Small breeds and kids don't mix?
 

Just wanted to share these pics. I know that there is some debate as to whether small breeds and young children mix well. I truly believe that well trained gentle kids and well trained gentle dogs can do very well together, even be best friends! It often hurts my feelings when people say families with small children shouldn't own these wonderful little dogs. Responsible parents can make it work out. And not all kids treat animals unkind.

This is Tinkerbell's favorite place when Noah gets home from school and they both are always wanting to be with him.

I agree! My daughter is 5 and is very gentle with our yorkies. ;)

I agree...I was so mad when I woould talk to breeders and once they hear that I had a 3 year old they were unwilling to give us one of their pups. We ended up inheriting Gidget so it all worked out in the long run. However they are best friends and he is really good with her...granted I have seen them rolling around on the floor together and I get concerned now and then but all in all they are great with eachother and cant stand being apart. I think it has to do with the child....Vincent can be very rough and tumble but when he is around animals he is super nice....if anything he would love them to death :P

well this is a touchy subject, i think i am both sides of the fences seeing as i have a little girl who is great with coco, but i also understand the concerne of the breeder. i know that the breeder only wants whats best for her furbabies and doesn't want them to get hurt. but i also feel that it's kinda discriminating. i find it very sad when a breeder chooses too sell the puppy to the "single" person instead of the person with a "family" with a small child who just wants a family pet. then you find that the "single" person got the dog because it's the "in dog" and it's a tiny at the time, then when the dogs fad runs out as well as it gets bigger than expected it ends up abandoned when it could have been with a family. this i don't get at all! i am not at all saying that all single people are this way and that people with families are better, but i have seen and heard it happen and it's so sad :( i feel that it falls in the hand of the parent to teach and guide their child to be gentle and careful with these small breeds, but i just don't feel that it's right to say that i can't have coco because i have a small child to me that is just wacko. jmho. here are 2 pics of my little girl with coco...

It is one of those touchy subjects and I lean more on the side of them not being a good match. I totally understand breeders not wanting to place a tiny dog into a home with young kids. I know there are very wonderful, gentle children out there and every situation is different but as a rule..kids are kids. They play, run, jump, hop, dance, chase, do flips, etc and accidents do happen. Not that they would intend to inflict harm, but kids are kids. I'm not saying this to be hurt anyone..it's just how I feel. I love kids, I had 3 myself and I have 6 grandkids and they are well behaved.

I agree, I think it depends on the kid and the dog. Everyone's kids and pups are precious!

Those pictures are so adorable! Everyone's little kids are so cute!! Anyone need a babysitter? LOL! :D I agree! Some smaller children can be very gentle with small dogs. It just depends on the child, and how tolerant the dog will be.

Here is my little brother with Cosmo. Cosmo loves when I go home to see my family becuase him and Chris play all day long. They are sleeping from playing for a long time.

My son is 2 yrs. old and loves playing with the girls. Of course I watch him while he's with them but he's almost always gentle!!!!

All of these pictures are wonderful! I think it is all in the parent and how they teach their child. I feel like it is most important to teach that a dog is not a toy. There is no jumping and running at playtime, it's four on the floor and they are separated when I can not watch them. I'm not saying that all families would be ok to have a yorkie, but I feel that those people shouldn't have any dog at all. As long as you can teach your child rules and feel confident that your child can obey them. And if you teach your child from a very young age it seems to work out better, atleast it has been in my case. I have had 10 year olds be so overbearing to my dog and scare the heck out of her, because they have never learned how to treat an animal. They hover over and grab at her. When my kids play with a dog, they sit on the floor and let the dog come to them. It can work out with the right parent. But I do understand breeders as well when they don't really want to sell to a family with small children. I think I was lucky in each instance because I was able to tell the breeder that we already had a small dog and how well it worked out with my kids so far and they were able to see how my kids interacted with the dogs.

i have yet to get pics of toby with kids, but he LOVES them.....lol.... they act just like he wants them too, they run away and wrestle and throw toys and all that good stuff........... if anything i am worried about the KIDS....lol,(i have caught toby being a little too enthusiastic and nipping and the kids...... for this he was punished and he didnt do it again)

Heres a pic of my son Ryan and Daisy when we first brought her home.

