Soon to be firsat time yorkie owner, would like a few pointers.
 

Hello everyone I'm new to this site and soon to be a first time Yorkie owner. My girlfriend and I have already found our little girl and are going to pick her up the 17th of this month. We have read a lot of threads from this site and have found many to be very helpful but just a few questions. our breeder has our pup on Eukanuba small breed puppy food, which from reading the ingredients and what I've read here is not a good food to feed them. After reading many threads we have decided on Wellness small breed just for puppies, but I'm open to any suggestions. Also I have a 4 year old son that I get every weekend. His mother has poodles so he is used to being around small dogs but any pointers on how to introduce and not scare our new little girl would be great. Also any other pointers for a new Yokie owner would be great. Thank yall very much and we are excited to meet our little girl.

Welcome to YorkieTalk. Thank you for joining our growing family of Yorkie lovers. Congratulations to the new addition to your family - can't wait to see pics.

My first suggestion about introducing the pup to your son is to not stress out. Pups are generally curious about humans and if your son has been taught how to behave around dogs then it should be a natural process. I'd have him sit down on the floor and allow the pup to introduce herself to him. I would expect that the pup will be all over him giving kisses, etc.

That said, I wouldn't leave them alone together and I wouldn't allow him to pick the pup up.

Great thank you so much for the reply:thumbup:

Welcome to Yorkie Talk. We will all be looking forward to seeing your new baby. How old will your puppy be when you get her? Do you know her projected weight?

Before you bring your puppy home find out from the breeder what kind of feeding routine the puppy is on. Just the stress from going to a new home often causes puppies to not eat much at first. I recommend keeping the puppy on the same food it is used to for at least a week and then you will want to switch the puppy over to the new food slowly. The breeder should provide you with a little bit of food when you get your puppy.

You will need a safe area for the puppy for the times you or your gf are busy and not able to watch the puppy. I recommend either gating off an area like the kitchen or get a exercise pen for the pup so you can place his bed, food and water in the pen

Make sure you get his vaccination record. Until he has had all his vaccinations you will not want to take him outside in areas where other dogs have been.

Best of luck with the new pup.

Paris will be 8 weeks old when we pick her up. Her mother is 5 pounds and father is around 3 1/2. Thank you for the advice on switching foods and having the safe area. Whats your thoughts on the Wellness brand small breed for puppies?

Paris will be 8 weeks old when we pick her up on the 17th. Her mother is 5 pounds and father is 3 1/2. Thank you for the tips on feeding. What are your feelings on the Wellness small breed for puppies?

Your puppy will still be awfully young. It would be better if the breeder could keep her a little longer. You might consider asking her. It takes a lot of special care for a puppy that young. Be sure to have some Nutri-cal on hand in case she does not eat well at first.

I have never used Wellness so I am not any help there. I think Natural Balance puppy is also a good choice. Be sure to ask the breeder how she prepares the puppies food. Some breeders soak it before giving it to them and some just feed dry. I like to do a combination of both. I leave out some dry food but a couple times a day I feed them some dry mixed with canned puppy food.

She was born Aug. 25 so she would be almost 9 weeks old. I've only had large breed dogs to this point so what would be a good age to pick her up from the breeder and If I do get her at 8 weeks what should I look out for?

Yeah, Nutrical is an absolute must-have, especially with a pup that young. Yorkies just love that stuff, and it really does jump-start their appetites. I'd be really attentive to your pup's eating. The best case would be to have the breeder keep the pup with his mother for another month though. I know 8 weeks is the standard time to get your pup with most breeds, but yorkies are so small at that age and I think that's the earliest age you can even start feeding them dog food (think my bag of Royal Canin 29 yorkie puppy said it was for 8 weeks to 10 months).

Thank yall so much for your advice and answers and feel free to give as much as you like Im a sponge for knowledge.

Heres a couple pictures of Paris. She is beautiful.

Hello and Welcome to YorkieTalk. I would make sure the pup stays with its mom until it is 12 weeks old. Most puppies who leave there mom to young have socialization problems, potty training problems, behavior and biting problems because they left there mom to early to learn this stuff from her. A good breeder who breeds to better the breed will follow the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America which one of there things is keeping the pup with there mom until 12 weeks. Normally if a pup is not kept with there mom until 12 weeks it is because it would cost the breeder a little more money to do that and a little more time so they generally want to get them out and sold as soon as they can to make the money. Normally if the breeder is willing to skip one step to save money they will skip others like any available genetic and health testing to make sure the puppies will be as healthy as possible and wont be born with or have genetic illness show up later in life. They also probably don't know the lines of there dog to know if there are any genetic issues in the lines. The parents can look and seem perfectly healthy but still be the carrier of a genetic illness that doesn't show up until the dog is 2 years old and then it can cost you lots of money to help the dog and it might be an illness that takes there life so that also is a big heart break. Breeders who aren't doing what is best for the breed and doing everything they can to make healthy pups are just hurting the breed we love so much. You need to make sure you know the symptoms of hypoglycemia and have some nutrical on hand. If the pup does have a hypoglycemic episodes it is very important after you get there sugar up with the nutrical that you get some food in them. Its best to keep the pup on the food the breeder is feeding for at least a month or two until the pup is adjusted to there new surroundings otherwise it is just to much change and can cause a lot of stress. Make sure that when you can not watch the puppy and your son that the puppy goes into a safe place where your son can not get to the pup. Also it's very important if your son is holding him that he be sitting on the floor so if the pup wiggles away it can't fall and hurt themselves. The puppy also needs to have a place to go when he wants to get away from your son and be alone.

