Yorkies first night home


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Token's Mane

Caring for your Yorkie

I will be sharing some things I have learned over the years with you. Please share any of your tips with me. The top two things that come to mind are:
1) Be firm but gentle.
2) NEVER call your puppy to come to you to punish it, always go get it.

Puppy's First Day

So your first challenge is to use the introduction period to set the stage for success. By gently guiding your puppy through the introductions to your family members, you take the first important step toward teaching him/her that you're the boss, the protector, and the one to please.
Try to time your arrival so that the puppy has some time alone to explore the new house. If that is impossible because you have children, instruct them to stay back as the puppy explores. Before they know it she'll be crawling all over them for a good look-see.

Show most important places first

The first place you want to take your puppy to are her food and water dish area and her indoor potty area(if you have one). She needs to know where to go to find her "things".
Introducing her to her crate is also important, if it isn't the same one she traveled home in. If you are using the one she traveled home in, then simply put it where it's going to be and leave the door open so that she can wander in and out at will. If she hasn't seen the crate before and doesn't seem inclined to go in, try luring her inside with a small treat or a toy, and praise her if she goes in. Then let her come back out when she's ready.

Letting him snoop around safely

After you show your puppy where to find his possessions, let him explore the rest of the house. As your puppy roams from room to room, make sure that you stay with him. You don't have to get down on the floor, but you do need to be close enough to step in if he approaches something dangerous or does something you don't want him to do.
The key to training a dog is consistency. Make sure you apply the house rules the same way every time. So from the minute you bring your pup into the house, don't let him do anything that you don't want him to do as an adult--be it chew on the table leg, tug on your daughter's long hair, or feint aggression at the tabby--no matter how cute and harmless these antics may appear at first.

Surviving the first night

To get to the point, the first night is hell. Oh, sure, many dog books imply that if you do certain things--like let the puppy room with you, put a soft stuffed animal in the crate to simulate the feel of littermates, or croon lullabies every two hours--the night will pass easily. But they are wrong. The first night is never easy, but it is definitely manageable. You just have to resign yourself to the facts.
Buckle your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy night.
Your puppy misses his mom and his siblings. You've been a fun distraction for most of the day, but now it's bedtime, your puppy keenly feels the absence of the pack he belonged to. Add the fact that he's in a new place, and with a stupid towel in a stupid crate that doesn't smell right anyway. For all these reasons, your puppy's going to spend most of the night crying.
The goal of the first night isn't to get your puppy to sleep through it (although that'd be really great); it's to establish the nighttime routine.

Putting your puppy to bed

On your puppy's first night home, you want to begin the routine you intend to follow for the next several months. Follow these steps:
1).About a half hour before bedtime, give your pup her last meal of the day.
2).Take your puppy outside to do her business.
3).As soon as she's gone to the bathroom, take her to her crate, say "Bedtime" as you put her in, and then close the door.
4).Turn off the lights and go to bed yourself.
5).When the puppy cries(and she will), you can comfort her but don't let her out.
6).After a few hours, take your puppy outside to go to the bathroom.
7).As soon as she goes to the bathroom, praise her and then take her immediately back to the crate. Say"Bedtime" again, close the door again, and go back to bed (again).
8).When she starts crying again, comfort her but don't let her out.

As you create your bedtime routine, keep these things in mind:
Because of how long this first night seems--and the second one will only be a little shorter--consider bringing your puppy home on a Friday.
Taking the bathroom run is important because dogs have a natural desire to keep their dens(which is what the crate is)clean. Combine that instinct with planned confinement, and you teach your puppy to hold her bladder and bowl, which is one of the keys to successfully housetraining your dog.
Don't give in to the crying and let your dog out of the crate just for some cuddle time. Worse, don't swap the crate for a spot on your bed--at least not yet. The day will come when your Yorkie has earned her at the foot or head of your bed, but this isn't it. If you give in to her plaintive wails, you teach her that she can get what she wants by complaining.
Although being tired may make you irritable, don't take it out on your dog. Don't yell at her and don't banish her to the nether regions of the house. Remember, the only source of comfort she has on this first night is you--even if you are across the room in the bed. Moving the crate to a far off region of the house so you don't have to hear her whining is harsh punishment for any dog; and to a little dog who feels all alone, it's just cruel.
REMEMBER: the first night is going to be a long one. BUT the next night will go better, and the following night will go even better than that. If you are consistent, before long your puppy will know the routine and settle right in when you say those magic words "Bedtime."