Trainer says give 2nd Yorkie back to breeder
 

I am hoping that some of the multiple yorkie owners will weigh in here. I had a trainer who was highly recommended come to my home last week. I have 2 yorkies. Lily is 5 mos and I just got Lola about 3 weeks ago and she is 4 mos (she didn't have socialization skills as she was at the breeders for 16wks). Lily has gone thru puppy training and I have had her since she was 10 wks old. I work during the day and so I have been researching the best way to handle that (I have come home at lunch, used a dog walker and puppy daycare) and because I wanted to also make sure that the setup in my home was the best for 2 puppies I called in a trainer. One of the first things he said was that he wants to be perfectly frank with me and instructed me to give Lola back to the breeder. He said having the 2 would present major problems down the road. He said they would fight and the competition would be disastrous as they matured. The dominant one would become more dominant and aggressive. He said I would probably lose my money but that any breeder worth their salt would take her back and that I shouldn't feel guilty about it. In the long run he said I would be much better off. He said if I was going to have 2 yorkies one of them should have been a male. He said that their play was not appropriate and that 2 females spells "TROUBLE" I was sad & shocked. He also told me to get them spayed "tomorrow" The vet and I had discussed it already and decided to wait a month and have them both done at the same time. He said vets aren't trainers. Later we took the 2 pups outside because Lily had been planting when I would try to take her for a walk. He said I needed one of those collars with the prongs so she could feel it when I tug on the leash (I only use harnesses) He said there was no reason why she shouldn't wear a collar. As she would not walk he drug her down the street and then put the end of the leash around her neck and drug her a little more. She NEVER walked. I paid him $100 for the consult. Of course now she won't walk at all on the leash. I had not heard any of these negatives before I got Lola and I wonder what the opinion of some of you that have or have had multiple puppies is. Oh and, I thought the 2 of them were coming along really well together. But I guess I'm not a trainer either. Thanks

To the bold = :eek:

Does he know Yorkies are prone to tracheal collapse? Jackson does wear a collar with tags, it's mainly for looks, or walking out back in our yard with a flexi. For everything else and normal walks, he wears a harness and he's even 12.5lbs. I really can't imagine putting a prong collar on a tiny Yorkie.

Sounds like a terrible trainer! This guy sounds like a real jerk. He probably did more harm to your babies than good.

Many people do perfectly fine with two female puppies, especially if they grow up together. I do agree that they should both be spayed and that aggression and fights may arise, but they're still young enough to learn the correct way to behave. Teach them right from wrong. I see nothing wrong with owning two females, many people will do it. Yes, fighting between females is more common, but I do think if they're spayed, it will reduce it by a lot. And it's not a guaranteed thing that they will fight. Also -- dogs play rough most of the time. How do your two play, and why was he so concerned about it? The noise that come out of Jackson and the other dogs over at my dads house, you'd think they were killing each other, but they're just playing.

I have 3 dogs(2 girls and a boy), they are fine together. And if the trainer pulled my pups on a leash I would have hit him! He sounds like a quack to me.

WOW! I'm no expert but sounds like he is extreme. I've also heard that females can sometimes fight but I have 3 females and they have never fought or showed any type of agression maybe because they're related.

OMG! Yorkies can not wear collars only harness. I've always known it was bad because it pulls on neck (collapsed trachea). He should know this!!!

I wouldn't let him near my yorkies :eek: He seems like a Jerk!!!

This trainer must be on CRACK!

Watch Its me or the dog, buy Victoria's book and kick him to the curb!

They will be fine! Don't listen to him! :D

Wow! Where in the world did you find this trainer? A prong collar on a Yorkie? :eek:

Most trainers do not recommend getting two puppies at the same time. Here's a good article:

Two Puppies or One? - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!

Time for a new trainer!

He sounds like a total nut to me too. I don't use collars on my 14 pounders, only a harness. There have been threads on YT discussing two females together and there are a lot of YT'ers who have two or more females that are the best of friends. I have a male and female and they have occasional bouts of jealousy but have never been aggressive towards each other. I wouldn't pay any attention to that trainer, especially the collar advice.

