Home Raised Yorkie puppies Care and feeding

Yorkshire Terriers don't shed, but they do require some grooming. Whether you want to keep your Yorkies hair long or short, you should get your puppy used to being brushed. Then you can easily do maintenance grooming while spending time with your new baby. Your puppy will learn to associate being brushed with a special time of love and attention from their favorite person, you! Unless you can provide all of your Yorkies grooming needs, I recommend that you get them established with a reputable groomer as soon as possible, and take them on a regular basis to assure that they get comfortable with the process. I also recommend that you get your Yorkie used to being bathed at home to keep them clean between groomings. I find it easiest to put them in the shower with me, or bathe them in the kitchen sink. Either way, you will find that keeping your Yorkie clean and well groomed will be rewarding for both of you. A big part of regular care should also include brushing your Yorkies teeth. (Its not as hard as it sounds!) They won't like it at first, but it is an essential part of a healthy pet. If your dog looses its teeth, it cannot chew its food properly, resulting in poor digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Your Yorkie can then become undernourished and susceptible to disease. And, like people, poor oral hygiene leads to periodontal disease and other major health problems. Brushing your Yorkies teeth will help him live a longer, healthier life. And, you won't need to have the vet clean their teeth as often, which will save you time and money, and save your Yorkie the stress of a visit to the 'doctor'. Believe me, its worth it!! Try an infant toothbrush, or one made for a cat because they are the smallest available. The toothbrush's I've found that are made for dogs are way too big because they are made for large breed dogs. I recommend using Oxyfresh Pet Gel and Oxyfresh Pet Oral Hygiene Solution. Call Karen Bailey toll free at 888-675-8722 to place your order. If you prefer to order over the internet, she can set that up for you too. Those two Oxyfresh products used together will greatly benefit the health of your Yorkie, or any other dog or cat in your family. They might seem expensive at first, but you don't have to use very much so they last a long time.

Feeding your Yorkie a quality food is very important. I have recently changed the food I feed to a product called Life's Abundance. You can only get it online because it is made fresh each week and shipped out immediately. It is made from human grade ingredients, no cheap proteins that are hard to digest, no by products and no corn or wheat. The only thing I don't like about it is the kibble is a little bit bigger than I'd like for puppies so I grind it up in my magic bullet for them and add water to make a mash. I found out that my adult dogs love it that way too! One formula is for dogs and puppies so you don't have to transition them to adult food as they mature. An online search will easily find this product for you and they will ship it to your door. It is reasonably priced, and so is the shipping. Their autoship program is the most economical.

I don't recommend feeding canned or soft food at all. Dogs need the crunchy kibble to help prevent tartar build up. Whenever you change your pets diet, remember to do it gradually. Mix some of the new with the old and gradually put less of the old in until you are only feeding the new. Always have fresh clean water available. It is okay to have food out for them all the time when they are puppies, especially if they like to eat a little bit at a time. If your Yorkie has a tendency to be chubby though, restrict his diet accordingly. Overweight dogs are unhealthy dogs. We also suggest a good supply of chewys and toys. Chewys help to keep their teeth clean, and toys help keep them from getting bored and developing destructive behavior. Greenies are a great edible chewy, they love them! But beware, they do have wheat in them and some dogs can develop allergies to wheat and corn. A little bit of wheat in a treat is probably okay for most dogs, but DO NOT FEED CORN AND WHEAT BASED DOG FOOD TO YOUR YORKIE!!! If corn or wheat is the first 5 ingredients in a dry dog food, definitely don't feed it! Also, remember that any treat in abundance can cause your dog to not eat his regular diet, which is where he gets the nutrition he needs. Most treats are high in calories, sodium and fat to make them more palatable. The soft treats also leave a sticky film that everything else sticks too, causing more plaque build up, bad breath and rotting teeth.

