Care & Feeding

"I have already started housebreaking your puppy to indoor disposable pee pads. Puppy pee pads are a great way to get started, and positive reinforcement works best. Make sure to highly praise your baby when they use the pee pad. A firm “NO” will suffice when they make a mistake.

If you plan on training your puppy to go outside, I recommend placing the pee pad in front of the door you wish to use. When you see your puppy go to the pee pad, pick them up immediately and take them outside. When they go potty outside, praise them highly.

Shuffle is a way of walking so as not to step on the tiny puppy. It is important to walk where your feet never lose touch with the floor. Walk this way until the puppy learns not to walk in front of or between your legs. Too often, I have heard the story after story of these babies getting stepped on or sat on. It is so important that your home be “baby-proofed” and that you make a few changes when they enter into your life, such as shuffling. They will learn this in a short time, but until they do, you will have to learn the Tiny Dog Shuffle. I have known some owners to attach jingle bells to a harness or collar used only for this purpose to know where they are at all times.

Puppies love to jump, especially when playing. They jump and expect that you can always catch them. You can’t. I highly recommend buying pet stairs for your couch, bed, or chairs, especially if you have hard floors. Jumping on or off of a couch or chair could be very dangerous for your puppy. Be very careful holding them in your arms; if they see something like a toy on the floor they want, they will probably leave your grasp and go. Also, when carrying them, always carry them firmly so that if they do try to jump, they don’t escape your grasp. Besides, be careful that they don’t climb up on furniture when they are so small. A jump from the chair or sofa is too much for a tiny puppy. It is very important, especially when grooming your baby, to have a firm grip on them. They are so curious and will leap out of your arm in the blink of an eye, especially when you're combing, bathing, or drying them. A small fall to a tiny on a hard surface, even just a few feet off the ground, could prove to be deadly, so always be aware with a CLASPED fingers grip on your baby at all times!

Grooming is one of the most important areas of good care for a Yorkshire Terrier puppy. Yorkshire Terriers are one of the most high-maintenance dogs in full coat. However, thanks to grooming salons, you don’t have to keep them in full coat. Yorkshire Terriers become very unhappy as a matted mess, so it is important that they visit the groomer on a regular basis. Once every 1-2 months should suffice. If you decide that you want to keep your Yorkshire Terriers long-coated, well then on top of the 1-2 month groomer maintenance, you should prepare to comb your baby on a daily basis with a comb and a brush. Also make sure to clean their eyes every day. Yorkshire Terriers in full coats need a bath at least twice a month to maintain cleanliness.

This is clearly common sense!!! DO NOT allow young children to run or roughhouse when the puppy is around. They can trip or fall on the puppy, causing serious injury. Have children sit on the floor when holding the puppy; they can wiggle out of the child’s arms and fall or jump to the floor.

Yorkshire Terriers are a toy dog, so he/she is very small. But to a hawk, he is a rabbit and a meal. If you ever see big birds in the sky, do not take your Tiny outside. I have heard dusk and dawn are the big feeding times for hawks, so I do not take my Yorkshire Terriers outside then. Yorkshire Terriers also seem to have the instinct that big birds are predators and will look toward the sky when hawks are there. Bigger dogs naturally seem to NOT like Yorkshire Terriers because they honestly do not know what they are, a friend or foe. To a big dog, a Yorkshire Terrier may be viewed as a cat or rabbit or even a big rat. I do not allow my Yorkshire Terriers to associate with big dogs they do not know very well, and I am always cautious even then.

Standard size Yorkies (4 lbs. or larger) can be sterilized upon reaching 6 months of age. For teacup Yorkies (under 4 lbs.), I recommend waiting until they are a year old. Please ensure that your veterinarian is experienced with tiny Yorkies.

Puppies will chew; that’s what they do. So, if you leave something out within his/her reach, expect it to be fair game to be chewed up. So put everything that you don’t want chewed up out of reach.

Buy toys of different textures to satisfy chewing yearnings. The only chewies I recommend are Yak Cheese Chews and Bully Sticks, under supervision.

Your puppy will need vaccinations and routine worming. I will provide you with your puppy’s current records. Consult your veterinarian. I recommend protecting your puppy from heartworm if you take your Yorkshire Terriers outside a lot. I would prefer if you looked at natural remedies on the market, like lemongrass or peppermint oils or sprays to put on your baby over heartworm meds. My Yorkshire Terriers are personally inside Yorkshire Terriers. They do go for covered stroller rides and car trips, but rarely are they on the ground. I do not recommend flea & tick medications even as a preventative. This is a pesticide that can be toxic and deadly, and unless absolutely needed, it is not my recommendation. I do not recommend the Lepto shot. If your vet wants to administer this vaccine to your Yorkshire Terriers… . Find Another Vet! This is negligence and lack of experience with Yorkshire Terriers (5 lbs. and under). This shot could possibly kill a Yorkshire Terrier! Find another vet; don’t settle for inappropriate care!

Besides leptospirosis, by far one of the most dangerous vaccines on the market for a tiny/small dog. Many times this vaccine causes proven neurological damage to a tiny/small dog, such as permanent seizure disorders, cancers, and paralysis. Also noted is the outcome of this vaccine, which is newly diagnosed heart problems months after administration of the rabies vaccine that can lead to death. This vaccine, given year after year after year, especially in a full 1cc dosage, begins to chip away at their immune system. Continued administration of rabies vaccines year after year will cause irreparable damage as well. Most dogs under 5 pounds should not receive more than 3 total in a lifetime—1/2 cc’s at a given dose per year! And Not The 3-Year Strength Rabies Vaccine. In their lifetime!!! If your vet administered a full rabies dose, be it one year or even worse, a 3-year strength, your dog will most likely have irreparable damage done!!! Most inexperienced vets with tinies/smalls will not acknowledge this problem; however, there has been irrefutable evidence, proven by neurologists, that diagnosed seizure disorders due to this vaccine. (This is a touchy subject in the dog world, as it is not socially correct to acknowledge this in the dog world.) The worst problem comes from full doses. Lethargy, lack of appetite, eye twitching, rabies symptoms, seizure disorder, cardiomyopathy, head tilting, and walking incoherently have been known to incur months after this vaccine has been administered. When this vaccine is administered to a tiny/small dog in full dose form, the worst being a 3-year vaccine, you can bet on problems within a few months after administration. If your tiny/small dog must receive this vaccine, you must seek out the advice of a seasoned vet that understands that a full rabies vaccine is detrimental to the health of these tiny/small dogs. A smaller dosage is vital to your dog’s well-being. Make the decision for the sake of your dog’s life and stay proactive!

There is a misconception by those not well versed in tiny/small breeds like Yorkies that shark teeth are a bad thing! Well, this is ignorance on a vet’s part and a buyer's part. Double rows of teeth are “expected” in all Yorkies or dogs with shorter muzzles. This is handled at the spay and neuter appointment. At the time the vet puts your baby under sedation by gas (never intravenous) to spay/neuter, he or she will also remove retained baby teeth and do a cleaning at this time.