Stella, a 3 pound 6 ounce baby girl

[Aneeda72]

A new journey with a new puppy began on Thursday. Stella is 18 weeks old. She was very unhappy on the way home-screaming all the way. Had two very runny poop messes in the crate as she was scared poop less. She had not been crate trained. She had not been given the experience of riding in a car.

She did not eat or drink for 24 hours which worried me a great deal as she is such a small pup. She was not, as the breeder claimed, potty paper trained. Her shots were not up to date. Back yard breeders want a ton of money for their pups, but it seems they care little for them. But, on the good side, unlike Henry, she was properly weaned at the right age.

Stella 10 days before we picked her up.

 

[Pinky]

Wishing you the best with training Stella. She's precious

 

[Aneeda72]

We actually wanted to bring Stella home on Friday, but after we paid the deposit , the breeder suddenly remembered that they would not be home on Friday. We wanted Friday because Amazon could not deliver the puppy pen before Friday.

We came back from vacation, early, on Tuesday. Ran around like mad on Wednesday getting the basic necessities for Stella, got our Covid booster on Thursday morning and Stella that afternoon. The breeders have her on Sams club puppy chow. . You get a huge bag of it for 17 dollars-not a quality food for sure.

We purchased a new snuggle heart beat puppy and a small crate, a few toys. She came with food, a sweatshirt, and a home made cloth toy. She cost a fortune. She is always cold amd shivering. She was supposed to be socialized-hmm, not so much I think.

She barks, and barks, and whines and whines; and we live in an apartment and that will not work. The breeder says she is a smart pup, she barks when she wants something. Yes, yes, she does. She also barks when she doesn’t want something. Or maybe, she just wants something 24 hours a day. I don’t know.

First order of business-trying to get her to eat, second order of business stop the noise.

 

[Aneeda72]

Stella does not eat drink pee or poop for the first 24 hours. Not uncommon for a puppy, but she only weights 3 plus pounds so worrisome. I get her to drink a little the next day by putting water on my finger and my finger into her mouth. She will not eat.

I was able to trade my Saturday vet appointment for a Thursday late afternoon vet appointment. I discuss the eating issue with the vet. She does not listen and is no help. In fact, we repeatedly question why Stella was not give the rabies shot. The vet keeps saying she is not old enough.

Turns out they wrote her birthday down wrong.

Friday we take her to a different Banfield, a different vet. We explain she will not eat. We explain we are terribly worried about her. We explain she needs her rabies shot. We also need to make an appointment for her spay since, after we paid at the other office, they explain they don’t have a vet to do the spay.

This Banfield has no appointments. . But, , we are two pathetic old people with a tiny little puppy that we are very worried about. What shall we do? Ok, she says, I will check. They gave her the rabies shot cause-the other place got her DOB wrong-and they fixed her DOB. They set up her spay appointment. And the vet tech, who the receptionist said had no time, said she had all the time in the world and discussed how to get Stella to eat.

We bought a wet very pricey puppy food to mix into the crappy Sams club food. Stella eats a little and starts drinking. Today, Stella has finally started to eat much better. But as a 3 pound baby she still eats very little. It is disconcerting as I am used to puppies and dogs that eat a great deal. But I am relieved that at least she is eating.

 

[Tish]

Oh Goodness, she is absolutely precious, congrats on your new furbaby.
Thank God she has started eating.

 

[Aneeda72]

Potty training.

Breeder said Stella is puppy paper potty trained-not really. It looks like the breeder spread the papers all over her pen and she potted on them. She also eats them. She wouldn’t eat food, but she eats paper. We bought a dog litter box, put paper pellets in it, and, yup, she started to eat the pellets.

New plan.

We put the puppy potty paper into the dog litter box. First day-potty on carpet. Hmm. Bought puppy stain remover, and carpet cleaner. Cleaned the rug which sat on the kitchen floor which we sat the puppy pen on. Moved the rug. Now Stella is just on the floor. Reduced the size of the puppy pen.

Stella likes to pee and poop in private. So we cannot catch her being good and praise her for peeing and pooping on the paper in the litter box. However, most times she jumps into the litter box and pees on the paper, poop is another matter.

Stella cries when she has to poop. It distresses her. I think, now, it is a combination of factors. Since she hides when she goes, I fear she was punished for mistakes. Then, this afternoon, she passed a large piece of cloth, that she ate off the home made toy. This may have made pooping painful before. Toy has been thrown away.

