Thinking of getting a yorkie but have questions

[yorkiemom2000]

My two boys are both pee pad and outside potty trained. It's great for them to be able to potty inside when it's 20 below outside.

[celstu1]

I never kept my boys in a pen or gated or crated when I was home with them. Well at night until they were big enough they slept in a crate, but after they were 6 months old they slept with me. Your baby is going to want to be WITH you when you are home, not in an exercise pen. In my opinion (and some may disagree) the pen is great for when you are at work, helps contain them and their messes, but when you are home, you should let them out and socialize with you and any company you have so they are friendly with people and acclimate to their environment. Crate only at bedtime.

Oh and I would put a bed in their pen, not a crate. I think the more they are exposed to (not being able to hide in a crate) the more acclimated they get to people, noises, excitement, etc... I used to play a radio during the day when I was at work so they'd have something to listen to, also to drown out some of the outside noises that they would bark at. I think it helped with anxiety to have background noise

[newdoggiemommy]

Thank you for the wonderful advice. That makes more sense to me than leaving them in a exercise pen when I am home. But when they were little how did you control them going potty all over if not confined to a specific area? Also did you put them in a crate in your bedroom at night? Sorry for all the silly questions but I just want the best for my new baby when I get himher.

[Verbena]

Galen is in an ex pen when he can not be supervised. He is really good using his pee pad. I have been treaching him go pee pee and he pees on the pad. At the moment I have a crate but the door is open, he is 13 weeks old. A puppy under 4 months really does not have the muscle control or a big enough bladder to go for long without going. When he gets a little older I am going to start to crate train and go outside.

[gracielove]

I kept Gracie with me most of the time when she was a puppy. Never let her out of my sight except when I had to do something I could not involve her in. Some people have had success by tethering the pup to them with a 6' leash. That way you can learn all the signals the puppy gives when it needs to potty so you can get it to the potty in time.
X-pens are great but the pup does not learn a lot when they are in the pen. It is one on one with you that teaches the pup what is expected of it in the home. Being with you will also prevent the pup from chewing things that are off limits and other activities that are no nos. Yes, being in the pen will do that too but hopefully your goal is to have a well behaved dog when all the training is done. They only learn those things when they are with you.