Preparing for a new puppy, is like preparing for a new born baby coming home and just as stressful.

INTRODUCTION TO THE FAMILY-  All the family is going to be so excited about the new puppy coming home. Everyone is going to want to hold him/her and play with him/her, But the 1st day needs to be very low key, You don't want to overwhelm your puppy, this is the 1st time he/she is separated from his mommy, brothers/sisters and the breeder. The last thing that you want to do is smother him/her. I am not saying that no-one should handle him/her in fact this is the time that human contact is very important, this is when he/she will bond with his/her new human family. gently petting him/her and talking very calmly is a great way to grow a strong bond and show him/her comfort. Loud noises and yelling and screaming is not what you want his/her 1st day home to be like. This will frighten him/her. Allowing the puppy explore the new home builds his/her confidence and gives him/her the opportunity to explore his/her new home. There are so many new people, noises, smells. So many new things for the puppy to experience, so be very affectionate and understanding of his/her needs. If the puppy is walking around the floor, keep in eye on him/her.  remember they are still like babies and will get into everything if not carefully watched. When you want to play with him/her get down to the puppies level, towering over the puppy might frighten him/her. Being on the same level, will allow the puppy to see you and play with you.

Puppy's 1st Night-  Your new baby has been home for a while, You have allowed him/her to walk around and explore. You have played with him/her and he/she has had their dinner. Now is the time that you want him/her to get use to going to bed. This is your new puppy, you need to decide when you want his/her bedtime to be and stick to it. By getting them use to going to bed at the same time every night, they will become accustom to your wishes and as they get older they will go to bed without being asked.

the mom and dad of the puppies I have, Have been trained to go to bed at 9pm every night. If I get busy and don't tell them to go to bed, It does not matter, they will put themselves in their room by 9pm every night. You too can train your puppy to become accustom to going to bed at the same time every night. Just like kids are to be in bed at a certain time, so that they are rested for school the next day! So now that you have figured out when their bedtime is, here comes the tuff part of the 1st couple of days.

Remember that this is the very 1st time that the puppy will be sleeping all alone in a new place. Mommy and his/her brothers/sisters are no longer there. He/she will be scared, lonely and cold. This is the time for you to show patience and care to your new puppy. Assure him/her that you are there for them. Prepare the crate, Some breeders ( I always do this) will send a blanket home with the new puppy that carries the smell of mommy and his playmates. This gives the puppy comfort and lets them know it is alright. put a toy for the puppy in his/her crate also. Make sure that the room temperature is warm for your new puppy.

Putting a water bottle in the crate for a new puppy is a good thing, you don't want your puppy to go without water for a long time. Give your puppy a kiss goodnight and put him/her in the crate and close the door. I have always found it comforting for the puppy to cover the crate with a towel or blanket so that it is dark and quite for them, It also keeps out any draft on the crate. With extreme luck your puppy will fall asleep, BUT don't get too excited he/she will wake up and be scared and that is when the whining will start. That is your puppies way of letting someone know they are there and hopefully get some attention and companionship. As much as you want to come to your puppies call every time he/she whines. DONT, Keep your puppies interest in mind, the whining will stop and he/she will fall asleep. Do not feel guilty and visit the puppy when he/she whines, he/she will fall asleep. Remember this is a learning process and if you fall back and come every time your puppy whines, he/she is setting the path he/she wants and unless you plan on staying up and playing withy your puppy at all hours of the night. the quicker you teach him/her that it is bedtime, the faster he/she will learn. The quicker you will get a full nights rest too.

Feeding Time- Puppies are growing babies so they need their nutrition in order to grow and maintain their good health. If you are gone all day, then you need to make sure that you have dry food down for your puppy while you are gone. Having a Yorkshire Terrier makes it easy for you. Unlike bigger breeds, a yorkie will eat very little and get full fast when they are a puppy. Keep your puppy on the same diet that he/she was getting at the breeders. changing their diet too quickly is very bad for the puppy. Your breeder should explain their eating habits and schedule to you when you pick up your new puppy. Puppies need 2 balanced meals a day along with fresh water at all times. If you are leaving your puppy for the day, Make sure that his/her bowl of food is full check the chart of how much to feed them, and that his/her water dish is full also. this will give the puppy adequate food supply till dinner when you come home. If they are not done with the food that you left them, do not add more food to their dish. Make them finish what you have already set out for them. Remember that Yorkies eat very little, He/she might take 3 bites and are full. sounds strange, but look how little they are, their tummies are even littler.

Quality of Puppy Food. In my opinion Eukanuba Yorkshire Terrier food designed for Yorkies is great. It is gentle on their tummies, and very well balanced for nutrition. Other great brands are Science Diet, and Iams puppy food and I guess Purina is pretty good too. You may think that they are expensive, BUT look at it this way, Your Yorkie is a very small puppy and will be a small dog. they eat very little, so by spending the little bit more that you will to give them the nutrition and balanced food they need, In the long run will last longer so the cost should not be a issue. you want the best for your Yorkie, then give him the best. Saving money and buying a very low quality puppy or dog food, will result in lack of nutrition and could be the cause of illness or health issues down the road. Your Yorkie IS your baby, treat him/her like you would your child.

A Yorkshire Terrier is NOT an outside dog/puppy. If your plans are to buy a Yorkie and have him/her be an outside dog, Then you should not be buying a Yorkie. Yorkies are not made for the outside weather.  This is dangerous for a Yorkie and will cause him/her  health problems. Yorkies are indoor lap babies and should be treated as such. If you want an outside dog then get an outside dog! I have seen many Yorkies rescued by yorkie rescue centers all over. This is a shame that people can take the attention and love of a yorkie for grated.