Welcome to Annwn Yorkshire Terriers
Puppy Care Centre
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What do I do now that I am home?
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What you need: Make sure you have a place for this little one to sleep. A kennel or crate is your best choice since puppies like the confined space. It makes them feel safe. A fleece blankie and a stuffed toy helps them from being lonely. The pup should have it's own bed. Make sure it has no foam exposed and no wicker. The pup will chew on these materials and may become sick or choke. Your puppy needs to eat every 3 to 4 hours to prevent hypoglycemia . Don't change his food! If you want to change brands wait until he is a bit older and slowly mix the two different types of food. Keep a tube of Nutri-Stat or a similar brand for emergencies. Instructions on feeding will be given at adoption time by your breeder. Take your puppy out to relive himself after every meal. This helps make the potty transition easier. Be patient and wait for pee-pee's and poo-poo's. Praise him alot for doing his duty. Remember not to over-handle the pup. Puppies sleep alot in the first few months of life. Any concerns or questions should be directed, immediately, to your breeder or Vet. After all, your breeder only wants what is best for your pup. |
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Housebreaking your puppy
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Start training right away. Don't expect your puppy to be good at this. You wouldn't expect a very young child to be potty trained in a week. Your puppy won't be trained either. The bladder and bowels of a Yorkshire Terrier pup are very small and need to be emptied often. This can be an issue, for your pup, upwards to a year old. You should be taking him out after meals, after play and at least at every two hour intervals. Playing gets them excited and they will need to eliminate often.
Crate training makes your housebreaking experience more tolerable. Dogs don't, as a rule, mess in an area that they sleep in. Get a crate that will fit your puppy and, if need be, block off some of the extra space. Just give him enough room to lay comfortably. A small pad, small pet bed or a piece of carpet can be put in the crate to make it more comfortable. Keep the puppy in the crate at night and when ever you aren't feeding, walking or playing with him. Take the pup outside first thing in the morning. Pick him up. If you let him run, he may mess just outside his crate. He won't be able to wait any longer, so be quick. Bring him in and feed him. Take him out again afterwards. If he doesn't do the pee-pee's and poo-poo's, put him back in the crate. If he does his duty, praise him, bring him in and play with him. He will associate going outside with fun. Remember to take him out again after playing. Continue to do this, give him a schedule of at least being taken out every two hours, and in about one or two weeks he should get the idea. You may still have a few accidents, but a few is better than all the time. When these accidents occur raise your voice in a stern manner and say "NO" and put him right back outside. Never, never hit the dog or push his face into the mess. Remember, your small Yorkie may take upwards to a year to have his bladder and bowels grow large enough to "hold it" for longer than two hours at a time. There is another way to potty training if there is a problem with taking the pup outside and that's the use of a Piddle Pad. For apartment dwellers and others this may be the answer to keeping your home clean and spot free. Using the disposable piddle pads like the ones available at most pet stores have a plastic backing that most puppies will chew up. If the pup eats this plastic backing it could cause intestinal blockages. Plastic does not break down from the digestive process. You could use "Incontinency Pads", available at most nursing home or hospital supply stores. They vary in size but about 36 inches square is good. Personally, I use baby change pads with a cloth front and a heavier plastic backing available at any department store in the baby section. I keep a very close eye on the dogs to make sure they aren't chewing on it. They haven't so far. For male dogs that lift his leg, place a fire hydrant substitute like a coffee can in the center of the pad to get your little guy to pee-pee's in the right place. Rubbing a little of his urine scent on the can will help him learn what it's there for. Might not hurt to invest in a carpet steam cleaner. Even a handheld model will suffice. To remove odour: Test an area on your rug with an equal amount of warm water and white vinegar. If your carpet survives the test, then you may use the water/vinegar solution to remove the ammonia smell from your carpet. This helps prevent your puppy from wanting to urinate in the same spot. There are few commercial products that thoroughly remove the odour any better than the above solution. You can use this mix in a steam cleaner as well. |
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Bath Time!
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Yorkie's have a wash and wear coat. They are a single coated dog and should be washed every 7-10 days. Use a good quality Pet shampoo. Use a cream rinse to make blow drying the coat easier and to give more manageability to the coat. Human shampoo products have a different Ph balance and should be avoided.
Be careful to keep bath products away from the eyes. You can clean around the eyes with a baby facecloth. You should keep the ears, the hair on their feet and around the rectum trimmed, and keep their nails short. Whenever you start grooming your dog be sure the dog has good footing, both in the grooming area and in the sink. A bath mat will do. Yorkies may find it comforting to have warm towels, from the dryer, to wrap up in after bathing. Brushing the dog should be done daily to keep the coat from getting matted. Dampen the hair with a spray bottle. Brushing or combing the coat dry may result in hair breakage. If the dog is severely matted, then you may want to work in a good "detangler". Some Yorkie’s have what's referred to as a COTTONY coat. This is a very fine textured coat that mats very easily. |
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Brushing your Yorkie's Teeth
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Some Yorkie's teeth form plaque faster than others. You should brush at least once a week with dog toothpaste. If you don't keep the teeth clean, they will develop periodontal disease. Bacteria build-up on the teeth can also lead to Heart problems.
Once in a while you'll need professional dental cleaning done by your vet. This requires intubating the dog under anaesthetic. Usually Vets give a small dose of Valium & Ketamine and once the dog is relaxed, inserting a tube down the throat and administering Isoflorane or Sevoflorane Gas. Then the cleaning process can proceed. Some vets also will give a prescription for an antibiotic to be given after the cleaning. This is done as a preventative for any type of bacterial infection. |
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Topknots
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Part hair from ear to ear and from corner of the eye to just above ear. Place ouchless or latex band on hair and work to center in the middle between the ears. Take a couple of strands from the center of the first band and walk it back a little to create a bit of looseness or 'poof'. After the proper placement put the 2nd ouchless or latex band about one inch above the first one. Fold the hair over, towards the back, until the two latex bands meet. Wrap a third band around both. Smooth the hair with jell or similar product. Finish with a bow.
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Taping Ears
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Yorkie ears may droop over due to teething and/or heavy 'leather' ears. The breeder should have massaged the ears daily, to stimulate them, starting at around four weeks of age. If they refuse to stand you can help them stand up by taping them. First the ears should be scissor trimmed about halfway down each side, then use a clipper to get close and clean up your trimming. There are little clippers sold in the cat section of most department stores that do this job well.
You can purchase good first-aid tape at any drug store. If the ears are really heavy, you may want to put in a shunt. Find something small enough to fit your Yorkie's ears. Use something flexible but sturdy. Wrap the tape around the ear backwards, so the sticky side is facing out. Put the ear shunt on the base of the ear, sticking to the tape and wrap tape around with sticky side in. Tape a bridge between the ears. Make sure the ears are sitting in a natural looking position. You can keep the tape on for a week unless it becomes loose. Be sure to remove the tape at the end of the week and make sure the ears are clean and dry. Even if the ears aren't standing, leave tape off for a day or two. If the ears are not standing re-tape. Smell your Yorkies ears on a daily basis. If there is an odour it could mean there is an ear infection present. See your vet to clear this up. Don't re-tape the ears if there is any smell, swelling or if you are treating the pup for an ear infection. Wait until the problem is corrected. |