New here - concerns, questions, and more!
 

Our little Ellie is almost 3 weeks old and (of course) still with her momma. Based on what I've been reading EVERYWHERE she should stay with her mom until at minimum 8 weeks. We'll be getting her at 6 weeks. I do not want any negative comments about this, there is no other option other than not taking her at all. It is not my decision. If it were, she would be staying with her mom until much later!

What I would LOVE is any advice you have about things we should watch for, things we should be really attentive to, suggestions you may have for us to make her as comfy and safe as we can, etc.

Thank you!

I agree with the option to not take her. She is entirely too young. My pups aren't even fully weaned at 6 weeks.

Actually the age the pups should stay with the mom is 12 weeks so yours is way too young. Pups that young can get hypoglycemia. Your going to have to have nutrical on hand in case of an episode. A pup that young cant be left alone because a hypoglycemia attack that goes without intervention can be deadly so I hope you dont work

The breeder I went to gave me honey right at 12 weeksand I had a problem with hypoglycemia twice. You are really going to have to keep an eye on your baby. It will be best if you didnt work or if you could have somone check on your baby almost every hour if not more. Also I will reply to this so some of the breeders can tell you what they think you can do to make your baby healthy since it is leaving its mom so early.

Hi. May I ask why she has to go at 6 weeks? Is that the seller's demand or ...?

Congratulations on your new Puppy. A Yorkie puppyshould stay with his mother until he is about 12 weeks old. If Your puppy isyounger, you have a premature puppy in a way. You will have to be his mommy andteach him like she would.
1. Umbilical Tethering
Is a wonderful way to bond with your puppy and keep him safe. Hook a leash tohis harness and put the other end on your wrist. He will feel secure, he cansee you, smell you, and hear your heart beat and breathing. When he is nothooked to you he should be safe in his crate or play pen. You should resist theurge to carry your puppy around. This is a human instinct for human babies.Doggie babies need to walk and learn to follow the leader. Walking ismuch better for them, it makes their muscles strong and teaches them to look toyou for directions. They learn by watching and doing what the leader does.
2. PottyPrep
The mother dog begins to push the puppies out of the nest area to potty at 4weeks, at 6 weeks they follow her to the potty place and copy her behavior. Soyou have to pick a place and take your baby about every 2 hours during the day.They really do not know they can hold urine, when they feel the urge topee they pee. When they are 8 to 10 weeks old, they begin to understand theycan wait a few minutes, you can begin true potty training. Always praiseif they potty in the right place. Potty breaks should be short. Say your cueword ' POTTY NOW' give him 3 to 5 minutes to potty. If he goes, praise 'Good Potty'pet and maybe reward with off the leash play time in a fenced yard. You areteaching him potty first, then sniff and play is ok.
3. Young puppies can die from low blood sugar. It is not possible to leave Yorkie (and some other small toy breeds) puppies younger than 8 weeks old, home alone. They may still be nursing. Ask You vest to give you detailed instructions about what to watch for and what to do. Keep Nutrical on hand. Make food and water available at all times.
4. Rescue puppies when the mother has died may need to be tube fed your Vet will know what your puppy needs have her / his phone number on speed dial.
Best wishes and good luck.

I do not work and will be able to be with her 24/7.

The person we are getting her from is not a breeder and these puppies were an accident between 2 relatives yorkies who were left unsupervised together for a matter of minutes.

They are leaving to go out of town right after Christmas and are wanting/demanding puppies go to their new homes before they leave.

I appreciate the information and guidance. I truly believe in the long run with a very watchful eye and a very caring family our little baby will be better off with us than where she is right now (with the exception of her mommy who is currently taking care of her).

If I don't take her she will go to whoever will take her. :(

I guess I feel like I can prepare myself and our family the best we can. I hate the thought of what could happen to the others going to other homes.

If the mother dog is from a relative of yours..maybe you can convince her to let you keep the mother dog and puppies with you while they are on vacation???

Even if it is an accident they shouldnt be pawning them off on people so young. I hope the other people who are adopting know they cant leave a pup so young alone. Im sure the breeders not going to tell them that and it is possible tragedy waiting to happen. You should also know if your pup has diahrea it needs to be seen by a vet immediately. You also may have trouble getting it to eat. It most likely wont have teeth yet so you cant feed kibble untill about 8 weeks so start with canned food

I told you about the diahrea because I got my chachi at 6 weeks and he got it and i waited a couple of days before going to the vet and he was dehydrated and had to have fluids so it can happen that fast; An older pup or dpg you can go a couple of days and give canned pumpkin and hope it firms up but with a pup that young they dont have any reserves. When chachi got dehydrated you would never know he was he was active and not lethargic at all

I think the poster said the dogs are related not that the breeder is related to her. Anyway, I would ask to keep the mom and pups for the breeder until after they return. Since you don't work it would give you an excellent opportunity to see how moms and pups need each other during this time. I would jump at the opportunity to do this if I could.