Yes, the play is noisy (which sort of bothered me) but I asked the vet and read some research that said that they can can get loud but young puppies pretty much cannot harm each other. Also at this young age they will work it out and be fine later. The nurse at our vet clinic breeds yorkies and I consulted her when I first got Lola. She has been with both pups and she says they will be the best of friends. The vet said short of drawing blood leave them to work it out. The trainer says that is incorrect and that there is proper play. No taking toys and hiding them. etc. I got Lola from the same breeder and she helped me decide which pup might fit best in our family. I will admit Lily is a little "snarky" and Lola is kind of shy but we figured that might be the best for both. I don't think he saw anything that the pups were doing to make him go off. He just came in and sat down and the 1st thing out of his mouth was take her back. We were thinking that part of the problem was that he is so used to solving big behavior problems that when none were present he decided to make some. I don't like using too much force. I think you can be forceful in a more humane manner. He said he doesn't even talk to his dogs because they don;t understand words anyway. Strictly body language. Oh he said he doesn't buy the tracheal situation, said he never heard of such.

What is wrong with this guy??? go get your money back , he isn't a trainer, My God if any one , anyone try to pull my furbabies any where I will go postal on them for sure. that poor dog, don't let that nut near your dogs.
I have 2 females and 1 male and they r fine. There r people on yt that have 4-7 female's and they r fine.
Keep your dogs and go to petmart and do some training class with them on puppies.
Good luck !!!
bark@ulater !!!
manina,miley:aimeeyork,max:aimeeyork,sasha:aimeeyo rk

Thanks for the good info. I didn't find that information prior to my decision. Now that I have made the choice I was looking for some constructive advice from him to move forward, not to give one back. I really don't want to consider that. I can use some of he advice in the article too. I have them in a 5 day a week puppy daycare that separates the puppies from the other dogs. There are only 5 puppies in their area and they have a dedicated puppy nurse/trainer. They focus on socialization skills, appropriate play. They reinforce potty training and do some obedience training. The pups will get a weekly report card. Next month 10/7 they get spayed. The daycare provides convalescent care as well. As for all the work it takes, well I didn't have any idea about how much work it would take so I have nothing to compare it to. I'm 59 and single. To me, it's just work. I didn't expect it to be easy with just the one. I knew early on I would have more than one. My thought was to only go thru this puppy stage ONCE. If I waited until Lily was older I don't think I would do it. My own children are 12 yrs.

i meant to say, my own children are 12 years apart.

I am not a trainer, however I have successfully trained several dogs of varing breeds. I would not use what he suggests on any breed large or small, there are so many more affective methods of training.

If he has not heard of the "trachea thing" then he has not worked with small dogs. I can not count the number of people that I know who own two or more females and have no problems. This guy seems backwards on so many levels. How frustrating his visit must have been for you.

I agree that it may be harder to train two puppies at a time, however it is not impossible. I think most yorkies do better with another dog, companion. I bet your girls will be great friends as they grow:)

It sounds like this trainer is used to dealing with larger dogs. I think he needs to retrain himself when it comes to dealing with small breeds. I mean, did he do any research?

Go with your instincts. Just as a vet isn't a trainer a trainer doesn't have medical training and isn't thinking about the health of the dogs. Don't go with the trainers recommendation on spaying.

I am not hearing why you brought a trainer in in the first place; were they fighting? Was there any particular problem that made him say to return one dog, or was it just a general statement? I would never allow a trainer or anyone to treat my dogs like that!

I have 4 females who get along great. Tiki is 17 months, Meika 15 months, and sisters Kayla & Karlee 5 months. Tiki and Meika had occasional spats of jealousy before they were spayed at 1 yr., and now they are fine. The lil girls are very close, but also have a lot of fun with the older 2. I also have a 14 yr. old male schnauzer who pretty much tolerates and ignored the girls.

I say dump the trainer. He means trouble

Keep the yorkie and get rid of the (quack) so called trainer!!

What absolute NONSENS!!! :mad: This guy obviously does not know a whole lot about Yorkies. I have 2 Yorkies girls (spayed) and 4 Biewers, Two boys and 2 girls ( Unspayed). My Lizzy (Biewer ) and Chadey (Yorkie ) who are not crazy about each, will now and again have their "I am mommies favourite" tiff, but nothing serious. I agree, if he dragged my puppy by the neck I would have hit.

