YOUR YORKIE PUPPY CARE SHEET (Download a copy by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page)
SAFETY: They are quick and easily injured if stepped on. Do not allow children to run or rough-house when the puppy is around. Have children sit on the floor when holding the puppy; they can easily wiggle out of the child’s arms and fall or jump to the floor. Be careful when closing doors. Get into the habit of picking up your puppy when opening the door Small breed dogs are prone to a collapsed trachea, caused by collars. Rather use a harness. Feeding: Young puppies need to eat a lot, dry puppy food can be available for them all the time to nibble on. Have fresh water available at all times. Be sure your puppy is eating well & if needed you can mix the dry food with a little soft puppy food or even a spoonful of baby food (chicken flavour) mixed in with the dry food to encourage your pup to eat. Do not feed your puppy any foreign foods that need proper chewing without supervision, for example a piece of chicken too large can cause a puppy to suffocate if it gets stuck in his throat. They can have: - Cooked boneless chicken - Cooked rice - Boiled eggs Avoid giving them foods high in fat; their systems cannot tolerate that much fat and it can cause pancreatitis. Foods NOT to feed: Chocolate or caffeine Mushrooms Grapes or raisins Macadamia nuts Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can be fatal if not caught quickly. If your puppy appears to be weak or lethargic and has not been eating, give re-hydrate. If they do not improve within 5 to 10 minutes, go to your vet. SLEEPING: Your puppy needs a warm quiet place to go to get away from the family. Children should be taught not to disturb the puppy if it is sleeping.
The first few nights expect your puppy to cry when left alone, he/she is used to litter mates. Do not respond to the crying or he will continue to cry. If letting them sleep in your room is an option, that will help. Don’t start this if you do not intend making it a permanent situation. Rather don’t start anything that you don’t want to be a habit. Some active play before bedtime will wear them out and they will sleep better. Chewing: Make sure your puppy has plenty of appropriate things to chew on so that he will leave the furniture and kids shoes alone. If the puppy chews on something he shouldn't, quickly check him and then give him his own chew toy. Toys: Yorkies seem to love squeaky toys, balls, socks, and rawhides. GROOMING: Brush your puppy even though they don’t need brushing yet. This gets them used to it. Get them used to the sound of a blow dryer when they are small. Trim the hair on their butts. This is important to prevent faeces from becoming caked on. This is a very common problem with long haired dogs, but can cause impaction if they are unable to poop. As the hair on their face gets longer, their eyes will get goo at the corners, you can trim those hairs, but if you want to let it grow out, clean their eyes regularly. Wet it with a wash cloth and carefully use a fine tooth comb to comb it out. If the dew claws have not been removed, give these special attention when clipping the nails. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call me or email me. If for some reason, you can no longer care for your Yorkie and need to re-home it, please contact me. |