Asking Yorkie advice
 

As of yesterday, I now have an extremely sweet 1-yr-old female Yorkie whose owners found they had too many dogs to handle. She seems to be in great health, but I have a vet appointment later today for a checkup. She's not spayed, but I'll be taking care of that soon.

Quite a few years ago, I had two much-loved Yorkies who passed away of old age. They had originally belonged to my parents, and when I began to take care of them, I did the same things that my parents had. Recently, I became aware of stuff I didn't know about then that would have been enormously useful -- like full-body halters instead of regular collars and leashes.

I want to take the best care I can of Miss Molly so she stays as bouncy and healthy and happy as she is right now, and lives at least as long as they did. What would you recommend as the best book and/or website to read to find out the most important Yorkie-specific care guidelines? Back in the Neolithic era, when I was a teenager and my parents had first bought the Yorkies, the care books I'd read were pretty generic and not overly useful. (They had advice like "Be gentle with your Yorkie. Do not drop it from a great height." Well, DUH.)

Also, what brand/kind of toys would be the best to get from Petco? I've heard some can choke a dog with plastic bits that chew off. My husband will be wanting to play fetch with her for hours on end. :)

Many thanks,

Anna M.C.

Welcome to YT and congrats on your new addition. In regard to finding the best website for help with your Yorkie...well, in my opinion, you just found it. :D

As far as toys, mine seem to prefer plush toys with squeakers. They like them even better after they've effectively killed the squeakers and have ripped out all the stuffing. I try to avoid toys with hard plastic peices and just check them regularly to make sure there is nothing loose or tearing that could injur them or that they could pull off and eat.

Hi! Welcome and Congrats on your new addition.

You have truly found the best website for Yorkie information right there... look around, there is so much information... basically anything you could possibly want to know.

Glad you found out about harnesses, :thumbup: they really are the best thing for these little ones.

I like skineez (they are a toy with no stuffing inside!), my guys also like pretty much anything from petstages, they like these small rubber balls I get that squeak, Dr. Noys Kong toys (they are little tiny stuffies with a squeaker).

Finding a good quality food is important.

You are beyond all the puppy shots... but in the future, it is important to limit the amount of shots these little ones get at the same time because they can have a reaction to so many... my rule of thumb is that mine can only have one at a time.

It is important to make sure your vet is versed in small dogs because they have extra concerns when going under anesthesia and you want to make sure your vet will understand all of these issues.

Thats all I can think of at the moment... I know others will chime in also.!

I agree with BamaFan121s, this is the perfect website to learn and ask questions about yorkies and for toys it all depends if she is an agressive chewer or not. I know yorkies who cannot have any stuffed animals but in my case Bailey loves them and does not destroy them... I would just make sure you don't leave her home alone with anything that can break. I trust KONG toys they are awesome and even dishwasher safe :) Good luck

Hello and welcome to YT! I have to agree with what the others posted. I love this place and it is full of great people and a ton of advice.

I thought kong's were indestructible, but mine have now chewed the top off of two of them. I used to give them each a kong, with a treat inside, when I would leave the house. I thought it was a fluke the first time they destroyed it, but a few weeks later they chewed the top off of another kong. Mine love the skineez too.

Hi Anna,

Welcome to YT. Congratulations on Miss Molly!:D I really like that name. It's cute. Here are a few websites that might assist you:


Alex's Yorkie Care Frequently Asked Questions

Yorkie Dictionary

YorkieInfoCenter | Dental Care for the Yorkshire Terrier

I was going to add that Kacee loves soccer balls that squeak of course.:) She used to love to chew on Merrick's bully sticks, but I don't remember if Petco carries them.

Welcome to YT! And congratulations on your new little girl. :)

Congrats on your new baby girl and WELCOME to YT!! As you can tell, we're all extremly biased as we love this site. So many people with good information and we have a forum for basically anything you'd want to know. Get to know the search button, it will be your best friend.
As for toys I'd recommend, Kaji is my first dog, and he's still coming out of his shell. So far the only acceptable toys in the house are:
KONG X-Small Plush Dog Toys - Toys - Dog - PetSmart
Kong Squeaker Balls - Small : Target
Anything else gets left in his little tent and it not used at all.:rolleyes:

:thumbup:That's hilarious!

