New Here Introduction

[FluffsandFlower]

Hello. I am new to the group. I joined to learn more about Yorkies and to learn of any nearby breeders. A bit about me…..I live in Evansville, Indiana. I remarried about 8 years ago. We were both widows….I had 2 black & white (one black/white parti and one black & tan with chinchilla gene) female havanese and my husband had 2 black & white females shih tzus. It was quite a lot of fun having 4 female dogs in the house. Unfortunately, our dogs were pretty old. My eldest havanese went first about 1 ½ years ago at the age of 15. Then his eldest shih tzu followed. My last havanese crossed the bridge about 1 month ago at the age of 16. We are left with Josie, our one shih tzu (who I believe was a rescue, I’m not sure) she is almost 9 and is built like a cross between a shih tzu and a french bulldog. She’s had a bit of an adjustment because she has never been an ‘only dog’ and isn’t the slightest bit alpha. I had always thought that I would get another havanese when I was ready but then on two separate occasions I met the most lovable yorkies and now I’m wondering if maybe I should consider a yorkie instead. So I’m doing my research and I hope you don’t mind sharing your personal experience/opinion on a few questions I have.
Are they lap dogs? My havanese were my constant shadow BUT they weren’t lap dogs. Josie is my first lap dog and I’ve discovered that I REALLY like lap dogs!
Do they shed much? Havanese are considered non-shedders but I always referred to them as stingy shedders…..they lose hair (but not blow coat) but they keep it to themselves so they will matt easily.
How are they at housebreaking if you are consistent? I taught my havanese to ring a bell at first.
How trainable are they and how are they in social situations like visiting the elderly or greeting kids as we walk around the block? I realize that dog has their individual personalities but I’m asking in general.
How fragile are they? I mean, do I have to worry about them jumping off the couch and injuring themselves?
And finally, are you aware of any reputable breeders in my area?
Thank you and sorry for the length.
Cheryl

[matese]

Welcome to YT, you have come to the right place to learn about yorkies lol.
To start off with, Yorkies do not shed, if you keep them in long coat they must be brushed every day to keep them from getting matted. Yorkies do not have an under coat, do not have FUR, they have HAIR. I keep my kid in a puppy cut low maintenance. House breaking....I have raised 4 female yorkies from puppies, I first potty trained them on pads, mostly because you cannot take any puppy, any breed out doors until they have had ALL their vaccines which is usually about 5 to 6 months old. My puppies were 100 % pad trained at 5 months old with no accidents in the house. They were confined to a 3x3 area with bed, food, water, pee pad, and toys,until they were 100 % pad trained, when they were not confined I had a pad in one place and I watched them very carefully. At 5 months old I started walking them. They should be on a schedule, feed twice a day, once in morning once in evening, the same time every day and night. Every dogs potty needs are different, I fed mine then 30 minutes later I walked them, even if they had already made on the pad, they were walked anyway. Dogs need a schedule, they need to know when they will eat and when they will be walked. Some puppies may need to potty 15 minutes after they eat, you will see when they need to make, and adjust your walk time to their needs. All my puppies were 100% house broken with no accidents at 7 months old. Many ppl say their yorkie was hard to potty train, consistency is a MUST, praise and treat reward when they potty where they are supposed to, Patience ,consistency and schedule are key factors in potty training..... Are they lap dogs lol, some are, some are not, my belief is, when they are puppies if you keep them on your lap a lot they will be lap dogs, however, our bodies throw off a lot of heat, many yorkies do not like that, so lap dog really depends on the dog it's self....Are they social dogs....that falls on you, ALL dogs must be socialized from puppy hood. as soon as puppy has all their vaccines start taking them out so they can meet ppl and dogs, they will be as social as you make them, the more strangers they meet the more social they will be, same with meeting other dogs.... Are they fragile....any yorkie that is under 5 pounds should not be allowed to jump off furniture, yes, they can break their ting bones. The standard weight for a yorkie is 5 to7 pounds. I have only had big yorkies one at 9 pounds, 2 at 13 pounds, one at 17 pounds and my rescue boy is 12 pounds, they are sturdy and can jump off furniture with fear of breaking bones. We have many members with yorkies under 5 pounds, I am sure they will chime in how they care and provide safety for their wee lil babies.....Yorkies are a very high energy breed, they need lots of exercise, if you have a yard that is perfect but they are never to be left alone in a yard without supervision. If no yard nice walks is good to tire them out. Your yorkie will be your shadow, where ever you are, so will be your yorkie, even the bathroom, yorkies must always have their human in their sight. They are very smart dogs, learn commands and tricks easily and fast. They are a hunting breed but also wonderful companions when they are not hunting. Ok that is just a starter lol, others I am sure will be along to offer up their experience, advise and suggestions. There is much to be learned on this community.

