Practical Advice.
Mia is not getting enough exercise or interaction with her people. Since you are the PLP (Parent/Provider, Leader, and Protector) It is up to you to change things, you are a family. Compromise if you can. Rigid rules seldom work well with Yorkies and small children. Being a happy family is really you goal right ?
If possible try a dog walker, doggie day care or find some one who comes into your home a few hours a day to play and be with your dog. It will take effort and money to make this happen. Things are not working, so change is needed.
Your Yorkie is used to a lot of attention and now she is banned to a closet most of her life. Even people that use an exercise pen, in a sunny kitchen with patio doors for the dog to see out side would have an unhappy dog given your schedule.
Would you consider allowing her to sleep in your bed room even if it not in the bed ?
This would be much better than returning her to the closet. In a dogs mind sleep time counts, as together time too.
Hope this helps, Teresa

I am very bothered by the repeated use of the word "caged" so often, and I am saddened that this poor baby is being reprimanded for loving her human so much. I am trying to keep in mind that not everyone lets their babies have run of the house like I do however, this little one is confined so often and unless she tears things up chews on things or has potty issues (all of which she could be trained not to do) I dont understand why she would need to be. If your fiance is worried about cleanliness of your yorkie the simple solution is keep her well groomed, if she is worried about her jumping up on visitors she can be trained not to do that. but I am guessing that if she is confined so often she may jump up on you or anyone for the excitement of being out and free. I just dont think it is fair to the puppy to have to live this way, she just wants to love and be loved.

Great suggestions!

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Give the lady a Cupie Doll!!! TF has offered SOUND ANALYSIS and workable solutions. I would think if NONE of these options offered are agreeable to you and fiance, then perhaps you need to think about rehoming the little baby. She is clearly miserable in the current situation....but I personally think if you put YOUR foot down, try and solve the issue with suggestions given, and if they do not work, just help fiance understand this little dog wont hardly take up much space at all in the bed....and on those "special nights", Mia can be in her playpen in your room until "special" is over, and then she can come back to bed!

Jeanie, such a great explanation as to why dogs like to sleep with their humans at night!

Thank you for taking the time to answer that question. It does tell me that the dog is getting very little actual time for connecting and interacting with you on any meaningful basis after all the time being somewhat coddled. Dogs are sentient pack animals, especially many of the small to medium-sized terriers. They have extremely alert, sensitive and active minds and hunger for closeness and oneness with their pack and jobs in life. Terriers were bred to work and work is what they are all about. They need meaning and worth to their lives and long hours alone and sleeping separated and alone from their pack plus little time working actively to achieve anything can be extremely frustrating, especially after the doting lifestyle this one just had to give up a while back with the change of homes.

I would give this baby a day or two of a good, reputable doggie daycare, hire a dog sitter to spend one - two hours a day working with that little one and take some TV time to work training the little one in obedience and/or a little simple agility work with short, homemade jumps and cardboard-box tunnels. Positive, reinforcing treat reward and genuine praise and a good, hard play session after each working session is a good ending, then a short turn to potty on the pad or outside on the porch and even a turn on the snowy sidewalk just to get some air and a sniff of the wonderful outside world will likely work wonders to help your dog feel it lives for a reason and achieves something in its day. Dogs LOVE to work at learning tricks and interactive toys. I feed my dog using only interactive toys he has to work at to get his food from. Takes him 30 - 60 minutes sometimes to eat and he often has to work to get the food out. He's a happy camper while he's "hunting" and "working" for his dinner. He's so happy with his dinnertime and comes and kisses me and rolls around when he's finally "hunted" all his dinner out of the kong toys and puzzles! You can just tell he thinks his life is good.

Part of each day we work at his obedience tricks and his agility. I sit him in my lap and talk directly to him about things and ask him questions. Silly but he seems to like it. He watches TV with me evenings. We take a good walk at least once daily, with the whole way up the block allowing him to stop and sniff and hike his leg all he wants and then back down the block, we "heel" and walk fast, stopping for nothing in order to get his legs really going, his muscles working. He goes outside in the backyard to play and chase squirrels, meet the neighbor's dogs through the fence several times a day. For a snack, he gets a puzzle toy he has to work to move pieces out of the way to uncover his kibble treats. He has ready access to the floor to ceiling living room and huge den windows to survey the outside world and keep watch at all times. He sleeps with me nights. He has no behavior problems other than a panic attack and those seem cyclical. He hasn't had one now in about 3 weeks. He was severely neglected for the first 9 mos. of his life, living alone in a cage under a roof outside in the elements but 99% of his fears and all of his behavior problems we have worked through. When I worked after I first got him, a good deal of the evening and weekends was spent doing all of those same things, just for less time for each activity.

