How Come No One Told Me?

[Zanders' mom]

Zander was my first yorkie, because he was only 3 months, I know they can't be crated for long since they will have to go tinkle, so the 1st wkend home, I crated him but kept his crate close to me, I took him outside every 30 minutes, if he did something he was given a treat right then, lots of praise, etc. then come back into the house to play, if he did not do any business, he would go back to the crate with me watching him, he would have a toy or flossie to keep him busy. On Sunday of that wkend, I put him in the bathroom with a pipi pad/holder, bed, toys, water, and he learned to use the pad, the smaller the room the easier he will learn to use the pad. Even with toys he got bored and chewed on a door, so I purchased a gate type xpen made for children, left him in it with bed, pipi pad, etc. He is 3 yrs. old, does not have accidents in my home, knows to go outside or on pad.

If you keep your furbaby in a crate, you then miss out on the teaching moments, my furbabies know not to go near the ironing board, they understand to go lay down, and many other things because we had the teaching moments, they learn very fast, they love to please.

Perhaps you can work on your furbaby as if you had brought him home for the very first time. Good luck.

[mscat]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

It still comes down to the fact that she got the dog way too young and was not experienced enough to know how to make up for the training that he would have gotten from his mother.

If the dog is that upsetting to the household, then it would be best to take the dog back to the breeder, and to get an older dog that is already trained and does not require the attention that a puppy does.

Puppies are not for everyone. Many dog lovers do not want to deal with the demands of a puppy. They are a lot of work and require a lot of attention for 2 years.

She got her puppy at 12 weeks old . He is now around 7-8 months old .I totally agree with you . This puppy deserves better.

[Krystee]

Originally Posted by Yorkie118

He is 7 months old and when I got him he had just turned 12 weeks old. Thanks!

I don't know if this makes a huge difference but according to her April 9th post she said that he was 11 weeks old and has had him for 6 days so that would have made him about 10 weeks when she got him. Either way, I guess that's still better than 8 weeks.... or maybe she just made a typo in her April post.... who knows....

[PANAMA69]

Hi there, I got Phoebe first, I just to created at nite only, I will put her crate on top of my treasure chest next to my side of the bed and I will cover her with a blanket, I make sure she has gone to pee and poop if she has to first, in the day she will be on the playpen with pads and toys food water etc, but, I don't work so she will be with me a lot, I noticed that she was getting separation anxiety very bad and shaking when I live her alone, that is why we got another yorkie, for company, I'm no saying to get another one, because sometimes you end up with two dogs with separation anxiety lol, but it work for us. Just give yourself a little time it will get easy

[Sugar's Mom]

Originally Posted by mscat

She got her puppy at 12 weeks old . He is now around 7-8 months old .I totally agree with you . This puppy deserves better.

i agree. I will not even consider selling my puppies to people that are going to crate them almost all the time. I feel so bad for this puppy. If it were me, I would place him with a family that will treat him like the special baby he is. Dogs have to feel love from their owners to adjust well to anything. They have to be held, cuddled, kissed, talked to and all those things more than just a brief time a day when they might be out of their crate. I understand people having to work and crate their dogs during that time but usually those people even have someone come in and let the dog out. and the dog is always out of the crate when they are home. I have some eight week old babies right now. Is it easier for me to crate them while I am working and cooking and etc at home? Sure it is. Do I? absolutely not. I am just careful where I put my feet down. After all they are going to make some new families very happy in a few weeks and now is the time they need to learn how to be a part of the family.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by Sugar's Mom

....I have some eight week old babies right now. Is it easier for me to crate them while I am working and cooking and etc at home? Sure it is. Do I? absolutely not. I am just careful where I put my feet down. After all they are going to make some new families very happy in a few weeks and now is the time they need to learn how to be a part of the family.

That is why we learn the Yorkie shuffle! Seriously, I found myself sort of scooting around without completely picking my feet up when the puppies were all scampering around.

That is also why so many YT members seek you out as a breeder! Not only beautiful puppies, but puppies that have been cuddled, loved and socialized with care.

[Sweet Apple]

Originally Posted by Sugar's Mom

i agree. I will not even consider selling my puppies to people that are going to crate them almost all the time. I feel so bad for this puppy. If it were me, I would place him with a family that will treat him like the special baby he is. Dogs have to feel love from their owners to adjust well to anything. They have to be held, cuddled, kissed, talked to and all those things more than just a brief time a day when they might be out of their crate. I understand people having to work and crate their dogs during that time but usually those people even have someone come in and let the dog out. and the dog is always out of the crate when they are home. I have some eight week old babies right now. Is it easier for me to crate them while I am working and cooking and etc at home? Sure it is. Do I? absolutely not. I am just careful where I put my feet down. After all they are going to make some new families very happy in a few weeks and now is the time they need to learn how to be a part of the family.

