Is a Yorkie for me?

[Minsky]

Hiya,

I stumbled accross this wonderful web place for Yorkie lovers a little while ago, and have been sat glued to the computer - reading all the entries on the forum to gain info on this breed. I have for a while now been searching for the perfect toy-dog to fit my personality, and have through the last few years purchased more than 50+ books on various small dogs, from pomeranian, to maltese, japanese chin, chihuahua and griffon bruxellois. (My boyfriend thinks I'm possessed, lol Although I was a bit obsessed with the Maltese for a while, I completely had an eye-opener when I met a lovely little Yorkie a little while back, that just seemed so full of life and cuddely It was love!!

I am primarely looking for a small companion dog, who loves his or her's owner most of all, who likes to cuddle on the lap(and kiss if possible), and who does not require extremely long walks every day. I have past experience of a lovely medium-sized mixed breed dog, that underwent agility classes and obediance trials, and who was my hairy daughter. She's 15 now and is living the life of a canine "golden girl" at my mother's big house :-) As things are now in my life, I'm ready for a smaller dog breed.
I have been a bit reluctant with the 'terrier' group previously, as people have constantly told me they have a high tendency to be aggressive, possessive, they bark and hunt, and want to run off (qualities I know can be hard to handle at times..) But then I stumbled accross this wonderful place, and it struck me how much impact every Yorkie has had on their owner's life (in a good way) and it really inspired me to learn more about Yorkies. Is it a good breed for me? (There is no children to worry about so that is ok!)

I would really appreciate if people could tell me a bit about their expreience of the 'typical' Yorkie personality. What's not so great and what is unique If any members on this forums have pomeranians, maltese or chihuahua's, please tell me how they differ from the Yorkie as well. I am hoping to get as much information as possible, so I know I make the right decision one day when I get a little new furry baby

Thank you so much for reading this long entry, hope to hear your points of view

------------- Minsky --------------

[brendah]

Hello and Welcome to YT! It is great to see you are here.
I have Yorkies and a Maltese. I love them all. They each have a seperate personality and all love to be on my lap and sleep in my bed.
This is great to see that you are researching before you decide what yu want. I am very lucky to have all of my furbabies.
Something that is very important it to find a great breeder and also find a great vet that is familer with small breeds. These little ones seem to make us worry more and it is nice to have a great vet to be able to call when we need to.
The hair needs to be taken care of daily with both of the breeds that I have.
I wish you the best of luck in your search, whatever you find I am sure you will be happy and receive tons of love from your new baby

[jeanm1963]

First Welcome to Yorkie talk!! Secondly Congrats for putting in alot of effort before jumping in and just purchasing a dog.
Let me tell you about my dog.. I was not a " dog " person or so I thought, I got her because I was sick with cancer, best decision I have ever made, that said I never new what a commintment it was going to be. Honestly It is NO different then having another child. To me she is the best dog in the world, she is not " champion stock by certificate but in my eyes she is!! She is very needy , does not like to be left home alone, I cook for her, she comes with me in the car just about every where I go, we go to the dog park or for a long walk every day. I am the CRAZY lady outside at 6 am in my pajamas playing fetch. I am home all day and I dont think she would have it any other way , I had already planned on going back to work but had a schedule already figured out, I only work .4 miles down the street from my house and have to be at work at 9 am , I take a hour lunch from 12-1 and my daughter is home at 2 30 and Im home at 430 from work...I would not have gotten her had that not been the case, I do think yorkies are a very NEEDY breed and like to be with thier owners, however there are many that work full time.. ( so this is just my preference), my dog is also 100% outside potty trained and has been since about 7 months old, she does not bark unless it is warrented , ( a strange noise) or warning... I have a very good friend actually my best friend who got a yorkie the same week that I did , she had to surrender him last week because she didnt realize the time and commintment and needs of this type of dog. He hated to be left alone, he barked alot , he never got potty trained but she was trying to work full time and had children and left him home alot more then she should have.
ON that note, YORKIES are the best dog EVER, I love my dog as much as my children. She has brought me so much happiness when I didnt have any and when I was very very sick.. She is the perfect yorkie in my eyes!!

