"Yorkies are not like other dogs"
 

I see this statement said a lot.

"A Yorkie is not like other dogs!"

At the same time, I feel like EVERY breed owners do this. I see it on every forum.

Obviously, each breed is different from each other, or we wouldn't have breeds. There's a reason different breeds appeal to different people for unique traits and temperaments and whatnot. And obviously a person who has had x breed of dog for a lot of years is going to feel they are special, just like the person who has had y breed for just as many years feels THEIR breed is "not like other dogs". There's nothing wrong with having a favorite breed obviously!

But I'm not sure I'd go as far to say it has to be THAT different in terms of training, exercise, feeding. At the base of it all, they are all dogs.

I often see breed used to brush off why people allow dogs to potty everywhere in the house, or why they won't come outside when it's below 40 degrees, or why they won't let their dog off leash or why they won't let their dog do agility or anything active or why their dog pulls on a leash, etc. "x" breed of dog is just too special and fragile to be normal dogs.

Everyone always says "oh well MY breed is not your typical dog". ALL depends on what your definition of a typical dog is. The basics, learning theory, nutrition (to an extent, more important in some breeds), etc are the same...they are DOGS! Now, of course breeds have different inherent traits, different drives, jobs, etc that are going to make them different from each other. They are also each individuals, again, being different. But at the end of the day, they are still dogs which have a WIDE variance.

I hear it a lot...oh, "that" doesn't work with MY dog, they are a *insert breed*. They are different. For one thing, saying "X breed is not like other dogs!" is sort of lumping all other breeds together. There's X, and everything else. Meanwhile, owners of breed Y and breed Z are saying the same thing...Not all breeds are like each other, or we wouldn't have breeds. But there is NO breed so special that it is completely unlike all other breeds.

As a sort-of example, I know someone who has a Yorkie and her sister has the other Yorkie from the same litter (both weigh the same). One is a huge baby, won't do anything for herself, won't jump on the couch, whines to be held all the time, and the other is capable of being nice to children, getting on the couch, playing with other dogs, etc. Now obviously the first person enjoys having a dog that is like a baby, and if that's what floats their boat, that's fine... but they both raised completely different, and it just goes to show how different a dog can be if you raise it differently. Both are capable, but one was never really taught.

I don't know - just thinking aloud. Rambling... Thoughts? Discussion, and gooo....

You're right...there is no dog/breed that is COMPLETELY different......but they are different enough to be like no other

We also think "our" Yorkster kids" are "the" smartest, cutest and acts more people than dog. :D It's still nice to read/hear all these wonderful things being said. ;) It just shows how well our fur kids are loved.

I dont know i think some yorkies are more stuborn than others. I quess you would have to have multiples to really see it but I have one that was a breeze to train and one that Ive tried everything with no success to train. Oedience and potty trainig

I tried to train Sapphire to sit. No go. Then she ran into the living room and promptly sat down... on the carpet. What a Diva! No hardwood flooring for her precious butt!:D

I think it has more to do with upbringing than breeds. And no breeds is like oter dogs... But when I say yorkies are different, I'm usually referring to things like smell and shedding. Ry needs baths often regardless of diet. He sheds all over. He is just a...dog. He is bigger and hyper, so he causes pain when playing with his people.

As Ellie's vet says, Ellie is a person.;)
we tried agility. It was just below her princess self.:rolleyes:
Tried swimming with her. Hates it. Held in in a blow up boat in the pool. She jumped over the and ran to the front door.
Used to play with other dogs. One day she just decided she didn't like it anymore.
So these things were allowed and she had oter ideas.

She misbehaves all the time, but I think it has to do with how much time you put into it and what is important to you. She came from a place where newspapers lined the kennel where the pups went potty. Not her fault that she does the same now.While she knows sit, down, roll over, etc. more importantto us is that she can usually stay quiet in her kennel while we are gone now. She is not hard to pill, etc. There are plenty of 'well trained' dogs that don't allow pilling. Or they refuse yoothbrushing.

Ellie and Ry are treated similarly. Ry walks fairly well on a leash. Ellie does not. She does not care if her harness is pulled on and chokes with a collar, so she gets away with it.

As for nutrition, I think there are major differences for large and small breeds, esp. puppies. And for taking them out in the cold, I don't have a problem with it but Ellie shivers her fuzz off and ends up in my coat.

