My new Yorkie won't eat
 

Hello YT!

I just received my Yorkie, Max, who is about 19 weeks old, this past Saturday. He arrived via plane to here in Texas, from AmazingYorkies (Deb). He's been great so far! He's slowly warming up to me day by day, is doing good with potty training, but I'm having two main issues: eating and people/other dog interaction.

He hasn't really ate hardly since he's arrived. On his first day here, he ate less than a 1/4 of a cup. Yesterday, he probably ate about the same amount, and today he hasn't eaten anything. I tried hand feeding him yesterday, which seemed to work, but it didn't work today. I work away from home during the day (but come home during lunch)--so I leave him in his playpen with food and water. He's not really big on any treats either. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Another issue that he's had is that he's been growling at random people and other dogs in the dog area at my apartment complex. He didn't do this on the first day, but started to do it yesterday. I'm hoping that he's just still missing home and his brothers/sisters/Mom, and this will get better over the next week or so. Tomorrow I'll be taking him to meet one of my friend's dogs. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

I think it's probably too early to worry about the social interactions, but you might want to contact Deb about the eating issues and be sure you are feeding the same food that she did. Yorkies are often resistant to change and sometimes take a while to adapt to new situations.

Umm, 19 weeks, I would have hoped you could have picked him up a little quicker than that. Usually 12 weeks is optimum.

I think that extra time with his original Pack, and probably very little exposure to any outside people/other dogs, has made him a little suspicious of those interactions. And the arrival with you, just temporarily interrupted his reaction to that. Shame they didn't tell you what kind of food they were feeding him.

I leave food out 24/7, but, had to go through several kinds to find one that was liked. So, buy small bags for now ;)

On the growling part...
Our Yorkies have a VAST range of personalities. (that's an understatement)
It's good that he may have a protective nature, but you need to be able to control it. A certain amount of correction is warranted, but I think I'd allow a little more time for him to adjust, before I considered this an issue.

He might just not like his food. Some yorkies can be VERY picky eaters. You might have to go through several brands to find the one he'll like. Or you can try soaking the current kibble in some chicken broth (no sodium added) and mush it up. You can try contacting some of the companies to see if they'll send you a free sample or coupon. Please remember, whenever you're changing food, you have to do it slowly or they might get a very bad tummy ache.

As for the growling... I think he's just being protective/territorial. I don't have much advice as Zoey does this... She'll bark at anything/anyone that isn't my parents and myself. It's probably because I don't socialize her much. But then, she get as much socialization as Magnus and he doesn't act the same so... it might just be his personality.

Thanks! I definitely am feeding her the same thing. :)

Definitely would've liked too--however I didn't start looking for a pup until a few weeks ago. :). And I'm also feeding him the food that the breeder was feeding him. Thanks for your advice on the growling--I'll just wait it out. He's seemed ok today.

That makes sense--I didn't really take that into account. I'm a first time Yorkie owner--so I still have quite a bit to learn. However, this forum has been great so far.

Not true. It's optimum for the dogs to spend a minimum of 12 weeks with their mother and litter mates. But many great breeders will hold on to a pup for longer, especially of they are assessing it for show potential or are concerned about it being in the smaller size.

Congratulations on your new boy from Deb. She has beautiful pups.

Thank you! Max is quite handsome--and Deb has been great to work with. :)

He may just need time to get adjusted. I got Pixie at 13 months. She is the most docile little girl. So I don't think getting him at 19 weeks will matter once he has adjusted to his new home. I'm guessing he was with other yorkies and may be missing them too. I would contact Deb and ask her about his eating habits. Did you have your vet check him out yet? I hope to read that Max has settled in soon.

You've gotten good advice from everyone so far but I just wanted to stop by and say :welcome4: also you're in the Austin area? I'm in Fort Hood :) we should set a YT meetup for the rest of the Texas residents . You're boy is a cutie!

That would be awesome--yes I actually am in Austin. However, I was raised in Copperas Cove, where my folks/family still live. I go up there every couple of weekends!

That is awesome! It's like 10 mins outside the gate. I will be pm-ing u!:D

Welcome to YT. I have a couple of picky eaters myself and I boil chicken breast and grind it up in the food processor and mix just a little bit with their kibble. Also when we moved last fall they were off their feed for a few days. Maybe it is adjustment time.