[maryeverett1]

What Brenda said was all true as far as hair care goes but many yorkie owners keep their dogs cut in a "puppy cut" which far less easier to manage than the long hair! As far as the positives go I would be here all day but I will try and list a few of my favs. The top one would be their personalities. Like people each one is unique but they all seem to be full of life, attached like glue to their owners (my 3 follow me all around the house everytime I move!) they want to be near you all the time, love to cuddle and kiss and in my opinion I have never met an animal that resembles a human personality in a furry body until I knew a yorkie! My sister's 5 year old yorkie understands complete sentences without her moving a muscle and my best friend's 5 year old 2.5lb little girl is like Rachel mcadams in the movie mean girls and will openly snub people! It's hilarious! They thrive on praise and are constantly wanting to please! A few of the downsides would be that they can be tricky to potty train and definitely would not be the breed for someone who wants a dog that acts like a dog and needs little attention! They also need to be closely watched in the first 6 months for hypoglycemia and other conditions as they grow out of puppyhood. But in my opinion the positives (which are absolutely endless) out weigh the few negatives and no breed is perfect but yorkies come pretty darn close to perfection! Yorkie owners are a breed all their own! We passionately and with abandon love our dogs and don't care who knows it or thinks we are insane! A yorkie and the right owner is a magical combo! From what you have listed this definitely sounds like this might be the breed for you! I had no yorkies a year ago and now have 3 so they are also very addictive! Good luck with your search! We are so glad you are here!

[AllDogBoots]

I have a yorkie/maltese mix and to be honest with you, I actually decided that he completed me so much that I chose not to have children!! He's extremely lovable and requires a good amount of attention. I work from home, so I'm able to provide that to him. He's an emotional dog who shows various personalities all the time from fear, to love, to excitement, to anger (he may growl if i try to move him while he's sleeping ).

I give him the puppy cut and I only need to take him to the groomer about once per month. I have a small fenced in yard and that seems to be more than enough for him for exercise.

I, too think it's wonderful that you are researching. Yorkies tend to be funny little dogs and you can train them quite easily, once you get past the stubbornness. I've trained Cooper to ring a bell to go potty, but I can't for the life of me get him to drop a ball when he wants me to throw it.

I'm considering another dog, and I'm definitely excited to get another Yorkie. It sounds like a great breed for what you are wanting. Also, my Cooper is 9 pounds, so he's not as fragile as the other little ones.

[yorkieusa]

Originally Posted by Minsky

Hiya,

I stumbled accross this wonderful web place for Yorkie lovers a little while ago, and have been sat glued to the computer - reading all the entries on the forum to gain info on this breed. I have for a while now been searching for the perfect toy-dog to fit my personality, and have through the last few years purchased more than 50+ books on various small dogs, from pomeranian, to maltese, japanese chin, chihuahua and griffon bruxellois. (My boyfriend thinks I'm possessed, lol Although I was a bit obsessed with the Maltese for a while, I completely had an eye-opener when I met a lovely little Yorkie a little while back, that just seemed so full of life and cuddely It was love!!

I am primarely looking for a small companion dog, who loves his or her's owner most of all, who likes to cuddle on the lap(and kiss if possible), and who does not require extremely long walks every day. I have past experience of a lovely medium-sized mixed breed dog, that underwent agility classes and obediance trials, and who was my hairy daughter. She's 15 now and is living the life of a canine "golden girl" at my mother's big house :-) As things are now in my life, I'm ready for a smaller dog breed.
I have been a bit reluctant with the 'terrier' group previously, as people have constantly told me they have a high tendency to be aggressive, possessive, they bark and hunt, and want to run off (qualities I know can be hard to handle at times..) But then I stumbled accross this wonderful place, and it struck me how much impact every Yorkie has had on their owner's life (in a good way) and it really inspired me to learn more about Yorkies. Is it a good breed for me? (There is no children to worry about so that is ok!)

I would really appreciate if people could tell me a bit about their expreience of the 'typical' Yorkie personality. What's not so great and what is unique If any members on this forums have pomeranians, maltese or chihuahua's, please tell me how they differ from the Yorkie as well. I am hoping to get as much information as possible, so I know I make the right decision one day when I get a little new furry baby

Thank you so much for reading this long entry, hope to hear your points of view

------------- Minsky --------------

Welcome to YT. I hope you find all of the information you need to make an informed decision. Yorkies are wonderful little dogs. They really don't like to be alone. Some do suffer with separation anxiety when left. They are active little dogs. Some yorkies are lap dogs after they get older, but not so much when they are puppies except when they want a nap on your lap. It is a misnomer that they do not require much exercise. I believe many of the constipation problems incurred by many are caused by the lack of sufficient exercise. Mine walks a minimum of 2 miles a day and sometimes more. They like to play fetch and play ball. When people aren't at home with them, they can have a more difficult time housebreaking them. I would never have any other doggie. Just yorkies for me. Some can be more timid than others. Some are wild and crazy and lots of fun to have around. Because they are terriers, they do better when they have a fenced yard to run around in, but they can do well without a yard as long as you are willing to take them out for exercise and potty. Having a yorkie is like having a toddler for about 15 years. They can be your best friend. They make great playmates and are always up for some mischief. Some are a bit destructive during the teething stage and require a constant watch, but eventually that phase does pass. They require healthy chew toys during this stage, too. Their digestive system is more sensitive than most dogs and require a high quality diet and a consistent diet in order to avoid stomach upsets. Anyway, as I stated, I wouldn't want any other little doggie but a yorkie.

