I am 45 yrs. old and I grew up w/Dogs all my Life, I have had every Breed from a Pitbull to a Newfoundland and everything in between. I have 3 Yorkie's
Artie 10 lbs./4 yrs. old, Abigail 8 lbs./3 yrs. old and Pom Pom their daughter
5 lbs./2 yrs. old. I am a true Yorkie Fan, of all the Dogs I have ever had my 3 are by far the most Impressive. I have such an incredible bond/connection with all 3 of them whether they are by themselves or all together as a Pack or in their case as a Family. They are very smart and learn things quickly!
They respond to voice and sound commands as well as hand signals.
They understand English, Filipino and Japanese (Since I'm from Hawaii).
They were all House Trained within a day or 2. They are all Healthy, except for an annoying honking/snorting cough from Artie when he gets excited.
I do NOT recommend this Breed for small children, I have Trained/Socialized mine to accept children of all ages but I can tell they are uncomfortable, except for Abigail, she was bred by a Woman who was a Grand Mother of 5,
so she was around that kind of comotion/energy all the time from birth which is rare for this Breed. I do not recommend this Breed for first time Dog Owners
that have never had or raised a Dog before, only b/c Yorkies usually figure out at an early age how much they can get away with and usually manipulate their Humans. The reasons I am so Happy and proud of mine are
endless. Poor Health is a sign of Poor Breeding, unfortunately you DON"T get what you pay for, regardless of the price it's NOT a Garauntee of Quality!
It's so sad to me that this is such a popular Breed that they are being over-bred w/NO "Quality Control" everybody wants to Breed their own to make a buck or save a buck? Bottom line is you must make the effort to Train and Socialize them just like any other Breed of Dog. I enjoy every moment w/mine
b/c I know that I am Lucky enough to have them!
For the record I have about 10 friends, 1 Sister and 3 Cousins that have Yorkie's and they all complain about the same problems and always ask for my advice since mine are so well behaved and actually Trained. So if you have had previous experience Training Dogs of any Breed you should'nt have any problems? My 3 know exactly what I want and what I expect of them.
Do your Research, read as much as you can about them so you won't be surprised and you will know what to expect. I personally ignored every negative thing I ever heard about them, I would tell myself "Not mine" and I would purposely try to prove them wrong. I would also see my Friend's Yorkie's act like Fool's @ my House while I was Dog Sitting or while I was @ their's and after about 5 min. around my 3 they all laid down and fell asleep.
Good Luck to everyone that reads this it's a hard decision b/c it is a long term
committment, but by all means recognize and admit your limitations. Yorkie's are NOT for everyone but I did notice you either Love them or Hate them with
all your Heart!
