Hello! New Yorkie Owner
 

Hello everyone, my name is Mandy and I am the proud owner of a 7 week yorkie pup. I know 7 weeks is rather young to get a puppy but I figured me not buying this puppy is not going to stop this puppy from going to a new home and why not bring her to my home where I know she will be well cared for. We picked our little Lady up last night, she was the last of her 7 litter mates to leave. Owner was a younger lady from Ukraine and owned mother and father, she said she didn't realize mom was in heat until they had already mated. House was clean, mom and dad were happy and well kept so we decided to get the puppy. She has been doing great, I kept her in playpen beside my bed with crate, puppy pad, food and water. She woke to pee every couple of hours and has eaten some moistened Blue Buffalo brand food a few times since last night as well. Pooped twice, peed at least 6 times. I'm trying to make sure she does not get a low blood sugar. I do have a few questions though, puppy pads? Yes? No? she had never been outside before yesterday but has gone on the pad every time? Should I put the pad outside? Should I put it by the door? Also mom and dad were fed Blue food and some raw hamburger, boiled chicken etc. What is a good diet for her? Should I give her some raw ground beef like she was fed before? As for now she is free feeding but at what point would I switch her to feeding 4 times a day? TIA for any and all advice:)

Congrats on your new family! As for your questions..

- Pads, it's more your preference but if you are planning to have her go outside in the future, it's better to get her trained that way from the start so she won't get confused later.

- You mentioned she's been outside. Just in your yard?

- With her being only 7 weeks old, have you taken her to see the vet for a full check up? If not, I think that should be at the top of your list. And the vet can recommend what type of diet would be right for her at that age and condition.

- Free feeding is good for now since she's so young. :)

Congrats on your new baby. Since she is so young just make sure you look out for signs of hypoglycemia and definitely get her very checked ASAP if you haven't already. I free fed my Lexi until she was about 6 months old. At that time she was already eating just 2 meals a day on her own. Then I put her on a feeding schedule of 2 times a day.

Welcome to YT and congrats on your new baby girl.

I do plan to take her to the vet. I do have her paperwork that she was just at the vet Friday and everything checked out normal. But will take her for sure. I have no reason to not believe the lady who owned her although I know there are some people out there who are sickos. She said she didn't think the puppies would go right away that's why she put them in the paper at this time.

Anything in particular to look for, I've been hand feeding her every couple of hours to make sure she gets something in her tummy.

Congratulations on the new pup! Yes, seven weeks is young, but we got our first at that age about 18 years ago and she was fine--a great joy in our lives. We knew nothing about pups that small, so we put her in the car with us, drove 6-7 hours to my in-laws' home, let her out on the ground--all of the classic mistakes. She lived to be over 16 years old. Go figure!

Anyway, vet is exactly the first step. Also, don't let her down on ground where other dogs have been. Apparently parvo can live in soil for quite a while. Frankly, if she uses puppy pads for a few more weeks it won't matter. That way you know you are avoiding contact with contaminated soil. Same thing goes for pet stores. If you take her, hold her until a couple of weeks after her last shots.

Welcome to YorkieTalk. There are incredibly knowledgeable folks who will offer more and better advice than I possibly can!

I only put her down for a second in our yard and she laid down and had no idea what the heck I was doing;) put her on the pad and she sniffs around and pees so maybe I'll keep with the pads or put pads outside. She is such a precious little angel and I'm so smitten already lol!

Hi, welcome and congrats!! :)

To answer your questions...as far as pee pads, do you want her to be trained to pee inside on pads, or outdoor only? If outdoor only, then I'd use the pads to encourage her to go outside.

For food, free feeding is awesome when they're puppies as they can eat as needed. Many people free feed for life as it's more convenient. If you do want to move her down to regular meals, I'd wait until she was older at this point. It's fine to give a bit of raw meat. I feed raw exclusively...the pre-made kind by Primal.

Are there any good websites or blogs that talk about raw feeding? When to start, how to start, what to feed?

Hi Mandy, welcome to YorkieTalk, and congratulations on your new pup. Having a new pup is such a joyful time, but also a little nervous as you are learning how to care for her, and adjusting to her schedule.

I also started out with each of mine sleeping in a playpen near my bed in the beginning, and an ex-pen in the family room during the day. I often wish I had done crate training, and think it would have resulted in better outdoor potty habits. Pads are convenient for many reasons, however in my case I do wish they would just hold it and go outside.

Do you have a name for your lil girl yet? Hope to see photos of her.

Would you start crate training right away? I would prefer her to just go outside. I "think" we are naming her Lady. We are also thinking about Ruby because Ruby is july's birthstone and Minnie as in the mouse:)

I'd recommend getting some Nutrical. At that age hypoglycemia is a HUGE concern, and one way to fend it off early on is to give your pup some Nutrical to stimulate her appetite if she hasn't eaten in the morning. Karo corn syrup is also good to have on hand. Make sure her gums are always nice and pink. If they're pale and gray/white, it's hypoglycemia, and an emergency situation. Give her some of the corn syrup to lick off your finger and get her to a vet ASAP.

Is the Blue Buffalo you're feeding puppy kibble? She needs to be eating the higher calorie puppy kibble as opposed to adult kibble. Can't help on the raw diet, as I have fed my pup Royal Canin kibble since I got her at 14.5 weeks, per my breeder's recommendation.

And welcome! Can't wait to see some pics of your baby girl! I'm partial to the name Minnie since that was the name of my first yorkie girl, but Lady and Ruby are great names too!

