New to Yorkies and new to site.

[MollysMommy13]

Hi my name is Bobbie and I just wanted to introduce myself. I just became mommy to a beautiful 11 week old female named Molly. I've had her now since she was 6 weeks old. My sweet husband surprised me with her and I've never been happier. This is all new to the both of us and I have so many questions but don't know where to start. I will say that I believe she is doing well and adjusting to her new home. She is using her piddle pads so much better than I thought but she is a very smart girl and has caught on quickly. Of course she still has a few accidents but not too many at all. She's so quirky and will pee in one room and poop in the other. Lol. Is this just something they tend to do or is my girl just a silly willy? I have had to change her food up a bit because I was noticing what looked like red dye in her stool. Since we've changed her food I haven't noticed this anymore. The biggest concern I have with her is that my husband and I both work. We are gone sometimes for 9-10 hours with our jobs. Do I need to leave food out while we are gone? I've feed her at 6am and 6pm but am not for sure about leaving stuff in the bowl for while we are gone. I've heard many opinions am so confused. I don't want to over feed her but I don't want her to be hungry either. She is probably about 2 pounds now I would guess. She only weighed right at a pound when she came to us. Is that sufficient weight gain? Thanks in advance for listening to me ramble. When this is addressed I have another concern but I don't want to overwhelm you guys.

[lisaly]

Welcome to YT and congratulations on your new baby. Mollie is very young to be away from her mom, since it's generally recommended that they stay with their mom and littermates until they are twelve weeks old. She'll need some extra training and love, which I'm sure you will provide. Puppies need to have access to food all day long, and they can be prone to hypoglycemia, so this is very important. We are here to help you, so ask anything that you need advice on. Your life will never be the same after being loved by a Yorkie.

[Wylie's Mom]

Hi and WELCOME to YT! Also, CONGRATS on your new baby.

As for the feeding...yes, she needs to be fed about 4x per day right now (imo). She is very, very young...and usually breeders keep pups until they are 12 weeks of age, so she is still very vulnerable with needing frequent meals. If you can't feed her in person, then I'd probably leave out kibble for free feeding. When mine were pups, I'd come home at lunch to feed them and that worked out well...can you do that at all?

As for her weight gain, she sounds like she is doing just great !

[sganow]

Congratulations on the new addition to your family! I free feed my dogs and believe small puppies should have food available most of the time. If you don't free feed her, then at least give her several small meals per day. Also keep water available all the time.

[MollysMommy13]

Thank you guys for the nice welcome and thanks for the feeding info. I will start leaving her dry kibble out again while we are gone. As for coming by for lunch to check on her,there's no way I can because I work so far away. My hubby can check on her a couple of days a week as he works closer to home than I do. But having said that,he works with his family at a family owned business. It's not always easy for him to leave either. Especially on busy days. Some believe that if you own your business you can come and go as you please. That is nor the case. I know he will do what he can but there are 2 days per week for sure that she's alone all day. I keep her in a child's playpen with water and toys and a piddle pad at the opposite end of the pen. She uses that very well and is careful not to tinkle anywhere else. My other concern with us being gone is how she reacts when we come in at night. I'm sure she misses us but she is just sooo excited. She has an abundant amount of energy. On days I'm off from work (like today and yesterday) she is so calm. She will play but she likes to cuddle and sleep in my lap. Does this sound pretty normal? I got really lucky this week and got an extra day off to be with her and she's just been a cuddle bug. Which is totally fine with me. I just want assurance that nothing's going on with her.

[Elkd3]

Bobbie, Congrats on your new baby!!! I'd never had a Yorkie until we adopted one (now 2 yr. old girl) from the shelter in Nov. 2012. Then we adopted another one (now 11 mo. old boy) in April 2013. They're just amazing little creatures. They turn my 6'1" former meat cutter hubby into putty. They've got him (and me) wrapped around their precious little paws. I come in here looking for answers also. These people are very nice & from what I've read, extremely knowledgeable. You're in good hands.

[MollysMommy13]

Originally Posted by Elkd3

Bobbie, Congrats on your new baby!!! I'd never had a Yorkie until we adopted one (now 2 yr. old girl) from the shelter in Nov. 2012. Then we adopted another one (now 11 mo. old boy) in April 2013. They're just amazing little creatures. They turn my 6'1" former meat cutter hubby into putty. They've got him (and me) wrapped around their precious little paws. I come in here looking for answers also. These people are very nice & from what I've read, extremely knowledgeable. You're in good hands.

Thank you so very much!! My husband has really never been a fan of four legged furry creatures so you can imagine my surprise when he got Molly for me. We have always had saltwater fish and they are a lot different from puppies. Lol. I must say though I believe Molly has him wrapped as well. Thank you all for being so nice to me. This is all new to me and I just wanna do right by Molly. She is my world!!

[Teresiana]

Welcome to YT Bobbie & Molly I agree with WyliesMom...leaving kibble out for her during the day is probably a good idea since she's still young & tiny. As for the quirky potty habits...you ain't seen nothin' yet! Wait til she's a little older & becomes more independent. Then you'll have some REAL silly williness on your hands These little Yorkies are so active, curious & love attention!! Congrats on your little baby! Looking forward to pictures!

[Ldyrev1]

Hi and welcome to YT! If you have questions you have come to the right place. I see you are already getting some good advice and know these people really want to help us "newbies". Well, I'm still sort of a newbie! LOL Again welcome and have fun!!

[lexi43]

Hi and welcome to YT. Everyone here is really great and will help you a lot I know they were great to me. Congrats on Molly. We have 7 dogs and only one is a full yorkie. He is my pride and joy. I know you will have a lot of fun with Molly. We would love to see photos of her.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Hi Bobbie,
Congrats on you baby! She is a cutie pie. Yes, I agree, she should be feed between 3-4 times a day at this age. Leaving kibble out will be a good idea. It's pretty normal for her to get all excited when you come home. Yorkies are people dogs and love their humans. It sounds as though you've got a great start with Molly's care and training. Welcome to YT!

[JuneBugs Momma]

Hello and welcome!

I am just curious as to where you leave the dog during the day while your gone 9-10 hrs a day? Is he in a crate with it being large enough for a pet bed/sleep area AND also a place to put a puppy pad in there for him to go potty? (Oops, nevermind, I see you use a play pen) or does he have run of the house all day?

At 11 weeks, most breeders, at least reputable ones, will keep them until they are between 10-12 weeks of age (earliest 8 weeks). Keeping him in a crate (playpen) for 9-10 hours is wayyyyyyyyy to long for a pup, let alone an adult. If later on he has free range of the house, I can just imagine the mischief AND the possibility of peeing and pooping accidents in the house. Plus the unthinkable of an injury occuring while you are gone. I also make it safe practice that there are NO COLLARS on the dog while unsupervised. Wether in a playpen or not, it can get cought on something and cause stangulation (it happened to my sisters lab when he was about 5 months old...devistating!).

Expecting to housetrain and housebreak a pup when you are gone 9-10 hours a day might be an unrealistic expectation. I do not know what your plans are as far as housebreaking, but, breaking your pup of going on puppy pads when he is alone 9-10 hrs a day and expecting him to then know it's only ok to go outside is a challenge.

When I was single working 9-10 hr days, I had a rescue chihuahua who was strictly indoors. To fit my lifestyle and to make her more confortable, she had free-range of the house but I trained her to go potty in a litter box. It worked well and I had no issues..the litter I used specifically for dogs worked excellent and there was no offensive odors in the house.

Just some things to think about & Good Luck!