Please get a new trainer.

wow doesn't sound like he knows what he is doing at all. i have three females and a male in the house and not spayed or neutered yet. and they get along great. there is no need to give her back just send that trainer packing since he clearly has know idea what he is talking about. who puts a spiked collar on a Yorkie they have sensitives tracheas and are prone to getting collapsed trachea pulling on them with a spiked collar or even just a regular collar is asking for it. you need to get them a harness they take to harnesses better than a collar because it doesn't pull on their tinny necks. Mine dont like walking with a collar i always use harnesses or clothes with a D ring to walk them.

I would send that trainer packing. There are people who have more than one female on here and everything works out. Also any trainer that tells you to use a prong collar isnt a good trainer for small breeds

Yes I would try to get my money back, not the yorkie money the money you gave that trainer!!!:mad:

I have 2 females. Sydney was 3yrs when we got Emmie. We have never had any problems with fighting. Sydney will sometimes get closer to mommy but never has she tried to hurt Emmie. They have been together for 2 yrs now and are the best of friends.

I know a lot of people are different but why the trainer? I work full time and when I get home we go for walks. I take them with me on the weekends and in the afternoons when running errands. It is so funny they act like they get mad when people pass them and don't talk to them.

I am shocked! A collar with prongs for a Yorkie??? A puppy at that!
I wouldn't let that trainer near a goldfish, let alone a dog of any size! Dragging the puppy down the street? That's just ridiculous!
You need to attend "positive training" classes, not fear and intimidation! I would ignore any advice that person gave you!

You say he came highly recommended...might I ask who recommended him? Sadly there are many, many poor trainers out there and this is one of them. When a trainer tells anyone to put a prong collar on a dog they only know how to train with pain. You can accomplish everything you want with positive training.

I know you are trying to do the right thing but this guy is not the one. Also you might have trouble down the road with the two females if you don't get them spayed for sure. I would think about getting them spayed around 8 months if possible. Also make sure you check their teeth so if you have any baby teeth this is done at the same time.

The girls will play and make all sorts of noise and for the most part will resolve their own problems...even if it gets loud. You will know when someone is upset (the noise is different) and then you should step in.

I wish you luck and you will get a lot of your answers here and it is free.:D

Send the trainer back...keep the puppy. I have raised pairs of puppies more than once with no problems at all...girls together and boys together...we've had no fighting. My puppies have grown into loving, well adjusted dogs with no issues. Maybe I've been lucky but we've never had any alpha issues or aggression. Yes, puppies play and bark and growl...that's normal...putting a prong collar on a tiny Yorkie isn't. If he would have put a collar on my dog and pulled it down the street he wouldn't have gone far and it would have been ugly! Like I said, send the trainer back and keep your puppy...you'll be much happier and so will your Yorkies.

:thumbup: Two High Fives and an loud AMEN!!!!

I called the trainer because I wanted to make sure that they were interacting OK since I couldn't tell and from listening to them making all that noise playing/fighting. Also, I wanted suggestions for the best way to move forward with 2 as opposed to 1. Was my set up OK, anything special I should do or not do? Certain signs to look for that would indicate a problem? What to do about training the new puppy who had not had any ssocialization while my older puppy had experience. Also new puppy was shy. Things like that. I called myself being proactive. I want my girls to grow up healthy and with good social skills and manners. Wanted to nip bad habits in the bud right away. I ddn't want to look back and find out there were things I did or didn't do. I figured instead of hearing all sorts of advice from other people I would ask an "expert".

I agree he sound's Crazy!!

Sorry you wasted your hard earned money on this nut job.
I know more about training a Yorkie than he does.

No way would I get rid of a female puppy.
Once they are both spayed I am sure they will be just
fine. So many have females with no problems once they
are spayed. Hope they comment here and help you.

I applaud you for wanting to do the best for your puppies. It sounds like you are a very good doggie mommy. However, I agree with the others, get rid of the trainer. He has done more harm than good. I think you kind of knew this already or you wouldn't have posted here asking about it.

I have two girls. They get along great. One is definitely alpha over the other, but no fights or anything like that. Spaying will help a lot. Do it when your vet says they are ready.

Congrats on your new puppy. We are always here to help.