New Yorkie - 13 weeks - please help!! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

kylesmommy6 · 07-12-2013, 03:15 AM

hi guys - i am a littl new to this forum talk. i was not sure who to reach out to get help. i have had my yorkie for 2 weeks. he is 13 weeks old. his name is leo! he is a little angel and so very smart! i have a few concerns and need some help from anyone who can offer experienced advice!

i am feeding leo 2 times a day to help with the potty training. however, he is just not eating that much. he has had all of his shots and seems very happy and healthy. he kind of snacks - he does eat a bit but not what i would consider enough. also, if i do not sit right by him, he will not eat at all. i keep putting him at his bowl and pointing to the bowl and say "eat your dinner." he will take a few bites and that is it. i have tried dired and canned food. have even tried putting a bit of warm water in his dried food. i just feel like he should be eating more. you would think only eating 2 times a day he would be starving!

also, he is my boy! his name really should be shadow. he is literally right on my heels not wanting to let me out of his site. he is great with my mom, dad, and my son but he wants me. if i am in site, he is with me. well, my son plays soccer and we go to practice 2 times a week. he (my son) also has friends over. leo growls, snaps, and tries to bite many of the children. he again doesnt want anyone else dealing with him and he certainly does not like for them to get into his face. once he gets used to you he is fine but until then it is not good. i allow the children to hold him and play with him with me there and when he growls, i say firmly "NO!" he always calms down and becomes submissive BUT initially he is growling and biting with anyone new that holds him. petting him is fine but he doesn't want anyone picking him up. i want him to be a people puppy and do not want to encourage this behaviour but i also know he is a 1.5 pound puppy and that is his only defense.

next issue. i work at night. when i am at work, he is in his crate. he is in there for many hours (10 pm to 8 30 am). there is no way around this. i have put his bed in there that he loves, a stuffed animal, a radio, a kong with frozen pb, i bought him a thundershirt and put a bone in there. however, of course he cries!! when he is in bed with me (when i sleep during the day), he is perfect but hates his crate. i have not seen poop in there but he obviously tee tees because he cannot hold it for that long of a time. will he still be able to learn to potty train even though he pottyies in his bed??? i have read that he will be about 6 months old before he can hold his bladder all nite. but i am doing the best i can not to confuse him. also, have your yorkies ever gotten used to a crate?

i am needing direction! i love this baby. he is so very smart!!!!! he is very dependent on me. am i doing wrong by allowing him to be with me? should i force him to be separated from me and not constantly in my lap? should i allow other children to continue to try to play and interact with him even though he bites and growls with them? i have read that if i pick him up or try to take him back from the children when he growls and bites i am reinforcing the behaviour. also any ideas or tips on him crying in the crate?

thank you in advance for any help you can offer!! i am sorry this is so long.

amy

lynzy420 · 07-12-2013, 04:08 AM

My pups have their own bedroom, I've taken the door off the hinges and purchased a very nice stylish wooden gate that opens and closes, the room is decorated with their beds etc...they have a basket of toys and at one end of the room is their litter boxes, and I use washable peepads from tbumpkins in them.

This room also has a radio. I am willing to bet if you spend 2 days with this pup 24/7 tethered or just always by your side and put him on the peepads every single time with high praise, your pup will be well trained, continued practice will bring it to perfection. I've done this with all 3 of mine and have never had a problem. Yes they have accidents now and then but I've installed vinyl flooring in their room for this purpose as well.

You may even consider getting a brother or sister for your pup...they really do keep eachother occupied and company...

I personally don't see a problem, under the right circumstances leaving a completely healthy pup alone for a work shift...however; I do think 13 weeks is a bit young, personally.

Eventually your pup will become accustomed to your schedule. The key to this is keep a ROUTINE. Duplicate that routine every single day for a couple weeks and I'm sure he will adjust.

As for the food/eating part of this. How much does this pup weigh? Are you feeding him the same food he came with? I would select a good healthy food and stick with it. Put some chicken broth, grated parm on it etc. Make absolutely sure there is NOTHING wrong with this pups present health.

