What's wrong with Yorkies?

[pink66]

Last week I was looking around on a few dog forums that were not breed specific. I was shocked at the number of posts that made fun of Yorkies or had negative things to say about small dogs in general. There were so many references to people with small dogs that "dress them in designer clothing and carry them everywhere" or even worse--use STROLLERS!!! I find this attitude shocking because I always assumed that most people who love and have dogs love all (or most) dogs. I understand someone having a bad experience with a particular breed and then not liking that breed, but what is it about Yorkies that makes people so critical? A lot of what I'm seeing goes beyond annoyance to actual anger and hate of Yorkies. I just don't get it.

[kjc]

They don't understand and it's impossible to explain to them what happens when one owns a Yorkie and forms a bond with one. I can't even explain it to people who are open minded, they won't really 'get it' until they become an owner, and then they see for themselves. I tried forming a similar bond with my GSD, which took tons of effort on my part, and although we got closer, she just wasn't as open to the same level of closeness to a human as my Yorkies are.

Or does it all boil down to respecting each other, and allowing others to make their own decisions and have their own thoughts, and accepting each other even though we are all different?

[Wylie's Mom]

You could swap this situation for soooo many others....bc people who get enjoyment/satisfaction out of putting down or disdaining other people are usually the small minded people of the world...and they're *always* gonna be there, trying to look down on others to make themselves feel better / elevate their own view of their own choices. Height of arrogance, you say? I agree !

Try not to pay any mind or energy to arrogant and insecure people, their opinions don't really mean anything since they're not based upon anything but making themselves feel better.

Maybe they're, ahem, so insecure about *size*, that they need a 'large' dog to make up for it....lol? Whereas we don't . We don't use our dogs to make up for some perceived shortcomings. Rather, we let our dogs use us to love and be loved. I think we got the better deal!

[Deb1]

In my area, I have so many people come up to us with nothing but aww and compliments! I am one of those people that "dress" their pups and carry them where ever I go. It is just sad at how small minded and cruel some people can be. It could be a jealousy thing, too! Some people just don't or can't understand how much we love our pups!

[AngelFae]

I think a big "problem" that a lot of people have with Yorkies is that right now they are so "trendy." As for bias against little dogs in general- bad experiences and stereotypes run rampent. DH "hated" little dogs until I brought home our own "ankle biter, Muskie bait" Blazer. He works his butt off now changing other people's opinions of small dogs. As for your contention about dog lovers loving all breeds, I don't. Yes, I take each dog on an individual basis, but in general I am not a fan of certain breeds. It is what it is, I guess. I've only encountered one person who was terribly rude about any breed- her favorite are Corgis and everything else is crap, in her mind, and she is not afraid to disrespect everyone who has any other breed. There are just those types of people in this world, unfortunately.

[ShowGirlLola]

I think it's similar to the bad rap pit bulls get, tiny dogs also attract bad owners.
They're tiny and cute so a lot of people don't bother to correct their bad behavior and some use them as a fashion accessories or a status symbol.

[theporkieyorkie]

I think there are a few things going on...First and foremost, you've got the little dog stereotype of them being yippy and snappy. While big dog bites can cause more damage, it seems like there are more small dogs walking around with attitudes....It doesn't necessarily mean that small dogs are meaner than big dogs...most likely it's because big dogs get put to sleep or the behavior is corrected if they are that aggressive, whereas smaller dogs get away with the behavior more often because it's cute or because their potential to do damage isn't the same as an aggressive big dog. I know lots of people who have bad "little dog" stories.., especially childhood stories...and not nearly as many people with bad "big dog" stores.

And then you've got the stereotype of people who own yorkies. First and foremost....it's a womens dog...and then of course, we are either lonely old women suffering from empty nest syndrome or we are young girls using our dog merely as a fashion statement.

Of course, we know that the above is only a stereotype as we have people of every background on here...and there's quite a few male yorkie lovers as well....and while some of us like to dress up and pamper our pooches, it's for function as much, if not more, than it is a fashion statement. My dog would freeze his tail off if I didn't have clothes on him in the winter.

And then you've got people who don't even consider yorkies a "real" dog. I've heard this one lots. Because they are so small, and they are more fragile, apparently they don't qualify as a real dog...even though they can hunt, play fetch, and bark like every other dog out there. I think a lot of people think that yorkies are wimpy...and that's so very far from the truth. These guys may be small, but they have big hearts and many of them have no idea that they are the little dog in a group. In fact, in a pack of dogs of all sizes, it seems like a smaller dog is often the alpha in the group.


People are going to say the same things about poodles...or poms...or chi's.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by ShowGirlLola

I think it's similar to the bad rap pit bulls get, tiny dogs also attract bad owners.
They're tiny and cute so a lot of people don't bother to correct their bad behavior and some use them as a fashion accessories or a status symbol.

I agree with this. There are some people who let their dogs run the show and you can tell. It's quiet annoying actually. That's where the idea that small dogs in general are yappy, nip, or are just plain crazy comes from. All dogs need instruction and direction, no matter what size they are.

I will admit, there are some things people do with their yorkies that make me go I keep those comments to myself. Starting a thread or commenting on a thread that I think x, y, and z are stupid isn't going to be helpful or add anything to a discussion. If people aren't hurting the dogs or hurting themselves, I say let them be.

