Commonly Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a boy and a girl?
Girls squat. Boys lift. Seriously that is the main difference. Some people believe boys are more aggressive but I don’t
believe so. I have 12 dogs. 3 boys and 13 girls. I don’t really see any real differences as far as aggression goes.
I have males that are real mellow and some that are king. I have females that are mellow and some that are queens. If you
have kids, think of them. Each one has their very own personality that develops as the child develops. With puppies it is
the same way.
What do I feed my Yorkie?
You can feed him/her any premium small bites puppy food with high energy. For directions on how to feed your baby check
out my page with feeding instructions.
Is it hard to potty train a Yorkie?
Because of the small size of the Yorkie the bladders are not as big and so they require more bathroom breaks than larger
breeds. Also due to their small size they really don’t develop any bladder control until they are 12 weeks old. Since
a lot of breeders let their pups go at 8 weeks that means 4 weeks of frustration for the new owner if they are not aware of
this. The biggest thing with potty training for a Yorkie is persistence. Yorkies are very very smart and if you aren’t
persistent they will take advantage of it. Basically, potty training a puppy is the same as you would a baby. What goes in
must come out and usually within 20-30 min. If the puppy has an accident, don’t scold him/her just show him/her where
it is appropriate to eliminate. (You wouldn’t spank a baby for having an accident. So don’t spank your puppy!)
Be firm but fair with all discipline and remember that if you discipline after the fact the puppy won’t know what he
did wrong and will be confused. You have to do the discipline right away. Not 10 min later when its more convenient for you.
Reward good behavior. Your puppy wants to please you and is very smart. If your puppy associates a treat with going potty
in the correct place you'll be supprised by how often they want to go to that place!
We already have a Yorkie. Should we get a female or a male as a companion to our Yorkie?
Some will tell you that if you have a female it doesn’t matter but if you have a male you should get
a female. I don’t agree with this. I have found that 2 males do just fine together as long as one of them is a puppy
when you get him. Also neutering both dogs helps as well. Think of it this way. If you have a male child and you want to have
another, does it matter whether the baby is male or female? In truth not really. The older child adjusts to the new baby no
matter what its sex is. No matter what puppy you bring into your house you are going to have a period of adjustment to deal
with. Generally, your new puppy will fit right in. It’s the older dog or cat that is set in its way that will need to
do the adjusting. I do however, suggest that if you have an older dog that is not used to other animals that you take it to
a dog park or a doggy day camp to make sure that it gets along socially with other dogs.
We already have a cat and would like to have a dog as well. Will our cat get along with the new puppy?
I have placed several puppies in homes with cats. They generally do just fine and the cats adjust well. I
haven’t had any that the cats have not adjusted to the puppy. I think it has to do with the fact that the puppy is still
a baby. At that age he doesn’t really seem like a dog but just some new addition to the house that they aren’t
sure about. Sometimes the cat will hide for a few days until it realizes that this puppy isn’t going anywhere. Then
the cat will generally come out and make friends. As with any house with multiple animals there will be a period of adjustment
as they get to know one another and decide who will be the pack leader. If you already have a cat, I highly suggest trying
to litter box train the puppy.
My puppy likes to eat poop. How do I stop it?
Unfortunately, most puppies do like to eat poop. However, there are a few things that may help. You can try changing
the puppies food. Sometimes after the food has been processed it taste sweet.
Another thing you can do is spray the poop with something bitter that won’t taste so good but not be toxic to
the puppy. Ask your vet for suggestions.
You can use a water pistol and spray them in their face when they try to eat the poop. This won’t hurt them but
will be a deterrent.
Aa a final suggestion, there is a food additive your vet can tell you about that will make the poop taste bitter. I
would wait though until the pup is full grown just to be on the safe side.
My puppy whines and barks when I‘m not with her and won‘t sleep in her bed but has to sleep in ours.
What do I do?
