Toy Yorkie living with larger dog
 

I just got a toy yorkie, Paisley. She is barely 2 pounds and I was hoping I could get some feedback from people who own a small yorkie and a larger dog. We currently have a 27 pound boxer mix that is 4 months old. The vet says the boxer puppy, Hurley will most likely get to 50-60 pounds.

Now I know Yorkies are delicate little animals and I will be lucky if Paisley gets to be 5 pounds. My boxer puppy seems fine with her, he licks her face and is gentle with her, but I still worry, because he can be excited and clumsy sometimes.

I am keeping her away from him for the most part right now until they get used to each other. And they absolutely will never be together without supervision unless they are crated. I have heard that small dogs and large dogs can live fine with each other, but I can't help but obsessively worry about every move he makes when he is near her, (keep in mind his clumsiness). Advice anyone?

Supervision is the only thing you can do.

Kind of a weird decision getting the 2 completely different dogs???

Hi, i know exactly how you feel.
I have always wanted a yorkie but was hesitant
because i have an 85 pound airedale terrier.
I decided to go ahead and get my little oscar.
You are right never to leave them unsuperevised alone together
cause no matter how much the big dog loves the yorkie
there is always a chance the little one could get seriously hurt
just from rough play.
But you can't always keep them seperate , they need to get to know
each other.
One good thing is your boxer is a puppy as well so the two can
grow up together
i am sure you will be fine though .
It sounds like you are doing all the right things to keep your
little yorkie safe.
Have fun

I have my 8 week old yorkie and a 175 pound akita. And Rosco the Akita is annoyed at Joel and pretends hes not there and ofcourse Joel runs circles around him trying to bother him. But im not worried about my yorkie because Rosco doesnt care about him.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...3/IMAG0397.jpg

All yorkies are in the toy catagory no matter the size. There are no different size catagories for yorkies they are just all yorkies. I have heard of many yorkies in households with larger dogs but if they were in my household they would only be together when I could supervise

I used to have a larger dog, and I would have never been able to have them two together!....I'm cautious now with just kids and they are older. My fear is that someone will step on her:(

Supervision is the only way to go until they are both fully grown. By that point your boxer pup and yorkie will have learned each others limitations as well as not be so antsy to play that it can become dangerous.

I have two Labs, a Yorkie, and 2 Yorkie/ Maltese and they all get along great! However, I never ever leave them alone together. My Labs are very gentle with the little dogs. When I leave the house, my Labs are gated downstairs and my little ones are locked up in the crate so we don't have any worries.

Good luck!

Even tho my 11 year old Wheaten is a big easy going dust mop I never leave without crating everyone up. If I am the last one in the house and they see me get my keys they all run for their special place (with a treat of course!)

I don't see anything "weird" about it. Many, many homes have multiple dogs that are different breeds and sizes. So if you have a larger dog and are a responsible pet owner, you can't also have a small dog? Strange logic unless you just don't want to supervise them properly.

I have a 90lb lab and a 4lb yorkie that get along wonderfully. BUT, no matter how good they are with each other, they are never and will never be left together unsupervised. When they are together I watch them very closely and can not let them play together, even though they want to at times. My lab would never intentionally hurt my yorkie, I have never heard him growl at another dog, NEVER and he is 7 years old. My lab could just put his paw on him during play and could hurt him.

So my opinion is that you should never leave them together unsupervised.

:thumbup::thumbup: Many people have small and larger breeds together!

I have 4 yorkies and a rambucoius 75 pound Golden rescue/new addition. They are fine with each other. I do leave my 2 biggest (8 pound and 15 pound) with Buddy gated in the kitchen when I run errands. The 2 littlest ones can fit through the railing that separates the family room from the kitchen. Cozy my big mama tells him off and corrects him kirks a puppy when he miss behaves around her daughters.

My last golden was 120 pounds. He was an angel around the little ones. I was more worried about the cats who mouse than Lucky around Cozy's newborn babies. He was a very good nurse maid.

I would however be cautions with 2 puppies. Puppies play hard and don't know their own strength.

My Groomer has a 60 pound pit bull and a 3 pound yorkie...LOL she is super careful with them, and they love each other..LOL
I my son has an Alaskan Malamute and I have the silky gang, we live in separate apartments in the house but when Owen is home he lets them play in the yard while he is watching them.
so yes it can be done ...

I have four dogs. A 90lb German Shepherd, a 70lb boxer/mastiff/rottie mix, a 35lb Australian Cattle Dog, and Tink, who weighs 6lbs now.

The two bigger dogs are both older and not really into puppies...LOL Tink understands this and mostly leaves them alone. Tink and Tilly, the ACD, are best buds and play all the time. Tilly is pretty gentle with her.