[ed and kathy]

I really believe that it takes a real man to walk a yorkie. We have had yorkies for over thirty years and have neighbors who stand in line for our pups. The last litter (4) all went to our Family Practice doctor's office and were placed as soon as they were born. Loving homes for loving furbies

[yorkiemini]

Last night our Agility Club had their Christmas party complete with fun run of all levels of pups. I took Cali who is maybe intermediate level, in her fanciest Christmas outfit and hair ornament (usually they are not allowed to run the courses in dresses, collars and such. Cali was the only small dogs there, and as lucky would have it she was really feeling really frisky and blew the doors off every one there! The big dog folks were stunned. Afterwards, as she sat in her zebra stripped stroller, so she would not get stepped on, all the big dog people where swarming me wanting to know how I trained her. They were appalled when I said not much more than the others do, BUT she does it all for love and fun, not because she is worried about displeasing me!

Her instructor had nothing but great things to say about the bonding that was the only reason I even started agility other than the exercise.

The big dog people had trouble understanding and were still asking how many hours we practice a day.......most never got it!

[Kaylee32]

People are just rude. I was brought up to believe that if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all, but unfortunately not many people learned that it seems. Where I live there are a few people that have yorkies, but they don't dress them up and take them everywhere like I do and don't think of them as children like I do so I always get a hard time about that. I have even had people question me very rudely about why my dogs tails were docked and saying I was horrible for having that done. People will always find something to complain about, and I have just learned to smile and go on about my business. Like someones said, I always just assume everyone is jealous of how sweet and cute my babies are

[Nancy1999]

I got a taste of this before I got Joey, I was at a fabric store buying some fabric to make a kennel cover and somebody asked me about my fabric and what I was making. She then asked me about what type of dog it was and boy, did I get an education on what the "average" person thought of yorkies. I heard the same things you heard, including they were mean vicious dogs. I think part of the problem is some people had bad experiences with Yorkies as children, and Yorkies aren't the most kid friendly dogs there are. They can be easily hurt and children are often rough on dogs, so it's not a good mix. Also, a lot of dog owner sdon't believe you need to train small dogs, so Yorkies are often unruly. My own Yorkie feels too protective of me, and isn't all that great around strangers, especially those who feel the need to pet him on his head or pick him up.

[Lovetodream88]

Some people may only get to see the yorkies who people use as fashion accessories and the yorkies who are not properly trained. People like to let one bad apple spoil the bunch. Callie gets cold very easily and I dress her to keep her warm and heck yes if I'm gonna spend money on clothing its gonna be cute. I do feel sorry for the little dogs who never get to be dogs and run around and go for walks and are instead held just about all the time and always in a carrier and maybe that's all they see. Lots of little dogs owners don't understand strollers either, Callie uses one because bad knees, I don't want her getting stepped on at crowded events and she simply gets anxiety from being on the ground at crowded events and wants me to carry her the whole time but at 17 pounds that can be a lot of work lol. I try not to hate any dogs ever I grew up with several different mixes. There are a few dogs I am uncomfortable around but I definitely don't hate any dog. A lot of people see untrained dogs every where because people just don't train so they see a yippy biting unbehaved dog and that is what sticks in there mind instead of the awesomely behaved dog. My dog pretty much goes against every stereotype that other people have for yorkies she does not bark, she does not bite, she was easy to potty train, she doesn't ride in a purse, she goes outside a lot, she rolls around in freshly cut grass, she potty's outside only, and so on. People also can just be jerks and need something to complain about. I know my dog is well loved and very smart so I try not to let what other people say bother me. We love yorkies and have known there great so we should fell sad for those who never get to know there love.

[SWHouston]

There's nothing wrong with Yorkies !

I think its an individual thing with them as far as getting along with small children, AND others as well. All of us take great pleasure in pointing out how unique our guys are, and IMHO that applies to their preferences as well. For instance, My Males don't like anyone besides us, and My Females never met a stranger they didn't like, and give young Girls a preference (I think it's the tone of the Girl's voices). My Adult Male is the worst of our Pack, and starts growling and aggressively posturing specially when a small child even gets close. When we have guests over, My Males get to stay in their room, and I let the Females socialize.

Everyone thinks I have such nice friendly Dogs

[gemy]

There is I've experienced a general attitude from large dog owners who don't get to see many Yorkies in the performance sports, to dismiss the wee dogs as pieces of fluff.

But there are also biases towards large dogs, in general, and towards some specific breeds.

I don't get a lot of that usually, as I own big dogs and a Yorkie. But I have had the occasional comment before someone sees my large dogs, when I am training with my Yorkie, that is not a dog, or some such comment like that. THen when I bring one of my big dogs out, Now that is A Real Dog! I just smile and say, they are all dogs to me. My Yorkie has the sharpest nose for scent, and he is my alert guard dog (he also happens to have the best eyes in the crowd).

I love both my breeds equally, and not for all the same things. Do I think Yorkies are special? You betcha! But I think my other breed is pretty damn special too! What both my breeds share is an incredible loyalty to their owners, a love of doing hey just what-ever you love doing, they are no nonsense dogs, capable of hiking with me all day, and love lazing too. They both would rather be in the room with me than on their own. They are both inquisitive albeit about different things. They are absurdly courageous.

So after my years on this planet, I do mostly remember to recall the "axiom" consider the source, and not the words.