What are the challenges of raising a Tiny?
 

I would love some advice on raising and living with a tiny Yorkie. The challenges and special needs? I may be getting a sweet little girl that will be very small and I'm very nervous about it. I want to make sure I give her the best care possible and would love to hear from those of you that are owned by one. :)
Thank you
Genea

Welcome! I really don't consider my Toto a "tiny" but by some standards, I suppose she would be. She weighs slightly over 5 lbs. and is 8" tall and 8" long and came from an excellent show breeder. She will be 7 yrs. old on 7/18 and has been in perfect health her entire life. The only problem she has ever had, my husband and I caused. Her vet has always told us that due to her small bone structure, she should never, ever be allowed to weigh more than 3 to 3 1/2 lbs. She is so spoiled, it's very hard to refuse her anything, therefore, at one point she gained to around 6 lbs.!! Hubby is a "junk food junkie" and loves to share. He reached down to pick her up one night and she began screaming to the top of her lungs ... long story short, she had five of her little ribs seperate because of all the weight. Her tiny little frame just can't tolerate it but we can't get her below 5 lbs. We are very, very careful with her, she eats excellent food and I have reduced the quantity and she gets one "special" treat every day. [Kona's Chips and only one small strip of that.] Sorry this is long but just wanted you to know that there are indeed small Yorkies who are healthy and never have a problem! :thumbup::thumbup: Good luck with your baby!

I have a girl that is 3 1/2 - ish pounds and I will tell you the bones on a smaller dog are incredibly fragile (I got her from a show breeder too, she was supposed to be quite a bit bigger). They are unbelievably thin. And unfortunately, she is a runner and a jumper. Have not been able to break her of that. She will take a flying leap off the couch, my bed etc.
I also have a boy who had an open fontanel when I got him. I think that is more common in smaller yorkies and you have to be very careful. One bang to the head can be fatal.
There are a lot of things and I am sure you will get a lot more responses.
Curious when you say very small, what will her appx adult weight be?
Good luck with your baby!

Congratulations and Welcome to YT!

My 2 aren't tinies by any means but after owning a blk Lab for over 12 yrs - they're tiny to us.

Check your floors frequently
Being so low to the ground they find things that we don't see. We had to be very careful and watch that nothing was on the floor that could hurt them. I still shut the bathroom doors so they don't lick by the toilets or accidentally find some kind of cleaner residue.

Noise
Noises are louder down there as well. We have tile floors and neither one of my kids like to have a plate set on the ground for them to eat off of. I have a set that sits up off the ground.

Walking/sitting on them
I think the biggest problem with tinies would be that you have to be soooo very careful about walking around the house. These guys love to be around you all the time and I really had to watch out for them. Like when I'm doing dishes - instead of just turning around I have to turn my head and look to see if either of them are standing behind me before I pick my foot up and actually move.

Jumping
Jumping is a biggie too. I bought about 6 - $10 sets of steps from Walgreen's so that Mia & Max learned right off the bat that they had to use them. (especially since we have tile) I think I even threw pillows around my floor for Mia until she understood.

Dropping
If your baby is extremely tiny don't feel obligated to let other people hold him/her. These little ones are wiggle butts and so fragile that it could only take one time of jumping out of someone's hands for your puppy to get seriously injured, paralyzed, or die.

Hypoglycemia
I'm sure your breeder will go over this with you but make sure you have some Nutrical on hand. The little ones burn up so much energy that they don't have much reserve. You'll need to make sure that they only play for a little while at a time. They're just like babies in that they need to eat and sleep and occasionally play. :)

I'm sure you're so excited. Post pictures when you can. Don't hesitate to ask questions. This really is the best place to get help with your new baby.

Great post! Well thought out and detailed.

:goodpost:

My daughter has a little girl that is 2 years old and a little under 3 pounds. It is truely like having a baby. She cries when my daughter leaves. She wants to be held all the time.

I have a boy that is 3.2 and nothing like that. He thinks he is the big dog in the house. Very independent.

I really have not seen that they are that much more fragile. They play with the others just fine. Actually they think the little girl is a puppy. My females will clean her face and watch out for her. It is really strange..lol I have never had a problem with low sugar levels with either.

