bigger dogs
 

my son just moved back in with us and i have a puppy 5mo. and he has 2 large dogs and they are pretty good. they are just mixed dogs from the rescue dogs they seem to be adjusting But it is me i am a nervous wreck i watch her like a crazy person. i just don't know what to do about me.
thanks raina

The potential risk for disaster with two dogs who although one day may reside in the same home (when you marry)...do not live together there now. If these two dogs are not together 24-7 and able to grow up together...I'd be concerned.

In any case...you will need constant supervision for both dogs to avoid injury. Oddly enough it's not always the BIG dog either who instigates conflict. Since many Yorkies have the strange impression that they are bigger than life :rolleyes: they can often be the one to incite an innocent enough brawl.

My youngest daughter & her husband have two ginormous Neopolitan Mastiff's and although they are big babies...I wouldn't risk my girls welfare to even a gentle nip or the slightest misstep of their giant paws.

I, personally do not care to mix my Yorkies with BIG dogs but, that's just me. Having to constantly supervise and be nervous for the welfare of my dog is not worth the hassle.

Another consideration is simply the cost of repair for an injury should one be inflicted...a couple thousand $$$ could create a real financial nightmare for many a pet owner who is not prepared.

Since becoming a Foster Mom for YTNR...it's not uncommon to see & hear about pet owners abandoning or needing to surrender their beloved pets because they were overwhelmed when a Veterinary financial burden fell upon their shoulders.

My motherly advise to anyone adding a larger breed dog into the mix with a Yorkie...think very carefully first & be financially prepared with at least a couple $$ thousand in savings set aside!

Good luck to you & your babies! :)

I think a lot of it depends on the dogs temperment. Scooter's best friend is a standard poodle named Roscoe. He is my parents dog so it was very important to me that they get along. Lucky for us, Roscoe is the sweetest big guy we know (he would not hurt a fly). Scooter is almost two and met Roscoe about a month after I got him when we went home for Thanksgiving. We watched them like crazy together because we were staying at my parents house. Long story short, they have now spent numerous vacations together and know exactly how to play with each other. Roscoe will lay on the ground so that he and Scooter are the same size. They will play tug-a-war and wrestle (I think Scooter can be rougher than Roscoe). We throw toys in the back yard and they take turns catching them. We no longer worry about them being together. They even nap together which is SO cute!

If you teach them from the beginning to be gentle with each other, you shouldn't have a problem. If they snap at each other and want to cause injury, that would be a totally different story.

Side note: My parents are a 10 hour drive away. It takes us at least 2 hours to fly home depending on the airline and flights.

Roscoe and Scooter see each other a couple times a year. They are such good friends that they both spend a few days depressed after we leave. They truly love each other and do so well together. I really believe it all depends on the dogs temperment.

My brother has a Cairn Terrier who also plays well with Scooter and Roscoe.

I am worried about my new little puppy as well. My husband's family all have big (or at least bigger) dogs. It isn't an issue except at holidays when we go and stay at his grandparents for a couple of nights. Usually there is a crazy boston terrier, a French Bulldog, a s**tzu mix, and a Great Dane puppy who was 6 months old last Christmas (and was scared to death of the boston terrier)!! I can't decide if it will be worse on Chloe to leave her with my mom for a couple of days and chance separation anxiety or to take her with us to Christmas and expose to all these goofy dogs! She really loves other dogs, but, like the OP, I worry she'll be accidentally hurt. I'm planning to just play it by ear and see how she is doing as we get closer to December.

-C

Thanks again, everyone, for your replies! I greatly appreciate everyone's opinions and input! I was so happy to hear about your situations where big dogs and yorkies are able to get along and be in the same household! I also appreciate your honesty about potentially tragic circumstances resulting from injury from a bigger dog.
I am happy to report that Miles and Brinkley's first weekend together went very well. Brinkley is definitely the epitome of a puppy--very playful, clumsy, and awkward. Miles is still in the puppy phase, too, and tends to instigate things a bit (just as you said, "miabellaamore"!). Their play time was carefully monitored by me (I was right down on the floor with them!), and Brinkley learned very quickly that he better be gentle with Miles, or else!!! Obviously, we have a long ways to go, and they will always be monitored. But this weekend made me feel a little better about the whole thing.

We recently added a 75lb black lab to our family. Our two Yorkies LOVE him! They like to play with him (and they rarely play with each other!), give him TONS of kisses and lay next to him. Its a blast watching them lick each other, roll around, etc. Dozer (lab) is such a gentle giant. :) They are all adult dogs so I don't know how a puppy would react.