Ellie is on the way!
 

Hello everybody! Ellie was born December 4th so we will not get her until mid January. She is my girlfriend's graduation present but I will be helping her take care of her, so i'm sure I will be posting many questions on this site!
http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/...220_161446.jpg

Very sweet. Welcome to YT. Do your research before you bring her home. It will make things much easier for everyone involved, especially, the puppy.:)

Will do. Thanks for the tip. Not sure why my image tags didn't work around the link but oh well. Maybe because that was my first post or something...

The breeder sent another pic today! We get her saturday!!!

What a cutie pie :D I agree with yorkieusa... Make sure to do your research before you bring her home so that you know what to expect.

She's very cute but she looks young in that picture. How old will she be? Congrats!

So adorable! So, will she only be 6 weeks old? Please consider waiting till the puppy is 11 weeks or older. They are so fragile at that age. The chance of the pup getting sick and having problems is soooooooo much higher if they come home too young. They really need more time with mommy and litter mates.

My Peyton just came home. He is 11 weeks old. So glad he is older! :) He is playful, and energetic, healthy, and happy and strong!

Best of luck to you.

Hello, hey, I asked a question on here about how long to wait. PLEASE LOOK IN THE GENERAL DISCUSSION SECION, My breeder says 8 week, I think is my title, I asked this on saturday, please look on page 2 of that discussion and somebody posted very good information on there about reasons to wait until atleast 12 weeks! Good Luck :scratchhe

:thumbup:

Well I really have no say in when she gets her. She got her first yorkie from her at the same age so I hope everything will be ok.
I don't think we can't wait any longer though hah. She looks so precious

She's cute, how much does she weigh? I got my pup Pau at 8 weeks and I was worried it would be hard because he was so little, but he has been nothing but a joy. He is such a good boy and I always make sure to feed him small meals throughout the day. He was only 15 ounces when I got him. Now at 11 weeks, he is 17 ounces and he is the cutest thing. I love him so much and he's so smart. He's a tiny guy, but such a good boy.

Hi, you are right, she is such a cutie!

When you said that you have no say is that because your gf is deciding or the breeder is deciding! Just curious as it might make a difference in how you go about trying to change someones mind. :rolleyes:

I got Sophia when she was 8 weeks old, and let me tell you, that was a little too early. She really had trouble eating. My very first posts on this site and why I even looked for such a site were because of her trouble eating. They are so small that even a tiny set back can cause serious medical problems.

Six weeks is sooooo young for a Yorkie. They are still infants. I beg you to really read on this site and learn all you can about Yorkies. If it is your girlfriend who wants her early then please have her read her on all the reasons it is better to wait until they are older.

If it is the breeder who wants to send her home that early I would just tell her you want the pup to stay with mom and litter mates longer. And honestly, any breeder who would let a pup go home at 6 weeks is highly questionable. If they were at all knowledgeable with the breed they would never let them go home when they are still newborns.

A six week old puppy is not even ready for real food yet and still gets it's nutrician from the moms milk. I think their little teeth are just coming in. Their digestive systems are not developed to handle commercial dog food yet.

Please, please, please educate yourself, your girlfriend, and your breeder if necessary on this issue. You may be the only hope this sweet little pup has. Be her hero.

Hi and welcome to YT, your pup is beautiful without a doubt.. but please ask the breeder if she can stay with her mom until she is 12 weeks old.
I brought my pup home when she was 6 weeks old (was told she was older) and it's not easy.
She was so tiny and fragile it was like walking on egg shells with her, I was so nervous something would go wrong. She cried and cried all through the night for about a month because she was far too young to be away from her mom and was missing her and her brothers and sister. I was like a zombie I was so tired, I was falling asleep at work and everything!
Also biting has been a nightmare with her because she was taken so young, she had no chance to learn bite inhibition from her mom and litter mates. So I have to teach her it myself and it is NOT an easy task let me tell you!
I know she is very cute, and you are both so excited you feel you cant wait much longer to bring her home but PLEASE listen to what I am telling you. IT IS IN NO WAY FUN. It is VERY stressful and just not nice.
You will have to take time off work and be there for her 24/7 because she will depend on you!
Please wait until she is 12 weeks old and I promise you that you will have a much better experience with an older more well adjusted pup.

Please talk to the breeder and see if she can stay with the mother for longer... Their mothers teach them SO much, you dont even know...they depend on their mother for warmth, biting, and sometimes even food etc...

With having a small breed puppy at 6 weeks old, it's going to be very hard... I got Izzy at 13 weeks and that was hard enough I can't even imagine having her home at 6 weeks... I would not even feel comfortable leaving her at home alone that young or going all night without being watched...