Now if YOU don't have a spare room for this pup, get yourself an xpen, a good size one and make a "room" for him somewhere in the house and let him have his space while your gone, its just too long to be locked in a kennel, I think you will find a happier better adjusted pup when you come home each day.....Good luck and keep us posted!

cindersellie · 07-12-2013, 04:55 AM

I used Nutra drops. ( a YT member suggested it, and it really helped mine) It's supposed to help pups want to eat more- stimulate eating. I've linked a description for you below. I have the queen of fussy eaters here.

Sitting beside her while she eats is a daily thing.

I also switch her foods around so she stays interested. She has dry and wet foods that she'll eat. It took awhile ( a month or 2) of trying different foods before she found ones she likes. I'd get free samples of healthy food and see which he likes before you buy a huge bag. I linked a list from the health and diet section for you. Email the companies and they'll send you samples for free.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...e-samples.html

Nutra Drops

When I went to work, I put mine in a small area with a tiled floor-easy to clean floor. Her bed was in there, her water and food, and a pee pee pad, along with safe toys. The area doesn't have to be huge, he just needs room to move and play. And a place to go potty that isn't his bed. Make sure the area is puppy proofed- no cords or things he can get into. Safety 1st. The ex pen is also a great idea. Set it up with all the stuff in it that he'll need to use while your at work. (food, water, toys, bed, potty area)

Mine's also a shadow. She's beside me when I'm sitting, cleaning, sleeping, or following me from room to room. Someone said they are known to be our shadows! So that's normal.

Grats on getting your new baby! And welcome to YT!

Verbena · 07-12-2013, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lynzy420

My pups have their own bedroom, I've taken the door off the hinges and purchased a very nice stylish wooden gate that opens and closes, the room is decorated with their beds etc...they have a basket of toys and at one end of the room is their litter boxes, and I use washable peepads from tbumpkins in them.

This room also has a radio. I am willing to bet if you spend 2 days with this pup 24/7 tethered or just always by your side and put him on the peepads every single time with high praise, your pup will be well trained, continued practice will bring it to perfection. I've done this with all 3 of mine and have never had a problem. Yes they have accidents now and then but I've installed vinyl flooring in their room for this purpose as well.

You may even consider getting a brother or sister for your pup...they really do keep eachother occupied and company...

I personally don't see a problem, under the right circumstances leaving a completely healthy pup alone for a work shift...however; I do think 13 weeks is a bit young, personally.

Eventually your pup will become accustomed to your schedule. The key to this is keep a ROUTINE. Duplicate that routine every single day for a couple weeks and I'm sure he will adjust.

As for the food/eating part of this. How much does this pup weigh? Are you feeding him the same food he came with? I would select a good healthy food and stick with it. Put some chicken broth, grated parm on it etc. Make absolutely sure there is NOTHING wrong with this pups present health.

Now if YOU don't have a spare room for this pup, get yourself an xpen, a good size one and make a "room" for him somewhere in the house and let him have his space while your gone, its just too long to be locked in a kennel, I think you will find a happier better adjusted pup when you come home each day.....Good luck and keep us posted!

I agree it is a long time for him to be locked in a crate. There is wonderful xpens out there. Iris makes a 4 panel one that is great. I added 2 extra panels on it.

I am curious how much your pup weighs. Usually you would feed them three times a day or leave food out all day. A puppy 13 weeks can not hold their bladder that long either

sganow · 07-12-2013, 08:34 AM

We keep food available at all times during the day and early evening. Then we put the food up late in the evening so they don't get up as often during the night. Our dogs eat several small meals this way. With a very young pup, you need to be sure he is eating and drinking enough so he doesn't get hypoglycemic. Our dogs sleep in bed with us at night, and have from day one when we got them. We put them in a kennel/carrier when we were gone until they got old enough that we could trust them. After that (probably close to 2 yrs old) we let them roam when we are gone. BTW, the HATE the kennels! LOL

kylesmommy6 · 07-13-2013, 12:27 AM

thank you guys for the tips and advice. i agree, it is an awfully long time for my boy to be in a crate. makes my heart sad. there is not really another way to keep him from being alone, but i can take some steps to improve the conditions. the crate is actually pretty big, but not a whole lot of room. maybe i will just allow him to have free run in the bathroom? that would be easy to clean up.

