Need Yorkie Advice!
 

Hi!! My name is Shayla and I have a black lab named Flik. I have always been a lab person and my family always had labs. My Mother, however (who I never lived with) has teacup yorkies. 3 to be exact! I have never been a big fan of little dogs, but I love hers...but I definitely think 3 is excessive. Her female recently had pups and she begged me to be able to give one to my daughter for Xmas. Tank is scheduled to be delivered to me on December 1st. My lab Flik has developed very bad anxiety and is most comfortable when there is another dog present. I take him almost everywhere with me, but he still sometimes has panic attacks. I really feel like another dog will REALLY help Flik. I work from home and I stay home with my daughter, who is only 3, but intelligent beyond her years! She even feeds Flik morning and night and walks him in our yard!! Anyway, I am excited about Tank's arrival, but also nervous because I am reading just how high maintenance these dogs can be. I can't imagine them being much worse than a lab's "puppy phase", but I also don't want to bite off more than I can chew. I am already a single mom which is hard enough!! Any suggestions or advice?!! :confused:

Attached are a couple pics of Tank, and a pic of lab, Flik.

Tank is absolutely adorable and Flik is a beautiful lab. It does get difficult on some days when I have to take care of the kids AND the dogs. I have two of each :D Like anything else, you just have to adjust and maybe rearrange your schedule. Yorkies are not that high maintenance and it looks like your Tank is a bigger yorkie which means less fuss IMO.

Hi Shayla, welcome to Yorkie Talk. You, your daughter and your fur babies are all beautiful. Owning a yorkie is really like having another child. They are so smart and so easy to spoil. One big difference between a big dog and a little dog is that the little dogs can get hurt very easily. Of course your daughter will have to be taught that she cannot pick the puppy up and carry it around. Also you have to be so careful about not letting the pup jump off couches and beds because many of them get hurt that way too. Most likely you already know all these things since your mom has yorkies. I think the easiest way to train a new pup is to setup a nice exercise pen so the pup can have his own space when he needs to eat and sleep. We will be looking forward to hearing more about all your babies and seeing many more pictures.

Hey, welcome! Your Lab is absolutely beautiful (as are you & your daughter!)

I haven't found Jackson to be extremely high-maintenance but he definitely requires more attention and work than the 2 Boxers I dog-sit for. He has quite a bit of energy and I take him to the dog park 1-3x a week depending and try to get out for walks every day. However, in the house, he's pretty laid back and does a lot of laying around. Every night, he practically demands at least a 5-10 min. game of fetch! LOL. I live with a 2 year old child in the home (who is not mine) and sometimes it's tough with both of them around... she will drop her toy, dog picks it up, she cries, he runs... she has food in her hand, he tries to get it, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! They love each other SO much! And Jackson gets along so well with my grandma's yellow Lab. Labs and Yorkies seem to be a popular combo. Jackson is my bigger Yorkie at 12.5lbs and it's so much easier. I don't have to worry about him so much and he easily jumps on and off furniture, can play rough with kids and other dogs and not worry so much about injury, etc. This is a great site for learning more info so have a look around!

Thank you to everyone for your advice. Tank is a teacup and according to growth charts is going to be just about 4lbs. Lucky for me, Flik is the most docile lab I have ever seen and my daughter is amazing with animals. VERY GENTLE and loves 'em all! I have been thinking about my decision for a few months now, and he will be here within two weeks and I am starting to get really excited! I call my mom everyday for new pics and updates on my little man! I will keep everyone posted on how it goes!! Thanks again for all of your awesome advice and sharing your stories!!! :thumbup:

4 lbs isn't too bad but I wouldn't want a dog smaller then 5 lbs. I too have a 3 year old daughter who like yours loves to take our yorkie for a stroll in the yard :p Even though your dog may be good with other dogs, around a yorkie is alot different. You really have to watch your lab because even him sitting on a yorkie could cause a severe injury. My other dog is much smaller then a lab but I need to watch my two carefully together!

On a side note, there really isn't such a thing as a "teacup" just to let you know ;)

Ha ha! Shows what I know!! Well...he is only supposed to be about 4lbs...according to growth charts :D

Hi! What a beautiful family you have. You daughter and your Lab are both gorgeous! Tank is so handsome too. He fits right in.

I think you have found the right network (YT) to help and keep you positive through this transition and Tank's puppy stages. You can do this! :)

Good post!! As usual. :thumbup:

Yorkie is not really high maintenance, you just need to comb their hair at least once everyday (for puppies) and comb more as their hair grow longer :p LOL
Okay, maybe you may need to buy supplements for shiny coat and healthier skin, but due to their sizes, they actually consume less :)
Congratz on your new pup! ^^

i raised two kids and the yorkie was a walk in the park in comparison

Violet....your post made me laugh. I already give my lab supplements for coat, so that does really seem high maintenance and I have every intention of keeping Tank's hair on the short side. I think they look cuter that way. :)MissLiss...I think it was...what a relief to hear!! I am a master at this mommy thing! If she is more difficult than a pup, then count me in!!:thumbup:

4 lbs? WOW!! The pictures I saw, he LOOKED like a Tank :D I'll have to go back and look at them.
I used to have a yellow lab (that ran away:() and he was VERY careful around Tucket, who is only 4 1/2 lbs now, and he still accidentally stepped on him on more than one occasion. He would try SO hard not to but Tucket gets underfoot when he is playing. Definitely keep an eye on them when they are together. Someone mentioned an x-pen? That will save you a lot of stress :D I wish we had one when we got Tucket. Now we don't need one but I stressed all the time when we first brought him home because dh had just laid laminate floors and I was always chasing him around not getting anything done unless he was in his crate and I didn't want him in his crate all day. Anyway, that's old news...he's doing great!!

Well, I have a growth chart and my mom's friend has been breeding yorkies for years. At 9 weeks, Tank weighed 24ozs and was 4ozs at birth...which according to the chart I have puts him right over 4lbs. Does anyone have any different info? His mom and dad are both at about 4lbs...but have gotten closer to 5 as they have gotten older. I agree though...in the pic he looks HUGE!!

The x-pen sounds like a great idea. I plan on kenneling him when I am not home until he gets a little older and I feel comfortable with him and my lab, but I'm sure that will be great for when I am working at home. WOW!! I must say, I was never a member of any lab sites...we always had them growing up so I felt like an old pro! However, so far, this site has proven to be very helpful and I can't say thank you enough for all of the great advice!!

BTW MommaTED...I think that Tucket is the cutest name ever!! I love all the names I see on here. My mom's Male and Female are Chainsaw and Speedbump. It cracks me up!!