I know your excited :thumbup: but the breeder really needs to keep her longer.. There are some states that can be fined for letting them go that young..

Your little sweetheart is BEAUTIFUL:aimeeyork and Im sure you want whats best for her :) Good luck!!

I agree with all of the above posts...please try and hold off until the pup is 12 weeks old. The pup will get so much more training from the mom throughout the next six weeks. I know how excited you must be, but it is so much better for the pups health to wait until it is 12 weeks old. They are so fragile at this age/weight....not to scare you, but they can go downhill very quickly. My Lily was 16 weeks old when I got her and she only weighed like 2.5 lbs. That is a very tiny dog.

I hope that you will reconsider taking this puppy home so young. I have a 16 week old pups, who is tiny weighing 1.12 now. Unknowningly, I brought her home with a cough and ear infections. I stayed up 10 straight days, nursing this pup. When they are that tiny or as young as your pup, they CANNOT fight off things that an older bigger pup can. We could have lost Mia, luckily we didn't. I am experienced and although I'm not taking the credit for keeping her alive and getting her better I do feel that, that was a big help. I'm assuming your gf is a new Yorkie Owner. There is a lot to look for and if you miss it something this young can easily die and they are so suseptable to illness at such a tiny young age. Please consider asking him to keep her longer or just walking away from it if he will not. I learned the heard way about buying with your heart and I hope that what I learned can help others to avoid the same traps. Elaine

Welcome to YT and congrats to you and your girlfriend on your new little one. Sorry if we all sound like a broken record, but your pup should not leave her mom and litter mates before 12 weeks of age. You are doing her a disservice if you don't at least try to talk to your gf and the breeder about this situation. I hope you stick around, there is so much to learn for new yorkie parents. :)

Please convince your GF to wait a few more weeks. Many puppies do not even have teeth at 6 weeks, and although they can eat, they should still be nursing. My mothers do not wean their babies until 8 weeks or later.

Studies have shown that puppies that stay with their mothers eyond 8 weeks are much more socialized, less fearful, more playful and have learned how to play nice and not to bite people.

They are also easier to housebreak if they have been allowed to associate with other dogs.

Puppies under 10 weeks do not handle stress well. There are many ailments a puppy can get from being stressed. Stress lowers their immune system and things that every dog carries inactive in their ystem, such as worms, giardiam, coccidia and mange, will become active and cause serious health issues.

There is also a huge increase in the risk of hypoclycemia, because dogs do not eat then they are stressed, therefore they cannot be left alone for over 2 to 3 hours at a time or they could die.

Please, I know you are anxious to get her, but for her sake, please leave her with her mother for another month. Things will go much smoother and your experience will be fun rather than stressful.

Congratulations and good luck.

Congratulations on the new puppy. What a sweet tiny baby. I do hope for the puppies sake and for your peace of mind that your girlfriend decides to wait a little longer. The little extra time with the mother and siblings will benefit the dog greatly. Your pup will be healthier and better socialized.

I've never heard of 6 weeks being a problem, but I don't know much about this kind of thing. Thanks for all of your responses.

It is not my girlfriend that wants her home at 6 weeks, that is just the time the breeder told us she would be ready. I'm not sure how much she weighs right now.

Her sister has gotten a yorkie from the same breeder and never ran into trouble so I will ask them

Six weeks if fine for larger breed dogs, but for toy dogs it is imperative for them to stay with their moms for a minimum of 10 weeks. The fact that the breeder wants the dog picked up by 6 weeks is troubling to say the least. To me it sounds like they want the pups out of there as soon as possible so they don't have to care for them anymore. Most reputable breeders will not release a pup that early, there is so much the pup learns from its mother during the 6-12 week period. Bite inhibition is a big problem if not trained properly. Also, immunities from mothers milk is still working, and if shots administered to the pup too early will negate the immunities from mom and do more harm than good.

If the first pup your of your gf's sis went smoothly, I would say that was a very lucky thing. A lot of members here can give you their sad stories about bringing their pups home too early due to the breeders insistance.

I'm not trying to be negative, just trying to be helpful and educate. You have to wonder about the type of breeder would say this is ok to release yorkies at 6 weeks. Again, for large breeds, this is not a problem, but for toy breeds it is so important for them to not be taken too early. If they are releasing them this early, iw onder what other things they have skimped on. Does this breeder do any health testing? What is their guarrantee in case the pup gets sick? Please find out as much as you can before you bring this pup home to save yourself from potential heartache.

