and then in the crate for more hours during the day. I am fortunate though in that my husband is retired and is at home most of the day. However, I used a pen so he would have room to romp and play some during the day when we were gone.

It did take me longer to potty train him then our Jack Russell terrier, but now he is almost 7 months old and I don't think he has had an accident in the past month. Of course, I am lucky again, because we have a fenced yard and he has a doggie door and can come and go as he pleases which greatly helped the potty training.

You asked about paper training and then getting them ot go outdoors after you move. I once had a poodle who had to be paper trained because we lived in an apartment at the time. I don't think he ever was really paper trained because he would start going in a particular spot on the floor and I would move the papers to that spot and he would use the papers for a while and then he would move to another spot and start going on the floor again and I would move the papers to that spot and on and on. Anyway when he was about 9 months old we moved into a house with a fenced yard and it only took him about a week to learn to go outside and he never had any accidents - except when he was mad at me for bringing my baby home from the hospital.

Good luck with everything - you won't regret one minute getting a Yorkie - even if they are a bit more work in some respects. The payoff is waaaay worth the effort.

[LvLaila]

Be careful w/ the baby gates - we had a s**tzu before, and I tried to use the same baby gate for my Laila - she got stuck w/ in 5 minutes! Luckily I was close by and could hear her little feet moving back and forth to get out. I immediately threw it away and bought one w/ smaller holes, so she couldn't get her head stuck in them. You have to be sooo careful w/ a tiny yorkie.

Potty Training was really easy for me!! I immediately started her off w/ the potty pads. Start w/ 1 in each room, then widdle them down as she gets use to them. Now I only have 1 pad out, and she rarely even needs to use it. This technique also worked for night time. I put a pad in a gated area, and she would use the pad at night. They are scented to attract the dogs. I'm not a crate fan. As a baby my Laila pooped in her crate and it was a HUGE mess to clean up. As puppies some Yorkies don't have that great of bladder control or bowel control if you know what I mean. They need to go when they need to go! It is easy to get them to pee outside, but to teach them to 'let you know they have to pee' is difficult w/ having potty pads in the house. It took a while to teach my dog how to let me know. She still isn't that good at it, but I can tell when she needs to go.

My Yorkie does like to fight a little, but only w/ smaller dogs. She only wants to play w/ large dogs - and has come to realize she is tiny. She is more timid w/ big dogs. Teach them slowly, and with a really nice big dog, and they will be okay. I would worry more about the other dogs coming after the Yorkie, than the Yorkie after the other dogs. Don't ever assume a large dog w/ like the tiny Yorkie. A lot of times they don't even realize they are dogs - they might appear as squirrels or rabbits to some dogs.

I got Laila and at 7 months had to move to a new house. I thought she would have a lot of issues w/ the move and being so young. NO WAY! She actually did wonderful and was so excited to have a huge new area to take over. She quickly fell in love w/ the new house, and has never had an accident (2 months I've lived there now). It actually improved her, not the other way around. Weird, but true, at least in my case. Just break them in slowly. Do not let them have the whole house right away, it is too overwhelming. I put her on a long leash, and each day would give her more reign when I was out. Now she is great, and knows all the knooks and cranny's of the house.

Getting a yorkie was the best decision I ever made! Be sure to socialize them too! This helps tremendously, socialize w/ people and dogs! Good luck, let me know if you have any more questions.

[mustangbee]

Looks to me like you got some relly great answers!
So I'll just say Welcome!!!!! Glad you found this site!
I'm sure you will love your new little baby, They are so much fun!
Please post a picture when you get him/her!
Again WELCOME!

[Hamoth]

First, I live alone in a two-bedroom apartment. Will a Yorkie be content in a small space? I plan on walks and frequent trips out of the home, but I worry that a dog would be MUCH happier with a yard ...

Any dog would be much happier with a yard...But that's not a reason to worry, Yokies are pretty good with apartments and should do just fine.

Also, I know Yorkies can be difficult to potty train. I plan on crate training and using pee pads (since I'm in an apartment.) Are they really that much more difficult than other breeds? I potty trained my mother's miniature American Eskimo with little problems, just a few accidents.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best...I can tell you are doing lots of good reasearch, and I commend your serious outlook on your future comitment. You will want to research a lot about potty training methods that you may or may not like, and be prepared to switch early on if you find that your pup just can't stand some thing you are doing.

Chewy potty trained very easily for a Yorkie. Bearing that in mind, we had quite a few cleanups along the way. I am given to understand that pads are often harder than out-door potty training. There will be lots of pee and poop to cleanup with a Yorkie for the first year. That's just part of the bargain.

Also, I was thinking of getting a playpen. Would this work as well as a crate? Will a playpen hold an older Yorkie? Will baby gates hold a Yorkie (my apartment has stairs). If I get a playpen, do I really need a crate?

I know that baby gates are very effective at restricting Chewy's movements. That said, he hates being gated off in the kitchen and will make you suffer if you do it, lol. Crates are HIGHLY useful.

Many of the neighbors in this community have dogs as well, some pretty large. How likely is a Yorkie to start a fight? I know they can be a bit rambunctious ...

Yorkies are no more prone to fight than any other dog. In fact, I'd say that they are less likely. I have seen some vicious and aggressive Yorkies, but that's usually due to a lack of propper socialization.

In a year, I will be moving about 30 minutes away to a house with my friend. The house will be fenced. Do you think it will be difficult to go from pee pad training to having a yard as well? Do you think a move (albeit small) will upset my Yorkie?

The move won't be so much of a problem. The switch in potty training might be though...You will probably be best off going with outdoor training from the outset. Walking down stairs (if this is remotely feasible) every couple of hours with your young pup. By the time they are 6 months, this will be every three or four hours. Then when you move, they will only need to go a few times a day.

What do ya'll suggest I do for socialization?

Puppy classes, hang out with other dog owners, introduce it to as many different kinds of people as possible and have them give your pup treats. Go to dog parks with your puppy.

While I'm at work, would puppy day care be a good idea or should I leave her home alone for about 6 hours?

For very young puppys, this seems too long to be alone to me.