What direction to take with my Yorkie.

[daimbert]

Hello everyone.

Thank god for this forum...its a godsend I tell you. I just acquired a yorkie from my father who in turn acquired it from a kennel up in Albany New York. He apparently paid a sum of 300 dollars for it. He's supposed to be 4 months old but am not to sure considering he had clearly visible canines. He's looks healthy but is missing quite a couple of his shots which seems to me shody. No matter now his my pup and I cannot abadoned him. My father has had him before for about 2 weeks and has developed or hasn't learn any good habits. Here are some of my questions.

1. We've changed his name from ninge (my father) to nemo. Is he young enough still to do this without getting confused. Or should I try to contact the breeder and find out his original name?

1. In terms of potty training considering I live in the Bronx in NYC in a fifth floor walk-up, where people commonly do not pick-up after their animals there are often alot of debri (glass, etc) should I even bother walking him outside? Also I've heard Yorkie get sick pretty easy and with the constant weather changes in NY is he likely to get sick quicker? So basically what I am saying is should I paper (wee wee pads) or outside train?

2. When I received the dog he came with a crate and I guess my dad brought him a separate bed. Should I take the bed away to encourage the crate or just keep it. I just don't want him to get confused. Is crate training the way to go..especially for a city dog. If so what are separate I can do to entice him to stay. Right now he will go in separate to chew his bone, etc but he doesn't sleep there. He always sleeping underneath the bed for some reason. Can I still crate train successfully while having a 9 - 5 job? If so what do I do during the day to keep him from destroying stuff?

3. Where should I put the dog especially if I am crate training. I live with my sister and mother. The dog right now is staying in my sisters room and I try to train him there. I was thinking of moving him to my room simply because he seems to obey me more than my sister and I heard that having one person doing most of the training helps with him not getting confused. Or doesn't it really matter?

4. What food do you feed your Yerkes. I think my father was feeding him pedigree dry food puppy bites and he eats it o.k. but not with much gusto and often we need to feed him by hand in order for him to eat well a habit I want to break soon. Is it the food? Living in new york there Tons of holistic pet store that are strong advocate of holistic canned goods. I just want to make sure he eats well.

5. What toys do yorkies seem to go wild for. I brought him a Kong but I think he's more annoyed by it than liking it and a squeky ball that he doesn't like. Any suggestions would be great.

5. Finally does anyone recommend any books on training and Yorkies in general.


Thanks everyone sorry for the above. I am just trying to do it right with this York (nemo). My last dog was a disaster and I know it was all my fault. Help me out please.

John

[gloriajean]

welcome to yt I know you will find lots of info here. the name seems ok because it's close to what your father was calling him, maybe you could train him to a litter box or pee pads, espically with glass all over outside, and just take him to park, (carry him there) and there are tons of cute bags for Yorkies!!! Is someone home to play with him during the day? that would help. good luck.

[lolabella]

Hello, and welcome to Yorkie Talk.

I think you can change your pup's name to Nemo without a problem. Just keep calling him Nemo during cuddle and play time. Give him treats when he responds to Nemo. I think Nemo would be an easy name for hime to get used to.

1. If you are uncomfortable walking your pup, you should definitely paper train. You can use wee wee pads, or puppy litter with a puppy litter box. They sell different size puppy litter boxes at petstores. I think they even sell large patches of grass to use inside the house for the pups to go in. Anyhow, since Yorkies are small they do fine with inside training. However, you should still take your pup to a park for exercise. Even though your pup is small, he still needs to run around and play especially when he is still young.

2. I think crate training is a great idea, both for potty training in general and for your pup to be comfortable later on. There are a lot of online resources on how to crate train. I am sure you can find out a lot of previous posts about it on this website if you use the search section.

3. Your dog is not going to like being in the crate at first, so keep the crate near your bed. Mia doesn't mind being crated if she can see me. So, I've started to keep her crate on the night stand at night, thanks to YT'ers' suggestions. One person should do the training. But, that doesn't mean that other family members are not going to use the same commands. You, as the primary care-giver, should teach though. It also ensures a special bond between you two.

4. I would suggest feeding Canidae, Merrick's, or Chicken Soup for Puppy Lover's soul. What food to feed is a common topic here, and everyone has their own preferences. I would suggest dry food mostly because Yorkies tend to have dental problems later on. If you can, try to brush your pup's teeth, or consider teeth cleaning at the vet's.

