I am new and can use advice.

[Kadrew]

I am a new member and am interested in getting a yorkie. Are they that much harder than other small dogs to train? What does it mean when people talk about expressing anal gland? (read this in grooming thread). How are they with children. My children are small but I dont allow them to be rough with any animal. Any advice is welcome.

[Jaspermom]

Welcome to YT!

I really don't think yorkies are any harder to train than any other pooch. You just use patience and love, and make sure you praise praise praise. Train in a positive manner, and never yell or hit.

I think most yorkies do not have to have their anal glands expressed if they are on a good quality diet. Anal glands have a fluid in them that helps lubricate the "poop chute". If the glands are working properly, the fluid comes out with the poo. If they aren't working right, sometimes the glands get overfilled and can sometimes even become impacted, infected,and even burst. You just need to keep an eye on them, and if you notice your pup is having trouble, or dragging it's bum around on the floor, they might need to have their glands expressed. The technique is pretty simple, but you should have a professional show you if you want to do it yourself. Ask your vet or your groomer.

I am unsure how I feel about yorkies with small children. Some yorkies are very tiny and can be easily injured accidentally by kids who may not be as careful with the tiny dog as we could hope. Others are cautious of kids, and wouldn't get close enough to be harmed. You would have to be very careful when you first get a pup to make sure the dog and your children are well supervised when in the same room. I have heard that some folks never let their children hold a pup unless they are sitting on the floor.

I wish you all the best!! Keep reading, do your research, and make certain you are VERY sure a yorkie fits your personal lifestyle and family situation before you get one. But I can tell you that I will never have any other kind of dog. Yorkies ROCK!!

[Kadrew]

Thank you so much for replying. I am on the waiting list from a breeder to get a larger yorkie aka not the tinny ones. the breeder was recommended by my vet so I know shes good. Are the larger ones so fragile that they are that easily hurt? I mean like jumping from the bed and getting hurt. i have done tons of research some good some bad. one site had people stating that they had never seen a 100% housebroken yorkie.I wouldnt allow my kids to pack the puppy as I never allowed them to be rough with our cat either. We no longer have the cat due to child allergic to cats .

[Princessyorkies]

helllo and welcome......I can't really say anything other than what has already been said.

[oceanair27]

Welcome to YT!

We have a 6 month old yorkie at 2 lbs, and 3 kids, ages 15, 11, and 5. They have been taught to be very gentle with all animals, and have done exceptionally well with her. However,when we first brought her home we kept her in her own enclosed area for the first 2 months for her own safety,and to help potty train her. We were afraid that until the kids got used to her being there she might have gotten stepped on or worse. But she now has the run of the house 24/7 and everyone in the household has learned to drag their feet instead of "regular walking" to avoid that. Its been great! and we even plan to get another in a few months, but the next one we get we would like to be a little larger,so we wont be AS nervous. This would be my sugestion to you, go for a larger size in the standard, say....6 to 7 lbs, trust me you'll breath alot easier.

[mustangbee]

Hi, Welcome to YT!!!!
Looks like Glad has covered it all, so I'll just say welcome.

[Jaspermom]

Originally Posted by Kadrew

Thank you so much for replying. I am on the waiting list from a breeder to get a larger yorkie aka not the tinny ones. the breeder was recommended by my vet so I know shes good. Are the larger ones so fragile that they are that easily hurt? I mean like jumping from the bed and getting hurt. i have done tons of research some good some bad. one site had people stating that they had never seen a 100% housebroken yorkie.I wouldnt allow my kids to pack the puppy as I never allowed them to be rough with our cat either. We no longer have the cat due to child allergic to cats .

Here's a whole thread about them!
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34802

Any dog can be hurt by jumping or being dropped, so being careful is key. There have been many yorkie puppies that have had their legs broken (or worse) by jumping or falling off high places such as couches and beds, or even out of their owner's arms because they are so wiggly. Not only is the fact that your furkid is in pain very hard to take, but the cost of repairing the injury is extremely high. You just need to be careful, and remember that accidents can happen, but prevention helps.

As far as housebreaking is concerned, if you read the threads in the "Training" section, you will see that it is indeed quite the challenge to housetrain a yorkie, but it is very doable and has been accomplished successfully by many here. I know that in my own yorkies, I have never had one that did not have the occasional accident in the house, but usually it was my fault for not letting them outside in time. You will get to know your pup's schedule and "signals" and they will train you when they need to go. You on the other hand are responsible for making sure they know WHERE to go, and rewarding them when they do. Think about this: which would you rather have make an "accident" in your home; a yorkie or a German shepherd? lololol

Best of luck, and feel free to keep asking questions! But I can tell you that the "search" function also works great if you want to read other's experiences about the subjects. I learn from other people's mistakes all the time, lolol!!

