Opinions on owning more than one yorkie
 

We are considering getting a new "family member" because our 16 year old yorkie recently passed away. She was very much an alpha dog so she was an only child her whole life. We have discussed getting two yorkies. If we decide to do that, should we get two at the same time or stagger them a little? Also, should there be a problem getting two females?

Thanks!

Vicki

Don't know about females since ours are boys and twins but we absolutely feel that getting them both was the best decision we made. Are two puppies more work? Of course in some ways they are but the positives far outweigh any negatives in my opinion.

I'm so sorry to hear your baby passed:( I have 3 females and I got them seperately. Lola was 10 months when I bought home 15 week old Lea. the first day was very hard but within a week things were good. Lola is know 3 and Lea 2 and I just added Gracie at 6 months. I anticipated resistance from the other girls when I brought Gracie home and it went smooth as silk. Lola being the first born-diva surprised me. For me I think potty training them together would be easier in my opinion. As for living with the 3 girls they get along great without the female "sassieness".

The Official concensious is probably going to be you need to stagger them and that might be appropriate for you in your situation I dont know. I did get two pups one month apart and it did work out for me however. The potty training takes more effort on your part and you will have double the vet bills. You could end up with two that have separation anxiety orboth cry at night because they are young pups missing their mom and littermates. These are just a few things to consider. Best of luck

I am sorry for the loss of your Yorkie.

I have sisters from the same litter and it has worked well for us. My girls were bonded from the day they were born and I couldn't get one and not the other...their bond is even stronger now and I have never regretted getting 2. I know it doesn't work that way for everyone and my first Yorkie never accepted a playpal but there are many success stories on YT too. My girls are well adjusted, well socialized and they love everyone...human and animal alike...so for us it has worked well.

I think it depends on what you are comfortable with as far as getting them at the same time. I would be inclined to say stagger them but there are advantages to each. Personally, I probably would get either 2 males or a male and a female. Although I know that alot of people have had good luck with 2 females, you are more likely to have a problem with 2 females than with 2 males or a male and female. No matter what you decide.... good luck!

Yorkies are like potato chips, you can't just have 1. I started with 1, 6 mos. later I got another, then 5 mos. later got another. so you can see I have a full house of little furbabies. They are the best lil companions...

i have two girls and personally i wish i would have gotten them together there about 6 months apart and they adore each other but it wasnt so at first getting them together i think makes a better bond

I am sorry for your loss of your 16 year old.

There are so many variables that there is really no perfect equation or answer to your query.

Looking back, I wish I could have brought Maximo's brother home with us. They were very close and could have grown up together. I ended up getting his brother from a later litter -- and he was nearly 8 months old when I brought him home. They are great buddies, but it took about 4 months for my older boy to work out all of the jealousy issues.

In my case, I don't think I could have balanced raising a puppy around my older boy.

We had three female Yorkies, and it was wonderful. I first got Ashley almost 17 years ago. She was such a happy little puppy, but she seemed to want another puppy to play with. We brought Kiwi home four months later. They got along great from the first day. Kiwi was definitely the Alpha dog, but she respected the fact that Ashley was there first. Less than a year later, their breeder asked us to take a puppy that she had kept to breed. She had hoped that Gracie would get bigger, but at 6 months she was only 2 pounds and much too tiny. I absolutely loved having all three of them. Sometimes Kiwi and Ashley would gang up on Gracie, since Gracie stole all of the toys (over 30 stuffed animals) and brought them downstairs to keep for herself, but that was rare and they mostly got along great. It was a little more of an adjustment when we got Gracie, but we gave Ashley and Kiwi a lot of extra love. I don't think there was any adjustment when we got Kiwi, because they were both babies. We are thinking about getting two also now that Ashley passed away almost a month ago. Ashley lived one month short of her 17th birthday. Her two sisters died a few years before, and she also became a diva being our only baby. She was the center of our lives, and everything revolved around her. We are struggling without our little girl. We don't know if we will get them together, but I know it will be better for our new baby when we get her to have a sibling to love. I hope you are able to find your babies soon from a breeder you trust and that the pain you are feeling lessens in time. The love you feel will last forever.

I think that the pros and cons probably equal out. I have two yorkie sisters from the same litter. I never had to deal with them acclimating to each other. They were bonded as littermates and still are bonded, wrestle, cuddle, fight and love like any other sisters. I have two other dogs (and two cats) that were already in the house when I brought them in so I also had the experience of introducing puppies to the established housemates.

It is extra work trying to train two at once as far as basic sit, stay etc... because one is always quicker on the uptake than another. But they were such a comfort to one another when coming into a new environment that I can't imagine one newbie going it alone.

Whichever way you go will be fine. I don't think there is a wrong path.. LOL

my boys are 6 months apart, and that works well for us. I think it would have been a little too much for me to handle 2 puppies at once, but at the same time, they'd probably be potty trained at the same time, so you would have less time of accidents. If it were me, though, I would stagger them 6 months to 2 years or so.

We too are struggling. Even though she was not very active anymore, the house seems so quiet without her. If I was sitting down, she was always on my lap. Thanks for your insights on more than one yorkie. It was very helpful.

I often think about Jackson's brother I left behind too :(... wishing I would have taken them BOTH home! But I know it's hard work.

The only thing is when you get a puppy and already have an older, trained dog sometimes it's a lot easier. Because the older dog teaches the pup things. Also, I always think about if I had 2 dogs the same age, they have the potential to die around the same time. :( I don't know if I could handle that! But maybe that's just my morbid thoughts, lol.

Good luck in whichever you choose!

I think two are definitely better than one. I was in doubt about getting our second yorkie, but it was the best thing that I ever did. It is so awesome the way they love each other. They cuddle together, they yorkie wrestle, they keep each other entertained. Some people think that you should get one, then wait a year or two before getting the second yorkie. I think it would be neat to get two littermates at the same time though. You would just have to be consistant with training and have alot of patience. We added Dora a year after getting Missy, and honestly Dora trained almost immediately and Missy still sneaks off to pee on the carpet on occasion. :rolleyes: