Totally agree. :thumbup:

I also think it entirely depends upon the dog, the child, and the situation in general.

Jackson gets along wonderfully with my young siblings (3 1/2 and 7 1/2), one of whom we live with, the other we visit often. Jackson has literally grown up with my sister, who was not even a year old yet when we brought him into our home. He really loves her and they play together, but I admit, it's REALLY hard work. If she were MY kid and I was literally with her all the time and she wasn't just my sibling... it would be a ton of work. It took a lot of diligence on my part to ensure she knew how to properly treat him. And still, at the age she is now, often needs reminding to be gentle. And Jackson is a big 16lbs... if he wasn't, I think I would be even more worried, but then again my sister is a rough and tumble type of kid, and not very "gentle" in her ways in general, lol.

If my mom and stepdad were the ones with Jackson and Emma at the same time, I think the poor dog would be tortured a lot because they don't pay enough attention to realize when she is doing something that could be irritating to the dog. Luckily, I am always supervising the two, and I also took great time to train both her AND the dog. He is very tolerant of her but I don't allow him to be in an uncomfortable situation either and most of the time, he initiates play with her.

But, yeah, in general.... the two are just best buddies. I think they have a love/hate relationship because they BOTH get on each others nerves, LOL. Here's some pictures. And I think it's going to be really nice for her to look back on the memories with "her" first dog (she does call him her dog, LOL).

I also want to add -- what about the people who have dogs first, and then have children? What would one suggest a person to do who has a 2.5lb dog, for example, and three years later, has a baby? In that case, breeders should never sell to anyone under the age of 45 who has the potential to have a baby at some point. That is extreme. Would you suggest placing the dog in a new home, simply because it's "not safe" to have a baby around a small dog? Sometimes I do think it's not fair the amount of judgment some get for having little ones/little kids because it is possible to live in peace, it just takes more work. Most people criticize those who rehome dogs when they have children (and it's not something I would ever do). It seems like it's a catch 22 type situation to me. But it's why I really think socializing a dog with children as much as possible is very important for these reasons.

Well that is a totally different situation because the breeder didnt place the pup with them when they had a baby. That means the parents #1 dont have a 1 or 2 lb pup they have an adult dog. It means there will still need to be supervision but not the same as with a 1 or 2 lb dog with a toddler who is clumsy or unpredictable. With the young pups I think the breeder should be looking for the most ideal circumstance for their pup to go to, Thats just part of being a good breeder

i would place (bigger) pups with families with children- the ones whos parents have the kids under control. but a woman came down not that long ago to see the pups (i already wasn't to sure about their suitability tbh) and her son came straight in and started throwing things around the place:eek:. i didnt dare open the playpen; he would have hurt a pup right there and then; and this was a 9yr old!
i sadly know of a 6lber who has recently lost an eye in a child-related incident.

but, a few of my pups have went to homes with children... fantastic homes in fact!
one woman who took the tiny pup has grandchildren who are at her home very often, but she is in complete control of them and the pup, so i wasn't worried.
another pup went to a family with a 14, 12, 7 and 5 yr old, i was very wary at first, but told them to come on down to see the pups. they came through the door, and went straight to the hand sanitiser, then the youngest two sat on the floor in front of the playpen, and called the momma over to have a sniff, then cuddle on their knees. i didnt even have to speak- neither did the parents. i then said to the girls 'your mum has went over Everything about how to behave with a puppy hasn't she' (in a more polite way than is sounds when typed) assuming they had got a stern 'you better behave in here!' from mum and dad on the drive down... one of the girls replied 'nono, but you have to be really careful with wee bunnys and stuff, and its not safe to stand and cuddle' in such a matter of fact voice- like i was being silly! it was the sweetest thing i've ever heard!
but Never, would i feel comfortable placing a tiny with unruly or young kids, i've seen and heard too many horror stories to risk it.

I agree with chachi. That situation is totally different. Your dealing with an adult dog, and an owner who knows the dog's triggers. If I were to have a child having had Kaji for a few years, I would have a plan in place. I would have an area for him, and an area for my child to safely interact with the Kaji. I also wouldn't get any more canine additions to my family, not because yorkies and children don't mix, but because I don't think I could handle and balance a new pup and a small child.

