hi from texas

[adasmomma22]

hi i am so excited i am getting a shorkie tomorrow. he is ten weeks old and he is black with a white patch on his chest. so if you have any tips for me let me know. again im so excited. i cant wait. 

[Westyns~Daddy]

Well first off welcome to this wonderful site can't wait to get to know you and your little shorkie!!
I think the most important thing is not to get frustated,remember a puppy is just like a child,it takes awhile before the training kicks in but when it does its very rewarding and remember also that puppys/adult dogs are not perfect sometimes accidents just happen-no need to panic!!
A lot of people recommend crate training I for one never did this with westyn but I've heard a lot of great things about so I would give it a try!
I have also started a schedule(and stick to it) for my 3 dogs-they get fed at certain times of the day(4 or 5 times)and after they get done all the food and water gets put up until next feeding-ive found that this eliminates unwanted accidents!this works for me!
And I've also found out not to give puppys or adult dogs any purina products they are the worst brand of food 4 ur dog-not healthy at all!!!
Also I've learned from having a male dog(I have always had females)that all because u take them out and they go pee once that does not meen their done,u will have to keep out a little longer I wait till he has went at least 3 times(those boys are territorial)
The most important thing I can tell you is to give them a lot of LOVE-hugs and kisses all the time,that to me is the most important thing because then they will return the favor and please you and become the perfect pet!!!hope this helps can't wait to see pics of your little guy!!!

[TravisKR]

That's was wonderful advice that westyn gave you.  I also have a black and white shorkie, they adoreable.  Meika's coloring is starting to change now tho, alot of white and grey is appearing.  I used the crate training, and still do to this day (meika is 8 months tomorrow) and it work wonders. It's alot easier to potty train when a crate is involved because a dog would spoil his own nest.  A puppy at 10 weeks will have to go out every 1.5-2 hrs but they will gradually be able to hold more as they get older.  You may experience sleepless nights for the first few nights, i knows i did, meika use to cry during to night because i guess she missed her momma, and her silblings.  As soon as you get him, lay down the rules and dont let him, think he can go around the rules because he's cute, that will only make bigger problems down the road, be firm on him...but yet still give him the love that any puppy desires and needs.  I hope you have a wonderful experience and come to this site regular because it's very useful.  Have a great day and keep us update with pics!!

[Mai Tai]

Hi Ada, welcome to the site and congrats on your new shorkie.  The best advice I can give is to RELAX.  You will make some mistakes,  but all will work out.  What works for one dog does not always work for another.  Travis is right though, be FIRM and be consistent.  Also, read as many of the old posts you can on this site as it will give you a lot of advice.  I crate trained both my shorkies, about a year apart, and it worked very well for one of them and pretty well for the other.  The older one still sleeps in his crate at night by choice, he loves it that much.  Potty training was easy with one, and very hard with the other, but with patience, both are now housebroken pretty reliably (the little one still pees on the rug about once every two weeks.  His bladder is tiny because he is tiny).  Let us know how it all goes and post your stories here.  The people on this site are all wonderful, helpful, and kind.  Good luck.

[Westyns~Daddy]

And also my advice for either a harness or collar I would go with a harness(and it allows u to pull ur dog up to you incase a bigger dog comes up to you) because that's safer for when your walking and a collar actually cuts off the breathing when your dog pulls at it and that's not good-safety is very  important!!!
As far as grooming-i would start very early,take about 20 minutes to brush him over and over so he can get use to it and also have some puppy treats handy to reward him afterwards.as far as bathing I would use about an inch of water to stand him up in and put him in there to get use to in makesure to get puppy safe shampoo(theirs a lot of products out there)just put a drop on his back and rub in very good,get a small cup and rinse him off,be very careful not to get the eyes!and make sure to read the instructions carefully!!!
To trim the nails I would do it around 15 weeks!I just took regular finger nail clippers and just clip the very tip of the nail and keep him calm during it,but to be safe I would call ur vet or groomer and get their professional opinion!!!

[TravisKR]

I would be really careful when using humans nailclippers to clip your pets nails, they arent designed the same as the ones for your pets.  I harness is good, but i've always used a collar on meika, and havent had a problem yet.  Theres many good brands of shampoo that is harmless to the dog's eyes if in contact, but tried to avoid that if possible.  When choosng a groomer, i would make sure they have a good reputation as i recently went to one lady, and she wasnt very professional to say the least.  I started bathing meika in the sink, then i moved her to the bathtub, my dog loves swimming, she spent many hrs swimming around, just try to make sure you dry their eyes after because it can cause fungus and other bacterias such as yeast to develop.  If you have any other quesitons feel free to contact me!