yorkiecuties.com - Puppy Care

PICKING UP THE PUPPY AT AIRPORT: When you pick up your new puppy at the airport, take it out of the pet carrier and give it some Nutri-cal (located at the top of the carrier) AND some water or Pedialyte. Make sure the puppy is OK BEFORE leaving the airport.

Your vaccination records and care instructions is located in the puppy folder, under the puppy blanket. The puppy is current on its shots and dewormings. Do NOT take the puppy out to public places until AFTER it has received all its vaccinations.

FEEDING / CARING INSTRUCTIONS: We feed our puppies 2-3 times a day with a Kirkland Super Premium Puppy dry food (chick & rice) sold at Costco stores. For the finicky eaters, we also mix Pedigree or Ceasars can food to their dry kibbles OR add boiled chicken and cottage cheese. It is very important you make sure the puppy eats or it can become hypoglycemic. For the Tiny Teacups, give them Nutri-cal 2-3 times a day for the first 2 weeks, while they're still adjusting to their new home. They usually love it because it's very sweet!

Make sure the puppy has food & water at all times. Never give it any bones, cookies, onions, or chocolate. We give our puppies rawhide chew sticks & nylabones for chew toys, which are good for cleaning their teeth and gums. For treats, we give them Chicken Jerky made from 100% dried chicken breasts, which is sold at Costco stores. They absolutely LOVE it, and it's a great training aid for potty training your puppy!

Remember, your puppy is still a baby so it requires a LOT of sleep. Make sure it gets plenty of rest throughout the day between every play session. Also, be sure the puppy is eating regularly throughout the day and do NOT restrict its diet, while it's still adjusting to its new home. Encourage it to eat and monitor its food intake, making sure it is actually eating! (Don't just assume!) If the puppy is not eating enough, it can become hypoglycemic and can lead to death, if not detected in time. This is very preventable by making sure the puppy EATS, gets plenty of REST, kept warm at all times, and free from stress. Do NOT take her out to public places the first week you get her! Allow her to adjust to her new home, first, and finish her vaccinations before taking her out.

GROOMING / BATHING: Bathe your puppy once a week with a mild puppy shampoo & conditioner. Be sure not to get any water in its eyes & ears (you can put cotton balls in its ears before bathing to prevent water from getting inside). Groom the puppy every other day, starting when it's a pup. This helps it become socialized, strengthen the bond with you, and define your role as "Mommy" (leader of the pack). Once a month, trim the puppy's nails with a puppy nail clipper (or cat nail clipper). (Be sure not to cut too deep into the quick (vein), which can be very painful and cause excessive bleeding. Have "Kwik-Stop" on hand to stop the bleeding, if there are accidents.

Trimming the Ears To keep your puppy's ears staying up, trim the top 1/3 or 1/2 of its ears (front & back) with a dog grooming clipper every couple months. Also, keep your puppy's rectum area clean at all times by trimming all the hair around there. (Yorkies and Malteses tend to have problems getting stool stuck around the hair, which can cause the puppy to scoot its behind on the ground and/or lead to more serious infections. Always check the area and make sure it is clean and hair-free.)

DENTAL CARE: You should brush your puppy’s teeth to prevent dental disease and unnecessary tooth loss. Teeth cleaning kits can be purchased at any pet supply stores or from your veterinarian. They usually include a finger-brush and canine toothpaste. Do not use human toothpaste, which can upset your dog’s stomach; use doggie toothpaste because it is formulated especially for dogs and flavored to their liking. Regularly brushing will produce healthy gums and reduce the need for professional teeth cleaning by the vet.

You should start brushing your puppy’s teeth by letting the puppy get used to you touching its mouth and rubbing the outside of the mouth. Then, you can earn his trust by him allowing you to inspect his teeth, after which, you can introduce the toothpaste and brush. The point is not to terrify the puppy and have him fear you forever! With each sitting you should be able to brush more teeth as the puppy gets used to it. Always give positive reinforcement and praise him calmly while you are brushing.

HOUSETRAINING:

**Thank you to Terri Shumsky for her Housebreaking tips below**

Terri Shumsky's 10 Commandments of Housebreaking:

1) THOU SHALT NOT BRING HOME A PUPPY OR ADULT DOG AND EXPECT IT TO KNOW IMMEDIATELY WHERE THE POTTY IS. Every time they move from one home to another they need to be taught where to go.

2) THOU SHALT NOT EXPECT A YOUNG PUPPY OF 8-16 WEEKS TO BE HOUSEBROKEN. That's like expecting a one year old child to be completely potty trained -- It just AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

3) THOU SHALT NOT ALLOW THE NEW PUPPY TO MAKE ALL OVER THE HOUSE AND RUN LOOSE AND THEN WONDER WHY THE DOG GOES BACK TO THE SAME SPOT TO MAKE. You will have to disinfect the house thoroughly where he has done his business. White vinegar in the water will help neutralize the smell because he WILL GO BACK to the spot that smells.