5. Every Yorkie is different, so it's kind of hard to tell which toy your Yorkie would like. Mia has 3 boxes of toys. Here is the tip though. Have several different kinds, and do not leave them lying around. Yorkies lose interest in toys very quickly. When your pup is done playing, put the toy away. Also, I give Mia a toy only after she sits, for example. That establishes that you are the boss. Keep rotating the toys he plays with.

There are many good books out there. I have recently read Deborah Wood's "Little Dogs: Training your pint-sized companion." I think it was a good book, and I would recommend it.

I would suggest that you start training right away, especially if you had behavior problems with other dogs in the past. Also, post some pictures of your pup!!! We all love pictures here. Always feel free to post more questions!!!! That's why we all log on here; to share our troubles and happinesses, and to try to help each other out based on our own experiences.
I wish you the best of luck with your little pup.

[yorkieusa]

Originally Posted by daimbert

Hello everyone.

Thank god for this forum...its a godsend I tell you. I just acquired a yorkie from my father who in turn acquired it from a kennel up in Albany New York. He apparently paid a sum of 300 dollars for it. He's supposed to be 4 months old but am not to sure considering he had clearly visible canines. He's looks healthy but is missing quite a couple of his shots which seems to me shody. No matter now his my pup and I cannot abadoned him. My father has had him before for about 2 weeks and has developed or hasn't learn any good habits. Here are some of my questions.

1. We've changed his name from ninge (my father) to nemo. Is he young enough still to do this without getting confused. Or should I try to contact the breeder and find out his original name?

1. In terms of potty training considering I live in the Bronx in NYC in a fifth floor walk-up, where people commonly do not pick-up after their animals there are often alot of debri (glass, etc) should I even bother walking him outside? Also I've heard Yorkie get sick pretty easy and with the constant weather changes in NY is he likely to get sick quicker? So basically what I am saying is should I paper (wee wee pads) or outside train?

2. When I received the dog he came with a crate and I guess my dad brought him a separate bed. Should I take the bed away to encourage the crate or just keep it. I just don't want him to get confused. Is crate training the way to go..especially for a city dog. If so what are separate I can do to entice him to stay. Right now he will go in separate to chew his bone, etc but he doesn't sleep there. He always sleeping underneath the bed for some reason. Can I still crate train successfully while having a 9 - 5 job? If so what do I do during the day to keep him from destroying stuff?

3. Where should I put the dog especially if I am crate training. I live with my sister and mother. The dog right now is staying in my sisters room and I try to train him there. I was thinking of moving him to my room simply because he seems to obey me more than my sister and I heard that having one person doing most of the training helps with him not getting confused. Or doesn't it really matter?

4. What food do you feed your Yerkes. I think my father was feeding him pedigree dry food puppy bites and he eats it o.k. but not with much gusto and often we need to feed him by hand in order for him to eat well a habit I want to break soon. Is it the food? Living in new york there Tons of holistic pet store that are strong advocate of holistic canned goods. I just want to make sure he eats well.

5. What toys do yorkies seem to go wild for. I brought him a Kong but I think he's more annoyed by it than liking it and a squeky ball that he doesn't like. Any suggestions would be great.

5. Finally does anyone recommend any books on training and Yorkies in general.


Thanks everyone sorry for the above. I am just trying to do it right with this York (nemo). My last dog was a disaster and I know it was all my fault. Help me out please.

John

You should be able to effect a name change easily, especially if you use it quite often in the first few days. That should be it.

I've never crate trained mine, so I'm absolutely no help in that area. I just train them to go to the door and they go outside, so I won't have any advice there, except I would say in your situation you should probably plan on using piddle pads. However, your yorkie goes under the bed because he's a yorkie! Yorkies, or at least a lot of them like to burrow and like little hideaway places. It's quite common for them. Mine does that all of the time.

I would probably recommend moving him to your room if you are going to be training him. Is there no one home with him during the day? You can buy him Bully Sticks to chew on (not rawhide which can be dangerous) to help stem his destructive chewing tendencies.

Most yorkies love squeaky balls or any squeaky toy. I don't know, but possibly the ball you have is too big for him right now. They do have the little squeaky (not the one's that whistle) balls that are probably two inches in diameter. Mine will play fetch forever, but she won't play with it by herself. She loves the small tug of war ropes, too! Got an old sock? That would work, too.

