We are inheriting a yorkie

[LJG]

Hi, a friend of ours, lost his best freind unexpectedly in a car accident. I did not know the victim, but he had 4 yorkies. We are taking one of them home to live with us. I would love someone to tell me the essentials of what I will need.

The dogs are in animal control right now, as the neighbors brought them there when he was killed, and we will get one of them in 2 days. (I"m hoping to get 2 but my husband is not so keen on that.)

We have never had a dog, we have dogsat for extended periods of time, but I want to make this traumatized puppy as comfortable as possible.

We are also going to get a brand new mini golden doodle puppy in January as a surprise gift to our children. It was born a couple of weeks ago, so it will not be our only dog for long.

[Wylie's Mom]

Hi and welcome to YT !

I would read this entire thread: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...ent-guide.html

[Tink04]

How wonderful of you... Bless you for taking one of these babies into your home. Best of luck!

[Yorkiemom1]

I always recommend "Yorkies For Dummies"...it is a super book and you can reference it continually from now on! Yorkies are not like any other dog you have ever owned....they really do consider themselves like a human member of your family, and want to be with you, in constant attendance....very few of them have a personality that encourages them to go off and amuse themselves for extended periods of time, or just "alone time"....you will find your yorkie wants to be right with you, if not glued to your lap, are in attendance at your feet, with you under constant observation from where ever they have positioned themselves. That baby will be looking and mourning the loss of its previous owner, so dont be confused about what is going on there. My little dog that I had when my mother moved in with us, looked for mom easily for at least a year after she had died....the pup would walk into mom's room and stand as far back as she could so she could see if mom was in the bed.....so there are lots of adjustments your new pup will be trying to understand...just be patient with her....she will adjust!

[SharonSnowbird]

How wonderful of you to take in one of the Yorkies, (sad for them they have to be split up though) if you have never babysat a Yorkie before, you are in for a real treat, they are so totally awesome.

[gemy]

You already got some good information - so I am going to share what might not be in the books referenced.

1. Learn the Yorkie shuffle - That is where before you step you take a moment to glance down to see if the dog is underfoot . You can couple this with a slow forward slide of your foot

2. Try to get as much health history of your adopted dog as you can.If nothing else the name of their previous vet and try to use this vet for his or her medical care. I would specifically want to know if this dog is clear of luxating patella - this is a knee condition that is graded 1-4 with 3and4 being more severe and might require surgery. Eyes free of cataracts PRA and glacoma. No MVD or liver shunt - a special blood test is done to measure bile acids. There are other things but these are three biggies.

3. I would not rename the dog at all. After all that is the name they were used to since they were young.


4. Learn if you dog is indoor trained or outdoor potty trained.

Now about the Mini Golden Doodle I assume this is a cross between a toy poodle and a Golden Retreiver. You do understand that if you want a small dog this one is unlikely to be small. It could grow as large as a Golden but more likely somewhere in between the size of the two parents. Learn about the health issues of each breed because each breed for sure has some! And please don't buy the line that a mix is healthier than a purebred dog.. Recent research shows that overall this is not factual. You can go to each clubs National Website to learn what testing is recommended before breeding and what health issues are common to the breed(s).

Now this leads me to my next point - due to the size differential of your two dogs you will need to set a system in place to protect your Yorkie. Until the puppy matures and is obedience trained - most especially your Yorkie will need supervision. An Xpen or crate for time outs for your Yorkie and to sleep in at night.

Welcome to Yorkie Talk and good luck with your new dog.

[matese]

Welcome to YT, how wonderful you are taking one of these precious babies, how very sad for the loss of their owner.yorkiemom1 and gemy gave you very good advise, this baby will be confused and yes, looking for their owner, and missing his pack, patience is the key word with this baby. See if you can get the name of the vet the owner was using, they will have all his medical history. Please keep us posted on his new life with you and his family.