But Tink is never left alone with the bigger dogs. If we go somewhere, she goes in her kennel. Otherwise, someone is always supervising.

I think having well trained and well socialized dogs is key when mixing extreme sized dogs. And, of course, always supervision.

I see nothing wrong with having different breeds of different sizes, or different species together. Since both dogs are now puppies, they will think of each other that way...siblings...growing up. The actual personalities of the two dogs will determine how well they get along, as well as how you handle them growing up. Whether or not they are altered/intact will also play a role.

I have raised different sizes together, and felines with canines, with no separation and no issues. In fact, the cats would become an 'irritation' to our late 120+ lb. black Shep/Lab mix, Ziggy (Zigzag), by snuggling on his paws and licking his face to the point where he would finally move away just for peace. :p

Little doggies can sometimes act like they are at least as huge as whatever other animal they are 'expressing their opinion' to...they have no idea they are so small. My 6 lb. future-grand-pup 8-yr-old Chi 'herded' my Shep/Lab around the room yipping at him and snapping at him...and poor Ziggy'd just go find someplace else to hide from her...even leaving his bed near us and going to another bed in a different room. :p She only stayed with us for about 6 months, but we never separated her or the cats from Ziggy, although they would separate themselves to comfy spots, and never the first issue...ever.

If there is ever any doubt at all, or if you just want to make sure the little ones are not accidentally harmed when you are not around to supervise, just separate them. Better to err on the side of caution.

It is entirely possible, however, that you will not have any serious issues, unless things go hugely wrong...:)

It would probably be harder with 2 puppies because the larger one doesn't have the proper discipline to know what to back off yet.

that being said i have a yorkie (7 months now) who loves to play with my parents dogs; adult 130 lb bull mastif and 90ish lb malimute. We always supervise them, but they have been trained to play "gentle".

also make sure that everyone gets equal amounts of attention so there is no jelousy issues.

examples: see below :)

Brewfilek they are adorable pictures. I especially like the one with the bull mastiff and the steps and the one with the mastiff and yorkie laying by each other in the grass! Very cute!

yeah, i agree .
i don't why someone would think its "weird" because others have dogs
of different breeds or different sizes for that matter in the same home.
i love the pics above of brewfilek doggies....

I want to thank everyone for their wonderful advice and encouragement.

I was hoping the majority would not view it as weird that I have one large dog and one small dog.. I just moved in with my fiancee, and he likes larger dogs and I've always liked smaller dogs, having grown up with Yorkies while I lived with my parents.

Quiverful, Tink is a wonderful name! That is actually Paisley's mothers name :)

Brewfilek, I love the pictures! It is good to know that as long as I supervise, we will be fine!

Hi krystal084, no one thinks its weird..
Yeah , your puppies will fine.
I can tell they have a great mom.
Have fun...

I have a 50 lb lab, a 10 lb jack russell & rascal, who is 2 lbs. they get along fine.

THANKS EVERYONE!

Yes, sometimes i wonder who is more excited to see the "gandpuppy" my parents or their dogs!

the only thing we really have to worry about now is Roufus (mastif) drooling on Brew too much! :drool:

i rescued my 6 year old yorkie las november and my nephew has a 3 year old staffie..they are the best of friend..although i think sandy (my yorkie) does like to be the boss..haha...but charlie (staffy) will play for hours with sandy...i have not had a problem with either of them with the diffreace in there sizes...:aimeeyork

Yes, they can all live happily ever after - with good supervision. But a tiny yorkie can be hurt without the bigger dog even meaning to.

Just be aware of the difference in the two dogs.

Dog play behavior and "predatory drift" | Gail Fisher, All Dogs Gym & Inn | Dog, Dogs,

My three furkids
 

OSCAR THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER
KAIAH THE SHIH TZU
ANGUS THE AIREDALE TERRIER...:love::love::love:

I agree that it can work out fine, with supervision and with the right personalities in the dogs. We've always had a mix a large and small dogs and no problems. Previously, I had a 115 lb Shep/Rottie mix, a 40 lb BC, and a 12 lb Schipperke who got along great.

Currently, I have an 82 lb Aussie mix, a 12 lb shih tzu, and my 5.5 lb Yorkie, Belle. My big dog, Ziggy, is well socialized with both people and dogs. He knows how to adjust his play style to the little dogs - it's completely different than how he plays with big dogs. He actually just lays down and lets Belle "wrestle" with his face. He and Ollie play a little rougher, but he still really restrains himself.

Here's a picture of my babies.....

You guys are awesome!! Thanks for the pictures, they put my paranoid mind at ease :)

I have a Boxer (Baxter) and a Yorkie (Bentley)...if you go to my album there is a picture of them. They are the best of friends.