Some breeders do let them go at 6 weeks, and some puppies do OK, not great but OK. Others get very sick and the vet bills get costly. It's a gamble that I would not want to take.

Waiting until 10 weeks or longer will greatly reduce the risks and the puppy will already be socialized. If you have never seen the difference, then you wouldn't know. But as a breeder, I can tell you there is a huge difference between a 6 week old puppy and a 10 week old one.

At 6 weeks my mothers are still very attached to their puppies and they would cry if they were separated. The mother does not even begin to socialize them until they are 8 weeks.

At 8 weeks she starts to play with them and scold them if the play too rough. She puts them on their back and teaches them to be submissive. They learn that there is a pecking order and they learn how to be a good pack member.

If you have ever watched this you would realize how important this time is. if your breeder has always let them go at 6 weeks, she probably doesn't even know how the mothers interact with themm between 6 and 10 weeks.

I know it is very exciting and hard to wait but it is well worth the wait. They can have issues when they are that young. They are still learning manners from mom and the siblings that they will carry through life in addition to the obvious health and eating concerns. They are so much fun but I am glad our breeder had us wait until she was a bit older 10 weeks, we were blessed wtih a well socialized puppy that was very healthy and ready to become a part of our busy family. Just be educated it will pay off!

if your breeder pushes pups out at 6 weeks old then you are dealing with a greeder not a breeder. i'm sorry to be harsh but that's the truth. in some states it is illegal to sell a puppy under 10-12 weeks old so check into your states lemon laws too. it wouldn't matter to me how many people got a healthy dog from this breeder the odds are against you here. a pup that cannot handle eating on it's own with no shots and no socialization is a walking disaster waiting to happen. if you pup doesn't get sick it might get hypoglycemia, if it doesn't die from that it may have giardia or parasites, if it survives that it may get distemper or parvo, it might not eat and starve, it might have horrible problems with liver shunts, luxating patellas, costing you literally THOUSANDS in vet bills and surgeries if it lives at all. it will be a biter it will teeth on your bare hands and it will be HARD REALLY HARD to make it stop biting. it won't be able to potty train NOT AT ALL because it's not old enough for bowel control and learning that at this young age. it will whine, it will cry, and it will fight for it's life every day. this is NOT a good breeder, this is a greedy horrible person who wants your money more than they care about the beautiful baby they just helped to create. RUN AWAY FAST and never look back. you are about to make a terrible choice and have been warned by people who most likely made the same choice once before and regretted it and now are trying to tell you not to make the same mistakes...how do i know all this ..... I GOT A PUPPY AT 6 WEEKS OLD!! Stupidest thing i've ever done!

It would actually be illegal in Florida where puppies must be at least 8 weeks old and get a health certificate to be sold. Selling a puppy before that time is a 1st degree misdemeanor here. Not sure what the law is in NC -- some states don't have a law about the age. :( But a good, ethical, educated breeder will keep toy breeds with their mothers and siblings at least 12 weeks. You have gotten a lot of good advice from others in this thread. I know it is hard to hear something so different from what a local breeder is telling you. The breeder may think she is doing right, but she is not. Way too many health, social, and emotional problems are created by ripping puppies from their litter so young. You want a good healthy start for your GF's puppy. I hope you are able to persuade all concerned that it will be so much better for this puppy to get enough time with momma and sibs. There will be the whole puppy's lifetime to be with your GF -- this is time for its first family. Wishing you all the very best!

Good Luck! Happy Puppy Parenting!!

thanks!


As for all of you who say this isn't a good breeder if she lets them go that early, she has been breeding for 10+ years and has never had a problem with her puppies.

Ellie is eating food already, and she said she is doing very well. She has already had her first round of shots, tail docked, and she just went in for a checkup last week.

That's great that she's eating solid food already. But, just because a breeder has been doing this for 10+ years, doesn't mean she's doing right by the puppies she has brought into this world. Aside from making sure they are eating solids, a breeder should be sure the puppy isn't in danger of hypoglycemia, which is why it's best for them to stay with mom and litter and experienced breeder until 12 weeks (min regardless of weight) or until they reach 2 lbs. Mom dog also teaches bite inhibition and should be starting to potty train the puppies. Overall, they teach dog etiquette which makes for better well rounded, socialized pups. All of that is done with the best interest of the puppies and their new families in mind.

Just bc someone has been doing something half a$$ed for more than a decade does not make them an expert. Please do some more research, ANYBODY who knows anything about toy breeds will agree, do not let the pup away from its mom before 10 weeks MINIMUM.