What have we gotten into?
 

:eek:

OK...maybe it won't be that bad...I will just need to have some words of wisdom from those that have done this before.

Yorkie #1 - I really wanted a dog, and my husband was adamant against having one. He finally gave in, but said he didn't want to have anything to do with it. That lasted maybe a full day. He was smitten by our Tera (as I knew he would be). My husband loved the fact that even though she was so tiny, she loved to play.

Yorkie #2 - My DH decided we needed ANOTHER Yorkie around Christmas time. He pushed and pushed to find a second one. We located our adorable Koda, and things were going quite well.

Yorkie #3 - Our vet called one day and told me an elderly couple was really having a struggle with their new Yorkie, and wanted to find a good home for him. My first thought was to take him temporarily until we could find a good home. DH wants to keep this one too. So, Rocky makes Yorkie #3.

Three Yorkies?? Now, I know that there are many people who have multiple Yorkies. I thought 2 was a good number. Please give me tips on having 3 Yorkies.

On the positive side, Rocky was a nervous wreck when we brought him home, but has calmed down considerably since he has been with us. I think he is going to make a good addition to our "family". I just couldn't bear the fact that the little Yorkie may have gone to a shelter somewhere. He is really a sweet dog, but he was a mess when we first got him.

Rocky is just 1 day older than Koda, but much larger. (Well, Koda is very tiny...last time at the vet he weight 3 pounds 4 ounces). Tera weighs 3 pounds 14 ounces. Rocky weighs 4 pounds 6 ounces. He is coming up on 25 weeks, so probably shouldn't get a whole lot bigger, so I guess they are all pretty little.

I am open to advice from any and all people who have multiple Yorkies out there. In the past I have owned Pomeranians, but our last Pom died a couple years ago from old age (she was 15).

Thanks in advance to any words of wisdom out there! :)

Congratulations on the new addition to your family. :) Rocky is a very lucky little guy.

I don't have any advice because I have only 2. The only thing I can think of is to keep a basic routine in which you do basic activities at about the same time each day: feeding, playing, walking, and so on. Having a basic framework helps doggies feel more secure. They know that certain things will happen at certain times.

Best wishes to your trio. .....and pictures are mandatory! ;)

Wow, that is wonderful and they all sound so cute. Enjoy. No advice here, I just have a Peke and a Yorkie..

I can't offer much help. I to thought 2 was a good number to have about 6 years ago. Then I went to my first dog show and the rest was history. Right now I currently have 5 Yorkies and 1 Pom. But our Pom is old with lots of health issues due to her size and coming from a BYB'er. I have found that getting a leash coupler works well with going for walks. So anyway enjoy your newest addition and for what it's worht I am sure Rocky will adjust very nicely.

We just jumped into 3 yorkies last week with the addition of our foster Shelly. It has been quite the change. We take our two everywhere, and they ride in their Kwigy Bo bag. Adding a third definitely put a hitch in that because three definitely will not fit in the bag :p We have still taken her along (we usually are at pet friendly places), and she is doing well.

Luckily all three of mine are getting along, so that hasn't been a problem... But you have the increase in vet bills, grooming time, and food.

My advice would be to keep to a schedule; make sure they are getting out to potty regularly, eating at the same times, etc. This will help your transistion and your dogs will appreciate it :)

The best advice to give you is put money away for vet bills. I have 5 fur babies and I keep a savings just for them.

Thanks guys. THis is going to be an ordeal! :D

Maximo - we have definitely tried to keep everything on schedule. He seems to be adjusting pretty well. :)

Joyce - thanks! How old are your two? Are they about the same age? Are they the same gender, or different?

MaggiesMom - OMG! You have 6 dogs eh? LOL Well, 5 Yorkies must definitely be a handful! Are you raising Yorkies, or are they just part of your family (like ours are)? Do they all get along pretty well? I haven't tried a coupler yet, but I usually take one or two, and my husband takes the other(s). On weekends my 11 year old grandson stays with us, so we all have a dog when we walk then. Boy, do our dogs LOVE to walk at the park! :D

Michelle - We too took our 2 everywhere. Not sure what a Kwigy Bo bag is, but I'll google it. We have to rethink how we do everything now. You are sure right about the increase in vet bills and grooming time. Our Tera is spayed, but both Koda and Rocky will need to be neutered in the next couple of months. I do have a standing appointment at our vet to have my dogs bathed/groomed - every other week. Luckily they are very reasonable, so that will be good.

Thanks for the ideas!

Good luck with the new addition. We have 2 as well. 3 would be tough because I only have 2 arms, and sometimes they both need attention at the same time. A lot will come down to the dynamics of your pack and how much time you have for training. 3 could be hard to control on walks if one or more want to go chasing after squirrels or robins :D. Hopefully things will go smoothly for you.

Yes, as Kristin said, pictures are MANDATORY!!!! Sorry I have no advice. I'm the proud mom of a spoiled rotten singleton. Although, I wish to change that sometime soon.

