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Originally Posted by Stormyw2000  I adopted a sweet little 3 yr old dog from my local shelter. I've had mini schnauzers for 31 yrs and know that breed inside & out. I went to the shelter to consider a schnauzer they had for adoption but I took a darling little mixed breed home. Consensus is that he's a yorkie maltese mix, but seems more yorkie. He looks like a yorkie with floppy ears. He's had a rough start. I think he was kept in a crate most of the time and was the victim of archaic training methods. (afraid of keys, loud voices, newspapers, & looked for a place to hide when he had an accident) He didn't know how to walk on a lead, he doesn't know how to play with toys, doesn't eat treats. In the six weeks I've had him, he's blossomed into a friendly, affectionate little friend. He's tiny - he weighs about 5 lbs. I'm used to rough & rugged 18 lb schnauzers. He has that terrier attitude that I love so much.
I want to give this little guy the best care possible. Does anyone have advice for food (he's on blue buffalo toy breed & my home made recipe developed for the schnauzers' to prevent bladder stones), obedience training, toys, harnesses, etc.? Are there health concerns I should watch for or can prevent? He has long silky hair. What are the best ways to care for it? Any advice will be appreciated.
The first thing I did was get a mesh harness - I know from meeting yorkie's in my travels they have delicate tracheae and collars aren't the best option. |
What a wonderful thing you have done to save this little guy! If you have not already done so, please take him to a good vet to have his teeth thoroughly checked for tartar. Yorkies, generally, do not have good teeth and they need to be brushed. Also, the vet should check him out to see if his joints are good and I would have a blood panel done. Has he been neutered? I would have that done after the blood panel. A good pin brush without ball tips is good to care for yorkie hair, as well as a good metal comb with both narrow and wider teeth, is good to get mats out. They tend to mat mostly where their harnesses or clothes have confined their hair. The BB is a good food. Be sure to watch the recalls. Buddy Belts are a wonderful harness that protects their trachea, plus they are very easy to put on them. We have a YT seller that gives discounts on them. Her username is Maximo. If you're interested, you can send her a visitor message or pm her. Congratulations on your new friend. You may want to peruse the stickies at the top of the rescue forum for any ideas:
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