i tried the chicken broth idea that was mentioned and that seems to work pretty well. i wonder too if the kong filled with peanut butter i am using at night could be curbing his appetite as well? he eats that up!!

any ideas on the aggression with others? not sure how to handle that.

again, thanks for the tips, information and advice!

cindersellie · 07-14-2013, 10:56 AM

Aggression, I'm not good with that. My dogs (now and pervious) haven't shown it. I can say a firm no will help and be consistent. Keep trying to let him be around other kids, when you're there to watch how they do together. I found mine (who is extra hyper about any people who show her attention) does better in her harness dress. It's sort of like a thundershirt- fits her snug, and she calms down enough to get all that attention she wants without wiggling like a fly caught in a spider's web!

I hope others stop by to help with the aggression issue your having. If not- do a search for other threads about it. Try the section called General Training Questions. There could be other threads in there that talk about aggression.

KazzyK810 · 07-14-2013, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylesmommy6

thank you guys for the tips and advice. i agree, it is an awfully long time for my boy to be in a crate. makes my heart sad. there is not really another way to keep him from being alone, but i can take some steps to improve the conditions. the crate is actually pretty big, but not a whole lot of room. maybe i will just allow him to have free run in the bathroom? that would be easy to clean up.

i tried the chicken broth idea that was mentioned and that seems to work pretty well. i wonder too if the kong filled with peanut butter i am using at night could be curbing his appetite as well? he eats that up!!

any ideas on the aggression with others? not sure how to handle that.

again, thanks for the tips, information and advice!

Yes!!! Please, either get him a play pen or give him a bigger area while you are gone. No dog should be forced to pee where they sleep because they are expected to hold it too long.

As to the growling, snipping as kids. I got my first yorkie, Chelsea, when my kids were 3 & 5. Chelsea had a safe spot where she could not be bothered. If she went there, she was to be left alone and I enforced it! It worked great for us. When she'd had enough petting/handling, she'd go to her safe spot. All the neighborhood kids & friends knew the house rules regarding Chelsea.

Lola920 · 12-10-2013, 08:38 PM

My Lola is 12 weeks old, we got her at 9 weeks...she was hardly eating the first 5 days or so, so after discussing this with her doctor, we dropped her meals to 2 a day along with the nutra drops and she is eating like a champ now. I only feed her Science Diet dry and moist food mixed.

Kips momma · 12-11-2013, 09:01 AM

My Yorkie is also very picky and particular with food and behaves just exactly as yours. I decided that, since his weight was fine and he was healthy, to not play his little "game". I put his food down, if he doesn't eat it within a reasonable time the Pit Bull gets it. I'm finding that he's doing fine, and will indeed gobble it right down when he truly needs it, like after I took it back up last time! I won't let him make me spoon feed him anymore..he can eat or he doesn't have to. He won't starve himself to death.

Magnus · 12-11-2013, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylesmommy6

thank you guys for the tips and advice. i agree, it is an awfully long time for my boy to be in a crate. makes my heart sad. there is not really another way to keep him from being alone, but i can take some steps to improve the conditions. the crate is actually pretty big, but not a whole lot of room. maybe i will just allow him to have free run in the bathroom? that would be easy to clean up.

i tried the chicken broth idea that was mentioned and that seems to work pretty well. i wonder too if the kong filled with peanut butter i am using at night could be curbing his appetite as well? he eats that up!!

any ideas on the aggression with others? not sure how to handle that.

again, thanks for the tips, information and advice!

Instead of the kong filled with peanut butter, you might try giving him a small snack before bed. The peanut butter probably tastes better than his kibbles so he might not be eating his regular food, wanting to eat the PB at night.

Personal preference would be an xpen over the bathroom. He'd be contained but would be able to see a whole lot more and I think that would make a difference. You can leave the radio/tv on if you're going to be gone a while as well as a clothing item that has your scent on it.

As for aggression... Have you been to puppy class or considered it? If you can afford it, private lessons are good too. They'll probably have a better insight to what your pup needs.

