Yorkie

I recently received a Yorkie (Bandit) who is a little over a year old. I live in an apartment so training him to go outside would be very difficult for nights. Are there any suggestions for letterbox training a dog? He’s only 4 pounds and I’ve heard it can be very successful.. But i do not know how to start. He is stubborn and has a vivacious personality so i am certain he is giving me a hard time for kicks and giggles.

You’ll need several items to get started. Of course, a litter box is required. I suggest a Purina dog litter box — or get the largest cat litter box available, and cut the top off the hood. Removing the top makes it much easier for the dog to use, and for you to clean. Use very rough sandpaper or a smoothing tool (i.e. a Dremel) to round the edges. Dogs tend to "go" more frequently than cats, and they don’t bury their waste in the same way cats do.

People use a variety of "filler" for litter pans. Some folks like to use newspapers or absorbent "pee pads". Others prefer commercial dog litter or cat litter, so they can scoop out and dispose of the waste easily. A few folks have voiced concern over clumping litter (in the event the dog ingests it). Personally, I’ve used all types of filler and haven’t experienced a problem with any of it.

If you use dog or cat litter, buy a large size litter scoop, it will work best! It’s also handy to get a small foot pedal "step-on" can with a plastic bucket (I found mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond). A 3 to 5 gallon size can works perfectly. I also use a standard diaper pail lined with a plastic bag in my dog room. Whenever the "step-on" pail is full, I empty the can into the diaper pail. This saves a lot of time, and my trips to empty waste are infrequent. Best of all, the diaper pail is designed to contain odors!

Most importantly, be sure to have plenty of cleaning supplies. Brooms and easy-to-use mops should be nearby. Lots of paper towels (especially at the beginning) should be kept on hand. I also find a DustBuster hand vacuum makes it easy to clean up the sand and litter that inevitably gets kicked around. Bleach is a great odor mask, and putting some in a small container (make sure it is completely out of the reach of the dogs) goes a long way in odor control. Other odor controls such as candles, sprays and plug-ins can also work well. In general, if you just keep the area clean, odor won’t be a big problem.

Be prepared for accidents when house and litterbox training.

If you’re starting from scratch, you’ll need to work with the dog very closely, and have your cleaning supplies even closer! The best method for housetraining is to design the environment so that it is difficult for the dog to fail. Your dog wants to please you, and you can help him (or her) succeed! First, designate the area to be used for the litterbox and/or papers. Obviously, a tiled or easy to clean floor area is best. During the first few days, you will need to constantly monitor the dog when it is not in its bathroom area. In this initial period, the dog should have only two location options: either with you, or a direct path to his bathroom area. You can accomplish this by shutting doors, and using simple gating materials such as latex lattice, child gates, or even pieces of cardboard. In any event, make sure that the dog can ONLY go to his designated area when "caught in the act". Make sure there is a direct path between you and his bathroom only (no open side rooms) at all times.

During the first few days the dog should either be with you, or in his area. If you are unable to watch the dog carefully, put the dog in his bathroom or crate area. If you notice actions such as circling or sniffing (usually indicating the dog has "to go"), then encourage the dog to go to his area to do his business on papers. Develop a key word or key phrase for this action. It can be anything you want such as: "go pee", "get busy", "use the box", etc. Repeat the word or phrase often at the spot where the dog should do his business.

http://www.kturby.com/litter/litter.htm

That’s for litterbox training. Crate Training IMO is the best but since you live in an apartment!

Hey! Okay so I’m getting a 9 month old Yorkie that used to belong to my mom’s friend and he’s giving me the puppy to keep. I’d like to know about how long do you think it’ll take for a 9 month old yorkie to forget about his previous owner & get used to his new home?

Also, what may you suggest I should do to make him feel welcomed to his new place? Thank you!

I have fostered many dogs before and it takes about a week for them to really settle down and start acting like themselves again. It can be a hard transition for some dogs (especially small lap dogs) because they really bond with their people. I would be sure not to overwelm her with friends or other dogs visiting her for the first few days. Do not ever ever ever leave the door open because she could escape to go back to her last owners. I fostered a little poodle and the first day of being at his new owners house, he bolted out the door to go looking for me. Well, I like 60 miles away from him so he would of never found me. But they ended up finding him in the end. If you have a large house, section it off so it’s not so overwelming. Train her to sleep in a bed or kennel, do not allow her to sleep on your bed or else she will be top dog. Which means, she could start peeing on your bed, chewing up your clothes to make a statement "I own you". Give lot’s of love and attention but dont forget your the boss! Good luck and stick with it in the first week, it can seem like the dog doesn’t like you or hates your house, but it’s just a tough transitition

I will be getting a yorkie in a few weeks. I have been trying to research what kind of dog food I should get for it. I will most likely be getting it at Walmart or Petsmart, so I need to know what kind to get.

there isn’t really a best food because every dog is different. even the world’s best dog food might not work for every dogs.

stay away from every dog food they sell at walmart.
personally, i think petco sells higher quality food.

some great brands are:
canidae
natural balance
innova
wellness
california natural
solid gold

stay away from:
Purina
iams
hill’s science diet
royal canin
and…
anything that you could find at any grocery store

We have a male and female Yorkie. Our female was the youngest and the ALPHA. We just got a male pup and she is livid. Ironically, our male York who has a [heart condition] has taken on the role of mom & pop to this new addition. Our female is getting aggressive and won’t have anything to do w/the puppy. Any advice would be appreciated.

Generally unless they get downright aggressive you let the dogs work it out for themselves. If one gets mean or you feel the puppy is in danger you can segregate them until the puppy is bigger. Eventually the puppy will be accepted as a member of the pack.
On a rare occasion some or one won’t accept the new arrival, then you have a social problem where the only solution is to continue the segregation or completely remove one or the other from the home.

We have a little yorkie puppy that’s about 10 weeks old, and a big golden retriever that’s about 2 years old. Every time we try to let them get used to each other, the yorkie freaks out, and my golden just wants to see what it is. So my golden just keeps trying to sniff the yorkie and lick it. She won’t leave her alone, but we’re afraid to give them freedom arouond each other because we don’t want the golden to hurt the yorkie.

As long as the golden is not jumping about and running about then the yorkie will be fine. If hte golden is just sniffing and generally being interested then then let them get on with it. You really need to let the yorkie get used to other dogs of all sizes as too many yorkies are aggressive towards other dogs as the owners didnt let them around dogs for fear of them getting hurt. Keep an eye on the situation and intervene if necessary but for the most part let them sort themselves out. There may be some growling and noises from both but as hard as it is you have to let them sort out the natural pecking order. If you keep jumping in to rescue the yorkie then it never happens and it will never get better

My family and I just resently got a 3 month old female yorkie. She’s good about peeing on a puppy pad but she won’t poop on it. She would also only pee and poop sometimes outside, but she usualy just eats grass and then goes back inside where she poops or pees later but like i said peeing is not the problem.

Is there any way to get her to poop on the puppy pad or outside?

how about training her to go outside?? walk her on a leash several times a day until she goes. when she goes outside, praise her. keep her confined to the room you are in when you are home so you can watch for signs that she needs to go.