[canana]

Welcome to YT!

When I first finally got over losing my Maltese several years ago, I decided I wanted a different breed and researched heavily on the Yorkie on YT. And boy am I ever glad I did!!

From my own experience, Yorkies can be lap dogs. I found that their level of affection changes with time. When mine were puppies, they were more independent and very much full of energy. About the 1.5 - 2 years mark, they calm down and become a more cuddly. All in all, no matter what age, they have a very spunky personality. You'll always be entertained.

Like the Maltese, Shih Tzu, and Havanese, Yorkies don't shed. They have hair like we do. I am allergic to dogs, so the fact that they don't have a shedding undercoat works well for me. I keep my babies' hair long, so I need to comb them daily.

Ease of housebreaking can be a hit or miss. Some manage to successfully house-train within a few months, others like myself take about a year. But, I do believe that if you're able to be consistent (and somewhat of a problem solver), you'll be able to potty train them eventually!

They love to please and do really well with positive reinforcing style training (I use the clicker with treats). Social-wise...you'll hear about one who are great with people and great with dogs; then you'll hear about ones like mine who bark at all dogs and are weary with people (despite being socialized a lot as as puppies too).

If you're worried about them being fragile, I would let your breeder know that you prefer ones who are expected to be 6-7 lbs or more. My Scottie is 5.5 lbs but I still worry about him jumping off the couch. He loves to jump, but his legs are very delicate. Casie is 4.5 lbs and she's super delicate. I've never owned such a small dog, so I always take extra care to make sure she's not injuring herself.

For finding reputable breeders, I took the approach of attending a local dog show. Basically in each litter, there will be show quality puppies and pet quality puppies. The point is that with reputable show breeders, you are more likely to get a healthy puppy.

I didn't want to rush, after coming across several websites that had red flags. I liked the idea of meeting show dog breeders in person and asking questions and meeting their dogs. So, I was flexible and didn't mind waiting a few months to attend the next show. And then waited another half a year for an available puppy.

Note that if you're wanting a heavier Yorkie, you'll be in luck, because most show breeders will sell puppies expected to be heavier as they won't likely be showing them in the competitions. Another option is, you can always purchase a retired show dog. Breeders will have dogs of all ages that have retired. Once you get a dialogue going, you can find out more. And if one breeder doesn't have pups available, the next best thing is to ask them for a breeder they'd recommend.

[Captainzing]

Hello and welcome to YT

[Lovetodream88]

Welcome! I'm sorry for your losses. It's always great to do research first a lot of people don't then don't enjoy the breed and the poor dog ends up in a shelter or not treated well. I have two yorkies my old girl who will be 10 soon likes to lay next to me and across my legs or if I curl up with my legs kinda under me/ to the side she will curl up next to me she is also a bigger girl at 16 pounds or so. My little baby boy who just turned a year is a HUGE lap dog and cuddle bug. He loves being held, sleeping on you, cuddling with you being carried ridding in a bag you name it. I never had potty training issues at all. With my boy we put a bell on the knob of the back door and he rings to to go out and go potty. Yorkies and human like have and no undercoats like other dogs so they can loose so hair like humans but the don't really shed a lot. Sometimes I noticed some as puppies but as adults not really. Mine both like kids and almost everybody they meet and they also are very dog social and love other dogs. They are very smart. My older girl has a trick dog title and my boy is going to start earning his soon. It can be hard with puppies to tell what there personalities are going to be so you might want one that a year or two old. They can be fragile if you get a very tiny one and then jumping can be an issue. Yorkies are prone to Luxating Patella and if they have that you really don't want any jumping.