Here are a few links to books, training I hope will help you:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/002...lance&n=283155

The following site is an excellent site. The FAQ section is toward the bottom of the page:

http://www.shooterdog.com/alexfaq.htm

Here's another:

http://www.dogtrainingexposed.org/yo...ier%20Training

Yorkies are fun little pets. Don't yell at them when they do something wrong. Yelling will yield the opposite of the result you want. They are smart and love to be around people and other small dogs. It's important to socialize them while they are still babies and to expose them to different situations and environments so that they don't become nervous or barky little dogs. Have fun!

[yorkieusa]

This site lists lots of books specifically on Yorkshire Terriers:

http://www.dogs-central.com/dogs-pup...ier-books.html

[yorkieusa]

This link shows the two kinds of balls that mine has and loves. The first ball at the top is the two-inch squeaky balls she has and they're soft, too. The second one is a three-inch squeaky ball that she also loves.

http://www.dogtoys.com/smallballtoys.html

[makemepretty]

Definately ok to change his name. Lots of shelter dogs end up with new names and they're much older so it shouldn't be a problem with him being young. My four month old yorkie had some adult teeth already if that helps at all.

I feed Lola Chicken Soup For the Puppys Soul. She likes it, it's very tiny bites and has really great ingredients(no corn because a lot of yorkies are allergic to corn). I also have Missing Link, a nice vitamin product to help with their coats, etc.

Lola loves playing fetch with a small stuffed monkey. Also she likes tiny tennis balls(from the pet dept.) bully sticks and small chew bones(I make sure they're not rawhide) and say easy to digest.

[daimbert]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. My mother is usually home during the day until she picks up the kids from school. *home daycare*. My mother is also not much of an animal person although Nemo has definetly grown on her.

I problem with me is I want to make sure am consistant but don't know how. I am usually out from the house at 6 a.m. in the morning and come back around 4 p.m. Do I only need a few hours of training a day? This is also the main reason I was considering crate training in general. I have alot of wires sticking out in my room and am afraid of finding Nemo shocked to death.

Overall though Nemo is I would consider a odd pup. He can't seem to be interested in anything for too long *except us*. He actually looks like he's fairly bored most of the time. I mean he has a spurts of playfullness but they don't last that long...maybe 15-30 min. After that he just drops whatever he's doing and goes under the bed a just lays there looking at me.

I definetly need to find things to make him more interested and more alert. I am taking him to he vet tommorow to see how he really is.

Any advice on this? Should I be worried?

[yorkieusa]

Originally Posted by daimbert

Thanks for all the helpful replies. My mother is usually home during the day until she picks up the kids from school. *home daycare*. My mother is also not much of an animal person although Nemo has definetly grown on her.

I problem with me is I want to make sure am consistant but don't know how. I am usually out from the house at 6 a.m. in the morning and come back around 4 p.m. Do I only need a few hours of training a day? This is also the main reason I was considering crate training in general. I have alot of wires sticking out in my room and am afraid of finding Nemo shocked to death.

Overall though Nemo is I would consider a odd pup. He can't seem to be interested in anything for too long *except us*. He actually looks like he's fairly bored most of the time. I mean he has a spurts of playfullness but they don't last that long...maybe 15-30 min. After that he just drops whatever he's doing and goes under the bed a just lays there looking at me.

I definetly need to find things to make him more interested and more alert. I am taking him to he vet tommorow to see how he really is.

Any advice on this? Should I be worried?

Well, you can't leave him in a crate all day. That would be cruel. I would get an x-pen and put his crate in the x-pen with the door open. You can put plastic under the x-pen, put his bed in the crate, then put piddle pads in the x-pen with his water, food and toys. This isn't an ideal situation for a pup, but many people work during the day and have to leave their pups alone all day. Perhaps he'll grow more on your mom? Your pup has been handed around, so to speak, and could possibly be a bit traumatized by different people and a different home. It does take time to acclimate to a new home and new people. Have you noticed the pup shaking or drooling at any time or does he seem healthy otherwise. You said his adult teeth are through. Are they partially through or all of the way through? Perhaps he's still teething? This can sometimes be painful. If so, ice chips can help as well as massaging the gums. I'm wondering if he is about 5 or 6 months old, since you said he had his adult teeth, but you didn't say if they were all of the way in.