Also, as I said in my other post, I would use a good secure crate, start by placing it by the bed at night, toss a treat or two in from time to time only when the dog is quiet, ignore whining, etc., and slowly but surely move it away from the bed and down the hall if you have to sleep that separately from the dog.

Hopefully by giving more quality time to your dog and changing some things, giving more meaning and work to the dog's day and slowly adjusting the sleeping quarters can help your situation. Best of luck to you.

It appears to me that you do care very much for your Mia. I'm believe you are looking for help in providing Mia what she needs and still have her in your life and I applaud you for this.

I was wondering if there might be a doggy daycare in your area where Mia could spend her days with other dogs and people and receive attention that you are not able to provide during the daytime. I know a lot of people have the same situation that you have in that they just can't be home for their pets during the day and they take their dogs to a daycare designed to meet that need and help your pup enjoy her day and still be able to enjoy her owner in the evening. These people praise all the attention and care their pets receive. I would suggest that the first thing to do would be to find a place like this that can provide care and attention for your pet during the day then go about working on behaviors at home in a way that is truly positive for everyone. If you can find a solution to address the hours you are away, the rest will come with positive reinforcement. Mia wants only to make you happy.

I do suggest however that you talk again with your fiance about your devoted Mia and allowing her to share your bed. Any reason she can't sleep with you on your side of the bed? It's difficult enough for Mia to learn to live with someone new who has different habits and patterns that she is not familiar with, if Mia receives the same level or very closely to that level of care that you had provided her in your prior living arrangements I am certain that Mia's ability to adapt to the other changes in her life would be much easier for her to adapt to.

Did you really mean to say "the relationship is going to end because of Mia"??? I find this extremely sad. That someone who says they love you would be so totally unbending if they understood your love for this pup and this pup's love for you. Everyone makes sacrifices when they begin new relationships but it is so much easier for the people in your pups life to make adjustments than for your pup to have to feel such extreem separation anxiety from the person she has loved with her whole heart for the last four years. I hope this is something you and your fiance can work out so that your Mia isn't the one who suffers. I wish you the best of luck in your new relationship, and pray that Mia's relationship with you is not what you end up sacrificing. I pray for peace in all your relationships. Blessings!

Thank you! Watching feral dogs and reading a good deal about pack animals brought me to those conclusions. They do seem to seek other pack members out at bedtime and sleep very close to one another and they do change their positions in the perimeter during the night. Often they sleep back to back. Also as their sleep cycles change in the night, they change their body positions.

I just wanted to pop in here and say/suggest a couple of things and then I will leave it at that.

First, I think it is great that you actually came here looking for help with your situation. THAT proves that you love Mia.

With that said, do what is best for Mia. She didn't choose you...you chose her. She fell in love with her human. She did what she was supposed to do. If changes in your life have so drastically changed to the point that Mia cannot be given the loving attention she NEEDS from you, then do the loving thing and find a better home for Mia.

The fact that she is caged for that long every day is not right by any stretch of the imagination. Rooms with couches and beds can be closed off or gated off. Cage the furniture. She doesn't have to sleep in your bed to get what she needs. Bobbi suggested an xpen in your bedroom. That's a perfect compromise. A dog walker is another perfect answer..this gives human interaction, especially during your busy work months.

If you can't do those things I just stated, then love her enough to find her a home that can give her the time and attention she, not only was given and had yanked away from her, but that she needs. Why would she not whine, bark, and act out? Of course she is. She's being neglected...you might not realize it, but she is. You love her..then do what's best for her. If she doesn't fit in your new life...give her a new life. What she has now is a solitary confinement death sentence.