[Dougal&Little]

Hi there, Welcome to YT! Yorkies are strong willed, like all terriers, so require time and paitience to train them but they are worth the effort! Clicker training is just the best!! (http://www.clickertraining.com) I can recommend it highly!

Can't help with the children side of things - I don't have any of those - just yorkies.

[Baby Blessing]

Originally Posted by Kadrew

Thank you so much for replying. I am on the waiting list from a breeder to get a larger yorkie aka not the tinny ones. the breeder was recommended by my vet so I know shes good. Are the larger ones so fragile that they are that easily hurt? I mean like jumping from the bed and getting hurt. i have done tons of research some good some bad. one site had people stating that they had never seen a 100% housebroken yorkie.I wouldnt allow my kids to pack the puppy as I never allowed them to be rough with our cat either. We no longer have the cat due to child allergic to cats .

I can say our other yorkie Cassie was totally housebroken, she was quite small only three and half pounds, we had a porta crib and when I was busy outside or we had to leave her at home, which was hardly ever, I would put her in the porta crib with pee pad at one end and food and water at the other (always felt she was safer there for the time being) so we are training Baby Blessing the same, I do use the pee pads and have them in several places in our home to make it easy for her, so if we don't get outside she knows to use it, funny though cause after peeing couple times on one she neatly folds it up like to say get this thing outa here, LOL. Baby Blessing is still rather young, I believe at the present time Jack and I are the ones trained, lol. But thats ok, we are retired so we are able to be real observant in training her, we are fortunate there. Main thing is that after drinking water and eating to take them out for a bit cause they generally do their numbers, puppies need to be taken outside often to get them potty trained. Cassie would always come to me jump up and hit my leg with her paws and give me the I gotta go potty bark, how I miss that and all the other wonderful things about her, they really do win your heart, part of ours went with her. I think they are very smart. I love the yorkie breed and wouldn't have any other.
When are you to get your new puppy? Patti and ~~Baby Blessing~~

[Baby Blessing]

Originally Posted by Dougal&Little

Hi there, Welcome to YT! Yorkies are strong willed, like all terriers, so require time and paitience to train them but they are worth the effort! Clicker training is just the best!! (http://www.clickertraining.com) I can recommend it highly!

Can't help with the children side of things - I don't have any of those - just yorkies.

Thanks for the clicker training site, book marked it. Can't believe how strong willed Baby Blessing is, she really has a personality all her own what a personality that is, think we should have named her Sassy Boss, LOL. By the way do you have two yorkies? What age are they and when did you start them on the clicker training? I got the clicker but have to learn and read up on it all. Patti ~~Baby Blessing~~

[chachi]

I have two yorkies and a 5 yr old. I would get a yorkie thats going to be standard size or one that is going to be larger. I have one that is 6 lbs and one that is 10 lbs. My 10 lb boy plays with my daughter and can play rough if she does. My 6lb yorkie does not play with her but is sturdy and could. Just dont get one that is going to stay tiny and you will be okay

[Kadrew]

If I want a female it will be late july before they are ready to go providing her mom had a girl and she stays healthy. I can get a boy now but worry about hiking his leg and marking my house. I am torn as which to get. The breeder knows I wanta 'bigger" size not a tiny. SHe doesnt breed them but as you all know some naturally are runts. Thanks so much for the welcome.

[chestermama]

Chester is 9 pounds and I had him around kids from puppy to now and he is good with kids. You have to be carfeful with playing and jumping and the roughhousing. Chester was hard to potty train but I had never done it before, but he was worth every minute of it. He goes on his potty pads at nite and when Im at work, and when Im home he goes to the door. Socialize them well when they are little. Good Luck

[MAKCAI]

Welcome..just wanted to say hi...Yorkies are great to own...they do like alot of attention, but they are great...they love to play..and they can be hard to train, but so can alot of dogs....you do have to be careful with them though...jumping, cause they are fast when they move about....they are great house dogs...

Claire

[hannahsmom]

Hi, welcome to YT. Hannah is close to 9 pounds so she's pretty solid. I have 2 teenage boys and she loves playing rough with them. So a bigger one definately worked better for us.