New to Yorkie-land

[gram2k]

Where to start? First of all...hello, and a bit about myself, and then what I am looking for. We are empty nesters and became new grandparents in May. Four years ago we had to make the heartwrenching decision to put our dog of 16 years down, and a few months later, our cat of 8 due to a stroke. Fast forward to the cat we inherited from #2 son and we are now looking for our first Yorkie.
And although I've done some research, it's always best to hear from other's personal experiences, so please excuse me in advance while I rattle off all the things floating around in my head!

*The last time I had a "baby puppy" in the house, I was home raising children and available. I now work 4 / 8 hour days and am wondering if it's feasible? Can I leave her for long stretches?

*Do you prefer a male over a female ( visa versa ) and why? Would you say there is a difference in temprament?

*We travel 3-4 or so times per year. Have any of you traveled with your pup and are they good to travel with? I've seen people pop them in a bag and go? Are most hotels accomodating these days? This would be a must to fit into our lifestyle.

*Although I do understand there is no "official" teacup in the breed, we are looking for a tiny girl. Do these automatically experience more health problems? ( weplan on purchasing from a certified, reputable breeder) Is this what they refer to as "petite"?

*Most importantly, I plan on training on a pad or box. Have you had good luck with this? ( The reason I was ever skeptical of raising another dog was because of the in / out factor. Thus, the cats and their litter box)

*What constitutes a "baby doll face" ?

I think that's it? Thanks to anyone responding to any of my questions. This is a huge, long term commitment that we take very seriously and probably the last dog we'll ever have, so I want to make absolutely sure it's what we want and that she fits into our lifestyle...and we fit in hers!

Gram

[Patti]

Welcome!! I am no expert but have had yorkies for over 40 years.
I had yorkie puppies when I worked full time but usually my husband's hours and days off were different and the puppy was usually not home alone for more than 6 hours. The potty training took a little longer than now when I am home full time. If you can have someone or yourself come home at lunch to give the puppy a break that would be great. Many people work full time and have yorkies.
I have had males and then switched to females because I had problems with marking, but back then(early 70's) we didn't neuter, not sure why but we didn't. So people with neutered males can give you a better answer. I now have 3 females and each one has a different personality.
I don't travel with mine especially since I now have 3, but I have a friend who takes her Yorkie every where she goes and the yorkie is so well behaved you never know she has her unless she takes her out of her bag.
As far as tinies, my tiniest 3.5 lbs has been my healthiest, mainly because I bought her from a reputable breeder who was not breeding for tinies she just ended up small. The key is to buy from a reputable Yorkshire Terrier breeder.
I had never pad trained my dogs until I got Cali 4 years ago and tried it and it worked out well, when I got her I had my pom who was trained outside and Cali chose to never go potty outside only on her pads. Then I got Pixie at 13 months and she was not housebroken and did not take to the pads at all so she went outside with my pom. Then I got Roxie from same breeder as Roxie but at 4 months and she took to the pads right away and trained quickly and never potty's outside either.
The standard does not mention baby doll face but it is the look I like and my Pixie has the baby doll face.
I am glad you are researching before getting one and hope you find the perfect one for you.
Have you considered getting an older one that may have not worked out for one reason or another and the breeder is selling. The dog may be trained and you will know the personality and looks. Rescues can also be a resource.
This is just my experience and hope others will give you some more insight. Good luck.

[lelemommy]

Just wanted to welcome you to yt! I'm a long way, from being an expert. I work full time and we have 2 females yorkies. I personally like the females better. We travel about 3 times a year and the girls go with us.

[BaxtersMommy]

I just wanted to recommend a pet sitter for you. If you choose a pup, you could hire someone to come by mid day for a visit. This is what I do for a living & I love it. I only charge 15.00 for a 30 minute visit. Right now I have a couple puppies that I see 2 times a day for 25.00.

I am sure you could find someone responsible and affordable in your area that could assist you. Just make sure you check their references and they are insured.

Check out this site:
List pet sitter assignments, find pet sitters worldwide. Pet sitting & dog walking directory.

[RoxyLuv]

Welcome to YT! Enjoy~

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Hi and welcome to YT! You will definitely get a lot of information on here.

Here are my experiences:

I have both a male and female yorkie. My male seems to be more of snuggler than my female, but she is just as much a love bug with kisses.

Both of mine of pee pad trained and outside. we boat in the summer and they come right along with us!

Six months ago I went back to work full time and while I had more anxiety about it than them, they (and I) are doing fine with leaving them during the work day.

I would say that when you find your breeder, let the pup pick you...regardless of male, female, baby doll face or tiny, you will manage to fall in love with the one that chooses you. Good luck!

[bonita14]

welcome to yorkie talk you will find a lot of help in here

[gram2k]

Thanks for your help everyone, great advice! We've wanted one for over 20 years but ended up with another breed through a relative, but she's been gone for 4 years now. This will be the first time we actually plan and pick what we want. Hubby isn't going to want to wait much longer now that we've made up our minds.

I look forward to spending time on these forums as I manuever my way around "Yorkie Land". Seems to me that everyone here loves their pups as much as I will! Good to know!

Gram

[tarczely]

we too, ended up with the empty nest...we also had a boston terrior for sixteen years and had to put her to sleep. so.......my husband thought I was totally out of my mind, we do streetrod shows for a good part of the year. I started researching the yorkie mostly cause of shedding (they do not shed) and because of size which I don't think my boy will get any bigger then 5 1/2 pounds. He is great, his name is Axle, check out my site and pitures of him...he is so lovable, loves to play, loves his baths, has learned how to sit, fetch toys and bring back and drop them and has learned to shake paw already....he is a good eater he is almost 4 months old and 3.8 pounds. he is going for his first pre groom appt. sat. we take him in his bag everywhere we go, we even go to sonic now alot before we go places just so we can take him. He even has a dog stoller. we both work full time I work at a school so i leave at 6:30 and don't get back till 3:30, he has been fine he is being pee pee pad trained, I didn't want to have to take him out (my other dog i could open the door and she would go) can't do that with these little guys. he is 90% trained already, he sleeps in a crate at nite goes to bed about 9pm and wakes at 5 am when he hears us make coffee holds it all nite long. I hope I have been some help. good luck

[BellaBlue82]

First, welcome to YT! I am new to all of this as well, but I have learned so much from being a member on this site! I think a Yorkie would be a wonderful addition to your family, as long as you are ready to deal with a puppy and all that comes along with it. Like others have suggested on here, unless you find one at a rescue shelter or are otherwise able to adopt an adult, you have to be prepared with training and everything else. You can make it work with your work schedule. The best way (in my opinion) to train is to crate train. You can pick up any Yorkshire Terrier book and it will explain this process. When you are away at work, you should invest in an exercise pen and keep her in there with puppy pads. As far as traveling, they are the perfect travel companion! There are lots of hotels that allow pets, this is just something that you have to check up on before you travel. I think that the sex of the dog is purely up to you. My breeder has a wonderful section on her websites entitled "gender myths." Please feel free to read it and decide for yourself what would be best for you (http://southeasttexasyorkies.com/yorkies/genderMyths.php). As far as the "teacup" thing, that is not a phrase that is recognized by the AKC, and any "breeder" that is advertising this slogan you should steer clear of. They are only out to make a quick buck and are not breeding for the health and love of a Yorkie. If a litter happens to produce a small puppy that's one thing, but I wouldn't go searching for the tiniest Yorkie I can find, as you might find yourself with a lot of unexpected vet bills. Anyway, good luck in finding your perfect furbaby!