Sugar is 2.5lbs, guess she's tiny?
I didn't join YT until Sugar reached 7th-8th month, have no clue about raising dogs, Sugar is my first one.
However, I give Sugar supplements as treat, every time I play with her, I'll give her some supplements (I understand it might not be necessary to give supplements to our furbabies). I have no idea about sugar level, I gave supplements because I thought it's better than treats.
The only thing worrying me is...I have to make sure my family members and I OPEN our eyes bigger when she's roaming free in the living room, none of us want to step on her :(

tiny
 

I got a new baby girl a month ago.Someone broke into my home and stole my little girl Miley.I since had a security system installed.Miley was 2 yrs old and she was 5lb.and very healthy.But I don't know how big my new puppy Roxy will be.Her last Vet visit she was 17 weeks and she was 2lb.some people has told me she will be small but how small I don't know.any one out there know how big she might get?I just hope she will be healthy.:animal36

:thumbup::thumbup: Great advice.

Okay, I guess I am going to be the doom and gloom on this one. (And please excuse the novel.)

Some Tinies have special needs. Hypoglycemia can and does happen. Seizures happen. Tinies can be more prone to anxiety issues, digestion issues, and yes broken or dislocated bones. Sometime they even have higher vet bills just because of anesthia risks.

My experience has not been nearly as good as others. When I purchased Diva, she arrived sick from the get go. At barely three pounds she had diaharia and vomitting the night I got her. Even with nutrical, she would have seizures. She would refuse to eat so someone had to make sure to check on her through out the day. It turned out she had congenital birth defects.

It was an expensive investment, emotionally and monitarily. But I loved the little lady soooo much! I was devastated when she didn't make it.

Next I got Crickett. She too has a few issues. Mostly, she has anxiety issues. When stressed it effects her digestion and can sometimes go into a seizure. Luckly, thanks to Diva, I am now well versed in how to handle these.

She loves to run and jump. Just last night she was playing with Bailey and took a flying leap off of the arm of the chair, did a flip in the air and came down hard on her side hitting the hardwood floor. I froze, terrified that she had broken something. But before I could blink she was attacking Bailey's ear and trying to get him to play with her. It could have very easily have been a rush to the vet, as her bones are so frail.

I love Crickett like she is my child. In fact my 14 yro daughter calls her "Little Sister". I'm a push over for her and will pay whatever it takes to keep her happy and healthy.

My point is this, you might have a very healthy and wonderful tiny. But you might also have a high maintenance, special needs tiny. Are you prepared and in a position for the financial obligations that "may" come with her? If you are, then I say go for it!

I hope this perspective might help you. Good luck!

I have a tiny and my suggestion is be protective and aware but not over protective. I found that when I first got her all I did was freak out over everything. This made her a little skittish, after I calmed down she got better. We try to avoid her jumping off things especially on the hard wood floor. We taught her "stay" so that she would learn to stay on the bed or couch and let us pick her up. My baby also gets really cold. We keep little knit dresses on her so that she stays warm. We also found that harnesses and leashes are really hard to find. Our harness was an xxs and it was way to big when we first got her. She also didn't like how heavy the leash clip was and it was the smallest I could find. Now that she is right at 2.5lbs we have found the leash easier on her.

My new baby, Minnie, is now 16 weeks and 1.4 pounds. She is my first experience with a tiny one. I have had her now for 4 weeks and she has done super great...no issues at all. I am fortunate that her breeder educated me very well on her needs and possible problems, she sent me home with everything I would need, plus gave me more nutri-drops last week. She is available for me to call 24/7 if needed. Plus, since she is my third yorkie puppy and I have learned so much on YT, I felt like I could take care of her...if she had been my first, I would have been a nervous wreck.:eek: My vet checked Minnie and said she seemed to be healthy, just tiny.:)
My only problem with Minnie is that she thinks she is as big as the other dogs...:rolleyes: She wants to run and play with them. Rily and Saydee have been great with her too. Minnie doesn't have the "run of the house" and will not for some time. I bought a used Pack & Play pen and we keep her in there when we can't keep an eye on her. She likes it and will roll and play for a long time by herself. I'm really nervous about when my children visit with their dogs, so Minnie will be in the playpen during their visits.
I do worry about her bones being so fragile. I will probably always "baby" her more than the other two. :D

Good luck with your little one!:)

I agree with your advice...I've also had the same problem with finding a harness for Minnie, but she is still too small to walk on a leash, so maybe I'll find a harness by the time she is. I think I'll order one from Cindy on here. I understand they are great and custom made to fit. :)

My tiny girl is 5-1/2 yrs old she weighs 3.5 and has never been sick or injured
but it can easily happen. i have always put her in a playpen when there was going to be a few people in the house and not being use to little ones being under foot for her safety & my sanity :) good luck with your baby