Hope there's room for a Brit on board?
I'm Alyx and I'm early 40s and live in the north of England. I've had dogs all my life and worked with them as well. I'm mum to Jamie (4 in July) and also have 2 lionhead bunnies and a little yorkie pup called Tilly...my second yorkie. She's only 9 weeks old on Tuesday but is such a good girl and a strong character already.
I only joined Yorkie Talk a couple of hours ago but have already noticed several differences between the UK and The States. Our breeders let puppies go at 8 weeks and sometimes 6 weeks. It would be nice if they kept them a bit longer but I guess it's too much like hard work for them. Tilly's fine, though, and we've had her a week and she's settled so well. Right now she's fast asleep tucked under my arm (I'm on a laptop). I was lucky enough to find a really good breeder so she's had a good start.
I also notice that you have a long programme of vaccinations...including rabies, which you obviously need. I've given Tilly a week to settle in and she's booked into the vets for her first jab on Tuesday and then has another to follow a fortnight later...then that's it for another year. I can take her out for walks a week after her second jab. In the meantime I can carry her out in a puppy pouch but not let her on the ground or near other dogs. This is a new thing as previously we had to keep dogs inside until they were fully vaccinated. It makes sense taking them out (though I'm very careful where we go) as these weeks are very important in socialising them.
My little boy adores dogs and is so happy that we now have Tilly living with us. He's as gentle as a kid can get when it comes to animals, but he's looking forward to the time when she turns from a 'pocket shark' into a gentle little dog, lol. He does understand that biting is how puppies play with each other, so is patiently waiting for the time when he can play with her nicely.
And me...I'm just very, very happy to finally have another yorkie in my life after 6 years without one.
