You have some good ideas. I might add that many of the terrier breeds, including the Yorkshire Terrier, were bred for "ratting. " That is they were deliberately bred to be small dogs that could be put into small areas to seek out and kill rodents. Obviously a dog that needed to do that kind of work needed to be feisty to say the least. The Yorkie continues to be a very energetic dog that needs lots of exercise and interaction in order to be a happy well socialized pet. Many potential pet owners are being told that these smaller dogs are great for busy people in small apartments because they don't need to be exercised. That is very untrue. Terriers in particular are not always trained as easily as many of the more laid back breeds.
As far as diet goes....that subject could be considered to be controversial to say the least. Going grain free is becoming more popular with pet owners. There is a lot more to consider when choosing a good food for your pet than just what the first ingredient is. Actually when meat is deprived of it's moisture, as it is in the kibble making process, it's percentage on the ingredient list goes down considerably so the after processing content needs to be considered as well. Be careful when looking at that ingredient list. It is not always as it appears.
I have found that Gracie is very good with our other pets. Does your Yorkie not like other animals? I'm sure that there are plenty of Yorkies that would prefer to be the only pet but some are very social so I wouldn't say that as a general rule they should be the only pet. Maybe we need to go on a case by case basis? |