Are male Yorkies just as good as females?

[MyRileyPup]

I love my little boy and he loves me back . He is very affectionate and follows me everywhere. I agree that the girls have a better wardrobe to choose from but I don't really mind it. I have trained my Riley to go potty outside and he has had very few accidents inside. He hasn't begun marking inside or outside yet, he's only 13 weeks old but I'm sure neutering will take care of it. Wether it is a boy or a girl, a yorkie is a great choice

[Darlene68]

Eeeeeek..and double eeeeek! now I'm worried

[tinyterriers]

I have this little Gem, she was 7 weeks when I brought her home and by 10 week.s compltely trained and she is a little lovebug. I have had both and I dont see any difference in them except when you take the boys walking, they want to stop at every tree, thats the only fault I have and that isn't a big deal. You will love what ever you get, they are just wonderful

[Zanders' mom]

I started out with a male, the girl prices were soooo hiiiigh. Like you, I was very afraid of the hiking, the potty training. I read everything I could find so that he would be potty trained. It takes a lot of consistency, watchful eye, if you catch him in the act of going inside, say NOoo! immediately take him to the pad or outside, you can also train him so that he can go on command, I can tell Zander go pipi, and he will go. When you are training its important to give the treat as soon as he has gone #1 or 2.

My girls were much quicker to train, they are both looove bugs, looove to be held and given attention just as much as Zander .

To cut down on the humping I did not let him play with big stuffed animals, he would fluff his bed and get carried away and start to hump it, so I would say No, distract him with a toy. Training, the most important part of his future character/personality.

Have fun with your little one

[CouversMom]

Originally Posted by Darlene68

Eeeeeek..and double eeeeek! now I'm worried

I brought Couver home, and I did notice that he was smelly. I found that his belly hair has to be trimmed to keep him from pottying on his tummy. If this hair is kept short, there are no problems.

I also noticed that after he was neutered, he was less smelly. I find the benefits of neutering outweigh the drawbacks. Having my dog mark my house for his lifetime is not an option for me, so I neuter. I also feel that as a responsible pet owner, it is my duty to fix my animals so that they do not contribute to the overpopulation of animals.

Here are some of the many benefits to neutering:

Benefits of Neutering (Castrating) Male Dogs & Puppies

In the end, it is your decision, but it would not be an option for me.

[JenniLeigh]

I grew up with a male Yorkie. He was my mom's main man (besides my Dad!) I remember him being very cuddly and loving. This dog was an AMAZING jumper also, he used to charge towards a tree, lunge and jump off to bird feeders and latch on to bird feeders that were 6 feet off the ground. I wish I had the old videos. It used to frighten us because he would just hang there! He did this forever! He passed away at about 18. He certainly burnt a hole in my heart. Now, I have my own (female) and she's just as loving but she seems to be a little bit more moody and certainly lets me know when she's in play mode or cuddle mode.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Sure some older studies are still relevant, but tons of things people originally thought about behavorism are now considered incorrect. Science progresses. And you can find tons of information about Pavlovian experiments on the web. Why is this study not accessible?

I know I am using my personal experience as an example because the OP was asking about her own dog marking, and I took your original comment to say that it was a crapshoot whether she'd be able to train her dog not to go indoors, since you said that many owners say their male dogs are trained, but they aren't really.

I also disagree with your statement that most neutered male dogs don't mark. I would say almost all male dogs do, fixed or not. I'm using Thor as an example because he had years of experience marking indoors, so I think this is relevant. His habit is certainly established, and I expect he will mark outdoors his entire life.

I've grown up with male dogs who have been bred (not yorkies though), and they did not mark indoors. Your statements don't tie with my experience at all, so I'm challenging it. To me, this would be like someone saying "most dogs don't like walks."

I'm sure it is deeply instinctive, since wolves also mark their territory. I think barking is deeply ingrained too, and it would probably be extremely difficult to train, say, a dashund to never bark. But again, why would you care, as long as it was only outdoors.

I agree. And... that's all I need to say because everything you've said in this thread, I agree with. lol.

I DO think that once a dog has been marking for a long time, it'd definitely be harder to break that habit and they may never be able to stop. But it IS a trainable issue. Especially with neutering early and potty training off to a right start. I, as well, look at it as part of potty training. Jackson lifts his leg on trees, etc when we're outside but never ever marks inside.

