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OwenandDaisy · 08-04-2008, 01:17 PM

Boy Yorkies tend to be more independent than girls in my experience and the girls tend to be somewhat more aggressive over territory, food or toys.

The girls we have had cuddle a bit more and can be easier to groom - the boys always want to jump out of the bath!

I believe dogs are meant to live in packs. We currently have three Yorkies - two girls and one boy. They are extremely happy on both workdays and weekend days - they love to have us home but function extremely well if we are away.

My advice is to have at least two Yorkies. One boy and one girl works fine if both are spayed/neutered and a two girl combo can work right as well as long as you step in to control any jealousy.

One thing I would NOT advise, however, is to try raising two puppies in the same house at the same time. We went through this with our most recent puppies who are now close to six months old - getting a male and female from the same litter - and it is an overwhelming amount of work.

The rewards for raising these two together are obvious - they are bonded well with each other and have a great time playing, which means our older dog (Daisy is 3) does not get run ragged like she would by a single puppy - but everything is more difficult with two puppies in the house because one will start to respond to training and the other will undermine the effort you have made.

So, I would suggest raising a puppy to ten months or so and then adding a second puppy of the same or opposite sex. It is helpful to have the first dog spayed/neutered before adding the new friend.

For us, three dogs works better than when we just had two. With three, they appear to have developed all the natural pack behaviours that dogs are well documented to benefit from. They are self-sufficient, yet very fun and affectionate with us humans and they are almost always calm and polite.

We have no problems with barking, aggression, social skills, grooming, sleeping through the night, jealousy, possessiveness or chewing.

A single Yorkie, male or female, tends to become very dependent on the human parent/leader and will often exhibit unwanted behaviours if left alone. If you work every day, make plans for two dogs at least - it is probably in their best interests and makes life a bit easier for you as well.

If you are home most days and you want a lap dog who will go everywhere with you, a female Yorkie tends to fit that role a bit better than a male.

08-04-2008, 01:17 PM	#18
OwenandDaisy Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 10	Both Boy Yorkies tend to be more independent than girls in my experience and the girls tend to be somewhat more aggressive over territory, food or toys. The girls we have had cuddle a bit more and can be easier to groom - the boys always want to jump out of the bath! I believe dogs are meant to live in packs. We currently have three Yorkies - two girls and one boy. They are extremely happy on both workdays and weekend days - they love to have us home but function extremely well if we are away. My advice is to have at least two Yorkies. One boy and one girl works fine if both are spayed/neutered and a two girl combo can work right as well as long as you step in to control any jealousy. One thing I would NOT advise, however, is to try raising two puppies in the same house at the same time. We went through this with our most recent puppies who are now close to six months old - getting a male and female from the same litter - and it is an overwhelming amount of work. The rewards for raising these two together are obvious - they are bonded well with each other and have a great time playing, which means our older dog (Daisy is 3) does not get run ragged like she would by a single puppy - but everything is more difficult with two puppies in the house because one will start to respond to training and the other will undermine the effort you have made. So, I would suggest raising a puppy to ten months or so and then adding a second puppy of the same or opposite sex. It is helpful to have the first dog spayed/neutered before adding the new friend. For us, three dogs works better than when we just had two. With three, they appear to have developed all the natural pack behaviours that dogs are well documented to benefit from. They are self-sufficient, yet very fun and affectionate with us humans and they are almost always calm and polite. We have no problems with barking, aggression, social skills, grooming, sleeping through the night, jealousy, possessiveness or chewing. A single Yorkie, male or female, tends to become very dependent on the human parent/leader and will often exhibit unwanted behaviours if left alone. If you work every day, make plans for two dogs at least - it is probably in their best interests and makes life a bit easier for you as well. If you are home most days and you want a lap dog who will go everywhere with you, a female Yorkie tends to fit that role a bit better than a male.