Are two puppies to hard to handle?
 

I was wondering if we should purchase two yorkies instead of one? We had one pug for 14 years ( he passed away two yrs ago) And I wished he had his brother or sister. I hated to leave him when we went out to the movies or a long day of shopping etc... but will two make me anxious? Do they do better with a sibbling? should I wait a couple of years between to get another one? or get them from the same litter? same sex? or opposite? prefer girls.

WELL, AS A NEW MOMMY OF TWO YORKIES I HAVE TO SAY WE DECIDED TO GET TUCKER A LITTLE SISTER BECAUSE HE ACTED UPSET CAUSE WE HAVE BIGGER DOGS THAT HE CANT PLAY WITH. HE WOULD CRY. TUCKER IS 5 MTHS OLD. SO WE JUST GOT SAMMY( SHE IS 4 MTHS OLD), AND IT IS LIKE HAVING TWO TODLERS. SOMETIMES THEY LOVE EACH OTHER AND SOMETIMES THEY HATE EACH OTHER. THEY HELP EACH OTHER GET INTO TROBLE ALL THE TIME, AND I AM AFRAID ONE WILL GET HURT SO I AM ON PUPPY WATCH ALL THE TIME. I WOULDNT CHANGE IT FOR THE WORLD CAUSE TUCKER LOVES HER TO DEATH, BUT IT IS ALOT MORE WORK. I DIDNT THINK IT WOULD BE BUT IT IS. SO GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DECISION. I AM HAPPY WITH MINE!
RENAE, TUCKER AND SAMMY:animal-pa :animal-pa

I got Holly when Gracie was about 18 months old. Holly is more than a handful. I can't imagine having two little ones at the same time. Having one at a time allowed me to get experience with Gracie before bringing Holly home. I am a much more confident Yorkie Mom with Holly than I was with Gracie.

i understand not wanting to leave them alone... but i read up on having two puppies at the same time and i hear potty training is harder cus if there is a slip up you dont know who did it, etc.

We have 2.....Got Barney first...And went back and got his brother, Bennie, a couple weeks later.....

I am glad we got both of them....Potty training for us was easier this way...I think.....Barney caught on really quick and Bennie just followed him....Even though, they are the same age....

There are times, I wonder what was I thinking...But I am glad I did it and would do it the exact same way again.....

Twice the love and play....


Joyce

just looking at ya'lls avatars makes me want another one - they are adorable. I think potty training would be easier because they'd have a buddy to go outside with -

Our boxer trained our yorkie - he would snort and shake his head then run to the back door when Daisy made a boo boo.

oh my gosh! such mixed reviews.. I guess it depends on the temperement huh? My husband gets so impulsive when we see puppies. Especially when you go to just look, and then you see only two left. You don't want to leave the last one behind.. You don't want him or her to feel rejected. I will have to really think this one through and be smart. I love the lays comment..so true with a lot of things..haha.

We had two grown Yorkies and added a little female. Two months later we added a little male. Bizzy Bee was quickly trained and used the dog door easily. Jersey Boy was a boy and came with his own instincts to "mark", so we immediately adopted belly bands. I kept him in bands until all of our females had gone through a heat because he kept trying to "mark".

Then to my surprise, I just started leaving the belly band off in the morning after his first outside time...and it appears that he is house trained! Go figure! So potty training two can be done.

The great benefit is that two are more than twice as good as one -- more fun, more playful, better companions. They are such a joy to each other, running and playing and jumping and exploring together. This way they leave the older yorkies alone and chew on each other.

If you have the time to put into the potty training, I highly recommend two yorkies! :aimeeyork :aimeeyork

I personally think two are better than one. They keep each other entertained!

However, I would precaution from buying two from the same litter, since they often end up just bonding w/ each other and not with their human.

yes, I have heard this too. But do yorkies get too attached to people? My pug as so attached to me he would not eat until I got home. He only wanted to sit next to me, and follow me around the house. This hurt my son and husbands feelings. They did not understand that dogs have special bonds. They always referred harvee as being "my dog". So this time I am hoping that my new puppy or puppies will bond with everyone.

We are currently training 3 puppies at my house! We have Li'L Sapphire, who is 6 months old, and two from the same litter (Phantom & Brandi) who are 4 1/2 months old. There are also two adult yorkies in the house! Let me just say that it is challenging - just imagine 3 times the normal destruction, but at least once the puppy stage is over - we don't have to go through it again for awhile! Sometimes, I want to rip my hair out, but for the most part, they are really good puppies. I wouldn't change a thing.

