Yorkshire pup advice

alderdeer

hi we've just got a Yorky pup a few days ago her name is Bella and she's pure adorable and really settling very well with us. Her previous owner had her trained to go toilet on newspaper so we're keeping that up fairly well. I have 2 issues at the moment that we could do with some advice with

1- if she doesn't wee or Poo on the newspaper how to deal with it.

2- she's starting to bite playfully anytime we hold her. It's excited play I know but should we try control it somehow.

Any advice is welcome thanks

Cherry Blossom

How old is the pup?

1. If it were me I wouldn't use newspapers at all as you are actively encouraging the pup to toilet indoors. You should be encouraging her to go outside from the off. If you are successful in training her to go on paper it will then be very difficult to untrain that behaviour and transition to going outside.

2. Terriers are more mouthy than other types of dog. It is a natural part of puppy development and helps them learn bite resistance. Some people disagree but I don't mind a little mouthyness from a pup. If she nips too hard put her on the floor and turn your back on her so she learns what the acceptable level is and that if she exceeds that level, then play stops. Terriers express themselves through their mouths so personally I am reluctant to put a complete ban on it.

Are there any kids in the house and if so how old are they?

VonVix

How old is she?

1. What's your living situation? Apartment or house? Is your aim to be for your puppy to go outside only? Or are you happy with your puppy going inside the house in a designated spot?

2. Yelp loudly, and disengage from puppy (walk away and/or put on floor), give puppy something appropriate to chew. I have come across many owners who fuss over their puppies after they get chomped on. Puppies don't recognize the words we say (they don't speak English!), actions speak louder than words.

Be sure to socialise her with other dogs around her size, this helps teach bite inhibition and how hard/gentle to be. Puppies teach other puppies that biting hurts, and if a puppy wants to have fun/play with another puppy they have to learn to reign it in!

alderdeer

Hi adrenaline I've 3 boys 12, 9, and 4, the 4 yr old is very special needs, doesn't walk and completely blind so we're gently introducing her to him. The 2 older lads are very keen to help with her ( at the moment ) hopefully that keeps up.
She's only 9 weeks old so fairly young yet.

alderdeer

Von vix, we live in a big 2 story in the country but she is going to be a complete house dog if possible as it won't suit with our youngest to have her in and out of the house all the time. As regards toilet id hope to train her to go outside when possible or else in a designated spot in the house. Maybe that's wishful thinking though

Cherry Blossom

The older two should be well able to tell when the pup is overstepping the mark then. In time the pup will learn that different rules apply to the younger child but I think you are right to take it slowly. Terriers are sometimes not the best choice of dog for younger children at the best of times. Young children should never be left unsupervised with a dog but I would be extra vigilant at least until the pup has grown out of the teething stage.

Cherry Blossom

Routine is very important for house training. At that age the pup should be on four small meals a day. Feed at the same times every day and after a few days you will start to see a pattern as to when the dog needs to toilet in relation to when she eats. A rough guide is 45 minutes after food, 10 mins after she has a drink, as soon as she wakes up and after a play session. In addition to this, take her out if she hasn't been out for an hour, if she starts circling or sniffing the ground and get up twice during the night and take her out. It is tiresome, but it's only for a few weeks until she gets the jist and starts asking to go out when she needs to go and the load can be shared with your OH and the older kids. No food after 9pm and restricted water after 9 can help (offer her water before bed but don't leave the bowl with her).

alderdeer

[quote=A rough guide is 45 minutes after food, 10 mins after she has a drink, as soon as she wakes. No food after 9pm and restricted water after 9 can help (offer her water before bed but don't leave the bowl with her).[/quote]

Ok so at the moment we put about 25gr of food in her bowl in the morning and she picks away at it all day with constant water in the other bowl beside her. Should we just take away her bowl so after half an hour even if she hasn't it finished and introduce it again a few hours later

andreac

Yes you should. Set meals are much better to control. Divide out her daily amount into 3 or 4 small meals and feed at set times.
Leaving dogs to graze isn't a good idea and they can become fussy.

If she doesn't eat it all, just take it up and offer her nothing else until ger next meal. If she starts being fussy then I would cut out any treats too really. Just offer her her meal so she learns to eat at proper times.

alderdeer

I was also told by a friend that the food her breeder has her on will make her poo more and to change it to a different brand but she's no interest in eating the new stuff even when mixed with the original stuff. Should I persist or are we just upsetting her unnecessarily

Cherry Blossom

What is the new brand and what is the old brand?

alderdeer

Royal Caine puppy her breeder had her on and we're trying to change her to burns puppy feed

Latatian

Usually 'it will make her poo more' means 'it has more fibre in it and often less fat'. Dogs technically have no dietary need for fibre, AFAIK, but my lot certainly are more comfortable with a food that has a bit more in it- and it's not something I'd worry unduly about. Feed what you want, see how she does, switch if she's not doing as well as you'd like.

Get her things to chew on! Things that are more exciting than your fingers. I like the little rubber toys that have a space in the middle to put food into- Busy Buddy, Kong etc. You can get puppy versions if you think they'll be a bit too hard for her teeth, and she's small so they'll be less expensive than they are for big dogs. You can fill them with food, and freeze them if you like to make it last a bit longer. It's a good way to teach her to keep calm and settle in one place for a while, and for when she's getting hyper and bitey and overtired.

Cherry Blossom

There wouldn't be a lot of difference between the two quality wise. I fed my terrier both at different times, she was very hyper on RC and very skinny on Burns. I didn't notice any difference in poo size between the two but on RC it was very hard and she had some difficulty passing it. Different foods suit different dogs though.

jimf

photos please loads of them