Getting a Yorkie pup tomorrow - things I need to know?

[kors]

I have been a lurker for months, but I have a question that hopefully you can help me with. My husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 testicular cancer 10 months ago today, and my Mom passed away from a massive heart attack 9 months ago today (age 63). As you can imagine - life has been tough the past 10 months...$400K in medical debt (maxed out insurance), waiting on Medicaid, SSI Disability, etc. My husband is now disabled due to chronic blood clots in his legs, groin, and inferior vena cava (leading to the heart). Because of the way the cancer spread, the surgery and chemo, we are not able to have children. My husband is 38, and I am 33. It has been such a long road, filled with grief and anxiety.

We have decided to get a Yorkie puppy, and we go pick the dog out tomorrow or Tuesday!!! I have allergies, so we wanted a dog with hair and not fur, and we are also able to be home during the day. I would love to hear from fellow Yorkie owners some tips, things I should have on hand, etc. Thank you in advance! We are so excited about our newest addition to our family. We already have a name - don't know if it will be M or F, but we are going to name it Dakota - my husband is from there, and my Mom & I went to college there. Any feedback is appreciated!

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

The only thing I know about yorkies is that they are stubborn and hard to housetrain. Good luck! Also we would LOVE to see pics! Maybe someone else can be a little more helpful.

 

[LBKB]

Hi We have a yorkie puppy. She is not stubborn. She is very protective of me which is fine. she was very easy to potty train. We bought a little bell we attached to the door with a string and suction cup and when we got her home took her out every 20 minutes took her paw and rang the bell before we went out and extended that time as days passed. When she went potty out side really praised her and played with her. She was trained in 3-4weeks with very very rarely any accidents. She rings the bell when she wants to go out. She is the best pet we have had and believe me we have had many. Good luck ours is the best lap dog and she is only 3 pounds..

 

[sunnyday123]

don't step on it! Those thing are tiny! We've always had big dogs-between 50-90 lbs, and are anxiously awaiting our Newfoundland puppy, but good luck! Nobody loves you like a dog.

 

[DVC-Don]

Stubborn, active, fearless little tikes. Ours killed her second rabbit in our (her) yard last weekend. In fact she's upstairs barking at my wife as I type this.

 

[powellrj]

This is our yorkie, we got him 3 years ago from the shelter and love him to death. We are having some issues right now because he is so attached to me, but we are working on those. He can be yappy when someone comes to the door, but he is so loving and loyal. While your Dh is recovering, your yorkie will be a great comfort to him. Ours never left my side when I was recovering from surgery.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

I'm so very sorry about your DH's health problems and the loss of your mom. You've been through so much this year. I'm sure your new puppy will bring much happiness into your lives.

If your Yorkie puppy is very young, (less than 12 weeks), you will need some NutriCal or Stat to keep on hand in case the puppy gets hypoglycemic. This is a condition common to small breeds, so read up on it if you don't already know about it. If you want the puppy to potty outside, I recommend never using potty pads. Using a bell for the puppy to ring when it needs to go outside is a very good idea. Housebreaking yorkies and other small breeds are definitely harder than larger breeds, but it can be done if you are consistent. I recommend crate training from the beginning so your puppy has a safe place to go when you can't give it your undivided attention. Ours slept in a crate for a couple months until he was fully trained. Now he sleeps with us.

Yorkietalk.com is a really good yorkie internet group for you to join. The members there can answer any question you have, and you will learn more there than reading any book. I read posts there for a year before buying my puppy, and it saved me a lot of worry and heartache.

BTW, I love the name Dakota. My favorite dog ever was named Dakota, and she lived to be 15 1/2 years old. I hope your Dakota will bring you every bit as much pleasure as mine did to me.

 

[MissMet]

They are very smart dogs, so you have to be consistent. When I first got mine my vet told me that they are hard to train, not 'cause they're yorkies but because they are so small. Their bladder fills up quick & before they know it it's too late. He said it could take up to 3 years to be completely potty trained & that they will always have occasional accidents.

My Yorkie just turned seven & I can say what he said is pretty accurate. I didn't have a hard time training her but I stayed consistent & that's key. I would take her to go to the bathroom every two hours. I trained her to go on a pee pee pad, which she was already trained to do from the breeder & I also trained her to go outside, so that was if it was raining I wouldn't have to take her out or flying with her or during the night. She holds it through the night but sometimes will get up during the night to go on the pee pee pad.

It's worked really well for her. She was only 2 lbs when I got her & now only 5 lbs, so I don't think she could go without the pee pee pads. If you are going the pee pee pad route the thing I wished I would have found sooner was reusable/washable pee pee pads - it would have saved me a ton! Here the link if you need it: http://www.ezwhelp.com/BuyNewWhelpingPads.htm ( the brown laminated ones are best)

Have fun & stay consistent!! They're great dogs but they are smart. I am sorry for all the health issues your family has been having. I know Dakota will bring you a lot of joy - there's no better breed of dog!

 

[JimB.]

1. Very smart
2. Can be VERY protective. Ours would defend my (almost 17 year old, 6'1") son to the death. It's really amusing sometimes.
3. They can be very laid back & gentle, but also very high octane.
4. Lots of fun.

5. This may sound funny, but it's not. If you live in an area of predatory birds (hawks, falcons, ospreys, eagles, etc.) be careful and do not leave them outside unattended, especially if they are tiny puppies. They are, when young, small enough to be dinner for the big birds.

 

[Buckeye Princess]

Yorkie puppies are very susceptible to hypoglycemia. Often they will have interrupted eating habits when in a new environment. This can be very dangerous. They make a product that is basically a concentrated sugar. You can find it in pet stores. I would recommend getting this. You place a little on your finger and let the dog lick it off, or if they won't, you put it in their mouth. This can save your dog's life. A friend of mine had a Yorkie pup who went into seizures because she was so hypoglycemic.

 

[EpcotSweetHrts0512]

We have a yorkie... that's her in my avatar pic. Her name is Belle and she is around 7 lbs. We got her when she was around 12 weeks old and worked consistently with her potty training and she got it pretty quick... she is about a year and a half now. She rarely has an accident now unless we don't notice she is telling us she has to go out or something.

She is really sweet but very protective of all of us, especially me! She is very yappy when there is somebody at the door, but we are working on that. I would definitely recommend crate training your yorkie... ours loves to go there when she is really tired! Belle is a big cuddler though, which I love ! She also loves our cat even though the cat doesn't really feel the same way about her! Congrats on your new puppy though... I think the name Dakota is really cute!