Good breeders will follow the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America and will care a lot about there yorkie pups and will keep them until 12 weeks to make sure they are getting the best start possible. Most breeders who skip this step are skipping many other steps trying to save money and you can end up with an unhealthy puppy with lots of problems and paying lots of money to a vet. At 6 weeks you absolutely can't leave that puppy alone it will need to be feed at least every two hours, the puppy should not be over handled, need to be kept warm, is going to probably have biting problems and need to be taught bite inhibition and socialization. Hypoglycemia is the biggest issue and can cause death. I believe getting a puppy under 8 weeks is illegal in most states so personally I would report the breeder and walk away. Supporting bad breeders just keeps them in business longer. I also am not sure that any shots given around or before 6 weeks will take.

I know they have puppy milk. Im not sure if anyone has said for you to get that yet. You being at home will help a great deal. Im not a breeder but I did call and ask my dog breeder for you. I will send you the information she sent me for you to watch out for.

Do you know if the parents of these pups where healthy with no luxating patella and other issues?

I got my first yorkie too young at 8 weeks. She could not eat kibble very well at that age. I supplemented with a yogurt and chicken baby food mix which she did do alright on. Also, I gave her nutrical. She had to be fed every two hours (around the clock) at first because she was so tiny. Another thing I did was to make a sling that fit over my shoulder and around my waist and this is where Jasmine stayed the first few weeks when I had chores to do and couldn't sit right beside her. This way I knew she was safe and we boned very well. I didn't know then what I have since learned regarding the desired age of the puppy before separating from the their Mom. I also had to train her not to bite and the extra socializing that the Mom would do. All and all I am glad I go her. She is a love I would also caution you about little children holding your new pup. They are extra wiggley and can push their back legs against you just like a rabbit. They have no fear even at a very young age. We learnt this in a very bad way. My husband was holding little Jasmine and she was wiggling and she pushed her legs against him and out of his hands she flew. He was standing when this happened......and she fell to the floor and stopped breathing. It seemed like forever before she took a breath. I am not trying to discourage you from getting your little fur baby, just giving some suggestions. Good luck with your new baby!

Omg that happened to me and excuse my language but I damn near cried...I was screaming like I was crazy

:thumbup::thumbup: This is an excellent suggestion - do you think the owners would go for this? It won't be like they are losing anything and they get a free dog-sitter for the mom while they are away...

It never even crossed my mind to offer to keep them all while they are gone. That's a big responsibility, but I think I could manage! There are 5 puppies. Even if they hand over other puppies before they leave (I am going to truly encourage that NOT to happen), I would still be willing to keep mom and how ever many puppies are not at their new homes.

We have no other animals or pets in the house, but I do have 3 children (11,12,13). I don't think there would be any issues with the kids, in fact, I think it could be good for them to see how tiny and "needy" these babies are! :)

I guess from a legal standpoint I would need to figure out a way to safeguard myself/family if something were to happen that was completely out of our control.

I will call tomorrow to ask about this option. She's not a breeder, and truly I think she's just uneducated about how important it is that they stay with mom longer than a larger breed. I know I was before we decided to add to our family!

I am also getting my puppy at 6 weeks, on Tuesday. I have spoken to my vet, and he recommended puppy formula until she is reliably eating regular puppy food. I am going to be mixing a few pieces of the dry food until its soggy, and mix it up. He also recommended a heating pad to help her keep her body temp regulated. Other than that, he said to just stay with her as often as possible, and of course watch for hypoglycemia. He said this should not be a problem if we are feeding her very frequently. Puppies don't always come from ideal situations. I am sure my Gracie and your baby will be just fine with lots of love and care, research, and a good vet. I also plan to keep her home and not allow visitors until she's older. I don't want her catching anything at all! Please let us know how it goes, and congrats on your new baby :)

At 6 weeks old your pup will need to eat every two hours and if you are not there to make sure that happens (a lot of people have problems getting very young pups to eat) the pup can go into hypoglycemia and if no one is there to get sugar in the pup the pup will have seizures and then die. If your breeder is willing to let your pup go at 6 weeks that means your breeder probably didn't do heath testing to make sure the parents didn't have anything they could pass on and that means your pup could end up with genetic issue or something like Luxatting Patella (one knee cost over 3,000 on my yorkie) that could end up costing you lots and lots of money in the long run. Not to mention a lot of people who get puppies to young end up having to try force feeding them and there have been a few who have lost there pups. Please consider these things when getting your puppy. If it is a case of thinking you are saving the pup well what about the parent dogs who will probably continue to be breed because they can make money off the pups. I encourage you if you decided to get this pup that you find someone who can either check on them every hour or every two hours its a very serious thing. Then I'm sure you read about all the stuff you will need to teach your pup because there mom wont be with the pup to teach it. You can not just leave this pup alone for 7 hours and expect it to be ok when you get home.

Oh my goodness!! All these tiny babies leaving their Mommas way too early! Please do a lot Of research. Have nutrical on hand for low Blood sugar and do not leave them for even
5 minutes. Yorkies are not like labs! They are tiny and fragile. Good luck and I truly hope all goes well.

Are you getting the puppy from a breeder? Why if the person giving you the pup before the legal age to give puppies

It sure would be an interesting time having the litter at your house. Hopefully the owner will have already investigated the new owners of the babies.

Make sure you have the NutriCal ready and puppy formula to help with the weaning. Small breed pups sometimes don't grow their puppy teeth in as soon as other larger breed dogs do so they do take some extra time learning to eat and adjust to new situations. Hope all goes well for you and the pups.