Hi - Newbie trying to decide if a Yorkie would be a good pet for us....

[YorkieMaybe]

Hello,
This site looks great. We are not quite in the market for a dog as we currently have a chow that is best as an only dog but he has many medical problems and my vet has said he won't make it probably past 7... he is almost 4 now. We have decided that we won't get another chow, at least not right after him. We love him alot and I would feel like I was trying to 'replace' him.... So, we opted to look at other breeds. I have been searching for a little while and have turned down other breeds that I absolutely love but have decided were not going to work well for our family..... and that is why I am here!

I am almost 26, married to a great guy, I have 3 children 9, 7, and 18 months. All of which have been around animals forever as I worked at two shelters and had many animals go through our home and on to their forever homes. We have a chow, and 3 cats and a really stupid fish named Banana (he is just seriously not smart at all).
Both my husband and I own our own businesses. He works at his own office but can pretty much come home as he needs, and I am a photographer, so I am here alot of the time. We have plenty of time to devote to a dog. We also own our home, so there is no problems with landlords or anything like that. We have a very large backyard and a very large deck.

I am trying to find out the pros and cons of owning a Yorkie.... If we got one, we would probably get a girl. So, basically what is it like owning a Yorkie? Barking? Medical/Health problems? Separation Anxiety? Chewing? Energy? Stuff like that......

Anything that you can tell me to help us decide if this would be a good match for us would be a great....

Any questions you have I would be more then willing to answer! Again, I am not looking FOR a dog yet, but I want to make sure to do my research so I know what to expect, and I want to make sure my next dog will be happy living with us, and vice versa......

[alishasmom]

In my own experience, they dont shew a lot. They hide things, under the bed. They like to get themselves in touble(dangerous situations) Therefore, you must watch them at all times; its like having a newborn baby. They will give you a lot of kisses. Quick learners. Wont react to punishment. They learn specificly by reinforcement, not specially treats, but complements. they are picky eaters. They are very physical, and strong, and think they waight over a hundred lbs.

[QuickSilver]

Welcome!

A lot of people think yorkies are best in families without small children. They tend to be on the fragile side, and they can also be high strung. Are you looking for a toy dog specifically?

If not, I would probably recommend a large breed dog that is known to be good with children.

Also, just out of curiosity, how does a smart fish distinguish itself from a dumb fish??

[alishasmom]

Forgot to tell you, training your children is a must, before getting a yorkie. I have a four year lold daughter; she'll be five next month. I whent through a lot of trouble keeping them apart, till she show me, that she would not hurt trixie. Videos, and lesson plans at the day care, and practicals exercises with plush toys are helpfull. You can make it work. Just remember, you own the dog, not your kids.

[chestermama]

Chester did not chew alot, sometimes they can have separation anxiety, they like to be around their humans. They are smart, can be a burger to potty train. They can be picky eaters, chester has allergies but no big medical issues like knee problems, teeth issues. Chester is not a big barker and they are great watch dogs. I would be careful a young child can injure a snall dog easily

[chachi]

If you get a yorkie I would get one that is going to be on the larger side. Ive got one that is 11 lbs and he is a good yorkie for in a home with children

[Lucia]

Originally Posted by chachi

If you get a yorkie I would get one that is going to be on the larger side. Ive got one that is 11 lbs and he is a good yorkie for in a home with children

I have two children aged 4 and 17months and my yorkie is 8lb at the moment. I set strict rules from the very beginning so the kids know not to pick her up or follow her around and It's worked perfectly for us. I know that there are members who have children and much smaller yorkies and have had no problems either - it just comes down to supervision, rules and common sense. xxx xxx

[cheryl19]

I think you need to see if you like terriers. Yorkies are still a terrier and they are a different breed all together, they can be very head strong. A good book to read is Yorkshire Terrier for dummies and they tell all about Yorkies. Also as you have found out this site is also a great place for info. Good luck in your discission.

[NewYorkieLover]

First of all, I think it's great that you are doing so much research ahead of time - well ahead of time - to try to choose the right dog!

Your questions are good ones, and difficult to answer because each little Yorkie can be so different! But there are things that many have in common, and you can read all the answers here and decide for yourself.

I am a relatively new Yorkie owner, but I will share some of my answers.

Barking: Lexi is not a big barker. She will bark if someone comes to the door, or if she hears something out of the ordinary. They are great little watchdogs and want to protect their families! She will also bark at her reflection in the back french doors, or the fireplace glass. It can be difficult to convince her that no one is there! She also has a very high-pitched bark when she want something. The time I hear this most is if someone comes home or gets up in the morning and doesn't get her out of her pen fast enough. It's not a lot of barking then, but those barks can really get right into your eardrums!

Medical/Health problems - There can be problems with luxating patellas, collapsed tracheas, and liver shunt. Those are the ones I've read about most often here. Since Yorkies are small dogs, wearing a harness and not a collar is often recommended to prevent damage to the trachea. They also think they are much bigger than they really are! Lexi will climb to high places, and wouldn't think much of jumping off. And she is a snuggler, but when she is excited or wants to get down, she can be very wiggly. This is extremely dangerous, as they can wiggle right out of your arms and do some serious damage.

Separation anxiety: No problems here, although if I have to gate her in a smaller section than usual (we had major construction done on our house), I would get that high-pitched yelp.