Good luck!

sganow · 12-11-2013, 12:55 PM

We use an xpen for Bella Rose too. She couldn't handle being in the small enclosed crate. She went crazy in it, and peed and pooped all over in it. She was miserable! With the xpen (exercise pen) we put her little doggie bed in there, some toys, and a pee pad. She does much, much better in the xpen. We keep the xpen on the tile floor so she can't damage anything.

Teegy · 12-11-2013, 01:11 PM

Since pups spend a lot of time sleeping they tend to graze and he's gonna follow you around you're his new pack leader. Barking at others, he's in a new environment and once he's familiar with new people it should subside.
boil up a bit of chicken don't add anything and feed that too, chances are he'll lap that up and as someone else suggested a little of the chicken water on the kibble.

Sunnydayz · 12-11-2013, 01:19 PM

Young puppies can go hypoglycemic very fast and it can kill them, I know from rescuing my Gizmo, who was in a hypoglycemic coma when I went to rescue him. He was being starved and the vet did not think he would make it through the night. Thankfully with a lot of time, love, and nutrients, I was able to get him through it, and he's a healthy 4 lbs now at 6 months. Gizmo was 1 lb 4 Ozs when I rescued him at 9 weeks, and it sounds like your pup is very small too. I would give him nutrical a couple times a day to make sure he's getting the nutrients he's eating. I also hand fed Gizmo when he did not want to eat and this worked amazing, you would be amazed at how much a little hand feeding can do. I kind of switch up his food when he seems to get tred of it. I go between royal canine yorkie and the wellness brand, and he eats really well. Another thing is at that young age I would allow him to free feed because he's so little, and the calories probably don't last long in his tiny tummy. I also will mix different things in with his kibble to make it more interesting to him, such as a little bit of cottage cheese or vanilla yobaby yogurt. The calcium from them is good for their bones and stuff as they grow :-) a lot of times all it takes is just warm water mixed in :-) I would not worry about getting him on a feeding schedule at that young of an age as they really need the calories and nutrients so their blood sugar does not crash. Gizmo has now got himself into a schedule of eating 2 to 3 meals a day, and he just did this on his own. Over time, he stopped eating in the middle of the night and in between breakfast and dinner, of course except his few treats he gets during the day lol.

I also have an xpen for Gizmo with plenty of room for his peepad, water and food, as well as his bed and blanket, and several toys to play with. I have the richell xpen which is really nice and it expands as they grow. It also has a tray underneath so you can put it anywhere without worrying about your floors :-) here is a link to it Expandable Pet Pen Medium w/Floor Tray , what is nice also with this pen, besides being super well built, is you can buy a expandable top as well, as yorkies become really great climbers, and that will keep him safe while he is alone, yet still give him plenty of room :-) I put only half the top on at night so I can drape a sheet over the end where his bed is to make his sleeping area like a den, which calms puppies very well at bedtime. I only tred putting Gizmo in a crate one time, and he was so scared I never put him in there again. I think it was because he came from a back yard breeder who kept them in cages. Once he had his xpen, he never cried about it again.

As for the aggression, I have two grand daughters, and when they are over I let them be the ones that reward him for doing good behaviors such as using his potty pad and such, they will give him little treats. I also let them walk him and play fetch with him. Basically I have him associate them with good and fun things, and he does not see them as a threat, but rather as something positive, as its probably just fear reaction from your pup, but instead, he sees them as the ones that good things will come from. I can see it has worked well because he gets so excited when they come over and can't kiss them enough :-)

Sunnydayz · 12-11-2013, 01:22 PM

Ohhh another very important thing, always make sure to check his gums several times a day, to make sure they are healthy and pink. Pale gums are a sure sign of hypoglycemia. If they do get pale, give him a little nutrical or even Caro syrup works if you don't have any nutrical on hand :-)

