New baby concerns
 

Hi YT'ers - I talked to my breeder today. EVERY TIME after I chat with him I have all kinds of questions!!! I'm getting my little Jasper boy Oct 6, he'll be exactly 12 weeks old that day. He's with his mom and siblings most of the time. The breeder has brought him in the house some. What do I expect when I get him home????? House training will be a brand new concept for him...and so will being w/o friends (I have an outside dog that will visit, but Jasper will be strictly inside unless with me). I'm getting very nervous.... We'll have a 5 hour drive home. I've made him a blanket that I'm sending to the breeder so my scent will be familiar to him...and the breeder sends puppy blankets home too.

I've attached (I hope) his pix from 3 weeks ago....they say he's growing like a weed!!! and a real character at that!!! I'm so excited:D

JaTa (Jasper Tate's Mom-to-be)

I didn't see the photo anywhere, but just wanted to say congrats!

The pictures might have been too large. Try resizing to 640x480.

Congratulations on you new little boy! Smart idea to send a blanket to the breeder! You will probably have some crying the first few nights as he adjusts. They all differ in how they travel so cross your fingers and be prepared for possible car sickness. Two of mine came home fine and one threw up on me the whole 2 1/2 hours home. Can't help with the potty training- I'm the world's worst!:rolleyes: All I can suggest is pick a method (crate, potty pads, x-pen) and just stick with it. Can't wait for the pictures! You are in for so much fun!:)

Congradulations! Potty training a Yorkie can be a real challenge. All I can say is be very consistant. Also if you are not planning on breeding, get him altered. This will help his urge to mark everything.

Oh I forgot about the whole car sick thing. Since you have a long drive I would ask the breeder not to feed him the morning when you are coming to get him and just give him Nutri-cal (or simalar product). This will help him from getting sick.

Expect him to be a bit cautious of his new enviroment( some are, some are like they have always lived there!). Give him lots of attention and let him explore his new home.
Have an area enclosed all his own to make him comfortable with food and water, a comfy bedded area there with a toy etc. You may want to add a newspaper or a potty pad. It makes them feel more secure with a small area. Make sure they eat regularly, handfed if you have to the first days, and look for nice firm stools.

Congrats on your new baby.

I was the same way before I got Jake, very nervous. I was scared I would do something wrong lol. But, things have gone really smooth for me. He was an "only child" so he didn't have siblings to miss. The breeder had weaned him away from his mom so he was used to not being with her all the time, and he was eating very well on his own. I think that's why he can play so well by himself if I'm busy.

Good idea sending a blanket with your scent. My breeder sent his favorite blankie home which had his mom's scent on it. Plus, I took one that she rubbed on his mommy so that it had her scent.

As for what to expect when you bring him home, he may not want to eat much at first because the transition is sometimes a little hard. You want to make sure you have things like cottage cheese, chicken, rice or chicken baby food so that you can put small amounts on his dog food to get him to eat. If you use chicken, just make sure to boil it (white meat). It's good to have Nutrical in case he doesn't eat and starts acting lethargic since these little babies can get hypoglycemic so easily. Make sure he drinks enough and if not, Pedialyte is always good to have on hand. Before trying any other foods though, you may want to try hand-feeding him his dog food. Sometimes they like that in the beginning. I hand-fed Jake for a couple days, then he started eating on his own. I free feed since he needs to eat often.

Potty training has been really easy for Jake so far. I've been using pee pads for now, and he does really well with those. He has only had a few accidents in the (almost) two weeks I've had him, which I think is excellent.

Make sure to have lots of toys and things he can chew on. My little one LOVES to play with his toys! Flossies and bully sticks are good to have so they have something to chew on.

Try not to worry too much, things will be fine. Just give him lots of attention and affection so that he will feel better about his new surroundings, and you will be amazed at how fast he bonds to you.

I have one question. You said your breeder brings him in the house sometimes. Where does he normally keep the puppies? Not outside, I hope.

Congratulations on your new baby, he will bring you lots of joy and will be so much fun for you! :)

It's gonna be the best experience! You'll be surprised at how much comes natural. It's like motherhood. Can't wait to see pics. As far as the long ride home, both my babies got car sick on the ride home (about 90 mins.) I kept old towels on hand and lots of paper towels. As far as the rest, you have the best resource right here - all the experienced yorkie owners on Yorkie Talk. ;) So just relax and enjoy every minute.:aimeeyork

new mommy...
 

thanks for all the "reinforcement". You know, when I became a new skin mommy - many moons ago - I wasn't nervous! I instinctly new what to do for my skin kids.....but, I'm afraid that furry instint won't come as naturally!!!:p

I think I got the pix attached this time!!

I've read something you can get for car sickness...think I need to get something or just be prepared? We'll stop along the way for fresh air, potty breaks and walking. I need a harness...but don't know what size! And taking all his blankies and rubbing it on fur mom is a great idea. I've already made him two! The breeder sends nutrical home with me - so I'll have that life saver. You think no food the ride home? just nutrical?

O' yea the breeder housing question. He has a really nice kennel - state of the art - a/c and heated.

Thanks for all the help I can get...

JaTa (Jasper Tate's Mom-to-be)

awwwwwwwwww he's such a little cutie!!! As for the harness size, do you know how much he weighs? Mine is 10 weeks and weighs about 1 lb., 12 oz. and even a XS is too big for him right now. Maybe you could get his weight and measurements from the breeder and have one made for him. There are people here who make and sell them.

Don't worry, you'll be fine! It's not much different than taking care of a baby!:)

Jasper is adorable! What a little sweetie. I can imagine how excited you are. I remember how I felt before I brought mine home. Thought I was gonna burst!!:aimeeyork

consider water
 

Before we picked up our baby I did a lot of research, and one thing I don't see often, and haven't seen here, was an article which discussed how different water supplies can be, even in the same city. If you are traveling that far to get her I would definitely consider getting water from your breeder. We brought home a gallon jug with Crystal and refilled the jug with tap water each day for the first week. It's the same theory as when you change foods. Worked for us.
Good Luck.