It's a Girl!

[Lexi's Mom]

Hello everyone. We are the proud owners of a six week old female that we named Alexis (Lexi for short). We purchased her from a breeder but when we picked her up, the breeder was away at a horse show so we couldn't ask any questions. Her 16 year old daughter told us that she had her shots, was dewormed, gave us some Science Diet and some medicine to give her for the first few days in case she develops diarrhea.

With all the experience on this forum, I was hoping that you would be able to answer my questions. The breeder won't be back for another few days.

In your opinion...is six weeks too young to be away from mom/siblings? Lexi was weened (or so we were told) but seems to be looking to suckle and cries when she can't find a nipple.

She has been eating and drinking and her bladder and bowel movements are okay. How often should I feed her and how much. Should I just leave the food out and let her eat/drink freely?

At what age can we bathe her. What about brushing her coat and also her teeth?

When can she wear a collar and when can we get her used to the leash?

How much sleep does she need? We've only had her since yesterday but I've been able to determine that when she starts to get really playful and bumps into stuff that it's time to go into the crate (with a hot water bottle, a ticking clock and a toy). She wimpers for a few minutes and then she sleeps. She doesn't seem to sleep for very long though.

Tomorrow begins the search for a vet. Since I live in Canada, everything is closed on Sunday so it'll have to wait. Should I take her in for a "once over" right away? I'm sure the vet can answer the questions I have about microchipping and at what age she should be fixed.

Thanks for your help. Sorry for the long post.

[Brandi_Bailee]

For starters, CONGRATS! In my opinion 6 weeks is too young, I dont let mine go until at the very least 8 weeks, Leave food and water down 24/7, Keep Karosyrup on hand just in case, Yes she probablly is still looking for a ninny.What medication is she on and why?. You can put a collar on her make sure its not to loose and wont get caught up in her mouth or on anything else. Dont lead her with a collar they can get collapsed tracheas, USE A HARNESS. I wouldnt bathe her unless she needs it until she has the ok from a vet.
YES--- Take her for a good check up from a vet ASAP, If there is something wrong that you cant see you need to know now. make sure a thorough stool sample test is done, Maybe even test for liver shunt.
I am definatelly no expert, Im sure there are others on here a lot more knowlegable than I am and will help you answer your questions soon.
ENJOY HER they are a lot of fun and will give you many years of happiness!
Cindy

[LuvOurZoey]

Congrats on your new baby!

I brought Zoey home at 6 weeks and she did fine, but I do think it depends on the puppy. I took her to the vet the next day and she weighed 2.2 lbs so she wasn't one of the tinies.

She too would sometimes appear to want to nuzzle (not very often but a time or two), but she had no problems whatsoever eating dry food and drinking her water.

We bought her a collar for ID purposes but we've never used it with a leash. We use a harness with her leash.

I know there are many debates about the age that you bring a puppy home and I think there are many different factors and no two puppies are the same. Some should stay with their mom longer than others. With Zoey, I know that I can't imagine what a difference it might have made if we had waited til she was 12 weeks old to bring her home, because her personality has developed so much during those weeks and personally speaking, I think they are just like children, a lot of the habits and personality traits they end up with are developed by their caregivers and the environment they grow up in. She seems to be getting set in her ways now and a lot of the things we love about her nature I think we have helped to teach her.

As far as feeding, we have always just left her food and water out and she's done fine. I think that too depends on how little she is. There are a lot of people who have the smaller Yorkies and I know they seem to require a lot more care.

I used to bathe Zoey once a week but her new vet said that was far too often and suggested once a month (which I think is far too long, but I'm going to try it and see).

I had done so much research before we brought Zoey home that I was a nervous wreck with her for serveral days. I worried about EVERYTHING! Sites like this one are a great source of information and comfort.

Good luck with your new furbaby!

[fasteddie]

Congrats! We got Yoda at about 4 weeks, and he was fine after a few days with us. Make SURE you get a harness and not a collar, as Yorkies are prone to tracheal collapse. Harnessses work a lot better for our little guys. My vet said you can fix them at around 8 months (at least for boys) I believe, so anytime after that should be fine. You should be able to bathe her now, just don't bathe her too often at first (once every week or two). You can brush her now too.

[red98vett]

CONGRATULATIONS !!!

I got Chanel at 6 weeks...though she did come to us with coccidia..we had NO IDEA what it was but after an emergency trip in the middle of the night (weekend - no vets open) she was FINE !

We have had Cherish for almost 3 weeks - so she is now 9 weeks and she has fit right in from day one ! I have new pics of her MSN site just today...

I just gave her a bath for the first time ever yesterday and NOT ONE PEEP !!and she is already chasing Chanel all over the back yard - even after my little ear scare - Sat morning - The vet told me yesterday - She is perfect !

I leave her food down and just do dry food with warm water - no wet unless she won't eat which is rare...she sleeps with me (except when she got mad at me the other night) and in general - use your judgement and be sure to always WATCH WHERE YOU STEP AND WATCH THE CHAIRS WITH WHEELS !!