Chewing: Ahhh... Lexi is a paper shredder. That includes cardboard. And she likes to get into garbage. She has shredded a sponge once or twice. And she will pick up any small thing on the floor. I don't know how and where she finds this stuff sometimes! But then there are many things she will not touch at all. She will take socks only from the laundry - clean or not.

Energy: Yorkies can have high energy, and then can be ready to snuggle in your arms or in their beds. I know that when my husband is home, Lexi will often sleep all afternoon, as I'm guessing she does when he is working days. On weekends, she is out with me more, and tends to get tired earlier at night.

The yard sounds great, but watch out! My fenced in yard is not safe for Lexi as there are spaces she could squeeze out of the fence, and too much trouble she could get into!

They are such loyal little members of the family, and love to give love! I would definitely heed the advice of others and, should you choose a Yorkie in the end, start teaching your children early, and choose one that is likely to be a little larger rather than smaller.

If Yorkies aren't the dog for you, I had a Shih tzu for many years. She was so calm, not aggressive in any way, didn't shed, and was a great dog for a family.

Good luck!

[Ellie May]

Health problems and behavior issues are directly related to breeding and training. So, if you get one from a breeder who does pre-breed health screening, there is a larger chance that the dog will have less health problems (like liver shunt, luxating patella, legg calve perthes, etc). If you are on top of training all the time, you will likely end up with a well behaved dog. Some Yorkies are barkers though and there is little you can do to stop it. Some are very difficult to potty train. And although I don't want to make a blanket statement that Yorkies and kids do not go together, there are better breeds for this situation in my opinion. It will be a lot of work making sure the kids don't run by the dog (if they fall on it, she will likely get seriouly injured). No rough play at all and some get snappy when they are bothered. So a Yorkie may or may not be the breed for you depending on how much time you want to devote to the whole thing.

[GPONTLITZ]

I'd stick with medium sized dog, I really feel yorkies can get hurt so much quicker if there in the 5 to 8 pd range. You even read horror tales on here, where they were injured by being dropped. So if you find a medium sized one, I think you'd be okay. They are wonderful dogs, I'm on my 3rd yorkie.

[Yorkiekids]

I have to agree. I think a medium size dog would suit your family better. You can't keep you eye on the littest one all the time, and one squeeze to many, or a falling accident can cause death. When little one's come to visit I put mine up, so they can't get to them.

[YorkieMaybe]

Thank you for all the great info. As for the stupid fish, he is a fantail goldfish that gets himself trapped on one side of a plant, and also thinks that he can survive without water (jumps out of his tank)....
My youngest daughter has been taught since she was born to be very careful with animals - she does not pick up animals at all. Not even our cats. I am VERY strict with my kids and anyone who is in my house about how my animals are treated and I also do not allow my kids to run in my house. They know they can run and get hyper outside, but they also know that they don't play rough with the dog either..... especially owning a chow, I don't take ANY unnecessary chances. My chow is 'put away'(Put in crate or bedroom) when my kids have friends over because I can not always trust other kids and
We have also owned small breeds before, Pomeranians. So I am not totally new to the small dogs.
I also wanted to re mention that my youngest will hopefully be around 5(possibly older) before I am even considering a new dog.
As for training, I am pretty avid in dog training. I have taken many dogs through puppy, beginner and advanced training. My current chow has gone through puppy, beginner, advanced and agility.
Oh, and I am definitely not looking for the 'teacup' sized dog, a medium size yorkie would be what I would be looking for.... probably 6-10 pounds roughly?? I am not positive but I know I would not be looking at the super tiny ones.
I do appreciate everyones help and opinions - they are VERY helpful. I am trying to be very openminded and also be very honest with myself in what would work for us. I will continue to read on here and hope no one minds me asking a million questions....

[MollysMum54]

just another little thing..yorkies need a lot of grooming too, but personally i love that bit. i have to give mollys coat a good brush/comb everyday without fail, or it matts badly. make sure you have time to do that

[LilMissy]

Hi! Welcome to YorkieTalk!

I am one of the "tiny" Yorkie owners with 3 kids ages 6, 4, and 3. Your kids sound like they are already following the same rules that I enforce with my kiddo's. I am a fairly new Yorkie owner, only had Missy for 3 months now, but I have to say that things are going FANTASTIC with how my children treat her. They don't run in the house, they make sure their toys are always picked up. They are only allowed to hold her in their lap while sitting on the floor, never while standing or walking or sitting up on the couch. They have understood completely since Day 1 how to treat Missy. They are very gentle with her, and they make sure she never gets into anything that she shouldn't. They are always making sure that Missy is safe.

As far as Yorkies personalities, they are all so different! They are suppose to be hard to potty train, my Missy has been pee pad trained since coming home at 7 weeks old. I can count on my fingers how many accidents she's had in the house. She's been great from the start, thanks to the breeder starting her in an ex-pen with pee pads, crate, food and water. I just continued doing this at home until I was comfortable giving her free reign because she was being so consistant with her pad. She *rarely* barks. When she does, it's in play and very quiet. She only chews her bullysticks. I can leave her alone in my house at 18 weeks of age without her doing anything other than sleeping. I'm aware that things could change in the future, but so far until she messes up, I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. She likes to be with me every moment of the day, but also doesn't seem to mind when I leave. She just sleeps. Also, I've heard that Yorkies are usually only a ONE person dog. This isn't the case with my Missy, she loves everyone in my family of 5.

This is my first Yorkie, and I am really impressed with the breed. I already want another one. They are so intelligent!