[Lee B]

I have the best of both worlds: a 9 lb. cotton-coat male who's kept in a perpetual puppy-cut and a 4 lb. long-haired diva . Actually, she's a tomboy, so her hair needs a little more attention. The boy is a little more independent; the little girl stays on my bed most of the day, waiting for me to come home from work. Oh, she comes out to play if there's a rousing game of "fetch" going on (my daughter's home all day), but most of the time, she just spreads out on the bed and waits.

Both of them are shadows. I can't go anywhere that they're not right behind me. I put belled collars on them (like cats) so I know where they are and won't trip over them. They're sweet, and loyal, and funny - cuddly when I want, and independent when I need them to be. They don't know they're little dogs and are fearless. But they're not yappy (unless I hold on to the ball too long during fetch, at which time they read me the riot act!).

I'm nobody's Spring Chicken any more. I've had dogs all my life, usually in multiples, mostly "mutts" and lately purebred. I've had 185 lb. Great Danes down to little Bella. I've loved them all, every one. But the Yorkie is the only one that I've had a second of the same breed.

They're like potato chips: you can't have just one . Decide what you want from your pup and go in that direction. If you're not gonna show and that long hair is going to be too much of a hassle, then go for the puppy-cut cotton coat! The dog inside the hair will still be marvelous.

I hope my dogs last as long as I do ... they should. But I don't think I'd ever want anything other than a Yorkie again. They are just THAT good.

[PenniesMom]

Just like alot of other people here ive had tons of different shapes and sizes of dogs but the smallest dog our family ever owned was a 15 lb dashound. I thought i always wanted a border collie then 3 years ago my sister surprised me with one for christmas she was cute and sweet but she bonded to my mom so now my mom "owns" my 40 lb lap collie i love her but she isnt MY dog. I cant tell you what drew me to a Yorkie but after I decided that what i wanted I saw a lady with a 13 week old puppy and it brought me to tears that was it i LOVED YORKIES. Of all the dogs ive had ive never loved any like i love my Penny and ive never gotten this kind of love back from anyone or anything. My advice look into the eyes of a yorkie your heart will tel you what to do from there!

[Minsky]

I just wanted to thank everyone who replied to my thread, it is just so heart-warming and lovely to read about your experiences with the fantastic Yorkie I have to say I feel more positive now than ever, that my next little furry baby will be a Yorkie . Thank you so much, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend

[Rhetts_mama]

Hi Minsky!
I spent about 2 years researching the yorkies before getting my little guy. I would highly recommend you look in to adopting a rescued one who's a tad bit older. You will get a better idea of their personality that way, so if you are looking for a specific "type", you might get one closer to your ideal. Puppies behavior can be deceiving.

My little guy is a full blown "dude". Active, tough and independent. My mom's boy is much quieter,a little shaky, likes to sit on the couch and cuddle and wouldn't even poke his nose out the door if my mom wasn't standing right beside him. You just never know for sure what you are going to get.

No matter what though, I love both of those little guys to pieces!

[Cerise]

Hi and Welcome to YT!

When I first started looking for the perfect companion breed for me I worried about the reputation of Terriers. But I learned that the Yorkshire Terrier may be a Terrier but is in a class of it's own.

If you are wanting a companion dog that will want to be looked at as your child and love you back as if she/he IS your child...the Yorkie IS the ULTIMATE companion breed choice. This breed is so unbelievably loving and develops a close bond to it's owner that melts your heart. Be sure you do your research and find a GREAT and reputable breeder. Having a Yorkie that is an exceptional representation of the breed is a blessing.

I can truly say that my Cerise has been a blessing to me and I made the right choice

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by Cerise

Hi and Welcome to YT!

When I first started looking for the perfect companion breed for me I worried about the reputation of Terriers. But I learned that the Yorkshire Terrier may be a Terrier but is in a class of it's own.

If you are wanting a companion dog that will want to be looked at as your child and love you back as if she/he IS your child...the Yorkie IS the ULTIMATE companion breed choice. This breed is so unbelievably loving and develops a close bond to it's owner that melts your heart. Be sure you do your research and find a GREAT and reputable breeder. Having a Yorkie that is an exceptional representation of the breed is a blessing.

I can truly say that my Cerise has been a blessing to me and I made the right choice

Very well said

I got Peanut with knowing NOTHING on the breed!! I think a Yorkie would be great for you!