My hubby loves Razzle as much as I do! He calls him QTip! lol He also spoils him rotten. And hubby and I are large dog folks. But that is what a Yorkie is a large dog in a small package.
he has no issue with walking Razzle even when Razzle was all wrapped up when he was showing. This was our first toy dog and likely to be our last unless we do some short term fostering. Only because we hope that Razzman will live a long and healthy 17yrs or so.
To the OP: I would look at getting a medium sized dog, and as someone mentioned you will likely have the lions share of caring for the dog long term. Portugese Water Dogs are good with kids quite active and often make a good family pet.
If you want to stay small - a Havanese is also quite sturdy and very good with children.
If you have a concern or an issue with barking - like you live in a rental apartment know that most terriers are barkey and you will need to address that very early on.
And I will say Yorkies definitely are chick magnets :-) but if you think you would feel weird walking a small dog - make another choice size wise.
As a first time dog owner I would recommend you stay away from the Working Breeds as most are not suitable for an in-experienced owner. And that includes mixes of the working breeds. The exception Portugese Water Dog and possibly Boxer and or Standard Schnauzer.
There are more than a few sites that can help you select the correct breed for your family. You can go to
www.akc.org or
www.ckc.ca both provide a short questionnaire designed to help you select a breed for you.
A note on mixed breeds - most especially when the mix is of different sized dogs. First you will not know how large this particular mix will grow to be. You have to be carefull about the temperament and understand what is the temperament of each of the purebreds that were bred together. Then imagine the most difficult of the temperament in each breed manifesting itself in one puppy - could you deal with that? You will not know what type of coat you will end up with especially if the two breeds have different basic coats. And health concerns can be doubled up or conversely you could get a very healthy dog - there is just no way to know in advance.
Temperament and Health are extremely important - these are the two most frequent reasons why dogs are surrendered to pounds.
For example the Rottweiler : Dominant, Assertive, Stubborn - Needs to be trained and well socialized early and lots. Their purpose was to guard their burgher masters as they walked home from work. They also make good draft dogs .... And of course very very loyal and loving to their family.
Yorkshire Terrier ; Alert Sprightly Territorial Active Inquisitive and Determined. Can be *barkey* Thinks that they are a Big Dog.
Now imagine the combination........
The next thing I caution is that mixed breed breeders will often not do a PAT assessment of the pups - and understand what type of dog this one may go up to be and match the pups needs to an owner capable of handling those needs.
Some words to look out for when reading what a breeds temperament is:
Assertive - not the same as dominant but a dog that has courage and the willingness to use it.
Dominant - These dogs like to be and were even bred to be leaders of the pack and will boss you around if you do not know enough to handle a dominant breed.
Highly Strung Similar to excitable but different - more a nervous temperament - They usually do well with lots of exercise, and a predictable routine.
Excitable - they love to bark - they are engaged in the world around them and respond quickly to stimuli.
If a breed is described as not for the first time dog owner - trust that description and look elsewhere - including any mix of that breed.
I hope this helps you and that you find the perfect pet for your family