Alot of great info gosh thank yall so much.

Paris is a cutie. She seems to like having her picture taken. I hope she does well for you.

Where can I find Nautical ?

Thank you so much we are excited to meet her!!

You can get Nutri-cal from Petsmart or Petco or order it online from RevivalAnimalHealth.com.

Thank you again very much :) how do you administer it and would you recommend a small amount with every feeding ?

It's like a paste, you can put a little on your finger and let her lick it off. In the event that she has a hypoglycemic episode (low blood sugar) you would rub it directly onto the roof of her mouth. She is very young to be going to a new home so you should give her the nutrical if she is seeming sluggish, shivering, not eating well, after a long period of play, etc. Check her gums frequently. You want them to be pink. If they are pale, that's another reason to give nutrical and make sure she is drinking water. Keep the room she stays in warm and I agree about setting up an exercise pen for her, even if only when your 4 year old is around.

About Wellness Small-Breed puppy, that is what I feed my Rosie. She is 9 months old now but I have kept her on the puppy formula because it is supposed to support growth of puppies/nursing moms and she is very small. I don't know if it's the food or she was just born to be small, but I find the food does not seem to be helping her grow/gain weight. The kibble size is nice and small, it never upsets her tummy, and she doesn't have any tear staining with it.

I had to get it from a local petstore; my Petsmart only carried some off-brand that they said was equivalent to Nutri-Cal, but I figured I'd rather just get the real stuff.

Wow thank yall so much can I say thank you too much !!

My girlfriend has heard there was something you could give your dog to help there poop not stink as much. Is this a food or supplement or just a myth ?

I do want to welcome you to YorkieTalk, I'm sure by now you have figured out just how passionate we are about this breed and of course our own furbabies. My best advise is to read, read and read some more. There is always something new to learn.
I know everyone says pups should remain with their mom's until at least 12 weeks old. But I got both of my guys at 8 weeks and they both turned out well. As long as you are consistent and persistent with the potty training and feeding schedule, I think you'll do fine. Remember, when you bring her home do not immediately put her down on the floor, instead take her to where ever you want her to potty in the future, whether that is a potty pad or outside is up to you. Make sure she does potty and that you praise her and give a little treat. She will want to get that same reaction from you again and again. Her goal in life will be to please you...make it happen. You and she will be so much happier once she's properly trained. Good luck and please share your stories of her with us.

The praise you give your pup for going potty in the correct spot should be very enthusiastic too. I make such a big deal out of Cookie's poops and pees when she does them outside. I'll tell her she's going pee outside just like the big girls, I'll enthusiastically tell her "that's a good one!" when she makes a pee or poop outdoors, sometimes I'll go running in excitement and she'll come chasing, and most of all, any outdoor pee or poop is rewarded with outdoor playtime unless it's raining, 100 degrees, or night. You never want your pup to think going pee is the end of the outdoor fun, so don't take them in right after a pee or poop unless they specifically requrest it. I also use the command "go pee". I started it when she was in the middle of actually pooping/peeing, and now she knows exactly what I mean when I tell her to, and usually complies.

All in all, you want it to feel really good for her to go in the prescribed area. Since your pup will be 8 weeks and won't have her shots, she isn't ready for the outdoors and should probably first be trained on pee pads. Yorkies can be quite difficult to potty train, and that first month or two you're going to really have to keep a hawkeye on your pup to try to limit accidents.

I love the pics by the way. Yorkies are just so loving and sweet, and so full of both innocent and mischievous energy. My yorkie Cookie brings so much light into my life just like my previous yorkie Minnie did. After having two just spectacular yorkies I don't think I could go back to any other breed.

Oh yeah, make your pup sleep in a crate or in a playpen so she can't get into trouble. She'll probably cry like hell that first night in the crate with the saddest whines, but you can't give in.

Great advice on potty training and praising !! I will surly use the advice Im getting and have learned so much !!

Welcome to YT and congratulations on the new addition to your family! Paris is a cutie!

I feed Cooper Wellness SuperMix 5 for small breed puppies and he LOVES it! The kibble is the perfect size for their little mouths, and his poop is always firm. We had an issue when he was on Royal Canine which is one of the reasons we switched foods.

Good luck and enjoy!

Thank you very much.

Ok we are two days away from getting our little Paris. I have picked up Nutri-Cal, dog pen, chew toys, no tear shampoo, blue buffalo puppy training treats, pee pads, brush and comb and a small bag of the food our breeder has Paris n. What else would yall suggest and any last min pointers. Thank yall so much for all your help we are looking forward to meeting our little girl.

Woohoo! Another Tennessean! My folks stay in Germantown right outside of Memphis :D. If you can I would ask the breeder for a blanket or stuffed animal that has Paris' mother's smell or littermates smell. If you live close to your breeder you could buy the blankie and drop it off there :)