The pup won't train himself to use the pads. You'll have to teach him. I do know that a lot of people who work do have a difficult time housebreaking their yorkies. Yorkies can be very difficult to housebreak, but not always. It depends on the pup. Perhaps your mom will help.

Your room MUST be puppy-proofed. Pups eventually gravitate to wires. They can be the death of a curious pup or a bored pup. Just because he's shown no interest in your presence doesn't mean he won't sooner or later in chewing on the wires.

You are right about consistency in training. That and patience is the key in training them.

[irishawk]

Overall though Nemo is I would consider a odd pup. He can't seem to be interested in anything for too long *except us*. He actually looks like he's fairly bored most of the time. I mean he has a spurts of playfullness but they don't last that long...maybe 15-30 min. After that he just drops whatever he's doing and goes under the bed a just lays there looking at me.[/QUOTE]

He's not odd!!! Lol. Yorkies are quirky dogs. And of course he's interested in you, you're all he has in the whole world! Yorkies are dependent little dogs. It's possible to have a yorkie and work 9-5, but you need to make sure you spend all of your evenings/weekends with them around you. I'm only 22 and I give up a lot of social outings (i.e. happy hour, softball leagues) because of my dog. If I can't bring my dog with me (or my boyfriend isn't home to watch him), I usually won't go somewhere. I know you want to keep this dog, but yorkies are a HUGE commitment. They can live to be 12 - 15 years old and they aren't the easiest dogs to train either. So, read up on the breed and being a dog owner. At bare minimum read Yorkshire Terriers for Dummies. And consider getting your dog into a training class. Petsmart and other pet stores have them. You'll get a lot of good advice on here. Good luck!

[blondflava]

Hi, just a few comments here. Crate training is perfect if you're there throughout the day to let the puppy out for food/play/pee time every 1-2 hours. Also, most puppies don't sleep through the night in the beginning and will start whining to be let out at night as well. I originally started with the crate and my pup got used to it very quickly but, somehow, he doesn't mind pooping in his crate (and it's a small one). So I switched to xpen, first very small setup, just enough space for bed, bowls with food and toys, and pee pad. So he kinda didn't have choice but to go on pee pad. He seems to be doing good (still protesting a little) and I extended his space, hoping he'll stick to peepad. He still needs to be out of xpen for play time or outside. I'd really recommend that setup. Unless the puppy is fully / mostly potty trained and the house is puppy-proof, I wouldn't let them roam. But it's nice to give them some supervised exploring of the home after they go potty in the designated spot (easier on you too, instead of trying to catch him during deed, you can relax and play with puppy). And the older the pup gets, the longer they can hold. Good luck!

[yougetthesmiles]

Hi and welcome to YT! congrats on your new puppy! I think everyone has given you some great info!!! now all we need are some pictures to see!! as for your puppies diet, please read this thread!
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48516

[daimbert]

Well I finally got the paperwork from my father. Nemo is actually going to turn 4 months next week but he does have he's adult canines I think. All the other are partially out (half-way). All I know is that his bites are needle sharp sometimes.

As for potty...hit or miss. He did his business once so far this week...when I came back it was just in the pad.In terms of feeding is the twice a day rule still applies for a 4 month old or three times better. I found that he will only eat from my hand instead of the bowl. Also I've noticed Nemo drinking too much water and when he pees it clear like water. Should I take up the food and water at a certain time to make him elimination more consistent?

Finally what kind of training philosophy do you guys advocate. Unfortanetly Nemo doesn't seem to go for the entire treat thing. He doesn't go crazy for bullsticks, Lamb lungs, Kongs which make's him hard to train. I need to find nemos crack in order to trian him no? Should I try different methods until something works...or is he just plain to young or needs more acclimation to the apartment before training would be succesful.

John

[yorkieusa]

You can use cheerios or little pieces of cheese as rewards for training. I haven't seen a yorkie yet that didn't like those two things!

No, he isn't too young to train. I start as soon as they come into my home. Just don't expect perfection and they do require near constant supervision or observation if they're running around in the house. I always limited their space and slowly expanded it until they had the run of the whole house.

[yorkieusa]

I should have added and I think I said so before that the change of environment and people is hard for them and it does take time and lots of love and attention. If you have bully sticks, you might sit down with him and hold it for him and see if he will become interested. Some want you to hold them for them because they aren't really strong enough or aggressive enough to dig into these things on their own. It's all new to them. They're just like babies.