Most experts recommend that you wait until the first puppy is at least a year and well trained before adding another. Like with children, puppies will pick up bad behavior just as easily as good behavior. Rescues often get pairs about a year or two old who are turned in because they are not housebroken and badly behaved. A well trained young adult is a great role model for a puppy.

definitely get two !!!

I thought about that too. I would hate to go through all that training and then have to start all over a year later. Wouldn't it be nice if for some extra money you can buy your puppy already housebroken.. I would pay the x-tra cash..in fact, it was funny..when My husband saw how much yorkies cost now He said " Are they housebroken"? I said, No! He said "Holy @$@$@" He is over it now.. wait til he finds out I'm thinking about two..hee hee.

I only have one, but will get a second one at some point.
It all depends I think. Its twice the fun and love, I dont think or see it as twice the work. And I work 50 hours a week and cook for Rocky too. And we are cool about it.
Questions you must ask yourself, do you have enough space in your house, do you make enough money to feed them both well and take them to doctors if needed. And can you leave them with someone if you must leave, or loose a job.

yes, yes and the last one is a doozy. I have been in a discussion on another thread about boarding and this is a concern. I don't board, so I would have to make sure I have someone to house sit for two instead of one. It is like having children.. It was easier to find a babysitter for one but two changes the scenario a little..So that is a good one to think about. Thanks

CoCo was 6months when we got Coffee. It worked out very well for us. She loved him from the start, in fact she chose him, the breeder brought two for me to choose, and CoCo chose Coffee. They are second cousins, but you would think they are brother and sister. I don't feel so bad, leaving them for a few hours, as they have each other.

Sheilagh

If you want two and have the time to train and the money to take care of two new puppies you should go ahead. I would have gotten two myself but one for me is hard enough. Like someone said you can always wait a yr to get another one. It all depends on your lifestyle and how you feel about it. Good Luck on your new puppy or puppies:D

someone on this forum just got two puppies around Christmas time, it would be great to get a report from her

I'm Delighted With My 2 Littermates
 

I got my 2 Yorkies at 16 weeks of age in November 2008. It has been wonderful! BUT, thankfully I am not working, and have found that they require a LOT more attention, and patience with training than having just one.

It is imperative that you establish yourself as the alpha from the first moment you take them home. They have not ganged up on me yet at 8 months, and seem to get along very well for the most part. Each has its own personality, and you have to treat each one differently in terms of reprimands, etc.

They have their share of arguments, and I have to be very vigilant to stop them if it sounds to be more than just wrestling and a bit of viciousness creeps in. Be sure you have 3 times the amount of time than you would spend on having just the one.

I found crating to be impossible. They were always in each other’s crate, and no amount of training could convince them otherwise, even though I think it’s best for them to have a place they can each call their own.

Be careful about food sharing. With time and patience, it didn’t take too long to have them eating out of the same bowl. They love it when I hold a chew toy for them, and this helped in teaching them to share. I would only hold it if both would chew it at the same time. This helped in stopping food and toy possessiveness. I find it best to give them 3 identical chewies or toys, since one always believed the other had the best one. When given a choice between the remaining two, the squabbles would end. They now exchange their chewies peacefully.

Be aware that training is a lot more difficult. For example, each knows how to sit and stay individually, but to get them to do it together is another story. Since they will always be together with me, it’s necessary that they obey their commands at the same time. Often, one will not sit, or will soon stand up, and the other shortly thereafter follows. I did, however, take them to separate puppy classes, so that they would learn to socialize with other dogs on their own.

All of the books and advice I received suggested that I should not get two dogs of the same age at the same time. I read that 2 females will often fight to draw blood between 18 and 30 months of age. Two males will apparently also fight, therefore I chose one of each sex. (The female is now going into heat, so I will be frantic in another post shortly).

The expenses are astronomical, so keep that in mind. Twice the vet bills, 2 sets of booties and winter coats, 3 times the toys, etc. However with two of them, you are still going on one walk, need one carrier to take them into stores, one feeding (only twice as much), etc. so the actual "work" involved is not rreally doubled, in a way.

I love them so much, that I think I might add a third little Yorkie in 2 or 3 years.