I have four young children and two yorkies. My female is 5lbs, full grown. My male is 6 months and has just hit the 2 lb mark. I am very careful to make sure that my human babies are respectful to my furbabies. My children have been raised to respect and love animals. Our breeders have always been amazed at how good my children are with animals. Our last breeder even said that my 2 year old handles pets better than some adults. I know that accidents do happen, but accidents can happen with anyone. I do know that breeders need to be extra picky, but if you do not want to meet my children before saying "no yorkie, or no yorkie under this size can go home with you" then I will politely part ways.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Levi weighs 5.5 pounds, and I'd never let a young child hold him/carry him around. I can't imagine having a young child and a tiny pup in the same household full-time. That would be a full-time job for sure.

I had a male yorkie who was 6 lbs when my daughter was born. She was raised to never pick him up and to treat him gently. He passed when she was 6. A week later I couldn't stand not having a yorkie. I found a reputable breeder who also showed who had puppies for sale. My sister and I took my DD and her DD to visit. The breeder had us all sit on the floor and brought the 4 puppies to us. She could see how gentle and loving the kids were with the puppies. She also knew I had just lost Zorro who my dd was raised with. She had no problem selling me Gracie. I think the problem comes in when parents don't know or care that their child/children are not gentle enough to be around a small dog. I knew any puppy would be safe with my daughter. I have met children that I would never let be around my dogs let alone think they should have one in their house. So I think it is a tough call for Breeders. If someone wants one bad enough even though they will go to a pet store or find a breeder who will sell to them. So I can see both sides. I just know I would have been devastated it I couldn't have had yorkies because I had a small child.

I believe small Yorkies and small kids shouldn't mix because even the most careful, well-behaved child doesn't have very good coordination. There was one story on here of a little girl who accidentally killed a Yorkie by leaning over a gate, and the gate and child fell on top of the dog. Little kids can hurt dogs by accident, and there are no second chances when your dog is under 5 lbs or so. I'm not saying you should get rid of your dog or anything, just that I would never recommend a family with small children to get a small Yorkie. I would recommend they get one about 10 lbs or so, and there are quite a few like that.

I don't want to be a drama starter, but I have heard my fair share of stories of adults and teenagers squashing small dogs as well. Accidents can happen to anyone.

Yes they can but they happen more often with children especially small ones.

It's not a question of whether it can or cannot happen. We live in a probabilistic world and nothing occurs or doesn't occur with 100% certainty. It's about what occurs with more frequency, and the answer to that is pretty obvious.

You would think something like that would be common sense, however sense really isn't all that common. I could tell you stories about injuries to infants that occurred at the hands (or feet) of their toddler/preschool aged sibling while mom turned her back "for just a minute"...

From my perspective, I've never, ever met a parent who said " oh yeah, we knew she was going to hurt the baby/puppy but we left them alone any way..." They all claim that there children are better behaved/trained than the average kid. It's only after the injury or death that they realize they were extremely lucky it hadn't occurred earlier because kids are, well, kids.

As a general rule (and a personal bias) I believe that people who frequent boards like this are MORE likey than the general pet owner to do a better job of both educating their children and watching their pups. That's because they have put the effort in to learning about the vulnerabilities of their pets as well as being warned by the tales of those who haven't been as lucky before they are put in the situation. Again, that unfortunately is not the average pet owner in this country; far too many come looking for answers only after something has happened.

Like me?
I had children then waited until I felt they were responsible enough, then dogs then new baby...I wouldn't have planned it this way...HOWEVER my child will grow up knowing how to respect a dogs demonstrated by my others, I have dogs NOT PUPPIES that matters too big time
not surprise here's a dog let's figure it out
or worse a puppy
or here's a child with behavioral issues let's add a pet
or we got a dog for nonsense reasoning etc etc etc
FYI (not that it matters) my smallest is 9 #

Tina said it! At what age would you 'trust' your child with an infant?

We only have to look at our own forums to see dogs broken & injured with adult supervison.

I would have put either of my kids juggling footballs (soccer) or on hockey skates, at two years of age, up against an average adult to see who had "good coordination". There are a heckuva lot of uncoordinated, clumsy adults out there. Go to your local nightclub any weekend and look at what's out on the dance floor!

Me too! And who is anybody here to say who should or shouldn't be part of somebody's family. That's a choice we each make for ourselves.

I got my own first yorkie when my kids were 5 & 3 from a local second generation yorkie breeder who had an infant & toddler of her own!