Baby Yorkies LOVE to walk and try to touch you at the same time ! Cherish can't GET CLOSE ENOUGH ~ and I love it.

If you have questions - people here are very Yorkie smart - and we'd all love to see pictures of your new baby ! I am a picture takin FOOL and am always adding to my many websites I have of the "kids" I have more by far of them than I do my beautiful sons !!! (They noticed it too !)

[lily]

Can't really add anymore to what everyone has said here! Just be carful where you take her tell she gets that 2nd shot in her! Good luck lily

[Lexi's Mom]

Thanks so much for all the great advice. I've been reading (and reading, and reading) and have found that most potty-training books preach about putting puppies on a feeding schedule. I think she's too young to be on a schedule so I'm leaving the food down 24/7.

She's been sleeping (very well) in a crate with the door off. At night I give her a hot water bottle and an alarm clock. It seems to calm her. She comes out of her crate to piddle on the papers and play with her teething toys and then when she wants to sleep she goes right back in. I'm amazed!

Today I find a vet to get her thoroughly checked.

[bettyeanne]

Originally Posted by Lexi's Mom

Thanks so much for all the great advice. I've been reading (and reading, and reading) and have found that most potty-training books preach about putting puppies on a feeding schedule. I think she's too young to be on a schedule so I'm leaving the food down 24/7.

She's been sleeping (very well) in a crate with the door off. At night I give her a hot water bottle and an alarm clock. It seems to calm her. She comes out of her crate to piddle on the papers and play with her teething toys and then when she wants to sleep she goes right back in. I'm amazed!

Today I find a vet to get her thoroughly checked.

Welcome & Congratulations!! Sounds like you have already gotten some excellent advice ... I would add, before you take Lexi to the vet, make a list of every single question you can think of no matter how trivial! Our Dr. Lucy expects my list of questions ... I can't remember when I get there so a long list is necessary for me!! Please let us know how the vet visit goes?

[max's mom]

She sounds precious....I bought my little Max at 4 1/2 months...so missed the tiny puppy stage.....they just melt my heart they are so cute. I know that she will be a sweet addition to your life.

I love her name too.....look forward to pictures.

Max's Mom

[Maddie-Rudy-Mom]

CONGRADULATIONS on your new furbaby. Hope you enjoy all the stories and information. You will have to let us know what it is like for you being owned by your Yorkie..............Cindy

[Lexi's Mom]

We went to the vet yesterday. Everything is fine. The little porker is 7 weeks old today and weighs in at 1lb 12oz! Looks like I'm gonna have a 6 pounder when she's fully grown (from what I've read on this site). As suggested I took a list of questions. The vet was very patient and answered them all thoughtfully. The only response I'm not comfortable with is his view on bathing. He does not believe in bathing dogs! She already stinks and the whole house smells like I have an entire litter of puppies. We change her paper frequently but it doesn't seem to help. I'm definitely giving her a bath.

Yesterday was a very good day for her. Since there is always someone home (5 kids; ages 13-25), there's always someone who hears her whimper and takes her out to spoil her. No complaints from me...they tire her our so she sleeps soundly and doesn't whine for her mother/sister/brother.

I'm glad I stumbled onto this site. Lots of great advice and some really cute pictures. Thanks for your help. I'm sure I'll be needing it as my velcro-baby grows!

[bettyeanne]

Lexi's Mom ... GREAT that your vet visit went so well! That's always good news! Now, since you have a good report ... let the real fun begin! We enjoyed Toto so much more once we got past those first few vet visits and knew that everything was really OK! You will find that vet opinions/methods differ. The bath thing? I have heard a lot of different things ... once a month, once a week, etc. Dr. Lucy [our vet and "Yorkie Specialist" ] told us to bathe Toto when whe is dirty ... even if it's more than once a week! HOWEVER .. we have to be careful in the method we use. I always brush her really good before and after since Toto has a long coat we don't "rub" the shampoo in like you would if you were shampooing your head ... I just put shampoo in one hand and rub my hands together and then "wipe" her coat until it has shampoo all over, then gently "massage" the coat and skin for awhile until you feel it's clean ... give a good rinse ... then I repeat with a good thick conditioner and let it stay on for a few minutes [five is good] ... while the conditioner is on I just continue rubbing her and massaging her skin and she loves it!! Then another good thorough rinse! She prefers to be towel dried and then wrapped in a thick dry towel and snuggle until she is just barely "damp" ... then we begin our second brushing and put our "topknot" up and we are all done! [If I am brushing her hair and it is dry, I always "spritz" it with diluted conditioner to prevent breakage]. It's not that hard if she is brushed every day. She usually lays in my lap when I am watching TV and I brush her and she loves it ... will turn over on her back ... and really enjoys having her paws massaged!! Of course, this is my personal routine and I realize everyone has their own ... as long as Dr. Lucy approves and we don't encounter any problems, this works for us!!

[sadiemylady]

Welcome welcome to your new addition. How wonderful it is to have a new puppy to cuddle with.
Hugs and kisses
Cody and Sadie