Preventing Injury to Your Dogs Neck
When it comes to choosing supplies for your puppy one thing that you may want to consider is buying a harness instead of a collar.
Yorkshire Terriers, Yorkichons and Cavachons are very small when you will bring them home at the age of 8 weeks. Their necks are also very fragile. When you put a collar on a small dog, even when they are full grown, it is much easier for them to suffer a neck injury than if you were to use a harness.
My boyfriends family was walking their miniature pinscher in the park about three years ago right around Christmas. He was wearing a collar. A larger dog approached him and Rufus, the miniature pinscher, jerked on his collar as the larger dog came towards him. He seemed fine and they continued their walk and returned home. That evening Rufus was having trouble walking, was falling when he tried to get up and wasn’t able to jump on the furniture like he had been in the morning. His family rushed him to the veterinarian’s office where they found that he had injured his spine and was suffering from internal bleeding in his brain. They did not think he was going to make it through the night.
Rufus did make it through that night and was able to come home but to this day, three years later, his one front paw is still paralyzed. He falls over sometimes when he is excited and he isn’t able to run or jump like he was before the injury. All of this could have been prevented if he had been wearing a harness instead of a collar.
In my opinion, putting a harness on your small dog can prevent many injuries from occurring and can help you to have piece of mind that your puppy or dog will be able to enjoy all of their outdoor activities with less risk of being injured.
Doggy Daycare
I never expected to be taking a dog to daycare but that is exactly what I do.
Doggy Daycare can be a great option for dogs that would otherwise spend their day cooped up in a house or a cage. Doggy Daycare can be expensive, but if you have the ability to afford the expense it can be great for both you and your dog.
The daycare that I take my dog to costs $25 per day. It is the same price whether your dog is there for two hours or eleven hours. Each dog goes through a “trial” Saturday to make sure that they are non-aggressive with the other dogs. If they pass this “test” they are free to go to daycare as many as six days per week. All dogs must be up to date on all of their shots and be on a flea preventative, such as Frontline.
When you drop your dog off they spend the day with their female or male counterparts. The genders are kept separated even though all dogs are required to be spayed or neutered to attend daycare.
The dogs have water at all times, heaters in the winter and sprinklers in the summer. The dogs can run all day long or relax with their friends in the sunshine. When I pick up my dog, Lizzie, at the end of the day she lies on the seat in my car and relaxes in our house for the rest of the evening like I’m sure 99.5% of the dogs do. Our dog is nicknamed “Dizzy Lizzie” because she does not stop running except for a few quick drinks throughout the day.
Another benefit to Doggy Daycare is that they offer boarding. If you have a vacation or a business trip to attend your dog will be able to spend the day outside playing with their friends and have someone to feed them and a place to sleep at night.
Again, Doggy Daycare is not for everyone because it can be relatively expensive but it is a great option to be able to have. Even if your dog only goes once or twice a week, like mine, it gives them to ability to run freely and socialize with other dogs for a few hours. There are new Doggy Daycare’s popping up all over and it is worth exploring if you would like to have another option for your dog during the day!
Dog Food Allergies
Your Yorkshire Terrier, Cavachon or Yorkie mix puppy may need some special attention in their early years when it comes to choosing the right food and diet. 
My dog Lizzie, who is a little over a year old, has had issues with the food that we have been feeding her. As a puppy she was given a Chicken and Rice formula. We noticed over the past year that she has been in our family that she is always scratching. She scratches her ears, her belly and her armpits all of the time.
We decided to switch her to a Lamb and Rice formula a few months back and the same thing was happening. Three weeks ago we decided to switch Lizzie to a Fish and Potato formula. At first she was still scratching but now the redness and irritation has started to go away and she is not scratching nearly as much as she was.
Scratching and itching is a major sign of a food allergy and it is something that you want to keep an eye on as your puppy is growing. The key to switching to a different food is to do it slowly over about two weeks. You want to start with 3/4 old food to 1/4 new food. Do that for a few days then go to 1/2 and 1/2. After a few more days you can go to 1/4 old food and 3/4 new food. Wait a few more days and then you can switch completely to the new food.
This is just an example of the type of issue that you will have to keep an eye on over the first year of your puppy’s life. They have allergies and irritations just like we do. You may have to experiment with a few different types of food and brands of food but when you find the right one your dog will be happy and fulfilled!