07-12-2013, 03:15 AM	#1
kylesmommy6 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: tyler, texas Posts: 3	New Yorkie - 13 weeks - please help!! hi guys - i am a littl new to this forum talk. i was not sure who to reach out to get help. i have had my yorkie for 2 weeks. he is 13 weeks old. his name is leo! he is a little angel and so very smart! i have a few concerns and need some help from anyone who can offer experienced advice! i am feeding leo 2 times a day to help with the potty training. however, he is just not eating that much. he has had all of his shots and seems very happy and healthy. he kind of snacks - he does eat a bit but not what i would consider enough. also, if i do not sit right by him, he will not eat at all. i keep putting him at his bowl and pointing to the bowl and say "eat your dinner." he will take a few bites and that is it. i have tried dired and canned food. have even tried putting a bit of warm water in his dried food. i just feel like he should be eating more. you would think only eating 2 times a day he would be starving! also, he is my boy! his name really should be shadow. he is literally right on my heels not wanting to let me out of his site. he is great with my mom, dad, and my son but he wants me. if i am in site, he is with me. well, my son plays soccer and we go to practice 2 times a week. he (my son) also has friends over. leo growls, snaps, and tries to bite many of the children. he again doesnt want anyone else dealing with him and he certainly does not like for them to get into his face. once he gets used to you he is fine but until then it is not good. i allow the children to hold him and play with him with me there and when he growls, i say firmly "NO!" he always calms down and becomes submissive BUT initially he is growling and biting with anyone new that holds him. petting him is fine but he doesn't want anyone picking him up. i want him to be a people puppy and do not want to encourage this behaviour but i also know he is a 1.5 pound puppy and that is his only defense. next issue. i work at night. when i am at work, he is in his crate. he is in there for many hours (10 pm to 8 30 am). there is no way around this. i have put his bed in there that he loves, a stuffed animal, a radio, a kong with frozen pb, i bought him a thundershirt and put a bone in there. however, of course he cries!! when he is in bed with me (when i sleep during the day), he is perfect but hates his crate. i have not seen poop in there but he obviously tee tees because he cannot hold it for that long of a time. will he still be able to learn to potty train even though he pottyies in his bed??? i have read that he will be about 6 months old before he can hold his bladder all nite. but i am doing the best i can not to confuse him. also, have your yorkies ever gotten used to a crate? i am needing direction! i love this baby. he is so very smart!!!!! he is very dependent on me. am i doing wrong by allowing him to be with me? should i force him to be separated from me and not constantly in my lap? should i allow other children to continue to try to play and interact with him even though he bites and growls with them? i have read that if i pick him up or try to take him back from the children when he growls and bites i am reinforcing the behaviour. also any ideas or tips on him crying in the crate? thank you in advance for any help you can offer!! i am sorry this is so long. amy

07-12-2013, 04:08 AM	#2
lynzy420 Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA Posts: 7,652	My pups have their own bedroom, I've taken the door off the hinges and purchased a very nice stylish wooden gate that opens and closes, the room is decorated with their beds etc...they have a basket of toys and at one end of the room is their litter boxes, and I use washable peepads from tbumpkins in them. This room also has a radio. I am willing to bet if you spend 2 days with this pup 24/7 tethered or just always by your side and put him on the peepads every single time with high praise, your pup will be well trained, continued practice will bring it to perfection. I've done this with all 3 of mine and have never had a problem. Yes they have accidents now and then but I've installed vinyl flooring in their room for this purpose as well. You may even consider getting a brother or sister for your pup...they really do keep eachother occupied and company... I personally don't see a problem, under the right circumstances leaving a completely healthy pup alone for a work shift...however; I do think 13 weeks is a bit young, personally. Eventually your pup will become accustomed to your schedule. The key to this is keep a ROUTINE. Duplicate that routine every single day for a couple weeks and I'm sure he will adjust. As for the food/eating part of this. How much does this pup weigh? Are you feeding him the same food he came with? I would select a good healthy food and stick with it. Put some chicken broth, grated parm on it etc. Make absolutely sure there is NOTHING wrong with this pups present health. Now if YOU don't have a spare room for this pup, get yourself an xpen, a good size one and make a "room" for him somewhere in the house and let him have his space while your gone, its just too long to be locked in a kennel, I think you will find a happier better adjusted pup when you come home each day.....Good luck and keep us posted! __________________ The Above advice/comments/reviews are my personal opinions based on my own experience/education/investigation and research and you can take them any way you want to......Or NOT!!!