I don't have the years of experience my trainer and breeder does, but yes each dog and breed is somewhat different to each other; and with training that means some things work faster/easier/better, with dog/breed A versus dog/breed B.

My Yorkie is "stubborn", but so is my BRT. But different in their stubborness. I'm searching for the words to describe just "how" they exhibit that differentness.

Let me see; for example, all my dogs are trained to stay out of the kitchen when I "say" out. This usually happens when we are eating; or if I'm extra busy cooking. Of course my dogs are right under my feet, where all the good heavenly smells are coming from. Always when we eat they are not allowed in the kitchen.

Razzle is now over 3yrs old. He "still" challenges that "out" command. At least three times per one meal. He will creep back into the kitchen. When Magic was 5mths old he got the "out" command on a consistent basis. I try to treat Razzle the same way as Magic, age/size appropriate corrections; but Razz believe you me; knows the basic obedience commands, but still is not consistent.

Whose fault is that? Why mine and only mine. I know I must let him "get" away with more than my big boy; and when I had Zoey my big girl; it took her only one week, to get and obey the "out" of kitchen command.

I believe a well bred Yorkie are very tough little creatures indeed. But and I've written about this before; there are precautions you need to take, with every breed, and in particular the large n small breeds.

Reasonable, discerning owners, will always safeguard their pups from themselves.

For my Yorkie that means, keeping a good firm hold on his lead, always scanning the environment, and being ready to interfer if necessary, with a dog off lead. And disciplining him when he acts in an inappropriate manner towards other dogs.

For my Blackie same deal of scanning the environment. With him, it is more of protecting others from my boy. I'm lucky I do not have a dog "aggressive" big boy, how-ever I use the ignore command if I see a dog running free and our way. I will immediately go into obedience training, front/focus, down/stay.

There was one idiot at our last national, she was walking her "rescue" Blackie on a FLEXI LEAD! IDIOT. She was coming up the stairs to the hotel, and I was coming down with Magic. Her dog charged us. Her bloody flexi lead was not locked down, and that dog ran unfettered up at least 10 stairs. When Magic saw the charge he ROARED. First time I every heard that sound from him. What did I do? I immediately came over to the central railing and wrapped his lead around the railing. Thankfully she and her husband finally stopped their dog from his charge; it took Two of Them to do this. At that same time, I issued the not to be disobeyed STOP command. It settled him for a bit. Once their dog was under control he settle permanently and very quickly. I tell you that one shook me to my core. I know they are guard and protect dogs, but Magic was so quick and so determined, it was like he went from cool, to redhot in the blink of an eye. I do know why of course; that dog was charging his MISTRESS. I was told by my trainer to never, ever let Magic, get in a fight. In our breed vernacular he is a very Serious Dog.

I firmly believe Yorkies can do everything and anything. All it takes is an interested owner to involve their dogs, in the multitude of performance sports available.

Razzle will do a Herding Instinct test this summer, and if I have the time and can find a place do an Earth Dog introduction/instinct test.

I also will start him in Rally lessons this fall.

Oliver is active, sometimes scares me. He jumps like superman off bed (low) and couch. It doesn't dawn on him to jump "down" he leaps into the air with all four legs spread. He fetches, loves his collection of tennis balls, he wants to play with other dogs he sees out the window, unfortunately we're still waiting for the all clear from the vet regarding shots so we can let him play.

I can't wait to see what he can do in agility training. I think he'd get a kick out of it. He loves learning new things we've taught him to sit, lie down, high five, shake, roll over, sit pretty (arms up butt down) and dance, he will turn around while standing.

now...I will admit some of the posts about quirkly eating habits is totally him. He started doing odd things with his food when he turned 4 months old. Eating only certain pieces and only after scattering them around first.

Each dog is special to their owner.

Yorkie are special
 

But I have to agree let the little ones do what all dogs love to do run and play. I let mine out when it's cold with a little coat but not for long he knows he is supposed to go out any potty and he does. Sometimes we play in the snow. he likes the snow. I like mine independent but loving. Tuffey's mom

Dog??? I didn't buy a dog... I adopted a child.. LOL just kidding.

I think it's the same with all species. We are all homo sapiens but we have different needs with diet, different personalities. Some more easy going, happy. Some people are picky or serious. Similar but yet different. :)

:yelrotflmI thought I was getting a dog and I ended up with a boss, a very sweet one, but still a boss. The other one is a smurf.