Hi and welcome to YT.. I have to agree with everyone else.. you HAVE found the best site to learn everything about yorkies!

Welcome to YT and I totally agree with everyone else,for research and info about Yorkies you are definitely in the right place. If you have questions use the search option because it has probably been covered. Ask questions there are so many exprerienced members here who give great advice. Also we like pics of the furbabies too!!!

Hi and welcome!

Daisy's favorite toys are those tiny little tennis balls and one that looks like a rope with knots tied at both ends. I also agree that anything with a squeaker inside is fun, as long as you can take the noise!

Best wishes.........
:welcome4:

:yorkietalHi!! You've gotten plenty of advice, so Prince and I just wanted to welcome you.

you need to get the kong that goes with the type of chewer they are. I can get the puppy or senior kong and Bailey loves them and cannot destroy them.. but if you have a heavier chewer you can switch to the red ones and if he can get through them then switch to the black kong which is the strongest as the rubber is not dyied. If your furkids can get through the black ones that means they are stronger then most dogs...lol the picture below is the type of kongs I am talking about. I put Bailey's dry food in it and block it with wet food and then freeze it and give it to her liek that and she LOVES it!!:)

Bailey LOVES the squeaker balls but I cannot leave her alone with them because the smaller ones are to small and its a chocking hazard and if you go a size up it is to big and once she opens her jaw to pick it up it gets stuck in her mouth...so funny though... it is like a treat for her to have those squeecker....lol:p

Bailey can swallow the squeaky ball??? Kaji acts like it barely fits in his mouth, but if he sees a regular size tennis ball he'll pick those up too.

Welcome to YT!! I will say mine all love Nylabones, Kongs, the skineez are awesome too!! Of course the squeekies but mine can get the squeekers out of most of them so watch for that. Walmart sells the tiny tennis balls and mine love to fetch those!! As for information and website..I am biased :D this is the best there is IMHO

LOL no no she cannot swallow them (I don't think) but they completely fit in her mouth and I am scared that she could choke as they are so small and she has choked on a toy that size before :( just beign precautious...lol:):) other then that they are GREAT to play with!!

Thanks very much for the welcome and the advice, guys. :) I'm very happy with Miss Molly, not to mention very, very lucky -- I think she's more housebroken than my husband and me are! She uses the doggie door faithfully without a single accident, sits quietly without begging while we eat (although with a winsomely hopeful, powerfully guilt-inducing stare, and much joy when a tidbit of chicken is forthcoming), loves to cuddle and have her tummy rubbed, has no objections to being brushed, and does the Happy Tapdance of Joy whenever my husband and I come home. She sleeps next to me on a pillow, and sleeps all night. She doesn't chew anything she's not supposed to, either! She's so well-behaved she's almost a Stepford Puppy. Her only remotely bad habit is that certain outside noises -- loud birdsong especially -- seem to annoy her, and she feels compelled to go outside and give a couple of barks and a grumbling growl to show them who's boss. She also seems very afraid of people on the few occasions I've taken her out; she trembles and pants. I'm going to try to take her out more often for short periods of time to socialize her a little more.

I'm so glad I have her - I didn't realize just how badly I missed having a Yorkie doing the Happy Tapdance of Joy just for me, or waking up to a warm fuzzy puppy lying under my chin, making happy little noises as I rub her tummy (makes getting up to go to work much harder, though!). :)

One more question, please; she hasn't been spayed yet. I definitely want to get this done, but I hate to do it while she's still adjusting to the initial bewilderment of losing her old home and gaining a new one; I also don't want her to grow to regard me as The Mean Lady Who Not Only Stole Me, But Made Me Get Stitches, which I'm afraid might happen if I spay her too soon (she's already had a full vet exam and some shots, for which she was very well-behaved but clearly not keen on). She's apparently been in heat twice, the last time two months ago. How long do you think I should wait to spay her? The vet pretty much just said I should get it done before her next heat. I'd like to get it done as soon as I can without traumatizing her.

