keep in mind though that cavaliers are highly prone to congenital heart defects---nearly all of them get it at some point in their life. It can be very heartbreaking and expensive.
If i were you, i wouldn't give up on a yorkie just yet. Maybe this one isn't right for you, but that doesn't mean that the next won't be. They are individuals with their own unique personalities.

sorry that the Yorkie breed may not be the breed for you...have you thought about getting a male Maltese...hehe...my male maltese fits your description to a tee...he is 7 years old and still the same way...hehe...

I also want to say that I commend you for your honesty with yourself... a lot of people jump into breeds because they are so "cute" and it ends up being the wrong breed for them for whatever reason then the poor dogs end up in shelters. Despite how cute yorkies are, they aren't for everyone for many reasons.

Thank you, I did not know about this. I have an eBook that I bought and it lists all the diseases for all the breeds that they are known for. The first sentence on cavaliers says healthwise they are in trouble. It says 1/2 will get it by 5 years and virtually all will get it by 10 years. Wow I never knew that. I looked up papillons and they seem medium amount of problems and yorkies have many health problems too. I was just browsing through a few of the breeds and they all seem to have too many health problems! I suppose that just comes with owning a dog.

I'm so proud of you! You are so responsible and mature, Vanessa. I know how excited you were for Panne, and to be able to sit back and evaluate the situation is amazingly hard. It sounds like Panne isn't the dog for you. However, please don't give up on yorkies just yet. They are amazing little dogs, and each comes with its own VERY individual personality.

My two are 100% polar opposites. Ranger is hyper hyper hyper and not very cuddly, until HE wants to be. Ryder is the most laid-back, loving and sweet guy ever. He would cuddle all day if you would. Keep looking! The perfect little guy might just come waltzing into your life at the perfect time.

That little Panne is pretty cute, though. Did you get a weight on him? Oh, is where you are close to San Diego by any chance?

Vanessa, I read this whole thread and it's a good thing you got to have him for a trial period. To me, it doesn't sound like he is the right dog for you. If you don't keep him i hope he finds a great home but if i were you i would keep looking, it pays off to wait for the perfect dog for you, trust me. You said you want a cuddly dog, and one that is more calm. If he is not then he is not right for you. All dogs have their each personalities. I have 3 yorkies and each one is different. You also said he marks. Since he is already 1 i don't think the neautering will get rid of it, it might help but he still might mark cause he already knows how to do it and has been for a while. My male marks and i love him but it's my fault cause he is not neutered. In the future i will either neuter if i get another male early or stick to females. Personally my females are the most cuddly and chill. They just love to be in my lap, hang out, where as my male is the most hyper and energetic but full of love. Anyway my friend wanted a Yorkie really bad but didn't do enough research on them, and got one suddenly. It wasn't the right one for her, he marks everywhere and she hates that. She also doesnt like the fact that he grew too big, anyway she sold him. If she had waited longer the right one could have come along. Also i told her to research both males and females and she got a male but can't deal with marking. That's not good. My male marks but i can deal with it, i dont freak out. So diff. strokes for diff. folks. Anyway i had a Cavalier and he got sick very early in life. They can get overweight, mine def. was and he had athritis and prob. other things, i was younger so i barely knew about it but it was really sad. Also they shed, Yorkies don't shed. And he def. was too big to take out places with me, to put in a carrier and he also didnt like sleeping on the bed with us. I mean every dog is diff. but keep that into account about Cavaliers. I think maybe a poodle, maltese, chihuahua or Yorkie would be good for you. Just do as much research as you can. Good luck!:) Keep us posted

I saw this adorable black maltese the other day at the groomers, she was probably just at 3lbs soaking wet and was the most adorable thing ever! It made me want one lol I know maltese can also be larger than that of course as well.

Have you looked into one of those?

I just wanted to state one difference that neutering made on a male I had. He was very sweet, but not cuddly like I would have liked him to be. He would get on my lap, but not stay for long at all. He was kind of up and down up and down, always moving around the room. When I got him neutered he became the biggest cuddlebug ever. All that nervous energy stopped. It was great. This was a different breed, and I don't know that this will stop it in all dogs, but it sure did in mine.

My yorkies are not hyper. I have had several of both sexes. They are all couch potatoes. I guess each has their own personality, but I have never had a hyper yorkie.