[Opium88]

I would if possible ask for an article of clothing or blanket of the previous owner. That might help the little one with the transition. A little familiarity goes a long way. It might help alleviate the shock factor a bit. and be patient ever so patient with them. Yorkies tend to get seriously attached to their humans, so it might take a bit for the distant and detached phase to fade away.But don't lose heart, it will happen. How old are the children? the new furkid might be a little touchy at first so if they are young supervise their interaction . Especially if he/she isn't accustomed to children. Let the new one get comfortable around them before handling so there is less chance of any negative behavior . Basically , it's like you're inheriting a confused and scared 4 year old that doesn't speak english(and is much cuter than a 4 yr old)...just be mindful of the emotional confusion they are experiencing and you should be just fine. And by the time you get through it and he/she comes out of their shell you'll be wishing you had gotten two of them . Yorkies are addicting little buggers.

[matese]

Originally Posted by Opium88

I would if possible ask for an article of clothing or blanket of the previous owner. That might help the little one with the transition. A little familiarity goes a long way. It might help alleviate the shock factor a bit. and be patient ever so patient with them. Yorkies tend to get seriously attached to their humans, so it might take a bit for the distant and detached phase to fade away.But don't lose heart, it will happen. How old are the children? the new furkid might be a little touchy at first so if they are young supervise their interaction . Especially if he/she isn't accustomed to children. Let the new one get comfortable around them before handling so there is less chance of any negative behavior . Basically , it's like you're inheriting a confused and scared 4 year old that doesn't speak english(and is much cuter than a 4 yr old)...just be mindful of the emotional confusion they are experiencing and you should be just fine. And by the time you get through it and he/she comes out of their shell you'll be wishing you had gotten two of them . Yorkies are addicting little buggers.

GREAT advise

[Opium88]

Thank you Matese

[LJG]

We got him this afternoon. It has gone great so far. He has kennell cough from being in the humane society for the last 2 weeks, he is on antibiotics though. We are taking him for well check this week at vet.

He had no accidents, clearly let us know when he had to go.

He had a bath without whining, and just basically cuddled with our oldest on the couch all afternoon and evening . Did play a little fetch, but mostly just rested.

We are super excited, and a little worried.

He didn't make a sound. No whining and no barking as of yet.

[matese]

Congratulations, sounds like you are off to a great start, take it slow with him, let him come to you on his terms, losing his beloved owner,pack and being in a shelter for 2 weeks is very stressful and confusing to him. Your description of his first day / night sounds like he is just grateful to be in a family environment again. Precious little guy. My adopted boy bonded with me almost immediately, he was a surrender, spent only 2 or 3 days with my vet's rescue team, not in a shelter as long as your little guy did. Most rescues takes about a week or two for them to gain trust and bond with their new family, life style and new schedules. If he seems shy just be patient, speak in soft tones, praise and give treats for letting you know when he needs to go potty. Please keep us up-dated on his new life with you and your family. Good luck.

[LJG]

Dog hasn't whined or barked. Not even a little...
do you think it had its voicebox altered somehow?

I just think its so weird. Still doing awesome. Such a quiet content pup.

I'm just wondering if maybe the original owner had something done to make it unable to bark?

[LuvMyFurkidz]

I think it's wonderful that you adopted this little one. As for the barking - when I brought my Lexi home, (I had 2 older Shih Tzu) she played very little & just wanted to sit in my lap & "observe". She never made a sound for 3 days. Believe me, she has made up for it since then. I think you will find out soon if yours can "talk" or not. I have seen dogs that have had surgery to prevent barking, but they still made some sounds - reminded me of when someone has laryngitis. Hoping this had not happened to your furbaby.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by LJG

Dog hasn't whined or barked. Not even a little...
do you think it had its voicebox altered somehow?

I just think its so weird. Still doing awesome. Such a quiet content pup.

I'm just wondering if maybe the original owner had something done to make it unable to bark?

That is not so common in pet dogs - and not many vets will dothe de-barking operation. I would for right now go with she is just quiet as she settles into her new home and situation Some dogs shut down some and some go the opposite way of being more re-active - barkey etc. This is obviously something you can ask your vet to check for when he does her full physical. Would be nice to know one way or the other.