The whinning and barking could be normal behavior or could be separation anxiety. If it is separation anxiety it will
take longer to address but try these steps first.
First separate the play area from the sleep area. (just for now). Maybe do most of your playing in the kitchen then
put her in the bathroom for nap time. This will help her to make the distinction of what she needs to do where. Right now
your bed is sleep area and everything else is play.
Get her a few larger stuffed animals and rub them on your hands and face so that your scent gets on them really good.
The larger animals are really good for cuddling.
Place a T-shirt you’ve worn in her sleeping area.
Place a heating pad in her area. You'll have to be careful though to hide the cords somehow so she can't get to it
to chew on. Also you don’t want to use it forever just a few nights to get the puppy used to sleeping alone.
Leave a television on so it's a little noisier for her.
Play with her briskly for 30-60 min until she wears out and lays down then put her in her area with the pad toys and
noise. Then walk away and leave her there by herself so she can't see you. It's really hard to not go back in just a couple
of min but give it a good shot and let her whine for 15 min. If still whining take her out and play more until she gets tired
and wants to rest then put her right back in. I would start this during the day and let her sleep with you for a couple more
nights until she gets used to going to her area and not whining. Then you can start introducing her to it at night as
well.
Just remember to tire her out first. She'll go to sleep much easier then.
If you find that these steps aren't helping and your pup seems to be extremely distressed whenever you leave the house,
Then try the following.
Set up a safe area for the puppy. (Not the entire house) Just a small area that she/he can feel secure in and not scared.
Place her large cuddle toys in it and turn on a tv or a radio for some noise. Play with her briskly and tire her out. Place
her in her area and leave her there for 30 min while you leave the house. Sit outside if you have to. When you come back in,
go right to him/her and give a treat and lots of praise and tell him/her what a good puppy they were. Do this again but do
it for 45 min to 60 min depending on how the puppy handled the 30 min interval. You will want to do this over several days
and 2 to 3 times a day to start. With each time getting longer and longer. Depending on how your pup reacts you may be able
to do this fairly quickly or you may need to do this over several weeks.
Another option would be to find someone responsible in the neighborhood such as a retired couple who would mind baby
sitting the puppy If you are going to be gone for a long period of time.
If these options do not work, please talk to your vet. There are other alternatives and as a very last resort
there are medications that can help with separation anxiety.
We will be traveling with our puppy. Is there anything special we need to do?
Before you go give her a 1cc syringe of corn syrup (or one teaspoon) and when you arrive give her another. You will want
to take some corn syrup with you and the syringe just in case it is needed. Also be sure to take some baby wipes and ziploc
plastic bags with you in case of an accident. You can also freeze some water in her dish so that she can drink it as it melts.
If
flying you will need an interstate health certificate to get her on the plane. You will also have to call the airlines and
confirm with them that they allow pets in cabin. If so then you need to change your ticket to allow you to bring her on the
plane. If not then you may need to send her via cargo.
If driving you need to make sure the sun is not shining on
her directly. It could overheat her and cause problems. If she is in a kennel it will warm up inside just as a car does if
locked up in the sun. If she is in back seat in crate make sure you can see into crate and take her out every hour to offer
her water and make sure she is doing ok. The longer the trip the more stressful.
We are planning a vacation and can not take our dog with us. Can you watch/kennel our dog while we are gone?
As we are breeders we have to be careful and can not take in any other animals that are not part of our home/breeding
operations. We have to be very careful of the environment and avoid any contaminants that another dog might bring in.
We do suggest that you look into a reputable kennel/camp or make arrangements with another family that also has similar
size animals and trade babysitting services.
If you are going to look for a kennel/camp check out this web site and look at thier page for "Smore Info on Dogs".
I found it to be quite informative. www.mycbw.com/burnsville
My question wasn't listed or the answer didn't help.
Please email us and we will try to answer your question and update this page. You can also check out the "Links to
more info on training" page. There are several links there that may help you tremendously.