4) THOU SHALT NOT YELL AT THE PUP (DOG) WHEN HE/SHE GOES IN THE WRONG SPOT. Better than yelling, you need to just clean it up thoroughly and put the dog where he is supposed to go. Dogs and most animals learn much better by the PRAISE AND REWARD system.

5) THOU SHALT NOT KEEP THE YOUNG PUPS 6 MONTHS OR YOUNGER CONFINED FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. They are too young until at least 6 months to hold it for that long. Take them out to make frequently and generously praise and reward them for going where you want them to.

6) THOU SHALT NOT PUT A LONG HAIRED TOY DOG OUT IN THE RAIN TO MAKE UNLESS YOU WANT TO USE A HAIR DRYER WHEN THEY COME BACK IN. To do so could cause a chill and tonsillitis and/or tracheobronchitis.

7) THOU SHALT NOT EXPECT AN UN-NEUTERED OR UN-SPAYED DOG TO HAVE PROPER POTTY MANNERS. It is only nature telling them (boys and girls) to leave calling cards and scents for the other sex to notice. Chin up, if they were goats, they would constantly PEE on their heads to make themselves attractive to the opposite sex.

8) THOU SHALT HAVE A POTTY PLACE GATED OFF FOR YOUR YOUNG PUPPY AT LEAST UNTIL 6 MONTHS OF AGE. It's unrealistic to expect a young puppy to be completely trained until then.

9) THOU SHALT SPEND A LOT OF TIME WATCHING THE DOG WHEN THE DOG IS NEW TO THE HOUSE TO CORRECT BAD HABITS BEFORE THEY START.

10) THOU SHALT READ THESE COMMANDMENTS INSTEAD OF BEING ANGRY AT THE DOG AND MEND YOUR WAYS. A dog wants nothing more than to please you.

There are 2 ways to potty training. If the weather where you live is not too harsh, you can train the puppy to go outside if it is old enough and fully vaccinated. If not, you should consider Pad Training, which uses the same method but instead of taking the puppy outside to the potty area, take him to the potty pad, instead.

Crate Training A crate is an indoor dog house, just big enough for the dog to stand up and lie down and turn around. It's your dog's den, home, and place to feel safe. The dog should be crated when you are unable to watch him or not home. However, do not expect a very young puppy to be able to stay in there for long periods of time. Keep the time crated to short intervals and extend them as the puppy gets older. Do not expect the puppy to be able to hold its bowel movements for longer periods of 4-8 hours at a time.

As soon as you let the puppy out of the crate, take him immediately to the potty area and wait till he goes potty. (He usually will go potty when he first wakes up or come out of the crate) If he does go potty, give him LOTS of praise and a treat for a job well done. If he does not go, put him back in the crate and wait a little later before you let him out to try again. When you let him out the next time, take him to the potty area again and wait till he goes. If he finally does go, give him lots of praise & a treat. Then he can play for 15-30 minutes under constant supervision. After that, take him to the potty area to see if he needs to go again. If he doesn’t go, put him back in the crate, if you are unable to watch him. If he does go, give him LOTS of praise again & a treat.

Whenever you catch him in the middle of having an accident, immediately make a loud, startling noise and yell “NO”. Wipe up the mess and take it to the potty area so he can smell it and see where he should have gone. (Never reprimand him after he has already had an accident because he won’t know why you are yelling at him.) Put him back in the crate and let him rest. Whenever you let him out again, ALWAYS take him to the potty area and wait till he goes and praise him. Whenever he doesn’t go, put him back in his crate. He can only play AFTER he has gone potty in the right place. Eventually with lots of consistency and praise, he will start to figure out where he should be going potty.

Things to remember: Puppies ALWAYS need to go potty within 10-15 minutes after 1) They first wake up OR is let out of the crate 2) Just ate or drank 3) Played for more than 30-60 minutes. Remember these rules and take them to the potty area immediately after these events. When they do go, give them LOTS of praise & a treat and soon the light bulb will turn on!) With consistency and lots of praise, you should be able to potty train the puppy in 2-4 weeks. Longer, if the puppy is younger or given free roam of the house.

The only time you can punish/reward bad/good behavior is RIGHT WHEN IT HAPPENS!! Ten seconds after they go is NO GOOD because they don't connect the punishment/reward to the behavior. You can never punish them after you find a mess, unless you catch them in the act. NEVER hit the puppy. Only clap really loud to startle the puppy when he is having an accident and yell a stern “NO”. Positive re-enforcement is the ONLY method that will get results, whether you are crate training or pad training.

We hope you enjoy your new baby and contact us if you have questions!