If Apple and I ever add to our family, we'll be driving to Kentucky....Good Post

[EverythingMiley]

Anyone need some coffee? Maybe a nice glass of wine?

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by EverythingMiley

Anyone need some coffee? Maybe a nice glass of wine?

Oh, oh .....I'll take a cup of coffee but pass on the wine!

[EverythingMiley]

Would you like that with some extra added calories or just plain ma'am ..hehe

[Jenn in Vegas]

From your post, it soudns as though you don't spend much time with your baby and that you have him locked up WAYYY too often. Because your ironing or cooking is not a reason to lock him in a cage. My Yorkie would always cry and whine in order for me to take her out. With A LOT of patience and treats, she got the hang of it and understood it would only be for a short period of time. I mostly used it to potty train her. Worked wonders! I never really liked keeping her in there at all. Now she is 2 years old and I let her roam free throughout the house at all times. However when I leave for a long period of time, I just close off a section of the house with 2 baby gates to ensure she is safe. If you don't have enough time or patience to train and baby your Yorkie, then I'm afraid you should give him up for adoption into a wonderful home who has all the time.

Oh and there are hotels that will allow pets. I have taken Misty plenty of times on road trips. You just need to call ahead and arrange something.

Originally Posted by Yorkie118

Hello everyone. It's me again, with more issues. I've had my yorkie for about 4 or 5 months now. And I would love to say that these have been some of the best months for me, but sadly I can't say that at all. I have had so many issues I'm starting to think that I made a mistake in buying him. I've loved the breed for about two years. I would beg my husband all the time about getting one. Finally he gave in and I went on the search. I found one.... bought him....and the story begins. I thought I did my research. I thought I asked all the right questions. Somewhere something went wrong...really wrong. My first problem was him crying everytime he was alone, trying to eat his way out of his cage. Okay I understand that he has to get used to his new home. I get that. But this wasn't normal. It wasn't getting any better. Nothing I tried worked. I contacted the breeder and she said that he had NEVER been caged. GREAT. I wish I had known that before. It's just not possible for me NOT to put him in a cage. For his own safety. He is in the cage when ever I couldn't keep a constant eye on him. Like when I am cooking, going to check the mail, things like that. He is so little I am trying to keep him safe. He would work himself up so bad when we would leave the house he would lose all of his energy. That hasn't gotten better all these months later. I told the vet and the breeder that I thought he suffered with serious separation anxiety. They both said "Oh just give him time, he needs to get used to your routine". How much time does he need. I went to Petco and got him a new cage, a wire one thinking that maybe he wouldn't feel so closed in. Before I brought that he started using the bathroom in the cage. All the time. I was having to bathe hime a couple of times a day, everyday. Even though I was taking him out all the time. When I got the new cage he went from using the restroom in the cage to drinking his pee. There goes the second problem. I sectioned off the cage thinking that would help. It didn't. It got worst. Somehow he got past that. It told almost 2 months. Now he still cries like crazy when we leave him and he has started to show some signs of aggression. When I am ironing I put him in the cage so he doesn't get caught in the cord or anything. When we look at him he starts growling at us or barking. As soon as we come home we can hear him before we get in the house. And he's not even in the front of the house, he's all the way in the back in my room. If I leave and my husband is home he calls me telling me to hurry home because he is going crazy. (Both my husband and the dog!) He has said that if it doesn't hurry up and get better I have to get rid of him. What am I suppose to do. We can't take him with us everywhere. We can't even take him out of town with us. No one will let him into a hotel. So we have been trapped at home this summer. Not able to go anywhere. All the books I read about yorkies before I brought him only stated the good stuff. No one told me that this dog was going to take over my whole life. At night he sleeps in my bathroom. If I have to use the restroom at night, I can't even go in there I have to go to another bathroom on the other side of the house, because if I wake him up he starts up. He is so stubborn. He just kind of does what he wants. I spoke to a lady who said she has had the same problems the whole time she has had her 4 year old yorkie. Other people have expressed the same things. I'm starting to think that people have destroyed the breed. We baby them so much they don't know how to be dogs. They start to develop human characteristics and they don't know how to function as pets. I love animals, but I can not have an animal control my house. I don't even let my children do that. They have rules. I think that some breeders as so in love with the money that they can make off of these dogs that they don't care about the breed or about the life that they are going to have to live once they are brought. They are not breeding for temperament. I am so lost. I don't know what to do. I have two other dogs that are perfect. But this one has me at a lost for words. It has been hard to connect with him. What do I do?

