puppy concerns
 

I'm looking into buying a little boy yorkie puppy. I'm use to having dogs but they are usually bigger outside dogs. I know i need to groom the puppy everyday and brush it's teeth. I'm fine with that. However I am worried about the potty training. I work 8 hours when i work and 3 days a week no one will be able to let him out of the laundry room for breaks. The breeder said that he leaves his dogs in a laundry room until he gets home. So, I am thinking of doing that but also placing a puppy mat in the bathroom since i would not expect him to hold it in for 8 hours. My questions are:1. Will placing a puppy mat in the laundry room and leaving him there until i get home be OK for his potty training? I want to teach him to go to the front door when he needs to use the bathroom. I don't want him to go in the laundry room when i'm home. 2. Should i have the puppy sleep in a crate at night or let him sleep in a little bed next to mine during his training? I don't want him to get into things in the middle of the night and possibly hurt himself. 3. If i do keep him in a crate, when is the right time to let him sleep in my bed? Any answers would greatly help! Thanks!

Crate training is best but that depends on how old your puppy is. If he is too young he will still potty inside the crate at night unless you are ready to wake up every couple of hours. Laundry room is a good idea but it maybe larger than necessary and your puppy may or may not use the puppy pad. Plus, there may be items in the room that is bad for him. If you need to put him in laundry room, make sure you puppy proof the place. My breeder send me home with a playpen (for human baby) that she bought at a yard sale. She had me fill up half of it with bed and half with puppy pad. Since dogs will not potty on their bed, my baby was immediately trained to go on the puppy pad. You do have to watch out for puppies that chew disposable puppy pads. That is very hazardous and you may want to buy fabric ones. One thing good about playpen is that you can keep it in your room beside your bed so your puppy get used to sleeping with you in the same room. When he gets older and fully trained, then you can transfer to your bed. Good luck and welcome!

thank you so much! I love the idea of a playpen.