[deb_1]

Hello everyone, I'm new and have enjoyed browsing the forum. I have a 1 year old neutered male Yorkie/Min Pin mix. He is 8 pounds and although he has more of a Min Pin body style, he has the smaller stature of a Yorkie (along with the cute Yorkie hair). We have had him since he was a baby and are ready to add on to the family.

We have been approved through two adoption rescues for several weeks waiting on a good match. We finally decided on a very calm 8 month old male Min Pin mix, which we later discovered was part hound. Even though the other dog was only a little taller, he was 3 times thicker with a solid muscular body and weighed twice as much. Their personalities seemed to be perfect together while we interacted at the rescue shelter together.

When we got home and they both relaxed and began playing, we realized quickly that the other dog was simply not a good match size-wise and he was going to eventually seriously injure Toby. His natural hound instinct was to tackle Toby and pin him by the throat. It was all done in play, but when a stronger, faster animal pounces full speed, flips you, and pins you down by the throat, it will hurt! There were also apparent issues with sharing toys. He would snap at Toby when he would come near one of his toys and would also take toys from Toby. Toby was completely submissive, but still wanted so badly to play with him. We tried to correct the behaviors, but almost a week later we had to realize that they were not a good match as the 8 month old was still not done growing. It was very hard on all of us, especially my son, but we had to take him back to his foster mom.

I have always wanted a Yorkie, and now it makes perfect sense to all of us that a Yorkie puppy would be the best match. Although I felt going through a rescue was the responsible thing to do, I do not think I will choose that route this time. Our priority is finding the best match, and we think a Yorkie puppy who is 12-16 weeks old will be best for our family.

The animal rescue folks all say a girl would fit Toby's gentle personality better since another male may fight for dominance later on. However, I'm not sure that would be an issue if we get a puppy. I've known many female dogs who are the dominant presence in the household.

In your experiences, do you feel a female or a male puppy would work best as an addition to a 1 year old neutered male with a very friendly and kind personality? I of course want another affectionate pet for myself, but also want one who will also have a great time being Toby's playmate.

Thanks for your time and help! This is an awesome forum!

Deb