More on Charlie ... probably not a full Yorkie??

[Mary4]

I tried posting this last night but I couldn't for some reason. I'm new here and have posted a little here and there. I'm so thankful for this site. I have learned so much and I visit this site multiple times a day reading and learning.

I'm being a little repetitive here maybe but we got Charlie about a month or so ago. My cousin in NYC said they knew a "breeder" who had one puppy left out of the litter and couldn't sell him because of the economy. My cousin is a huge animal lover. He has two or three greyhounds, two large mutts, a huge cat and they just got Charlie's brother before we got Charlie.

I wasn't looking for another dog, let alone a puppy but there was something that I just "felt" that made me think Charlie was right for our family. My cousin said he'd drive Charlie up to us in MA and we all fell in love immediately and Charlie settled right in.

(Just as an aside, my original information came from my cousin's wife.) When I started talking to my cousin about Charlie (by then I had found this site and realized I knew nothing and this could be trouble,) I come to find out that he didn't really come from a "breeder." Apparently they knew someone from his wife's job who had a Yorkie that bred her Yorkie with her brother's or in-law's. They thought they could make some money and then found they really couldn't.

I brought Charlie to the vet and luckily he got a clean bill of health. The vet mentioned, though, that he didn't think he was a purebred Yorkie as he was already 7.5 pounds at 12 weeks. I talked to my cousin's wife later in the week and mentioned it to her, and she insisted he was definitely a purebred. (And it really makes no difference to me; we love him and he loves us.)

So I still wasn't sure what to believe. Then last week I was carrying Charlie down the stairs (he won't go down, only up,) when I fell. I tried holding on to him but we both ended up with very slight injuries (me with a very swollen foot and he with a little cut on his paw.)

Being a new "mom," I was overly nervous about him. My daughter's took him to the emergency vet that night and they said he was fine (and even said they wouldn't charge us!) But they told the girls, "I'm not sure what kind of dog he is, but he's not a full Yorkie."

Now I'm wondering do I need to know exactly what kind of dog he is? Is there a way to find out what he is? Like I said, it makes no difference to me or the kids. Charlie is an amazing dog with a fantastic disposition. If you want to play, he'll play. If you want to cuddle, he'll do that. He's just so content and such a good boy.

Of course, if I ever get another Yorkie, (which I'm pondering ... what is it about Yorkie's that make you lose all your common sense? You just fall so totally in love with them!) I'll know how to go about getting one. I feel like we got lucky that so far Charlie shows no issues with anything but I sure wouldn't want to push my luck.

Thanks for any advice or comments, and sorry for how long this is!

[Sweet Apple]

Wow, sounds like you got a real keeper there! I don't think it's important to know, exactly, what breed (s) he may be, unless it's just total curiosity...I think you can do some kind of test (maybe DNA) to find out the exact mix, but it's expensive...I'm sure someone else will post that info, on here...I wouldn't worry about it; consider yourself blessed to have gotten such a great pup, and just enjoy him to the max! Congratulations!!!

[jencar98]

Is it because he is a bigger yorkie that others think he is not a full blood yorkie? Charlie may or may not be a 100% yorkie, just because he is a bigger yorkie doesn't necessarily make him a mix. There are people out there that breed non-standard yorkies and often the result will be a larger yorkie.

If it doesn't matter to you, then forget about it and enjoy him for the pet that you love.

[megansmomma]

Well it sounds to me like you love him and really that is all that matters. Are you positive that he is really only 12 weeks old? If you feel that your cousin coworker was not truthful about the parents both being full Yorkie maybe you also didn't get truthful information about his age as well. Did the vet take a guess what they thought he might be mixed with? Just because he is bigger does't necessarily mean he is not full Yorkie. My Pebbles is 11 lbs of Yorkie lovin'. I'm so glad that you have fallen in love with Charlie even though it is obvious that he will be a larger pup when fully grown. I would love to see pictures of the little man.

