Urgent: Who has 3 or more pups? Tell me how it is working!
 

Please tell me all about your multiple Yorkie baby home. Especially if you have females....??

I have two males, one female and I am dying to get a baby girl I've fallen in love with. What is your advice and experience? Will I have too many and will the females fight?

Dont know if I will say what you want to hear, but for me 3 is one too many. I adore my 3, but the cost and the time commitment is more than I can take. I couldnt imagine having any more than 3. I guess though it depends on your life style. I work full time and want to be able to enjoy my leisure time by going on trips and things like that. For me, I have no family to take care of my 3 dogs and cant afford (or dont want to)to put them in kennel when I go away so it really limits my life. Plus the cost of having 3 again is too much for me, maybe not for you which would make a difference.

Thank you - still hope to get more input
 

I appreciate your valuable feedback! These are exactly the considerations that I am turning over in my mind. It is hard to know when to follow the head or the heart.

I sincerely hope I hear from some other Yorkie owners too.

I have three female yorkies- just over a year, just under a year, and almost 7 years old, one female sheltie- about three years, and one male yorkie- just under a year. My male is a foster but he has been here since Oct.

Yes, the vet appointments can be overwhelming at times but two of mine have demodex mange which requires at least monthly appointments. Food isn't cheap but it has been managable. We feed dry Wellness small bites and go through about two of the biggest bags they have each month. We also feed a can of merrick's everyday (we split it between 4 of them and one is on special canned food.)

It is a zoo sometimes and my carpets have seen better days. I have quite the supply of cleaning tools including a spot bot, steam cleaner and my regular vaccume, not to mention the cleaning products and wee wee pads.

But, they have tons of fun with each other and keep each other busy in ways I never could. I can't say I love every minute of it but I do love more of them than I don't. I wouldn't change it for the world (except finding my foster a forever home and getting a new one!!) Good luck!

I have three and it is definitely a lot harder than 3. It's so much more difficult to walk and travel with three dogs as opposed to 2. While I love all three to death, in the future I'll never have over 2.

Aw, I recently got a 3rd dog, so now I have a 4 yr old Silky Terrier, a 2 yr old Maltese, and an 8 month old Yorkie. (and a 2 yr old cat once my bf moved in) It's definitely a zoo here, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. All 4 of my babies are females, and tho it did take some time for them to get used to each other, they all seem to love each other now for the most part, and I think they like having each other to play with and keep each other company. I'd say 3 dogs is definitely harder than 2, but if you fall in love w/ one you "have to" have like I did, I say go for it :)

I forgot that both my girls get along really well. They always lay on each other.

I have three dogs currently in a tiny Korean apartment. We have my two and then a foster who leaves on Thursday:cheer::yay_jump: (sorry a little excited that he has found a furever home)

It has been a challenge, walking, picking up the poop, and of course the fights.

I am not a fan of male dogs so we always have all females and I have never had a problem with dominance. My Jack is always alpha female so that is how we introduce them into the house.

Four yorkies does seem like a lot. How would you walk them? Travel? Are you prepared for the vet bills? I would go through a "what if" senario and see if you are financially and emotional ready to have a bigger pack.


BTW Kyle- I LOVE your avatar.

I have 4, all yorkies,between 1 and 5 years old. 3 males and 1 female. Works fine for me so far. I havent had any real health problems so far...just the normals like teeth cleaning on two of them, shots etc. So no large vet bills so far. They all get along fine most of the time. Every now and then my males will argue a little but nothing serious...they are just like kids, they always make up haha Sometimes its hard to get enough space on your lap for 4. Food is expensive for 4 if you feed good quality food. I feed wellness small breed and mix a little wellness can in it. Where i live, theres nowhere that sells good quality food so i have to order from the internet and pay high shipping also. Yorkies are like lays potato chips...ya can't have just 1! Good luck with whatever you decide.

Hi,
I had 4 Yorkies, 2 males and 2 females. Everyone was getting along great in fact the 2 females were still intact and they didn't fight at all. However yes it will cost you a little more in food and energy , pocking up extra poop. Walking can be interesting but if they are well behaved on the leash it really isn't impossible to do. Look at the professional dog walkers. Sure everyone can give you advice that either works or it doesn't but I look at it this way. Can you afford it? Not just financially but emotionally too.

I only have 2 pups, but I hope to one day add a third.

Both of mine are female (spayed) and we really have not had any fighting issues with them. We rescued Lane from a puppymill bust just before Christmas 2008. She is estimated to be around 2 (6+ months older than Rory), but they do seem to have the same activity level which I am sure helps. Lane really looked up to Rory, much like I think a puppy would since her life experiences were so limited. Good luck! :)

It must be very expensive to have so many Yorkies!!

I have 4 dogs... 1 yorkie mix, he's 5 months old, a toy poodle that is 2 years old, a 7 year old sheltie and 5 year old beagle. Its complete chaos around here all the time but I love it..:). grooming can get expensive, but I have found someone who is very reasonable and awesome and I dont have them groomed all at the same time. Food is really no biggie, 1 20 pound bag lasts a month. The biggest issue I have is when we go out of town, I usually leave my 2 bigger dogs at home and Im a clean freak so Im mopping and vaccuming all the time. I dont like hair/dirt on my floors. :)
Oh and I also have 3 cats a rabbit and 4 children under the age of 11. So like I said its compelete chaos around here. :) If you have the money, the time, the room and the extra love I say go for it!! :) Good luck with your decision!!

