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Originally Posted by SadieLuv13  Just needed a little advice...I currently have a 3yr old female yorkie. She is as sweet as can be and well behaved. However, my husband and I feel that she may be a bit lonely since she is home alone most of the day and were considering purchasing another yorkie! I know many of you have multiple yorkies and I was just wondering if you had any advice for us. Would getting another female yorkie affect my current dog's temperment? How should I introduce the two? Should I seperate them initially when I am away from home? Will potty training the new dog affect my current dogs potty behavior?
Thanks so much. Your advice is greatly appreciated  |
First off, getting a second dog is a wonderful idea! I will never in my life have just one dog ever again. Dogs are pack animals and really thrive in pairs or more. Franklin and Maggie absolutely adore each other.
Getting another Yorkie shouldn't adversely affect your Yorkies temperament. If our case, it has made Franklin and Maggie both more outgoing and lively. Some people do say that you should get a male and a female so there is less chance of dominance fighting. However, there are many people who have two boys or two girls so I think as long as they are altered, trained, and socialized properly, there shouldn't be a problem.
You should introduce them somewhere neutral. If you bring the new dog into your home, your old dog will feel territorial and threatened. Take them to a park or on a street far from your house. Take them on a walk together and let them sniff and interact before bringing them indoors together.
You should ABSOLUTELY separate them when you're not home, at least for the first couple of months. Franklin and Maggie
hated each other and I am fairly certain one of them would have injured the other had we left them at home alone together. We didn't leave them together until we were confident that they got along well - around 2-3 months after we got Maggie.
Your older dog's potty training really shouldn't be affected if she is pretty well trained. In fact, she may even be able to aid the puppy in it's training.
Good luck and feel free to ask more questions!