07-12-2013, 04:55 AM	#3
cindersellie Tiny♥HoldsLotsOfLove Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,998	I used Nutra drops. ( a YT member suggested it, and it really helped mine) It's supposed to help pups want to eat more- stimulate eating. I've linked a description for you below. I have the queen of fussy eaters here. Sitting beside her while she eats is a daily thing. I also switch her foods around so she stays interested. She has dry and wet foods that she'll eat. It took awhile ( a month or 2) of trying different foods before she found ones she likes. I'd get free samples of healthy food and see which he likes before you buy a huge bag. I linked a list from the health and diet section for you. Email the companies and they'll send you samples for free. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...e-samples.html Nutra Drops When I went to work, I put mine in a small area with a tiled floor-easy to clean floor. Her bed was in there, her water and food, and a pee pee pad, along with safe toys. The area doesn't have to be huge, he just needs room to move and play. And a place to go potty that isn't his bed. Make sure the area is puppy proofed- no cords or things he can get into. Safety 1st. The ex pen is also a great idea. Set it up with all the stuff in it that he'll need to use while your at work. (food, water, toys, bed, potty area) Mine's also a shadow. She's beside me when I'm sitting, cleaning, sleeping, or following me from room to room. Someone said they are known to be our shadows! So that's normal. Grats on getting your new baby! And welcome to YT! __________________ Owned by Cinders

07-12-2013, 08:34 AM	#5
sganow YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Van Alstyne, TX Posts: 854	We keep food available at all times during the day and early evening. Then we put the food up late in the evening so they don't get up as often during the night. Our dogs eat several small meals this way. With a very young pup, you need to be sure he is eating and drinking enough so he doesn't get hypoglycemic. Our dogs sleep in bed with us at night, and have from day one when we got them. We put them in a kennel/carrier when we were gone until they got old enough that we could trust them. After that (probably close to 2 yrs old) we let them roam when we are gone. BTW, the HATE the kennels! LOL __________________ Maggie (RIP), Ginger (RIP), Lilly (RIP), Bella (RIP), Saleen, Bailey, Bridget, Lucy

07-14-2013, 10:56 AM	#7
cindersellie Tiny♥HoldsLotsOfLove Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,998	Aggression, I'm not good with that. My dogs (now and pervious) haven't shown it. I can say a firm no will help and be consistent. Keep trying to let him be around other kids, when you're there to watch how they do together. I found mine (who is extra hyper about any people who show her attention) does better in her harness dress. It's sort of like a thundershirt- fits her snug, and she calms down enough to get all that attention she wants without wiggling like a fly caught in a spider's web! I hope others stop by to help with the aggression issue your having. If not- do a search for other threads about it. Try the section called General Training Questions. There could be other threads in there that talk about aggression. __________________ Owned by Cinders

07-13-2013, 12:27 AM	#6
kylesmommy6 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: tyler, texas Posts: 3	thank you guys for the tips and advice. i agree, it is an awfully long time for my boy to be in a crate. makes my heart sad. there is not really another way to keep him from being alone, but i can take some steps to improve the conditions. the crate is actually pretty big, but not a whole lot of room. maybe i will just allow him to have free run in the bathroom? that would be easy to clean up. i tried the chicken broth idea that was mentioned and that seems to work pretty well. i wonder too if the kong filled with peanut butter i am using at night could be curbing his appetite as well? he eats that up!! any ideas on the aggression with others? not sure how to handle that. again, thanks for the tips, information and advice!

12-10-2013, 08:38 PM	#9
Lola920 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Staten Island Posts: 9	My Lola is 12 weeks old, we got her at 9 weeks...she was hardly eating the first 5 days or so, so after discussing this with her doctor, we dropped her meals to 2 a day along with the nutra drops and she is eating like a champ now. I only feed her Science Diet dry and moist food mixed.

12-11-2013, 09:01 AM	#10
Kips momma Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2013 Location: Athens, Tn Posts: 11	On the eating issue: My Yorkie is also very picky and particular with food and behaves just exactly as yours. I decided that, since his weight was fine and he was healthy, to not play his little "game". I put his food down, if he doesn't eat it within a reasonable time the Pit Bull gets it. I'm finding that he's doing fine, and will indeed gobble it right down when he truly needs it, like after I took it back up last time! I won't let him make me spoon feed him anymore..he can eat or he doesn't have to. He won't starve himself to death.