There are people that come to YT every day with the idea to breed, breeding emergencies, money making from breeding ideas, and sadly those with very sick puppies from poor breeding and to some of us it is all pretty shocking. Others come worried that about something as simple as how big their puppy is going to be and I am glad that you do not feel this way about Charlie. It is always nice to hear that what is said on YT is being heard and that some are listening and learning. Enjoy your puppy and show us some pictures already

[mzw00dy]

what is it about Yorkie's that make you lose all your common sense? You just fall so totally in love with them!)

They have an alternate dimension in thier eyes and it sucks you in...lol I know mine does.

[Mary4]

He has a vet appointment this week; so I'll ask the vet about how old he thinks he is and what breeds he may be. I wouldn't bother paying for DNA testing, unless it made some sort of difference in his care or something.

I was never interested in him for breeding or anything. Geez, when our last dog died, I said never again. I didn't want to feel so bad again. But when it's right, it's right, I guess.

The only thing that worries me a little is he doesn't seem to like men. He won't go near my dad. Small kids and animals ALWAYS love my dad. He doesn't growl at him or anything but he just wants no part of him, even when Pop is offering a pretty nice treat! He will play with my boys but if my girls are around, he won't give them the time of day. My oldest daughter's male friends that come in he won't go near but her girl friends he's all over. Just seems to be adult men he won't go near. (Though when my ex stopped by he did growl and bark; he definitely didn't like him.) Not sure if just was never around men or if he was hurt by a man or something.

In any event, we are VERY BLESSED with Charlie. And I'm getting somewhat addicted to this forum and spending way too much time on it. But there's so much to learn!!!! I guess there's worse addictions.

One of these days I'll get a picture. I'm fairly useless with that stuff. I'll have to ask one of the kids for help!!

[MPlayman]

Please do post a picture. Would love to see your guy.

Yesterday while going to lawn sales, I had 2 people ask if Layla was Purebred. One girl went so far as to say she was not purebred! Said she looked nothing like her Yorkies. Her's she said were lighter in color and SMALLER! (Layla is 3.6 pounds & 9 months old)

I just smiled said she is purebred and walked away. Maybe I should have taken the time to explain 2-7 pounds and color change as they mature but....

Even if she were mixed I'd still love her to bits. And so would daddy. He calls her "baby Girl" lol

[babiehammer]

my little Hammer was pretty large at a young age... he was probably 6-7 lbs as of 12 weeks.

He is a purebred.

Either way, charlie seems amazing and i want to see pictures!!

[Mary4]

For those of you who have bigger Yorkies, how big did they eventually get?

My only issue with his size is I'm worried if he gets too big I won't be able to pick him up. I have debilitating arthritis in my hands. It's one of the reasons I wanted a small dog. Charlie will only go up the stairs. Right now it's not a problem, but if he gets to something like 20 pounds, we'll be in trouble. Though we'll figure something out.

He's such a little love, but he's getting spoiled!! It just can't be helped though. I figure they're like kids, right? You can't ruin them with too much love. He gets scolded when he does something wrong but he gets so much attention and playing and cuddling and of course, little food treats.

I wasn't going to give him any real food, other than a carrot or something easy. Our last dog couldn't tolerate people food and would always get really sick if someone gave her something. But Charlie's had raw baby carrots, a little plain grilled chicken, honey-nut cheerios, and a little bit of cheese when he goes on the pee pad (he's a little stubborn with the training) and a little hamburger and he seems to tolerate it well. (And he doesn't get too much.)

I loved our last dog (Cinni was a teacup poodle, 4 pounds. A friend gave her to us when she was 4 years old as her daughter was going to college and thought it was unfair to leave her home alone. She was a great fit for us and we were really devastated when she died suddenly last year.) But I almost feel a little guilty because even though we all loved Cinni, she was very moody. She was well trained in most ways but she could snap at people, especially my younger son. She even turned on me on the rare occasion. Charlie is just so exceptional in his disposition. I feel like I'm comparing and being disloyal.

I'll try to get some pictures. I love looking at all the photos of all the cuties here.