Potty training!! The most frequently asked question and I don't have all the answers! We have doggie doors everywhere so they don't have to ask to get out. That helps, but I had to train them to use them first, then I had to get them to realize they need to use them to go out to go potty. The best way to potty train a puppy is to keep them with you ALL THE TIME. I mean ALL the time, so tie their leash around your ankle or waist. You'll always know where they are, so you should notice when they get restless and start to show signs that they need to go potty. This obviously will not work for everyone, so crate or paper training might be the option you choose. I do not use crate training, but done right it does work. If you choose the crate training method, please remember that a puppy can not hold their bowels or bladder for more than a couple of hours so don't expect them to not soil their crate if they are left in it all day. Whichever method of potty training you choose, be diligent and get your puppy potty trained as soon as possible. There is no way around the fact that potty training requires WORK ON YOUR PART. You must train yourself to PAY ATTENTION to what your puppy is doing. Learn their body language and watch for them to tell you when they have to go. Don't give them the run of the house and expect them to find the one little pee pad in the kitchen. And don't rub their nose in old pee. Dogs live in the "now". If you are gone for an hour and come home to a mess, clean it up and learn from it because your puppy/dog won't have a clue if you punish them for it at that point. I don't condone or recommend ever rubbing a dogs nose in their waste, but if you catch them going potty in the house it is your best opportunity to let them know it is unacceptable behavior. Take them immediately to the place they are expected to go, and praise them lavishly when they do. If they have already completely relieved themselves in the house though, don't expect them to go again in the proper place right away but be sure to take them there anyway.

Dogs are a lot like kids. They will terrorize your household and eventually the neighborhood if you don't teach them proper behavior. If you left your kids home alone all day with the bathroom door locked and no way to get outside, they would pee and poop on the floor, eventually. They may even really be pissed at you for leaving them with no access to the bathroom and poop in your shoes! Then they would get bored and start making other messes, like chewing up the shoes they have not yet pooped in. Get the point? Puppies, like kids, get bored. Bored puppies (and kids) get into trouble. Get to know your pup, don't expect too much too soon and help him to avoid temptation by eliminating ways for him to get into trouble when you cannot be there to stop him.

The best way to guarantee your Yorkie will be happy and well behaved is to spend time with them. So many people tell me they wish their dog was like mine, or they want a dog just like mine. When I question them about the problems they have with their dog, it is always the same story. They don't spend any time with it and expect it to act the way they want. I tell them my dogs weren't born the way they are, I made them good dogs by spending time with them. I am not a dog trainer, but my dogs do what I want them to, (most of the time!) because I'm with them a lot and they want to please me. Like children, if you are not there to correct bad behavior, they will keep doing it. I truly believe there are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners. You can have the best dog ever if you are willing to invest the time it takes to make it happen. The rewards are so great, you will never regret it.