[harleyyorkie]

Originally Posted by Yorkie118

Thanks for your reply. And just to let you know I do care that's why I have posted this thread. And in between my last thread and this one I HAVE been talking to other yorkie owners, reading books, and talking to the trainer at my local Petco to try and correct these problems I have been having.

First of all, I would like to say I am sorry for the trouble you are having with your Yorkie. As the owner of 5 Yorkies, I undertsand. As a matter of fact I just picked up my 3 & 4th puppies last night. They are from a breeder. They are used to being in separate x pens, only being put together with supervision. they've never been in a crate.I have two separate crates, one for each due to the smallness of the younger one, for his safety. I also have an x-pen. When I am gone to work or asleep they each are in their own crate complete with bed, potty pad, toys, kibble & water. When I am home I let them run in the backyard (fenced) and have about 15 minutes or so running around in the living room only, while I'm sitting on the floor with them. Then we go outside again, then back inside and I hold them in my lap and pet them and gently play with them while sitting on the couch. When it's time to fix dinner, I put them in the playpen and bring them to the kitchen with me so I can supervise their playtime together. As I'm moving about the kitchen, I make sure to talk to them, call them by name, and give an occasional pat on the head or pick them up and give them a hug and then put them back and go on about my duties. No, I don't mind a little dog hair in my dinner.I do not acknowledge them if they are whining or barking, only when they are playing nicely and quiet. Before we eat, it's back outside for 10 minutes and then back to the pen again while we eat. I move the pen to the dining area when we eat so they can see us. After dinner, move the pen back to the kitchen while I'm cleaning up. Yes, it's alot of work, but this is how you raise a happy, independant and well adjusted dog. After I'm finished cleaning we go outside again, then play on the floor, then lovies on the couch and we keep this up for the night until theier bedtime, at which time they go in theier crates for night time. I get up every two hours for potty breaks, and if I have to leave the room for a bathroom break myself I leave them in the pen for a minute unsupervised, but only a minute. If I am vacuuming they are in the same room as me but in the playpen, again with frequent attention, pat on the head, etc. I have raised all my dogs this way and they are just wonderful. Sorry to get so lenthy but sounds like you need more specific directions. By the way, yes, they howled all night while in their crates off & on, and they peed on their pads too! It takes time for them to learn a new routine, but if they are not confident in your relationship with them, they will not learn. Right now they are scared s**tless, new home, new people, new routine, new food, etc. I make them as comfortable as possible with the transition. Yorkies love to please when they love you and are secure. Good luck!

[lysiane_souris]

Originally Posted by Sunnie

I don't agree that all of the crate training techniques say to crate them most of the time. What they say is to crate them when you cannot give them attention. That being said, if they are crated all the time because you cannot give them attention, then they need to be placed with someone who can give them attention. It is so unfair to keep them crated all the time.

I agree with you.. its basicly constent suppervision. If dont suppervise then you can crate him but you should be able to supervise most of the day when you are home. If you have a new born baby don't you watch them most of the time other then them sleeping in their bed. There is no diff for a puppy they are just like babies need constent supervision.

[TLC]

Some dogs do have anxiety issues (all breeds can have this). I have one that does and one that doesn't. Yorkies are stubborn too

From what I have read, you need to socialize him, take him out to as many places you can, show him different places and people.

Next you need to boost his esteem, you can do this by teaching him commands. If he already knows the basic ones, keep going, stimulate his mind, make him learn.

And you need to make the crate a "happy place" - maybe get a kong or a bully stick for when you have to contain him in there.

[Kenna]

OmG, so many posts, I can't read them all.... I do like the "Yorkie Shuffle" We do that too! Having puppies running around is a great way to socialize them and have them be a part of the family and experience everyday sounds and activities. Puppies so need to be kept with their mothers until 12 weeks or longer. This is such a crucial learning time for them.

Having a new puppy is hard work, no doubt about that. When I got my first yorkie puppy years ago, I remember getting up twice in the middle of the night to take him out. Was it hard? You betcha it was but he was the best dog and learned really quickly to go to the bathroom outside. I am all for crate training when it is done with proper techniques and time limits.

I wish you luck. I truly love my babies (I also have kids too) and I wouldnt trade them for the world...the best breed and yes, just like children sometimes!