Yorkies and kids
 

Muffin and my 5 year old are doing just fine. I think if you set down the rules early, less chance for disaster.

Ahia loves kids. Buckeye hates them.
one neighborood kid is good them and another nighborhood kid is not.
depends on the child and depends also on the yorkie.

I have a 1 yr old nephew and he loves to pet the pretty doggy. I watch him closely but the only harm ever done was Lexi snapping at him. I also have a 2 1/2 yr old nephew that loves Lexi and they are great together. The best is Lexi and my 6 yr old. My daughter puts her in her doll car seat and carries her through the house and Lexi LOVES it.

What cute kid and furbabies you all have. It's great you all have taught your children how to treat a pet. My great-neice is only 10 months and we all have dogs, she at this age already know to pet the puppy and not pull the hair. By all the pic's it looks like all your children have kind heart. I think Madyson get more excited seeing my dogs then me sometimes lol.

my little sis adores rex and is sooo gentle with him. rex loves anyone that willl pet him though :p

:) My 5 year old son loves all of our babies. He plays but I do watch them, he is not aloud to pick up the pups inless he is on the sofa or sittin on the floor just so he dont drop them on accident, but he is very gentle with them and they love him too. Its so funny the way he talks to them in baby talk and says things like oh my baby boy koda and oh baby princess, he is so funny. We watch animal planet together and he loves to watch Thats my Baby, He always says awwww look at the little babies I think I have turned him into a animal lover just like me. lol

some more picts

OMG HELP THAT DOG!!!! IN THE PICTURE THE CHILD IS SQUEEZING HER SO TIGHT HER TONGUE IS POPPING OUT!!!!!!! :eek:
lol

I agree and I also dissagree, I say this b/c I have seen many small kids with small pets and some do fine have learned how to handle a small pet But theres some small kids that get over joyed when seeing a small pet and come running very loudly and picking up the puppies the wrong way. So i think it all depends on the kids. If they have been taught and learned that a small pet is not a toy and to be very gentle, But there are some kids that one minute they are petting it so gentle then the next trying to run thru the rooms with it. So it all depends on the children.My kids learned at a very young age how to treat a small pet. My sisters kids , I would not trust them with a small pet not even today and they are now teens lol.

i agree......... i was always one of the kids that would approach very softly and talk soothingly... i was ALWAYS bringing animals home and asking "can i keep it"..lol ... my parents used to call me doctor doolittle
but there are kids that are just horrible with animals, i agree it should be taken on an individual case

lol I was the same way , I use to drag in every stary that I could find, Mom would stand at the door way pointing to me to take it back down the road. and I would always walk the extra block to sneak it in the back way. lol
One day I saw these two big skinny dogs in the yard , I was only a little girl and I would sneak down the alley to talk to these two dogs and tell them I would be back to take them home. I was going to free these dogs well By the time I was able to sneak back down the alley they was not out side, I went up to the house and let these poor dogs out of their house and took them home with me. well I got in big trouble over that. Mom explained how I thought the dogs was hungry , The neighboors just laughed and said they are gray hounds they are suspose to look like that. The neighboors thought it was cute, But mom set me down and said no more. lol

If you ever look for another one keep those pictures and show them to the breeders maybe they will change their minds :)

LOL LOL LOL

It's not really fair to get angy with a breeder who is just trying to do what's best for her dogs. Isn't it better to find one more interested in the welfare of the pups they raise instead of just making a sale? I try to judge on an individual basis, not just an age number, but there are definite risks even with the most well behaved child.

I agree with this.... Kids can get rough with each other and accidentally kick a puppy or dog.. They can sit on them... not meaning to.. or drop them..
I've heard of this happening.. I know accidents happen but children should always be supervised when with the pups. I'm not against children and puppies being together.. but supervision is the key.

Supervision is key and has to be ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS, but it is difficult trying to judge which parents are going to do this consistently after just a few interviews/visits.
Also, someone who was single and looking for a fashion accessory would not get one of my pups either.