I have 4 and let me tell you is a LOT more work, than 1 or 2... even at feeding time it takes me twice as long to feed them, bathe them and to go to the vet, I take them in 2's...LOL
hugs,
cArmen in nj

i have three plus and it is not bad (really!) ... as far as the vet appts go, they are all different ages so the vet appt are all spread out throughout the year

yes it is more work to feed them (since they cannot be free fed because bentley is a huge piggy :p) and it takes about 30 minutes for meals...we split up bath days and do baths over two days...we brush teeth every other night and use petzlife in between brushings...it takes a while to get us all ready for bed lol

it is not really that bad but (1) i have help and (2) i do not have 2 legged kids (and never will) ... i am sure if either of those things were not the case, it would be too much work

I have 3 babies and 4 "skin" kids. I haven't found it to be hard at all. They play together. Once in a while they have a little spat. (rarely) and it's over in a second, then they are back to playing. I don't walk them on leashes, as we have a fenced in yard. So they run around out there to burn their energy. It's alittle harder now because it's winter. I can't wait for warmer weather because we are always out there. All three get their baths in the kitchen sink. One at the time, thank goodness they don't mind it. Like the other poster stated, mine are spaced out in age so the vet bills are not so bad. I also free feed kibble all day, and they pick at it occasionally. Then at dinner I give them can food in 3 seperate bowls. I haven't had an issue at all so far. Good luck in making your decision. It really depends on your lifestyle. I'm a stay at home mom so I'm here all day. That makes it easier to be the referee. haha

Wow! You guys are the best, thanks for so much advice!
 

Whew! Excellent feedback! I hope I still get some more "true life stories". It is interesting to see how we all do things differently.

You've raised some important issues.

1. I don't know what Wellness dog food is. I feed Royal Canin Yorkie puppy food (dry) and some wet food (sometimes homemade) food occassionally. The three pups I have so far are under 1 year so I believe puppy food is best for the first year.

2. Cost is a concern but I am fortunate that my girlfriend (my babies have two mommies since we are a lesbian couple from California) is a certified dog groomer so she can keep them groomed and trimmed, etc. Low cost there.

3. She works in animal husbandry as well so she can give vaccinations to help cut down on vet costs but my vet is very reasonable. Don't worry, we still do get vet checks.

4. So far all our babies get along like brothers and sister and each have their own personality and place in the family. We bring them to work, the beach, let them cuddle on the bed with us and plan to take them on vacation in Summer. We got our first Yorkie on a vacation last summer!

5. A dog trainer warned me that two females would never get along but I've had several large female dogs in the past and had no problems, not even much dominant behavior.

Some of you mentioned young kids -- you are brave to have so many dogs AND young kids. My daughter is grown so even though she hasn't left the nest you can see I already have empty nest syndrome!!

I seem to need four adorable, lovable Yorkie/Morkie babies to fill my heart but I'll tell ya, each one is so different and such a joy in their own special way.

I would love to have a 2nd yorkie, but i only work part time, so know i couldnt afford it. I guess you have to work out what you would expect to spend on them in a year, and add a heap more for unexpected expenses! Also. have you got the time to spend quality time with an extra pup? i dont think i would ever have more than 2.

Had three, now we are four
 

I found the the most difficult part of owning three Yorkies was the grooming. At $30.+ each it adds up quickly and their fur seems to grow at a faster rate than my hair.

We just recently added our fourth member, a Shih Tzu and he too will need regular grooming :rolleyes: but like my DH says, it's only money and we could be spending it on other non-essential things which could be a lot more expensive. Apart from that I found it made very little difference between owning 2.

Walks are never taken with more than two, so I get twice as much exercise :D
We have a grant old time. LOVE IT...

we have 4. two of them just over a year and two under a year old. two females and two males. It's more work but if you have the time and the patients its no big deal. I think that going on walks is the hardest thing for us. We've got bath time and feeding down to a science so no problems there. If you love the dogs you have than you can work anything out

Thank you so much for more replies. I am so interested to hear how other families do it. Especially with so many young pups as one of you mentioned. You are brave but you're right, if you wait for just the right time when is the perfect moment?

I want to introduce another puppy while the ones I have are still young enough to adapt without too much trouble. But then again, I've seen older dogs accept a very young pup easily.

I've gotten (mostly) positive feedback and encouragement and I appreciate it. I appreciate hearing the downsides too.

I was told females would never be compatible but haven't heard one complaint here. Anyone out there have multiple females in the home?

I have 3. Manolo 3, Lola 2.5 and Pablo their son 6 months. They are a joy...It does take time to give all three a bath then blow dry and brush. About 1.5 hours a week.

You are patient with the baths... I keep the hair short and do quick baths. I do brush them nearly every day but it is easy with short hair.

It sounds like you bred your male and female? How fortunate for you but I am afraid to risk Jayla's health with a pregnancy because as much as I'm sure I'd adore her offspring, if I lost her it would never be worth it. I know that sounds silly but I've never bonded as closely with any other dog than my female Yorkie baby Jayla Pea.

I am thinking of names for my new girl. Maybe Carley or Kylee? What do you all think?

Anyone else raised several females in the same home?