Can't wait to hear how you come out with this girly. Keep us posted. Lots of great advise for you as well.

Good luck!

:aimeeyork

I thought he was larger for a Yorkie but he is the only Yorkie I have ever seen so now I think he is average. My friends dog was 18 lbs and it was pretty light (I was surprised that it was 18, so I could be totally wrong in my guess). But I can pick him up one handed with little effort. I had a 3 lb weight and he maybe weighed 5-7 lbs. I think it is like 4-6 hours from SD. Not sure. They live in Fremont. A retired couple is coming to look at him so I hope that works out. I just hope that they understand how energetic he is!

Also, about the neutering. This might stop his marking and might make him calm. But I don't know if it will and I don't know if I want to take the chance.

Vanessa

I think you should look into maltese. They are pretty much like yorkies, but from what I've heard, they are more "calm" and cuddly. Go to MalteseTalk.com - Your Maltese Online Community. There are a lot of great people over there too!

oh gosh he's sooo cute! I wish I could take him! He looks at you already like he adores you! :)

You are wonderful for realizing that he potentially might not fit with your lifestyle, too many people do not do that. The fate of those babies is sooo sad!

I have 2 boys myself. They are brothers from the same liter. They turned 3 years old in Sept. One of them for the most part is very calm. He is a mommas boy and a lapdog all the way. If there is a lap open he is snoozing on it. The other one though.... whoa....I call him OCD puppy! He is a darling and I adore him, but he is wild! He is always at attention, always curious and checking things out. I love that about him, his energy and enthusiasm. Had I only gotten him and wanted a lapdog it might have been a challenge. :) Both my boys wind down at about 830pm and both sleep on my lap. My hyper boy every morning is my cuddle bug also. He wakes up with the alarm at 6 and comes and cuddles with me until at least 630am. After that he is a ball of energy and I can't keep him in bed, he talks to me (barks), rolls around like a maniac, and paws me with front paws. We get up then!

I think once you get that boy fixed he'll be a whole new dog. The marking should stop, he will calm down a bit too Im sure. He'll also stop harrassing your other dog's genitals. I bet he becomes more cuddly too. When I got my dex fixed he went from really independant to super cuddly/clingy! Night and day difference in him. I wish he had a happy medium.

Dex has tough hair too, matts sooo easily. I could spend an hour a day brushing him and never get all the mats out. He is not good at being brushed either. He wiggles, jiggles, growls and nips at the brush. Its torture for him and for me. I try to get him groomed every 2 months and its about $40 a grooming. But you could lessen that cost by buying some clippers and doing it yourself.

anyways good luck making your decision, sounds like you are doing the smart right thing all the way! :)

There are black malteses?

Maybe it was a Lhasa Apso or Havanese or something. I believe Maltese are only white.

Maltese are only white. If it was a maltese, it was probably mixed with something.

Thank you soooo much for the advice. I know he might calm down and become cuddly/stop marking but I'm just not prepared to take that risk. I do not want to have a dog that I wasn't really looking for for 15 years. I'm sure I would grow to love him no matter what his personality was like but it is probably best to wait for the perfect one. A retired couple is coming to look at him so I hope that works out!

As for the Maltese, I was at first thinking their coat is too much effort but it looks like if I keep it in a puppy cut it won't be much more work than the Yorkie. I found a 2 year old girl who is well taken care of and she sounds good so hopefully the person considers me for a home and I can meet her.

Yes you can keep it in a puppy cut, or if the dog has silky hair it rarely gets tangled, it won't be that hard to manage:)

OMG! He is so adorable! And so smart!! If i didnt have my 2 i would consider getting him!

Not all Maltese are calm, I had one about 5 years ago and he was the craziest dog I every owned. LOL..
I think each breed has calm ones and hyper ones. I have the best little poodle anyone good ask for, my brother in law's poodle is very hyper and he has been neuterd since he was 8 months old. Like people they all have thier own personalities. You are doing the right thing by taking your time and doing your research. You will find the right dog that will fit your lifestyle. Good luck!!

Oh no I didn't mean that ALL maltese were calm, I just know a lot that have more laid back personalities especially since they aren't terriers like our beloved yorks. It's also why I put calm in quotes ;)