I've been around MANY male dogs as I dog-sit quite a bit and none of them mark in the house. Every male dog I've been around lifts their leg to pee, but they're actually peeing, not "marking." Now, all the male dogs I dog-sit are bigger dogs (i.e. Boxers and Huskys) so maybe it's a small dog issue more? I really don't know. I've just never really seen the problem personally and I've been around loads of male and female dogs.

Jackson lifted his leg ONCE on our screened in porch (not in the house) and
I quickly caught him and went "AHH" really loud and he stopped immediately and I took him outside. This was also before he was neutered. Since then, never once. I also blame that on the fact that my dad used to let his girl dog pee on the porch so obviously her smells were there.

I think for some reason people always think girl dogs are better than male dogs and I just find that not to be true.

Also, Jackson has never smelled like some of you describe. He is one of the most well behaved, laid back dogs I've ever had naturally. He's just got that personality - I don't think that's necessarily a male/female issue but I do think males TEND to be more loving, affectionate, needy and easier to train. Again, that's not ALWAYS the case.

Now, Jackson did hump his stuffed bear a lot before he was neutered but never a person or another dog. He's chilled out a lot since his neuter. However, that's something that is also a trainable issue but I just never stopped it. You can quickly say "NO" and take the stuffed toy away or whatever. That's very easy to correct such behavior. Also, my moms female dog AND my dads female dog hump... and they've both been spayed. So it's NOT just a male thing. They also will mark their spot on a walk.

Bottom line... girl/female, I think they're both good! I think males get alot of crap when they are just as good, if not sometimes better, than female dogs. I don't think you should worry AT ALL about marking especially if you're getting this little guy as a pup. It's something very simple to prevent and/or fix at such a young age. I do highly recommend getting him neutered for more reasons than just marking.

[JenniLeigh]

Our male Yorkie continued to hump after neutering. He loved humping the cats, both male also, never toys or other dogs. The cats seemed to tolerate it lol!

[rebeccag]

I just got a male and female Yorkie. They're about 3 1/2 months old. Before getting them I read that males will tend to attach more to one person and females will love everyone. My female is very cuddly and my daughter loves her. Jonah, my male, does end up at my feet looking up waiting for mama to pick him up. They're both very sweet. I believe neutering will take care of marking. They both use the wee wee pads but are not yet fully trained. Jonah does do better going outside than on a wee wee pad but I think it has to do with my female being introduced to them before I brought her home.

[phfgkl]

Originally Posted by CouversMom

I brought Couver home, and I did notice that he was smelly. I found that his belly hair has to be trimmed to keep him from pottying on his tummy. If this hair is kept short, there are no problems.

I also noticed that after he was neutered, he was less smelly. I find the benefits of neutering outweigh the drawbacks. Having my dog mark my house for his lifetime is not an option for me, so I neuter. I also feel that as a responsible pet owner, it is my duty to fix my animals so that they do not contribute to the overpopulation of animals.

Here are some of the many benefits to neutering:

Benefits of Neutering (Castrating) Male Dogs & Puppies

In the end, it is your decision, but it would not be an option for me.

I agree with your post 100%. As I've stated before, I would never own a male unaultered, unless he was being used for breeding. My little guy that was neutered a day after I got him has never stunk, so, maybe it does have to do with the neutering early

[ARCHIE]

I have only had males and not either of the 3 ever marked inside my home.
Two I got as resuces, one was 1yr old and trained the other was 2yrs
old and found in the garbage but he became house trained immediately.
Neither of these two ever marked inside my home and they lived inside.
Buddy was purchased at 14 wks neutered at six months and never marked
inside either. He does on walks. Dosen't miss a leaf but who cares.
As long as he does his thing outdoors it's fine with me.
He a love's bug all the way. A mommy's boy I guess is more like it.
I personally love males they just are so loving.

[RemydeHaviland]

Remy is 9 months and unaltered

He is not an "alpha" male and is pretty laid back and affectionate. Initially I pad trained him, but he is now trained to go outside.

He only uses the pee pad at home (live in a condo) early in the AM and late at night because I don't walk him during those times. He has lifted his leg since he was about 6 months. Definitely "marks" outside. It is quite obvious when he is "peeing" vs "marking".