I am being honest and trying to help. I wouldn't even have posted if I didn't believe you wanted to help Mia. All I can do now is pray that you take our advice. And, again, thank you for asking (many wouldn't).

oh no no no I meant to say would not. It's not anything like a deal breaker or causing major major issues in the relationship. I'm just worried that given her whining has become worse in the last couple of days, both working long hours, stressed out and work and sleep deprived might end up in a dumb fight for no reason. I do appreciate people understanding that I do love little Mia and want her to adjust to the new home that's all. I do see what everyone is saying and will refrain from smacking her anymore and just try other approaches. As i'm typing this she's running around the house playing with me getting her some exercise she needs. I do love the little pup and want nothing but the best for her. We'll see how the next couple of days go.

Edits made for clarification/grammar correction bolded below:

Agree with all of this. Also have you tried putting her bed in your bedroom at least she can still be close to you and not been locked away alone something she is not used too, this must be upsetting you and your fiancé should be able to see that and knows how much you love your little girl.

I have been praying about this little girl all day. Also I know you love her and want what is best for her. It breaks my heart thinking how lonely she probably is without the attention she is used to getting from you. I have seen dogs literally grieve themselves to death when confined like she is after being so close with humans. There was an elderly lady here who passed away and her children did much the same to her little pup and it did not last long. Hopefully for Mia's sake you can find a solution to all this quickly. God bless.

Some ideas
 

Both of you are accountants - why not think about some exchange of services? In your new area, are their folks who would like to dog-sit for you? And you could do their tax returns; this way you would not outlay a lot of money.

I also am of the opinion that closet might be okay for part of the day; but at night time why not your bedroom in a nice play pen or crate? Razzle spends the winter months in his crate on hubby's side of the bed, and warm months on my side (which is by the window).

Our big dogs (well when I had 2) would and did change positions during the night, one always by my side of bed, the other by our bedroom door. They are simply too big to allow in the bed and get too hot on the bed.lol.

I do understand some folks don't want to sleep or have dogs on the bed at all; to each his own in this respect. But dogs are indeed pack members and do best sleeping with their pack.

Now this dog is spending way too much time alone - poor thing. Deprived of both human and perhaps other doggy company. You really need to consider a good pet walker and sitter. I don't with the hours you b oth are working, think that a day care could offer sitting until 8 or 9pm at night. Not sure but it is something you could investigate.

I think the whining and crying at night would be solved - if she had a spot by your bed - her own bedding and crate or xpen or play pen. This way everyone gets a good night's sleep.

Consider your options. Also consider the health and well-being of your dog. Perhaps what is best for your pooch is to consider re-homing her to folks, who can spend much more time with her.

My Yorkie is not quite the velcro dog, that others seem to be; how-ever he has other dogs to play with; and mostly the pups like to be in the room that I am in. Partially because he came into our home with 2 large dogs, so he learnt that the premium place to be is on Mom's feet - cause that is where the big dogs lie. He is also (and the only one) the spoilt brat that is allowed on the furniture. I have blankets on the furniture because he likes the warmth of the blankets. They also are easy to wash, and when company comes to take off the furniture. So this could be an option for you and your fiance.

Still for me I drive home at lunch, spend a few hours with the pups, walk/play train, some days grooming et al. I return to work, and am home about 8ish. But other family members are home starting from 4pm on. So the doggies are only alone for maybe 4 and 2hrs per day. Even still with folks home, always the dogs are at the window waiting for me to return home. Then every-one settles in for the evening.

I guess my whole point is, your dog is used to being a family member, part of the day to day life of her home. This change you have created for her, is a huge change! Alone for what 14 hrs a day? No exercise, no company. Not much of a life for her. I do hope you consider providing some stimulation for her during those very long alone hours.

Your dog is 4 years old and is accustomed to having human companionship. Dogs are social animals. They do not do well alone. You are leaving this poor soul alone for at least 12 hours a day and I am assuming she is in this dark closet with a gate all that time....alone. How would you like it? A dog is a thinking, feeling creature. Dogs love their people.
You have turned her world upside down. Your work and your BF are the most important things in your life. That is your choice. But the dog was not in on your choices. She is now a prisoner for the major part of her life. You give her a few short minutes of freedom and then expect her to go to her cave. You wonder why she is sad and confused?
If this is all you have to offer this dog then please consider contacting a Yorkie rescue and letting them re home the poor baby. You have nothing to offer the dog. She wants love and companionship and you have neither to offer her. You stated the facts. No one can help you get this dog to accept this kind of a life.