Thinking about a Yorkie

[rustypixel]

I just found this board and figured that along with some heavy internet research, posting here would also help in garnering information for my decision to or not to get a Yorkie. I guess the best way to start this is to just list the situation and criteria and hope that the many experts on here will throw in suggestions. In order to keep it short, I'll just get to the points:

I'm looking for a small, child-friendly dog that will be a good companion for my 6 and a half year old daughter. She is good with animals as we currently have two cats that I got when they were both kittens. I am divorced but lucky enough that my daughter is here three or four nights per week. I live in a two-level town house and have access to lots of grassy areas for play as well as some fairly large parks in the area. There will be 2 and sometimes 3 days of the week where the dog will pretty much be alone in the house for roughly 12 hours. I don't know many dog owners but have been told that I could keep the dog in a cage/kennel on those long days alone. I don't know if it's a "normal" practice to do so, but it seems kind of cruel to me. But then again, I am uneducated.
Nutrition won't be a problem as I'm feeding the cats high quality food and the dog will get the same. I'm not looking for a teacup sized dog as I think they are a bit too fragile for my needs, so a "regular" size is what I'd be interested in. One of the things I'm not sure about is a difference between a male and female. Some of the sites I've been to have their females priced higher than males. I have no intention of breeding, now or in the future and unless there is some incredible difference between the sexes, I'd be happy with either.
I don't think I'm missing anything but I'm sure if I am it will be brought up by anyone replying.
So with those things mentioned, is a Yorkie a possibility for me?

Thanks.

[J_is_my_initial]

Hi and welcome to YorkieTalk. This is the best place that I know of to get your questions answered. I will leave them to the ones better able to answer them. IF you get a yorkie you will fall in love.

[Gennies]

First, let me say, THANK YOU!!! For researching to educate yourself on a Yorkie before getting one!!! A Yorkie is not a dog that suits everyone. They are terriers and can be very hyper little dogs that want to be with you and want to play. They need to be exercised and are very fragile little pups.

When my Yorkie girl, Bijou was 9 weeks old my 17 yoa daughter had her sitting on the couch with her. At 17 you'd think she's old enough to watch a puppy, right? Well Bijou fell off the couch when my other yorkie jumped up, and it broke her little back leg. The surgery and emergency vet trips cost me $3,000. I say this to warn you that with puppies can come some unexpected accidents no matter who is watching them. If you 6 yoa daughter is holding a pup and the pup squirms (which they do, Bijou squirms to get down and almost jumped from my hands several times, even after her accident) if that puppy falls wrong it could have the same results Bijou had or worse. Their little heads are very fragile, if you accidently kick the pup as your walking you could seriously injure it. You'll need to really watch your daughter with the pup. That said, it can be done...lots of members here have small children and yorkies. I'll let them speak to you on that, as I don't.

As for leaving a puppy (any breed of puppy) in a crate for 12 hours is never something I'd even consider, let-alone offer you advice to do. Puppies can not hold their bladder or bowels that long...heck I don't think I could hold it that long! Will you be able to come home during lunch to take it on a little potty walk? Have you thought of an exercise pen instead? It gives them room to have a bed, toys, potty pad, food and water. Yorkies are very delicate little babies. You really need to watch that they are eating their puppy food as they can develop low blood sugar levels and if left untreated can die.

I recommend that you look at the home page for YorkieTalk and look in the library section. There's a thread in there for people such as yourself who are thinking of adding a Yorkie and have never had one. Once you look it over and decide a Yorkie is for you, then I recommend you look at the thread on selecting a breeder as there are tons of horror stories on here of bad breeders who sell sick puppies. Have you considered rescue? Or maybe an adult Yorkie? I got Barley from a rescue when he was a little over a year old. I didn't have to deal with potty training as badly, but did have some potty issues to address with him. He was also abused so it took / takes a lot of caring so that he knows no one here will ever hurt him again. But it's so rewarding to think of how he was to how happy he seems now.

I'm not trying to sound harsh at all, I'm just trying to give you my honest opinion and not just say to you, "yes everyone should have a Yorkie they are the best" as for some people Yorkies are too hyper or too demanding of their time. You will need to bath them weekly as they have human like hair, not fur and you will need to have it's hair cut every 4 to 6 weeks depending on if you want it long or short, if you keep it long you will need to brush them daily, shorter not as often. Yorkies as with any small breed of dog, are known to have dental problems, you will need to brush it's teeth daily or at least 3 times a week.

We're here for you and will happily answer any questions we can for you. Please, just ask. I really am not trying to sound negative, just being honest. Yorkies are a lot of work. But if you know the breed and willing to do the work, they are so worth it! Best of luck to you! Please, ask away.