SCHEDULES!! I have all my babies on a schedule...wake up in the morning, outside play time, indoor for nap time 12 - 3pm, back up for running around inside, then back outside for "structured" play time...kiddie pool time, slip and slide time, bubble time, fetching toys, tug of war games, then back inside for afternoon calm down before evening TV time, just laying around for family time...then to bed at 9pm. They all know the schedule, and they are looking for beds and crates when it is nap time and bed time! I have to have schedules, or I cant get ANYTHING done around the house and yard!

lol Your husband wanted the second one. That's really nice! I just have one, so I can't offer you any advice. How very nice of you both to take that little yorkie in and keep him. That's wonderful! You will develop a routine over time and caring for them won't be a problem at all. There are many people with multiples and I think they have lots of fun with each other.

I have 4 Yorkies and really found 2 were no problem. Giving them attention, walking them, grooming etc. turns into a full time job with four. Vet bills of course are more too. I think you have to do what is best for the Yorkies you already have and your family. Usually there is an adjustment period, then things settle down. Best wishes & good luck.

Good luck!! How brave you are, but sounds like you got lucky and have an adorable triplet of Yorkies, lol. Everyone is giving great advice, we just have one, but I wanted to express my admiration for taking on little Rocky when you already had two at home!

I've always had 3 Yorkies and Maltese. Right now I have 2 Yorkies and 1 Maltese! Two is good , but three is even better! You do need to get in a good routine and everything will work out. I have Pet Plan Pet insurance,for any emergencies and my piece of mind!

Congrats on you addition! Three sounds like your lucky number;) Bless you for saving this little guy!

I thought 5 would be a handful but I had some of my friends Yorkies here while she had her surgery in October, and not really much problems . Just the occasional squabble. I raise and show some of them but they are all part of my family. I know alot of breeders say that but in my case it is very true. In fact the only time they are in crates is in the car. I use a coupler with my 2 boys because they are over standard size and I would be afraid of them pulling my girls that are half their size. My show dogs get trained and walked on a lead but are harness trained when they are pups so they are used to it. My neighbors think it's funny to see my showdogs going for walks because their hair is wrapped and they have special pajamas on under the harnesses to prevent matting or hair breakage.

Don't have any advice, but could you please have your husband call my husband and convince him we need a 2nd. Thanks!! LOL!!

Thank you so much for responding! Everyone has such good ideas! I will definitely be using your good advice! :D

Many have asked for pictures. It's a little hard for me to post them sometimes. It is easy to do from my phone, but can't find an option to do it through the forums that way. I do post a lot of pictures on Tera's blog, but I don't have too many recent pictures. I do have a couple of pictures of Rocky on there before we groomed him, but he looks much different there. I'll have to figure a work-around regarding pictures!

shawnzeppi - that is exactly what I was thinking...I have two arms, so three dogs would make it much more difficult. It definitely takes two people to take them all. ;) When we have taken them walking, I usually take two, and my DH takes one -- and we trade off sometimes. It makes it more manageable. Walks so far haven't been really bad...knock on wood! On weekends, when my 11 YO grandson comes, he will walk one dog, so we all have one.

DvlshAngel985 -how old is your yorkie? All the yorkies on this forum are so cute!!

Yorkiemom1 - wish I didn't work. On weekends we play a LOT with them...and in the evenings. My husband and I both work. That is part of the reason we wanted to get the 2nd yorkie, so the first one wouldn't be lonely while we were at work. I have a camera pointed on their area though, and frequently check in on them (as does DH). I have my MIL going to the house at noon to let them out. My DH gets home about 3:30 and I follow about 5:30. The staggering helps. If I could only be with them all the time, that would be much better! :D Sounds like you've got everything down!!

yorkieusa - Yes...that is funny about DH wanting the 2nd...AND the 3rd. He is so funny. He was talking to them the other day calling them his "children"...LOL!

Teresa - 4 yorkies!! How did you get your yorkies? One at a time? A couple at a time? I'm very curious. It's hard for me to get my mind wrapped around 3. I admire you for taking on 4!

Jesslmetz - love the way you called them triplets...LOL. That's really cute! I'll have to remember that!!

Fur babies mom - so nice to know that it's do-able. :D I am really feeling that this is going to work out. They are all three so different. It's funny how they all have their individual personalities!

Perrella - thanks!! BTW your avatar pic is so cute!! Why do I just love yorkie pictures!?! LOL

maggiesmom_2007 - How adorable that sounds...all of your yorkies (including your show yorkies) going on a walk! How exciting it must be to show them. Our girl, Tera, was from a line of champions, and she probably would have been a good show dog. We got her spayed though, so guess that is out of the question. We took her to obedience school, and she did very well! I started working with mine individually on Saturday to teach obedience to my younger two. I am finding I have to work with one at a time as three together is a little overbearing right now. Hopefully I will get them to the point where they can all do things at once. I'm excited!