[megansmomma]

I have 3 and they are all about 11ish lbs.

This will help you with the picture challenges that you are having If you still need help just PM me and I can walk you through it. It's not hard at all

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ake-album.html

[PenniesMom]

everyone looks at me funny when i say penny is a yorkie shes VERY leggy and extreamly dark shes only 4.8 pounds though i guess its cause so so tall

[Mary4]

I was always a bigger fan of large dogs my whole life. It's what I grew up, with and I had always sort of felt like small dogs weren't "real" dogs. Sort of like that old saying, "Real men don't eat quiche."

But after we had Cinni, I really liked the advantages of smaller dogs. (I still like big dogs but I'd never get one.) The upkeep on the small ones are so much easier. The poop cleanup is so easy (I think the hardest thing is finding it (unless you're right there when they go.)) I love the dogs that don't shed. I think it's so hard to keep everything clean with dogs that shed. (I grew up with a couple of german shepherds but their

shedding was nothing compared to the Siberian husky we had!)

The smaller dogs are easier to cuddle with. You don't have to spend as much on food (though I guess people that dress their dogs spend a small fortune on clothes. I don't dress Charlie up and we never dressed Cinni up, except for Halloween or something. I do find myself contemplating buying Charlie clothes but so far I've held off.)

I just find there's so much I love about the little ones. It's almost like they remain puppies forever!

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Mary4

I was always a bigger fan of large dogs my whole life. It's what I grew up, with and I had always sort of felt like small dogs weren't "real" dogs. Sort of like that old saying, "Real men don't eat quiche."

But after we had Cinni, I really liked the advantages of smaller dogs. (I still like big dogs but I'd never get one.) The upkeep on the small ones are so much easier. The poop cleanup is so easy (I think the hardest thing is finding it (unless you're right there when they go.)) I love the dogs that don't shed. I think it's so hard to keep everything clean with dogs that shed. (I grew up with a couple of german shepherds but their

shedding was nothing compared to the Siberian husky we had!)

The smaller dogs are easier to cuddle with. You don't have to spend as much on food (though I guess people that dress their dogs spend a small fortune on clothes. I don't dress Charlie up and we never dressed Cinni up, except for Halloween or something. I do find myself contemplating buying Charlie clothes but so far I've held off.)

I just find there's so much I love about the little ones. It's almost like they remain puppies forever!

I do agree. I love big dogs and grew up with them, and often think I want another someday, but then I remember how much easier it is with my small dog! For all the reasons you listed, plus more

Jackson is a bigger Yorkie. He was 6lbs at 12 weeks old and is now 16lbs at 1 1/2 years old. He's athletic and muscular shaped. I'm not honestly sure if he's purebred or not; no papers and didn't get him from a great breeder. Some think he's a Silky and sometimes I tend to think he may be as well sometimes. Either way, I love him to death!

[Rhetts_mama]

It sounds like he could have some Silkie Terrier in him. They look almost identical, but they are larger. I'd never heard of them prior to coming to this site, and then my vet mentioned the "not full bred" too.

After researching it, it seems like some less than reputable breeders will mat a female Silkie with a male yorkie because they can have larger litters and then pass the pups off as yorkies. Having never bred dogs, I can't imagine how they could fudge the paperwork . Rhett was rescued from a mill that was sellng the pups to stores as "full bred".

But like you, we got chosen by our not-so-little guy. Pure bred, Heinz 57 variety or somewhere in between, it was his personality that won us over.The fact that he's 6 pounds at 17 weeks might be more than we were expecting, but he's the perfect fit for our family.

[Fantastic49]

i'm not 100% positive my baby is all yorkie either, though she has the total "yorkie personality" ... her coloring is a bit strange, in my opinion, but the vet seemed to think she was all yorkie ... a DNA test was $60, though i didn't get it ... i really don't care, i love her just the same....

an old man and his wife passed me while i walked her yesterday and he said "is that a dog? it looks like i mouse!" i just laughed and said oh she's all dog!!

congrats on your new baby and post pics!! we wanna see!!