Anna M.C.

lol...good one...and i agree.

see, i'm not all disagreeable!

Welcome and congrats on your new baby

i was worried about spaying too for the same reason! i adopted my puppy from a shelter and i can't say for sure what her life was like before i came along. she warmed up to me immediately, but was wary of anyone else - including my husband and children. she's coming around, but i'm still her favorite! she trusts me - REALLY trusts me. she just lies in the tub while i bathe her - she's so sweet. i thought, OMG, she is going to think i've abandoned her when i leave her at the vet! in my case, she is 4 months old now and the vet won't spay her until she's 6 months old. i figured that's fine with me because by that time i don't think she will lose her faith in me.

really, i don't think you would have to wait two months (i am only because i have to). if you are loving toward her which i'm sure you are - and you are extra loving when you pick her up from the vet - it won't make a difference. dogs are man's best friend (and woman's)!

i was pushing my puppy away from the door today because she was trying to get out (thinking i was going out) when i was really just opening the door to yell for my kids to come inside. i pushed her away with my foot (gently of course) but her head hit the side of my treadmill. i was like OMG she probably thinks i just abused her!! i picked her up immediately and petted her while i apologized. she just licked me and wagged her tail - dogs are smart - they know who loves them.

i say go ahead and do it as soon as you can get her in.

I'm doing just that right now, but he's twitching as he's dreaming a little yorkie dream.

Kaji came home on his first birthday, so no, he wasn't a pup. He came home after a 5 hour flight, to a new home with new people, new dogs and less of them, and a whole new type of living (from the country quiet to city "college" living). We bonded instantly and that's when I knew I had to swear to do anything in my power to keep my baby fluff safe. He came home Aug. 1st, went to the vet for a wellness check Aug. 4th, and was neutered by the 6th. I'm lucky he doesn't blame me, but he sure does know which is the place that took his manhood, and boy is he not happy when we go back. Your baby girl has the rest of her life to enjoy your company and be absolutely spoiled by you. In my opinion, the sooner the better, don't risk the chance of an "oopsie" litter, it's not fair to her.

Welcome to Yorkie Talk and congrats on your new little addition to your family. This site is great.
I have had 3 yorkies and have learned so very much from this site that I never knew about yorkies. I have been VERY fortunate with all 3 as they NEVER had any health problems so I never had any experience with any of the health issues that yorkies can have. Oops, one exception...Abby has dry eye for which she is being treated.
Good luck with your little girl.
Please post some pictures when you get a chance.:)

Hi and Welcome, you will like it here .A few things to be cautious of. Try not to let her jump on and off the furniture. That doggie door, how big is she ? are there hawks and owls where you live ?. I took my ShihTzu out the other morning separately from my other dogs and an owl swooped him, got about 2 feet from him when my dog finished his business he jumped as I was rounding the corner and I think between the 2 of us startling the owl he changed his mind but it was a very close call. My ShihTzu weighs 9 lbs and that owl was at least 4 times his size.:eek:

Welcome Newbie! This is the most awsome place for advice and morale-boosting! Isn't it wonderful to have a little one in your life again? :)

The only thing I would add to all the great advice you've gotten is to make sure the vet does a blood test before you get Molly spayed. This is just to make sure everything is ok health wise. Also check what kind of anthesia is used.

Hi - just seeing this and want to say welcome and share a great toy - Remember thos Bo Bo dog commercials with the weiner doggie from Petco ?

everyone sells them now - they're the long loofa hotdog type looking toys with squeakers - mine have about 10 and not one has ever broken and my Cheri is a toy terminator (I attached a picture so you can see the toy) Both mine love them - more than most all toys they have

Good luck with the spay !

Congratulations !! I get patches latex and plush toys he loves them Good luck



Patches & Winnie:animal36:)

:thumbup::thumbup: great advise.... some vets may not do it unless asked but a good vet will tell you it's very important