The musts will be four round of puppy shots, with the first probably starting somewhere at 8-9 weeks and then a new round every 2 weeks or so. She'll get shots for parvo, adenovirus, and a couple of others. If you ever board her or take her on walks or to dog parks, bordatella is an important shot to get too, though I'm not sure at what age. Rabies is critical to get since yorkies were bred as hunters, and will chase down anything (my Cookie Monster has killed lizards, birds, rabbits, and has come really close to getting a squirrel a couple of times). Heartworm medication is a must too. Your vet will give you a better idea than I can on when these should be done,

Make sure to also get some sturdy chew toys too. Nothing with small parts like beady eyes that your pup could choke on. She'll begin teething pretty soon, and you don't want her chewing on you or on the furniture. Congrats, Mandy! It is so much fun (and work!) raising a little hellraiser!

Anything on the floor she will put in her mouth. Food, medicine, electrical cords, earrings, and so on. Also, the foods really bad for her are grapes, onions, garlic, chocolate, macademia nuts, and anything with xylitol in it; e.g., sugarless gum, human toothpaste, nicotene gum, and some other sugar free sweet things. Xylitol is very very very very bad for them, so anything sugar free you have, check it. Aspartame(used a lot in sugar free sodas) is fine, as is saccharin, corn syrup, and sugar.

Great info! Let me try and post a pic. I'm planning to go today and get the nutrical and puppy food. I'm not sure what Blue Buffalo the owner gave me as it was in a ziplock bag but I plan to get the puppy one.

Sago palm is the plant to watch out most for. I actually had one in my yard, which you can see in the attached pic of my Cookie Monster when I got her. Came on here and found out how dangerous it was (extremely dangerous) and pulled it out of the ground ASAP. Thankfully it didn't produce seeds, which are what usually kills dogs. If a dog chews on one of the bright red seeds the female sagos produce, the pup is done for unless he gets immediate medical attention, and even then it's about a coin-flip.

Here is a pic I just took of her:)

Lady is such a cutie! How big is she?

One other recommendation: yorkie can be prone to collapsed trachea, so it's better to use a harness instead of a collar, especially for attaching leashes to. I use this one now for Cookie's leash and tags:
Comfort Soft® Adjustable Harness - XSM | Coastal Pet Products

This is the one I used to use that worked great from the time Cook was 3.5 lbs to 7 lbs:
Top Paw Plaid Dog Harness | Harnesses | PetSmart

She was 1 lb 9oz on Friday.

If she is not fully vaccinated, she should not be outside.
Just incase anyone else is looking to purchase a pup younger than 12weeks, you can usually put a deposit down and wait until the 12weeks are up. It is important the pup stays with their mom until then. I personally wouldn't even trust a breeder that gives pups up that young. If they don't understand that basic importance, what other kind if health procedures are they skipping out on???

Congratulations on your new puppy! I know exactly where Stafford, Va. Is because my family lives in Northern Virginia. My Little guy has been trained on pee pads and does not go outside to potty. That was my choice. I am so protective over him and I worry about everything because he's little ie..other dogs, frogs, hawks, alligators etc. However, he does get a walk everyday but I only walk him on the sidewalks. He is a very we'll socialize dog because my sister and daughter have yorkies and they play together. I would suggest getting a tube of Nutrical to have on hand for hypoglycemia. When I got Remy he was only 1 lb 6 ounces at 4 mths old so I would give him some Nutrical almost everyday just to avoid having hypoglycemia. With all that being said...You really need to ask your vet what would be good for your little girl. She is a cutie pie!

This website is excellent for looking up anything about yorkies, situations, illnesses, products etc. Just type in the search box and it will pull up the threads/posts. If you can't find a post then all you have to do is start a new thread with your question and there will be plenty of people to answer your questions.

I hope this helps!

Or if you are handy with a sewing machine you can make one yourself. I have to make Remy's because I bought one xxs that is still to big for him. I got my pattern from this website.

Little Dog Harness Tutorial :: Dog Under My Desk

I have a picture below of Remy when he was about 6 mths old in his cheetah harness that I made for him and it still fits him.

http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6106a622.jpg

Not much to add, but wanted to say welcome anyhow :)

My guy came home younger than some like as well, but he is doing great so far. I stay at home full time, so caring for him is not a problem for me. I also hand feed a few times a day, just to be sure. I give a calorie supplement right before I hand feed just as a boost, and only when I hand feed because I know for sure he will be following his supplement with protein. Good luck and congrats on your new baby :)

This is quite presumptuous. I really don't want to get into some long, heated debate, but I will say...IMO, and in the opinion of many, social interactions are what is learned from 8 weeks up. If a pup is eating, healthy, and a person has the time and means to care for it, some actually prefer social interactions of their dogs be learned in the environment they will live in. For example, my pup came home at eight and a half weeks. I chose this as I stay home, he's been eating dry food for nearly three weeks, and I want him to learn how to behave in my home, with children, not a home full of puppies.

I know some people are going to disagree passionately with me, and I will say beforehand...I respect your opinion and choice to wait for twelve weeks or more, but not everyone agrees that it is necessary.

Around here, 10 weeks seems to be the norm. I think a lot of it also has to do with the size of the pup. The lady I'm getting my next pup from says they will let them go at 10 weeks, unless they are smaller and feels they need to stay longer.

I'm sure a breeder wouldn't have let her go but she was exactly what we were looking for and when we got to the house I knew it was right:) just had a great feeling about the owner and mom and dad, great personalities, happy, clean:) I'm not looking for show dog quality just a loving pet for our family. I have 6 kids and am very used to round the clock newborn care. She seems to be doing great though. Eating, playing, pooping, peeing.