New Here with 2 new yorkies - A few questions

[greenlove]

Hi Everyone,

I am new here and I will post pictures of my babies tomorrow. They are 11 weeks old and I got them yesterday. They are brothers. I was bad and went against my own rules and got them at a pet store (I know, the worst place to get them). Anyways, I love them and I am happy I got them. I hate supporting pet stores though. One is Romeo (he is 1.3 lbs) and the other is Marley (1.6 lbs). His dad was 4 lbs and his mom is 5 lbs. They seem small to me though. They are both very active, playful, and love to run all around the house!

I have three questions (for now!) about them that I thought I would ask. Today I took them to the vet for a well-visit exam. I was not impressed with her or her lack of knowledge of small dogs so I am going to find another vet. Everything looked find but Romeo has a knee problem. She didn't tell me much about it but she said she thinks surgery at 6 months old is best! That seems odd to me because he is soooo small and is in no pain. He runs around, doesn't yelp, and doesn't seem to be in pain. The vet said his knee pops out of place. I want to see another vet and see how bad it is. Any suggestions for this problem? I can return him to the store but I won't. I love him and will do the surgery if needed but I want to avoid this if possible. Any natural ideas for him? I read online to not let them jump but he jumps and bounces everywhere!

Also, they are brothers and love to cuddle with each other a lot. They love each other and need to be around each other to be happy (if one is out of sight, the other frantically searches for him). However, they fight so much that it scares me!! They growl, bite, show teeth, and tumble all over. It is very aggressive fighting and they sometimes yelp. I try to break it up but it doesn't work so I end up having to seperate them. They do bite us sometimes but they really take it out on each other. Any advice on stopping them? Or is fighting together okay?

Lastly, Marley is already "humping" toys and tried to hump my daughter's leg today. 11 weeks seems young. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to stop this?

Thank you!

Amber

[My Sophia]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Yorkies! Sounds like the vet is talking about luxating patella and DEFINITELY get a 2nd opinion from a vet who has lots of experience with small breeds, especially as small as yours are. There are different grades of LP and not all require surgery. My little boy lived almost 15 years with a mild LP and it never slowed him down. There are lots of threads here on YT about LP and several who've dealt with it who can help you out.

And the play sounds pretty normal. Sometimes it sounds a lot worse than it is. The yips let each other know when they've gotten a little too rough, it's how they learn just how far they can go playing before someone complains. For the most part, unless they're just really getting ridiculously rough, so long as there's no blood just let them go. You do want to discourage them from nipping at you though. If they bite you, give them a firm no, set them away from you and walk off. They'll learn pretty quickly that mama won't play if they bite. Get them something safe to chew on so they don't start chewing on something they shouldn't. Pet Stages has lots of really good toys for teeny babies.

The best way to stop the humping is to neuter. Boys will be boys, even at 11 weeks. Doing it early will decrease the chance of them starting to mark everything too.

Have fun with your new babies!

[ellabee]

congrats on your boys! when visiting our breeder today, there were 2 brothers, 5 weeks old, totally irresistable! I asked about adopting both, and she said that she doesn't typically like siblings to go together because they may bond more to one another than to you, and you need to be their primary bond. so, the reason i am posting this is so that you can research how to encourage them to primarily bond to you. i have no expereince in this, so i have no helpful advice to share, but thought you would like to know it might be something to learn about?

congrats again on your new additions, can't wait to see photos!!

[greenlove]

Thanks for your help! I always wanted a puppy and I knew it would be hard work but two puppies are even harder! I am sure worn out. I just didn't want to separate them and couldn't choose just one. I thought it would be good to get both for those times I am not home so they have company (I go to school and work but thankfully I do both online at home). I am home 99% of the day so that helps. I love them both dearly and even though it is more work with two, I am very glad I got them both.

I will search the boards for more on luxating patella. Thanks for telling me your experience! I do want a second opinion, she didn't know much about it. She just said surgery is the only answer.

It is soooo hard watching them fight like that but I know you are right. It is normal. It just freaks me out watching two tiny puppies fight like that. Romeo is the alpha male and always starts the fights and just won't back down when he is in the mood to fight.