Go ahead and get the two! They do keep each other company, and provide endless hours of play and companionship with each other that is impossible for a human to substitute.

I owned one Yorkie for 21 years. I often thought of getting another, but her closeness to me would have meant that sharing my love would have broken her heart. She was so reliant on me that I now decided on getting two. I am VERY glad I did.

i got my two youngest a couple of days apart right after christmas :) i added a third in late february / early march and could not imagine life with just one :D

i am not sure how easy one is since i only had one for a couple days but two is not bad at all! it actually can make things easier on you because they have each other to entertain lol ... it is harder to detect who has the accidents during potty training but i did find that the one who caught on faster "helped" the other one know where to go...at least i think so :p

they two i got close together are about 5 weeks apart...and they just adore each other!

We only had one Yorkie until a month later when Tucker came to us and he is Ryder's litter mate ! We also have an old Cocker that mother's the boys . I would be lost without my boys and they would be lost without each other and the Cocker ( and that may happen soon as she is losing ground quickly ) . We have never regretting the decision to take in Tucker and I would have more if I was allowed ! Sometimes the house can be complete bedlam ( like when DD brings her Yorkie to visit ) but they are all good company for me and each other . At night all 3 dogs go into their separate kennels with no problem , during the day the boys go in a playfence if I go out . We travel with all our dogs most of the time but if we have to leave them at home then our single son comes in to puppy watch !:aimeeyork

I am going through this right now I was originally going to bring home just chloe but when I got there to pick her up her brother was the last one left. I could not bear to think that he may be left behind. So I brought tank home too. There are sometimes that I think to myself what was I thinking. But then when I see them playing together and how they look after one another I can't imagine not having them together. Plus I get 2 kisses instead of 1!! But like someone else wrote it is a little more difficult when it comes potty training because you have to watch them closely because if not you dont know who made the mess. But if I had to I would do it all over again!!

Last September, we brought home two little Yorkies that was born a week apart in July. They had the same daddy. Oh yes, it was and is a handful but I would never part with either one. It is a job to train them.....if they make a mistake and you do not catch it immediately....which one do you correct????lol ....Nevertheless, what a joy they have been to us and to each other. They love each other so much. They play so well together We do make sure to treat them both the same way. No jealousy in this household and it has worked well. They do not argue over treats or anything else as they know no matter which one gets something first, the other one will receive the same immediately. They are spoiled but corrected with love so it is a good balance. I would remind anyone who gets two, to remember the cost is double of everything that you do for them. That includes a lot of vet bills such as spaying or neutering, shots, grooming, etc. They certainly can be high maintenance doggies but if you can afford it, have enough love for two equally, then go for it. Good luck whatever the cholce will be. They will fill your days and nights with more love than you can fathom, they are highly intelligent and are eager to please.

We got our two little ones about 3 months apart. That was just time enough to housebreak the first one before the second one came. They were each 7 months old when we got them, so not little puppies. they are wonderful companions for each other. I highly recommend two of about the same age.

My older girls I got at the same time.. They're sisters and I heard so much bad stuff about getting two at the same time (they'll bond to each other, they'll behave like each other, etc etc).. It couldn't be farther from that!! They don't really pay much attention to each other other than sleeping together.. The one is super clingy and loves laying on me, whereas her sister will come over for attention and gladly go away when asked or something else catches her eye.. I have four and none really seem bonded to each other any more than dogs I've had years apart in the past.. It may vary from person to person though... :D Get two! ;) ;)

We got Tucker and Lilly at the same time... they were from two different litters born a week a part. I loved having two at the same time. Potty training was a little more of a challenge but I think the benefits out weighed all of that. They LOVE each other and I think they wouldn't know what to do without one another = )

Plus more yorkies to love, my family would fight over just one dog. We happily have three now and I can see considering a fourth down the road :D

I had one and after 'fighting' for another one (girl) for a year, I won the battle over my husband!!! We finally got a girl on Dec 28.

Yes, it was twice the work - brushing hair, cleaning teeth, bathing, grooming, etc; twice the expenses - food, treats, vet bills, clothes (of course!), etc. but twice the FUN!

When I see them playing with each other, love each other, all the works and money are worth it! If I could choose again, I would do the same thing!

So my conclusion is..... YES, two please!!!! :D

Good Luck!!!!