Millies mamma - too funny!! After the big fight with the first one it truly amazed me how he was the big push for #2 and #3. Men are just funny sometimes!!

Way to go! I'm sure you will all be one big happy family!

I started walking all 5 of mine by myself and it went pretty well the first time. Molly walks very slow because she has never been on a leash before and the others want to hurry and that is the only problem I have

maggiesmom_2007 - How adorable that sounds...all of your yorkies (including your show yorkies) going on a walk! How exciting it must be to show them. Our girl, Tera, was from a line of champions, and she probably would have been a good show dog. We got her spayed though, so guess that is out of the question. We took her to obedience school, and she did very well! I started working with mine individually on Saturday to teach obedience to my younger two. I am finding I have to work with one at a time as three together is a little overbearing right now. Hopefully I will get them to the point where they can all do things at once. I'm excited!

It is fun. When I first started taking them for walks together the neighbors would ask if the pup was the baby of the adults I was walking but they were 2 boys. Now the neighbors just say hi and pet the Yorks and they love the attention. I took one of my boys to Obedience when he was 6 months but the trainer was not very good. She yelled alot and was just always wanting the dogs to be jerked around. Now that one male listens but is a big scaredy cat. so I have been working with him to try an make him less fearful. I usually take the pups out in the doggie stroller when they are 8 weeks so they can get used to different sounds and the rolling from the stroller gets them some pre car training so they don't get sick in the car so far it has helped.

Same here. You might consider looking into health insurance. Not everyone keeps health insurance on their furbabies but as they get older it can become important.

Having several is like having several people puppies,scheduling is how I survive. Also if you travel,start looking for someone that you trust to come into your home and take care of your pack,now.

It sounds like they are all close to the same age and that is a plus. They will have each other to play with.

Enjoy!! It can be alot of fun to watch them play and become friends.

RZ - Thanks!! We are hoping to be! :D

Donna - Wow! I can't believe you walked all 5 dogs at the same time!! Yikes!! We took our 3 last night and traded off a couple of times. One took one and the other took two. Tera is the slower walker, she likes to stop and look around. The boys (Koda and Rocky) want to RUN!! Kind of funny in a way.

maggiesmom - That is terrible with the obedience training problem. I don't like the jerking and yelling approach. Tera went when she was 6 months and did well. I am not sure the trainer was that good as she admitted that she'd never taught a class before. Oh well...I learned a lot! ;)
It's also funny that you mentioned doggy stroller. I got one (before I got the other two dogs) because Tera tends to dilly dally a lot when she walks. I did take her...and Tera and Koda together, and they seemed to enjoy it. I haven't had it out with Rocky as I am really not sure how good that will be. I've thought about putting Tera in the stroller after one round, then pushing her for a second. The boys are still raring to go, but she poops out a bit. We may have to try that at some point. :D

My lil friend - good advice...and I've thought about insurance, but I don't think my vet takes it. I really trust him and not sure I'd want to take my pets to anyone else.
Yes, they are all very close in age, so hoping they will be great friends to each other. They love tearing around the place playing. It is so funny watching them that if we are watching TV we have to pause it just to watch them, and then laugh. They are so entertaining! ;)

Not many vet file the insurance for you. There is a form that you take and have them fill out during your visit and sign. Then you finish fillinig out the form and mail it in. Yes, this does mean that you have to pay upfront,but it also means that you will get some of the money back and if it is an emergency situation or your baby is very ill.


A stroller might help you if you need to take them all somewhere.

I enjoyed looking at the pics of your little one's. They are all so cute!:)

You know, I didn't really think about that with the insurance! I don't know why it never dawned on me. There was a time that the doctors I went to didn't file the insurance for me either, and I had to do that. Duh! Maybe I WILL look into that!

I took both of my dogs in my stroller (before Rocky). I have never tried all three together. Wonder if they would fit and if they would like it. I'll have to try it out!

Thanks! I think yorkies make such cute dogs!

OK...I'm going to try to add a photo to see if I can do it. (I just downloaded one of the pics from her blog, but will try to upload it.)

What beautiful babies!!! If any of my dogs lay that close to each other,they all look at me like "MOM THEY'RE TOUCHING MEEEE!!".
I tether mine into the stroller with their car tethers (karabeaner on each end and strap inbetween). I purchased them at GWLITTLE. Mina tried to dive out of the stroller on our last outing and she just hung there with her nochoke carharness and the tether. She kept looking at me like " why cannt I touch the ground". I just put her back in and she decided to sit still.

Why thank you! I think they're beautiful too. ;-)
My stroller has a covered zippered area. It is like an umbrella stroller, so it is kind of small. It works great with two dogs, but I don't know about three. I will have to try it out!

I just looked up GW Little. OMG! What gems you find on this site! Thank you for mentioning it! I am going to be exploring that website now! :)