At times, she is also an excited pee-er. Since this is not very often, it should stop with age. In any event, we never punish Stella for accidents. We ignore them. She has pooped twice on the potty paper in the litter box. She has peed, excited peeing, when playing with her in the kitchen. She is never punished. While she is only 18 weeks old, she will hold her pee for 6 hours. Freaking amazing.

 

[Aneeda72]

When I told my daughter I bought a Yorkshire Terrier instead of a poodle, she responded that I had bought a stupid dog instead of a smart poodle. Hmm. We got Stella Thursday-a barking machine. Now she rarely barks. Caught on real fast.

We take Stella, our tiny little service dog in training, everywhere in her crate; and put her in a cart. So, Target, Sams club, Costco made us take her out of the cart and I put her on my walker, Lowe’s, Home Depot, pet smart, petco, and everywhere we’ve been since we bought her. We’ve had no barking.

Since Stella is so small, I started training with the place command. I usually start with sit. With the place command I can also work on leave it. I also play in the kitchen with her, throwing balls for her to chase in preparation for fetch and retrieve. We also work on the “here” as in come here.

When Stella has escaped her play pen, twice, she runs to her “place” pillow; where she knows she is supposed to be when outside her play pen. Stella is very smart.

 

[WheatenLover]

When Stella has escaped her play pen, twice, she runs to her “place” pillow; where she knows she is supposed to be when outside her play pen. Stella is very smart.

Stella sounds like a great puppy, very smart (as you said), and she is totally adorable. She is fortunate to have joined your family.

My dog didn't bark until he was about 4 months old. I got worried, and taught him how to do it. Boy, I had no idea what I was getting into. It's kind of like when I had my babies, and couldn't wait for them to talk.

 

[katlupe]

Good luck with Stella's training. She is adorable and I am sure she will catch on pretty quick.

 

[Jules]

Stella is a little itty bitty sweetheart.

 

[Aneeda72]

Stella sounds like a great puppy, very smart (as you said), and she is totally adorable. She is fortunate to have joined your family.

My dog didn't bark until he was about 4 months old. I got worried, and taught him how to do it. Boy, I had no idea what I was getting into. It's kind of like when I had my babies, and couldn't wait for them to talk.

Oh, gee, what were you thinking?

 

[Della]

I made the same barking mistake with my mini-dachshund. we were having so much trouble housebreaking her and part of the problem was that the door to go out is out of sight of where we usually are. So I had the bright idea of carrying her to that door and "barking" once before I opened it. She looked both surprised and thrilled when she heard me bark and she's been barking ever since. For eleven years.

Once when my dog was upset and hadn't eaten for 24 hours, I called Ohio State University's Vet school hotline and the very concerned young vet student told me to try warming up some strained chicken baby food. Works like a charm, many times since.

Your new baby is absolutely precious, I wish I could reach through the computer and pick her up for kisses.

 

[Aneeda72]

I made the same barking mistake with my mini-dachshund. we were having so much trouble housebreaking her and part of the problem was that the door to go out is out of sight of where we usually are. So I had the bright idea of carrying her to that door and "barking" once before I opened it. She looked both surprised and thrilled when she heard me bark and she's been barking ever since. For eleven years.

Once when my dog was upset and hadn't eaten for 24 hours, I called Ohio State University's Vet school hotline and the very concerned young vet student told me to try warming up some strained chicken baby food. Works like a charm, many times since.

Your new baby is absolutely precious, I wish I could reach through the computer and pick her up for kisses.

Yup, the vet tech said to warm the food as the smell, not the warmth, would make her eat. I was terrified of getting it too hot, but that’s how I got her to eat, by warming the food. the barking is so funny

 

[Aneeda72]

While Stella is now peeing in the litter box, she poops mostly on her towel. A few times she has pooped in the box. Just gave her a smaller towel to lay on and see if this helps the issue. She is still a very picky eater, and won’t eat if we are watching her.

We can not take her in the hospital to see our son for fear she will catch Covid. Although I think the puppy would cheer him up.

She does not play much with toys, and is pretty inactive unless we are playing with her. I am also working on a basket command so after she walked about a quarter of a mile, I put her in the basket of my walker so she rides. She has only jumped out once.

She is the easiest puppy to care for that we have ever had.

 

[katlupe]

A lady I have met on the street walks with her little dog riding in a basket on her walker too. I always stop to pet her and talk to the lady and her friend.

 

[JustBonee]

Best wishes with Stella. Hope she gives you lots of joy @Aneeda72
Riding in the basket of your walker should be fun!

 

[SeaBreeze]

When I told my daughter I bought a Yorkshire Terrier instead of a poodle, she responded that I had bought a stupid dog instead of a smart poodle. Hmm. We got Stella Thursday-a barking machine. Now she rarely barks. Caught on real fast.

We take Stella, our tiny little service dog in training, everywhere in her crate; and put her in a cart. So, Target, Sams club, Costco made us take her out of the cart and I put her on my walker, Lowe’s, Home Depot, pet smart, petco, and everywhere we’ve been since we bought her. We’ve had no barking.

Since Stella is so small, I started training with the place command. I usually start with sit. With the place command I can also work on leave it. I also play in the kitchen with her, throwing balls for her to chase in preparation for fetch and retrieve. We also work on the “here” as in come here.

When Stella has escaped her play pen, twice, she runs to her “place” pillow; where she knows she is supposed to be when outside her play pen. Stella is very smart.

Stella is adorable, congratulations! Good luck with her!

 

[feywon]

Stella sounds like a great puppy, very smart (as you said), and she is totally adorable. She is fortunate to have joined your family.

My dog didn't bark until he was about 4 months old. I got worried, and taught him how to do it. Boy, I had no idea what I was getting into. It's kind of like when I had my babies, and couldn't wait for them to talk.

One of my sons used to make a similar joke about their 8 yrs younger sister: "Couldn't wait for her to talk, now we can't shut her up."

 

[feywon]

She is adorable. And sounds like you know how to address what's problematic. Hope you'll share more photos of her as she grows.

 

[Aneeda72]

I am busy with the thread about my son, but Stella still gets her time as well. On our walk I say basket and she runs and puts her front feet on the edge and I lift her in. She has only jumped out once.

 

[PamfromTx]

I am busy with the thread about my son, but Stella still gets her time as well. On our walk I say basket and she runs and puts her front feet on the edge and I lift her in. She has only jumped out once.

OMG, she is precious!!!

 

[Jules]

So smart.

 

[Aneeda72]

I read up on Yorkies and it says they are very hard to potty train, OMG, they are so hard to train . At Stella’s age she had started, at the breeders, to tear up and play and eat the potty paper. All puppies do this. She also will jump into the litter tray and make a nest of the papers.

I gave her a large beach towel to nest on, and she does, but she poops on the towel. She mostly pees on the papers in the box with a few accidents on the floor. However, she mostly pees in the box now. I took the large towel away and replaced it with a hand towel, and while she started pooping more in the box, she also started nesting in the box. And taking her toys and putting them in the box, while nesting in the box.

So, I bought another small cushion for her to lay on and put the hand towel on the cushion for her to nest and adjust. This has worked. Then I thought about the tearing of the potty papers. I bought to crackle toys for her to replace the noise the potty paper makes when she plays with it.

She loves the crackle toys. She loves them so much and got so excited that she peed all over her cushion and towel. Last night while she slept I sprayed them with the remove the smell stuff, washed them, dried them and they were ready for her this morning. She is nesting in the cushion and now drags her toys there to play with, so far she is peeing in the litter box and leaving the potty paper along. She also pooped in the litter box so YAY. But progress is slow.

 

[Aneeda72]

Eating has been a problem and the puppy food since home with her from the breeder is the cheap stuff. We bought the very expensive small can of puppy food to mix with the s as club stuff to get her to eat, as I’ve said. Well, a couple days ago she starting eating better.

I left out the wet food and she ate only the dry. Since the wet is 1.59 a can, I am so happy. I returned the rest of the wet food and bought the speciality yorkie puppy dry food. After a couple more days I will start blending the dry food together and eventually she will just be on the higher quality dry food.

 

[Aneeda72]

I walk Stella once a day in the morning. She walks further every day. She walks on a loose leash behind me on the left side or right beside my shoe. I can’t tell you how hard I have tried to get every other dang dog I’ve owned to do this.

In the past, I’ve even sent three dogs to board and train, very expensive, specifically to learn to do this with no success. But she has learned to do it in 7 days! Occasionally she will walk ahead of me, I correct her with NO, direct her back behind me.

I do not want her to walk beside the walker which is what all the other dogs want to do and did do. Walking there puts them in the way. Also it’s hard to rustle a 30 pound puppy to where you want it; but a three pound puppy no problem.

I am not training her as much as I’d like due to my sick son and the time it takes to see him.