12-11-2013, 12:55 PM	#12
sganow YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Van Alstyne, TX Posts: 854	We use an xpen for Bella Rose too. She couldn't handle being in the small enclosed crate. She went crazy in it, and peed and pooped all over in it. She was miserable! With the xpen (exercise pen) we put her little doggie bed in there, some toys, and a pee pad. She does much, much better in the xpen. We keep the xpen on the tile floor so she can't damage anything. __________________ Maggie (RIP), Ginger (RIP), Lilly (RIP), Bella (RIP), Saleen, Bailey, Bridget, Lucy

12-11-2013, 01:11 PM	#13
Teegy Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 2,631	Since pups spend a lot of time sleeping they tend to graze and he's gonna follow you around you're his new pack leader. Barking at others, he's in a new environment and once he's familiar with new people it should subside. boil up a bit of chicken don't add anything and feed that too, chances are he'll lap that up and as someone else suggested a little of the chicken water on the kibble.

12-11-2013, 01:19 PM	#14
Sunnydayz YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Redondo beach Posts: 675	Young puppies can go hypoglycemic very fast and it can kill them, I know from rescuing my Gizmo, who was in a hypoglycemic coma when I went to rescue him. He was being starved and the vet did not think he would make it through the night. Thankfully with a lot of time, love, and nutrients, I was able to get him through it, and he's a healthy 4 lbs now at 6 months. Gizmo was 1 lb 4 Ozs when I rescued him at 9 weeks, and it sounds like your pup is very small too. I would give him nutrical a couple times a day to make sure he's getting the nutrients he's eating. I also hand fed Gizmo when he did not want to eat and this worked amazing, you would be amazed at how much a little hand feeding can do. I kind of switch up his food when he seems to get tred of it. I go between royal canine yorkie and the wellness brand, and he eats really well. Another thing is at that young age I would allow him to free feed because he's so little, and the calories probably don't last long in his tiny tummy. I also will mix different things in with his kibble to make it more interesting to him, such as a little bit of cottage cheese or vanilla yobaby yogurt. The calcium from them is good for their bones and stuff as they grow :-) a lot of times all it takes is just warm water mixed in :-) I would not worry about getting him on a feeding schedule at that young of an age as they really need the calories and nutrients so their blood sugar does not crash. Gizmo has now got himself into a schedule of eating 2 to 3 meals a day, and he just did this on his own. Over time, he stopped eating in the middle of the night and in between breakfast and dinner, of course except his few treats he gets during the day lol. I also have an xpen for Gizmo with plenty of room for his peepad, water and food, as well as his bed and blanket, and several toys to play with. I have the richell xpen which is really nice and it expands as they grow. It also has a tray underneath so you can put it anywhere without worrying about your floors :-) here is a link to it Expandable Pet Pen Medium w/Floor Tray , what is nice also with this pen, besides being super well built, is you can buy a expandable top as well, as yorkies become really great climbers, and that will keep him safe while he is alone, yet still give him plenty of room :-) I put only half the top on at night so I can drape a sheet over the end where his bed is to make his sleeping area like a den, which calms puppies very well at bedtime. I only tred putting Gizmo in a crate one time, and he was so scared I never put him in there again. I think it was because he came from a back yard breeder who kept them in cages. Once he had his xpen, he never cried about it again. As for the aggression, I have two grand daughters, and when they are over I let them be the ones that reward him for doing good behaviors such as using his potty pad and such, they will give him little treats. I also let them walk him and play fetch with him. Basically I have him associate them with good and fun things, and he does not see them as a threat, but rather as something positive, as its probably just fear reaction from your pup, but instead, he sees them as the ones that good things will come from. I can see it has worked well because he gets so excited when they come over and can't kiss them enough :-)

12-11-2013, 01:22 PM	#15
Sunnydayz YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Redondo beach Posts: 675	Ohhh another very important thing, always make sure to check his gums several times a day, to make sure they are healthy and pink. Pale gums are a sure sign of hypoglycemia. If they do get pale, give him a little nutrical or even Caro syrup works if you don't have any nutrical on hand :-)