[atlantis1982]

Another thing: yorkies are smart and stubborn! So while that makes them easy to train, they are also apt to choose not to do something, which can make things a little more difficult. Rules & consistency are the key; otherwise you end up with a little brat! (For example, my dad refuses to discipline Sunny; hence Sunny is completely dominant over him. His new thing is he's decided my dad isn't allowed to nap- when he sees his eyes start to close he gives a little bark. He doesn't want food/play/potty, he just wants his eyes open. And since he isn't corrected this continues.)

[FluffsandFlower]

Thanks for the welcome and the response!

[JrandOliversmom]

Atlantis that's hilarious! Junior learned sit command in one try and has no problem doing it since. He also ran the obstical course at the dogpark at 3 months old... BUT he is stubborn! He will go hide under a car if he doesn't want to come in or just straight ignore me!

[yorkiemini]

Great Yorkie stories here
Are you still looking for a good breeder in Indiana?

[yavenay]

There is one important thing that you have to very careful of when owning a yorkie.......Yorkie Mind Control :. Do not look in their eyes, if you do they will be able to control you and get you to do whatever they want you to do.

If they want to go outside, they will stare you down until you comply.......all I'm saying is don't look into their eyes for too long. If you do, you are doomed to a life of yorkie servitude.

[yavenay]

Originally Posted by atlantis1982

Another thing: yorkies are smart and stubborn! So while that makes them easy to train, they are also apt to choose not to do something, which can make things a little more difficult. Rules & consistency are the key; otherwise you end up with a little brat! (For example, my dad refuses to discipline Sunny; hence Sunny is completely dominant over him. His new thing is he's decided my dad isn't allowed to nap- when he sees his eyes start to close he gives a little bark. He doesn't want food/play/potty, he just wants his eyes open. And since he isn't corrected this continues.)

Classic example of yorkie mind control

[FluffsandFlower]

LOL...Too funny!

[Nutmeg]

In my experience with Yorkies - bigger is better. My last two at their top weight: 3 lbs, the other 7 lbs. HUGE difference!

The little one had more problems and definitely much more fragile.(even though she thought she was a pit bull). She was at the emergency hospital at least 2 or 3 times a year, not only for health issues but for accidents like getting stuck under the car seat tearing her acl or getting her little leg caught in the heater grate having to wrap her up with the grate to get to the vet, etc. etc. seems like there is a whole set of problems for the little ones due to their size. Everyone wants to hold them and you're holding your breath for fear of dropping them.

In my experience a couple lbs. makes a big difference! Good luck & let us know who you bring home!

[canana]

If you're still looking for a Yorkie, there's a 2 year old, 13 lb Yorkie available for adoption!! He's currently in Texas and the foster home right now will include the flight to anywhere in the USA. He's all checked out... Have a read in their description. $650usd
https://www.petsmartcharities.org/fi...sults/17934292

[yavenay]

Originally Posted by Nutmeg

In my experience with Yorkies - bigger is better. My last two at their top weight: 3 lbs, the other 7 lbs. HUGE difference!

The little one had more problems and definitely much more fragile.(even though she thought she was a pit bull). She was at the emergency hospital at least 2 or 3 times a year, not only for health issues but for accidents like getting stuck under the car seat tearing her acl or getting her little leg caught in the heater grate having to wrap her up with the grate to get to the vet, etc. etc. seems like there is a whole set of problems for the little ones due to their size. Everyone wants to hold them and you're holding your breath for fear of dropping them.

In my experience a couple lbs. makes a big difference! Good luck & let us know who you bring home!

My previous yorkie Brandi (RIP) was only 3lbs and extremely fragile and did have health issues but I think it was due to being neglected from her previous owner. However she was so fragile. I literally bought steps for every couch in the house because I was afraid she would break a bone jumping down.

Duchess is built like a linebacker and is 7.5 lbs and so much more sturdy. She is solid as a rock. She gets a gold star every time we go to the vet. In fact when I went to pick her up from her spay, you couldn't even tell she had just had major surgery. She was awake and alert and ready to play only about an hour after the surgery. I was starting to wonder if they actually spayed her.