Every dog has his or her special qualities, needs and abilities. I do believe that the standard Yorkie is a unique combination of a fragile build and fearless attitude. Maybe fearless isn't the right word. A standard Chihuahua is close -- tiny, tiny necks and legs. That is why I keep my boys covered in hair. I don't want to think of how fragile they really are.

Well, yes there are differences between the various breeds of dogs. They all have different attributes, abilities and personality quirks. I have owned at least 7 different kinds of purebred dogs over the years and each was different in it's own way. I think the thing I found most challenging with the Yorkie was the terrier personality that Gracie exhibited even as a young puppy. Her personality was so much more active and aggressive than any other puppy I have had. I found I did have to learn a different way to train her.

Maybe people make excuses for not properly training their dog for various reasons. I suppose it is possible to make your dog a neurotic mess by doing too much for it or preventing it from doing things it should do. With Gracie being such a tiny puppy I did have to go to special lengths to protect her from herself.

My mother-in-law had two of the most annoying tiny dogs. They were tiny so she never spent any time teaching those dogs anything. They were yappy and I always had to watch them around my kids when they were young because the dogs would bite. Some trainers call it "small dog syndrome" when a small dog is not trained properly. Small dogs do tend to be closer to their human than larger dogs because they sit with them and many times sleep with them. I don't think that is wrong unless you have not taken the time to train the dog in basic obedience. Sit, stay, down, heel are basics a dog needs to know and needs to realize it must do because the human is in charge. Just because a dog is tiny does not mean it cannot or should not learn basic manners.

Once I got over the shock of the terrier personality I was facing with Gracie I found her traits to be very much more entertaining and challenging than other dogs I have owned. Though I loved each of my other dogs for their particular traits I have to say that Gracie is different than any of my other dogs. I love it and would not have it any other way.

Great responses.... definitely an interesting topic. I really don't mean that every dog is going to love being active, or whatever, etc... obviously each breed is going to have unique individuals, etc. I've met some lazy Border Collies for example.

I mainly mean, I think we should look at -- Animal first, then Dog, then Breed, then Individual.

Yes, certain breeds are different than others, but dogs are dogs. Some may require slightly different approaches to socialization, training and exercise, but they're all dogs and behave as dogs do. They are all fundamentally the same creatures.

I just think sometimes certain people put their breed on a pedastool, and almost have a "mightier than thou" attitude about their breed, as if they are sooo different than ALL other dogs. I think is what I'm getting at.

Yorkies are the ONLY breed that actually carries a SILK gene for their coats! THAT makes them "NOT LIKE ANY OTHER BREED"!!!!!!!!!! TA-DAAAAAAA !!! CHECK MATE!!!!
(Let me hit my library this evening and I will get some more for you!!)

I think that's why we have different breeds - to enhance the traits and genetic predispositions likely to help create the dog we'd most like to have. Based on that, I would say the Yorkie is different than the Poodle, GSD, Cocker, Great Dane, Bassett Hound. The Yorkie has the combination of traits I most like in a dog so to me, Yorkies are not like other dogs.

I think my Azrael missed that "Silk gene" because she is like a big cotton ball. ;)

Lol, very cool. What about Silky's? ;)

That's not really what I'm talking about though... I guess, I don't know what I'm trying to say.

Obviously some dogs are going to train easier, be less up keep, need less training, etc. If someone wanted a small, non shedding lap dog who did not require a ton of exercise, I wouldn't advise a German Shepherd Dog, for example. Different breeds may be more sensitive to certain things. If I wanted an easy to train dog always willing to listen to me, I wouldn't get a bulldog for example.

People are attracted to different breeds for different reasons. I really enjoy a high energy dog who is willing to go go go, I am also interested in dog sports (agility, frisbee, rally, etc) and my next dog breed will be chosen carefully with all of my "wants" in mind.

So that's not really what I'm talking about. Basically just that, like I said, fundamentally dogs are dogs.

Dogs are all canines but breeds do create enough differences in temperament and reactions to life situations to make a Shih Tzu a far different kind of animal to live with than that of an Alaskan Malamute or Kerry Blue.

I have two fur kids, yorkie and toy poodle. They get along well. The yorkie is more playful, poodle laid back, however the poodle is the oldest and the alpa. They are both very loving and sociable, but our poodle will make new friends first. Poodle is more independent. Our yorkie loves to give kisses, our poodle not so much. