INFORMATION ON THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER
The Yorkshire Terrier is a Toy Breed. Their weight is usually between 3 and 7 pounds. Occasionally there will be one bigger or smaller than this. There is no such thing as a Teacup. Your Yorkie is a fun loving, active little dog. I like to describe them as a big dog in a small package. They are fearless and will not usually back down from bigger dogs. Therefore for their own safety you must always watch them.
COAT CARE
The Yorkie has a non-shedding coat. This coat requires more care than some dogs but nothing that a new owner couldn't do themselves. You must bath, condition, comb, brush then blow dry once a week. Carefully comb out the coat from the skin out making sure you get all the tangles. If you do this faithfully every week you should have no problem with the coat matting. The only trimming that is required is the ears - halfway down, inside, outside and around. If the hair is not kept trimmed on the ears they will fall instead of standing up The pads of the feet must be trimmed. Trim inbetween all pads then cut the nails. If you wait until after bathing to cut the nails they will be softer and easier to do. Next you stand the puppy up and trim the foot in as much of a circle as you can.. Next trim around his anal opening - for obvious reasons. Your bathing routine should take about an hour a week. If you do not have the time to spend on coat care then maybe you should consider another breed. Even if the coat is kept short it still requires a weekly bath.
DENTAL CARE
The Yorkshire Terrier is notorious for growing tartar on their teeth. Therefore a hard diet is a must. No canned food or softened kibble. Here at Dayjuel we feed Innova. Give your puppy plenty of toys and bones to help his desire to chew. My dogs love the Pop Pup Nylabones. They chew on these for hours. The puppy should become accustomed to you brushing his teeth. Use a childs toothbrush with some doggydent or some other non-foaming toothpaste. Even with the proper care your dog may still have to undergo some dental work from time to time.
EXERCISE
Exercise needs are minimal. They love to go for walks, chase a ball or just sit on your lap if that is what you are doing. Your puppy can get all the exercise he needs by running around the house. Your puppy will be most content when he is with you. Yorkies are people dogs. They are a very intelligent little dog. But being Terriers they are very strong willed. You must be sure to lay down the rules from day one or you will be in trouble later on. It is much easier to prevent possible problems than to try to correct them later.
HOUSE TRAINING
To housetrain your puppy you must keep him in a small area. Until he is totally trained you must not let him have the run of the house. He is a baby and just like a baby gets playing and forgets where he is and just goes wherever he happens to be playing. Take your puppy outside immediately upon waking him up. Praise him for being a wonderful puppy and doing it in the right place. Your puppy cannot hold his bladder all night so do not lock him in a crate unless you can hear him and when he wakes up you can take him outside.When your puppy reaches about 4 months they can then hold their bladder all night. In order to correct your puppy when he makes mistakes - and he will - you must catch him in the act. It is of no use to show him later. You may think he understands that the mistake he had an hour ago was bad but he is just reacting to your body language.
It is great fun and good companionship to have another playmate for him. Wait until you get your first puppy trained before getting another one. It is a very difficult task to train two dogs at once. Talking from experience on that one!
All our puppies come with their first vaccinations, dewormed, microchipped and a written Health Guarantee. At Dayjuel "quality can speak for itself."