yorkie pup and crate training My husband and I are thinking about getting a Yorkie for our daughters- ages 9 and 5.5. They have been begging for one for a year, but until recently, i didn't feel like they were quite old enough. I have been in contact with a breeder who will release the puppies at 6-7 wks of age. She says she starts crate training them early, but my dilemma is that my husband and I will be gone about 9 hrs during the day for work. I could possibly come home at lunch for the first few weeks to let her out to pee/poop, but I couldn't do it indefinately. It worries me that I will have to crate her for 9hrs a day, but I know there are many, many other dog owners who do it and have done it starting as a pup. What are your thoughts? And believe me when I say she will get plenty of attention from the time we get home to the time we go to bed! She won't be lacking there! thanks! |
Hi welcome to YT! :) First off, it concerns me that your breeder is letting her pups go at 6 to 7 weeks of age. That is WAY too young to be let go from their mother and litter mates, puppies should stay with them til about 12 weeks of age. As for crate training, 9 hours is a very long time to be away from a brand new puppy. You have to remember, their bladders are very tiny and need to go more frequently. As they get older they have better bladder control and can hold it for more hours but as babies they don't have this control. Also yorkies are prone to hypoglycemia and it would worry me that if not fed for 9 hours, your baby could go into shock and would be alone :( Puppies that are crate trained need a strict schedule and I can't image being able to stay on schedule while being gone for 9 hours, but I could be wrong! Do you have a neighbor or family member that could check on him each day? I don't mean to scare you but puppies really need a lot of attention. Now that mine is almost 11 months, I actually had to resort back to crate training since he relapsed, but I'm able to leave him for 8 hours if I have to bc he has bladder control. I still go take him out every 4 hours but if necessary he could hold it for 8. I would just do some research on yorkie puppies, I'm no expert, but they really need a lot of time and attention at their age, ESPECIALLY if your breeder gives you the pup at 6 or 7 weeks! I would seriously ask her if she could keep your baby a bit longer, best of luck to you!! |
Yikes! Yorkies are way too small & have too tiny of a bladder to be crated 9 hours a day. I got my pup very young, at 6 weeks of age, but took two weeks off work to be with her around the clock. She had to be fed every 4 hours (just like a human baby) for the first few weeks. If you don't have the time to devote to such a young pup, I'd suggest getting a lil older yorkie pup, and would recommend a play pen set up, with bed, food & water, & pee pads all in a pen, instead of crating, if you are going to be gone for long periods of time. That way the pup has a lil den of their own & can eat, drink & go potty as needed. |
I crate trained Remy. Nine hours is unrealistic even for an adult small-breed dog. Remy is 7 months old and can hold it for 5 hours. I don't leave him in a crate longer than that. When I got him at 12 weeks he couldn't stay in his crate for two hours with an accident inside the crate. So, you will come home to a nasty puppy and a big mess. As said before, it's like a newborn baby. They have to potty and sometimes eat in the middle of the night. Especially a six week old puppy... That puppy should be with his mommy for six more weeks. I would rethink that breeder. Best of luck to you!! |
I have to agree that I hope the breeder can let the puppy stay longer in order to learn important socialization lessons. One example is the not biting hard lesson is usually taught in play with brother & sister pups. Nine hours is a long time! Buster is trained to use a piddle pad inside and to pee outside as I can have really long work hours too. I waited until my roommate and I had staggered hours in the beginning because I did not want to leave him that long. If you think about it 9 hours + 8 hours for sleep is 17 hours which only leaves you 7 hours for play, walks and training. Not to mention the usual life stuff. That is a lot of lonely time for a new puppy. I feel they need a lot of attention when they are puppies to help them be happy and confident adults. I know I was a bit overwhelmed with how much work Buster was as a puppy especially potty training. I do not mean to be negative but many people will get a dog and then get so busy that the dog is ignored. When it cries because it is lonely and craves attention or acts out because it is bored then the owner gets frustrated with the dog. It is not the dogs fault but the owners. They are companion dogs and really need the company of their owners. Perhaps an older dog who is more settled and not a new and needy puppy might be the answer. During the summer when your children are home will you have more time at home for a puppy then? Kelly is right the little Yorkies have issues with hypoglycemia so they need more feedings as well in the beginning. |
6-7 weeks is very early to let a yorkie pup leave its mom. 12 weeks would be good. I got my yorkie at 14 weeks. I'm a single mom to a 8 year old daughter. I work so I too was worried about where and what my pup would be doing. Early on, we used an expen. With puppy pads, food bowl, bed, toys and water. He did well this and was very reliable on puppy pads. When he got older say 10 months old, I started crate training. He picked up right away and at 18 months old now, he's completely potty trained minus the few accidents when he's got a tummyache. I would suggest you get an expen. There are a few examples on the forum of what members have done for their new additions. Goodluck! |
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