I thought I should neuter them now (or soon) too. The vet won't do it until after 6 months old and that seems way too late. I prefer sooner then later. I really do need to find a new vet asap that knows small dogs and their health concerns. She didn't know anything about my concerns of hypoglycemia (she said not to worry about it, but they are so small and don't eat alot) or dental issues (I asked how often I should brush their teeth and she said it isn't a concern).

[greenlove]

ellabee - Thanks for telling me! I will look into ways to get them bond with me. I separated them today and just played and cuddled one at a time and they both loved it. It was "their" time with no fighting with brother and they got all the attention. They both were calm and relaxed afterwards and I think if I do that daily it will help. I will look for more ideas. Thanks again! I will post some pictures tomorrow!

[MauiGirl]

I love having siblings (2 Morkie sisters now 9 months old), and love the way they interact with each other, plus my other doggies and ME. It is soooo fun having siblings I wish I had done this sooner.

Humping can also a dominance thing rather than sexual; my furgirls even do it sometimes. Neutering will help, but that will be in a few months. Fighting/playing like you describe also seems normal for this age.

Good idea to find a more knowledgeable vet, especially with small dog issues and possible LP.

Welcome to Yorkie Talk, and show us pics, ok. Have fun with the little guys.

[J_is_my_initial]

Hi and welcome to Yorkie Talk

[YorkieMom6]

Congratulations on your double addition . Welcome to YT, you will love it here

[LilMissy]

Neutering them won't necessarily stop the humping. It is actually showing dominance, it's not a sexual thing. Missy humps her favourite stuffed animal and she's spayed I've had a few spayed female dogs that have done this. A good reason to neuter your boys when the vet advises is to decrease the chances of them marking in your home.

Congrats on your new little ones. Hopefully the boy with luxating patella doesn't require surgery.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Hi and welcome to YorkieTalk. Your babies sound adorable. Yes, I would definitely seek a vet who is well versed with smaller dogs. My Hot Rod had luxating patella surgery on his one knee last year. He went from a grade 1 (lowest) to a grade 3 in a few months time. (Grade 4 is the worst-but lp can be worse). Just because your little ones knee is loose now, doesn't necessarily mean that it will be like that when he grows up. All puppies tend to have loose knees...Maggie had loose knees at her 11 week well check and she is fine at 1 1/2 years old.

You can also try glucosamine type of products. I would discuss this with a vet who knows about this as to whether to start these at such a young age however. You can also try getting stairs and ramps for them to keep them from having to jump too much. Jumping can definitely aggravate lp.

As for the humping, as lil missy say, it is a dominance thing. It sounds like this little one may be the alpha. Hot Rod was neutered at 6 1/2 mos and he has never marked in the house but does so outside. He didn't even really lift his leg to pee until after his neuter. We have keep them on pads in the house and he squats when using the pad but will lift his leg outside.

As for the fighting/biting, I am sure it is a puppy thing. Just correct with with a stern no and definitely make sure to get them some chew things. This will help them to learn what can be nibbled and what cannot.

Good dental practice is very important in dogs, especially little ones. You should start brushing their teeth early on to get them used to it. For now, you can use your finger and make the motions to get them used to it. Then I would recommend getting a soft toothbrush (I use a childs) and pet toothpaste. I haven't really kept up as I should but I try to do their teeth at least 2-3 times a week. I really need to try and do it daily.

Best of luck to you and enjoy your little ones.! Can't wait to see pictures.

[miabellaamoure]

Since your puppies were purchased thru a pet store I believe they may be liable for any health problems including LP...check your contract!

In CA, you are protected under the Dog Lemon Law...believe it or not!

Check with your states better business bureau about that...LP surgery is EXPENSIVE!

Best of luck to you & your new little fluffs of love!

[lil fu fu girl]

Welcome to YT, and congratulations on the new babies!

[Kristy4]

welcome and congrats! i don't have any advice but you will find tons here

[Pam Campbell]

Congrats on the two little ones! They are adorable and I wish you the best of luck!

[LittlePuppyKiss]

Welcome and congrats! I can't wait to see pics.