When he pees inside he does lift his leg, and it does not bother me. He will occasionally still squat to pee, but it is usually only when he has to go really, really bad.

Food for thought....I do not use doggy "pee pads" because they are quite small. I use people incontinence pads (intended to be under someone while in bed) and I buy the biggest size available. The pad is in the doorway to our bathroom, and is folded so that half of the pad goes up the doorjam, the other half is on the floor. When he pees, and lifts his leg the pee pad "L" catches everything! There is no way I could leave the pad flat, the pee would hit the wall, would go behind or under the pad and would just be a mess. And a doggy pee pad is too small to create a big enought target area. The "L" set up does not bother me one bit, and he never makes a mistake. So, whether he decides to "pee" or "mark" there I do not care.

The only time I had difficulty with him going in other locations in the house was during initial potty training (which took less than one month). He did lift his leg in other places, however during that timeframe I literally would "police" him when I knew he had to go - and would follow him around. If he started to go where he was not supposed to he got a sharp "no" and was carried to his pad. I would also make an effort to take him to his pad, place him on it and say "potty" frequently so he knew where I expected him to go.

He stays at my parents house or best friends house when I have to travel. He has never marked in either of their homes, nor has he had a potty accident in their homes. And, my best friend has an unaltered 15 year old beagle - he is a retired show dog and they are great friends. Neither marks inside.

I kind of wonder whether the "alpha" male vs. "non-alpha" male contributes to marking and training. As I said early in my post, Remy is decidedly non-alpha, and has been very responsive to training.... he is not a "humper" either, despite being unaltered.

[Lou]

I have both a male and a female and I love them both even if they are totally different dogs. The male is much more affectionate than the female and is a total mama's boy. He is pee pad trained but he prefers to pee outside. He was not as easy to pee pad train as the female but the female will NEVER prefer going outdoors. I have given up trying and resigned myself to always having a pad on the floor for her. The female love it when i put dresses ant shirts on her. The male runs and hides if he thinks I am going to dress him in anything but his harness. The female is bold and the male is shy. The female loves children but doesn't like adults very much. The male is afraid of children and loves big people. Both want to be the alpha but that job belongs to our shih tzu. The female will start a fight but the male will finish it (If I let him). The male will torment his sisters to get a reaction out of them while the females try to ignore him. Both love to be babied by the shih tzu who mothers them as well as bosses them around. They will solicit face washing as often as she will let them. Except for the fact that they are both yorkies and share the same mother I can't see a whole lot of similarity between the two. They are both great dogs and for the life of me when it comes time to get another I don't know which I will get. I love both sexes!

[rebeccag]

Originally Posted by Lou

I have both a male and a female and I love them both even if they are totally different dogs. The male is much more affectionate than the female and is a total mama's boy. He is pee pad trained but he prefers to pee outside. He was not as easy to pee pad train as the female but the female will NEVER prefer going outdoors. I have given up trying and resigned myself to always having a pad on the floor for her. The female love it when i put dresses ant shirts on her. The male runs and hides if he thinks I am going to dress him in anything but his harness. The female is bold and the male is shy. The female loves children but doesn't like adults very much. The male is afraid of children and loves big people. Both want to be the alpha but that job belongs to our shih tzu. The female will start a fight but the male will finish it (If I let him). The male will torment his sisters to get a reaction out of them while the females try to ignore him. Both love to be babied by the shih tzu who mothers them as well as bosses them around. They will solicit face washing as often as she will let them. Except for the fact that they are both yorkies and share the same mother I can't see a whole lot of similarity between the two. They are both great dogs and for the life of me when it comes time to get another I don't know which I will get. I love both sexes!

I think you just officially gave birth to two Yorkies....lol....spoken like a true mama! So sweet!

[rebeccag]

Originally Posted by phfgkl

I agree with your post 100%. As I've stated before, I would never own a male unaultered, unless he was being used for breeding. My little guy that was neutered a day after I got him has never stunk, so, maybe it does have to do with the neutering early

Okay, I've been wondering this for quite some time now....what on earth do you do with a male breeder??????? They're too small to be outside....Please someone enlighten me! I've been wondering this for quite some time...well, ever since I saw Ksena's breeder take her male upstairs for only a minute because....well, he marks! Okay, so where does he live?????????????