Care and Feeding Home Raised Yorkie puppies

Yorkshire Terriers don't shed, but they do require some grooming. Whether you want to keep your Yorkies hair long or short, you should get your puppy used to being brushed. Then you can easily do maintenance grooming while spending time with your new baby. Your puppy will learn to associate being brushed with a special time of love and attention from their favorite person, you! Unless you can provide all of your Yorkies grooming needs, I recommend that you get them established with a reputable groomer as soon as possible, and take them on a regular basis to assure that they get comfortable with the process. I also recommend that you get your Yorkie used to being bathed at home to keep them clean between groomings. I find it easiest to put them in the shower with me, or bathe them in the kitchen sink. Either way, you will find that keeping your Yorkie clean and well groomed will be rewarding for both of you. A big part of regular care should also include brushing your Yorkies teeth. (Its not as hard as it sounds!) They won't like it at first, but it is an essential part of a healthy pet. If your dog looses its teeth, it cannot chew its food properly, resulting in poor digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Your Yorkie can then become undernourished and susceptible to disease. And, like people, poor oral hygiene leads to periodontal disease and other major health problems. Brushing your Yorkies teeth will help him live a longer, healthier life. And, you won't need to have the vet clean their teeth as often, which will save you time and money, and save your Yorkie the stress of a visit to the 'doctor'. Believe me, its worth it!! Try an infant toothbrush, or one made for a cat because they are the smallest available. The toothbrush's I've found that are made for dogs are way too big because they are made for large breed dogs. I recommend using Oxyfresh Pet Gel and Oxyfresh Pet Oral Hygiene Solution. Call Karen Bailey toll free at 888-675-8722 to place your order. If you prefer to order over the internet, she can set that up for you too. Those two Oxyfresh products used together will greatly benefit the health of your Yorkie, or any other dog or cat in your family. They might seem expensive at first, but you don't have to use very much so they last a long time. Feeding your Yorkie a quality food is very important. I have recently changed the food I feed to a product called Life's Abundance. You can only get it online because it is made fresh each week and shipped out immediately. It is made from human grade ingredients, no cheap proteins that are hard to digest, no by products and no corn or wheat. The only thing I don't like about it is the kibble is a little bit bigger than I'd like for puppies so I grind it up in my magic bullet for them and add water to make a mash. I found out that my adult dogs love it that way too! One formula is for dogs and puppies so you don't have to transition them to adult food as they mature. An online search will easily find this product for you and they will ship it to your door. It is reasonably priced, and so is the shipping. Their autoship program is the most economical. I don't recommend feeding canned or soft food at all. Dogs need the crunchy kibble to help prevent tartar build up. Whenever you change your pets diet, remember to do it gradually. Mix some of the new with the old and gradually put less of the old in until you are only feeding the new. Always have fresh clean water available. It is okay to have food out for them all the time when they are puppies, especially if they like to eat a little bit at a time. If your Yorkie has a tendency to be chubby though, restrict his diet accordingly. Overweight dogs are unhealthy dogs. We also suggest a good supply of chewys and toys. Chewys help to keep their teeth clean, and toys help keep them from getting bored and developing destructive behavior. Greenies are a great edible chewy, they love them! But beware, they do have wheat in them and some dogs can develop allergies to wheat and corn. A little bit of wheat in a treat is probably okay for most dogs, but DO NOT FEED CORN AND WHEAT BASED DOG FOOD TO YOUR YORKIE!!! If corn or wheat is the first 5 ingredients in a dry dog food, definitely don't feed it! Also, remember that any treat in abundance can cause your dog to not eat his regular diet, which is where he gets the nutrition he needs. Most treats are high in calories, sodium and fat to make them more palatable. The soft treats also leave a sticky film that everything else sticks too, causing more plaque build up, bad breath and rotting teeth. Potty training!! The most frequently asked question and I don't have all the answers! We have doggie doors everywhere so they don't have to ask to get out. That helps, but I had to train them to use them first, then I had to get them to realize they need to use them to go out to go potty. The best way to potty train a puppy is to keep them with you ALL THE TIME. I mean ALL the time, so tie their leash around your ankle or waist. You'll always know where they are, so you should notice when they get restless and start to show signs that they need to go potty. This obviously will not work for everyone, so crate or paper training might be the option you choose. I do not use crate training, but done right it does work. If you choose the crate training method, please remember that a puppy can not hold their bowels or bladder for more than a couple of hours so don't expect them to not soil their crate if they are left in it all day. Whichever method of potty training you choose, be diligent and get your puppy potty trained as soon as possible. There is no way around the fact that potty training requires WORK ON YOUR PART. You must train yourself to PAY ATTENTION to what your puppy is doing. Learn their body language and watch for them to tell you when they have to go. Don't give them the run of the house and expect them to find the one little pee pad in the kitchen. And don't rub their nose in old pee. Dogs live in the "now". If you are gone for an hour and come home to a mess, clean it up and learn from it because your puppy/dog won't have a clue if you punish them for it at that point. I don't condone or recommend ever rubbing a dogs nose in their waste, but if you catch them going potty in the house it is your best opportunity to let them know it is unacceptable behavior. Take them immediately to the place they are expected to go, and praise them lavishly when they do. If they have already completely relieved themselves in the house though, don't expect them to go again in the proper place right away but be sure to take them there anyway. Dogs are a lot like kids. They will terrorize your household and eventually the neighborhood if you don't teach them proper behavior. If you left your kids home alone all day with the bathroom door locked and no way to get outside, they would pee and poop on the floor, eventually. They may even really be pissed at you for leaving them with no access to the bathroom and poop in your shoes! Then they would get bored and start making other messes, like chewing up the shoes they have not yet pooped in. Get the point? Puppies, like kids, get bored. Bored puppies (and kids) get into trouble. Get to know your pup, don't expect too much too soon and help him to avoid temptation by eliminating ways for him to get into trouble when you cannot be there to stop him. The best way to guarantee your Yorkie will be happy and well behaved is to spend time with them. So many people tell me they wish their dog was like mine, or they want a dog just like mine. When I question them about the problems they have with their dog, it is always the same story. They don't spend any time with it and expect it to act the way they want. I tell them my dogs weren't born the way they are, I made them good dogs by spending time with them. I am not a dog trainer, but my dogs do what I want them to, (most of the time!) because I'm with them a lot and they want to please me. Like children, if you are not there to correct bad behavior, they will keep doing it. I truly believe there are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners. You can have the best dog ever if you are willing to invest the time it takes to make it happen. The rewards are so great, you will never regret it.

A Perfect Puppy Fallon, NV 89406	Phone: (775) 423-3142 Cell: (775) 427-3142 yorkiepups@cccomm.net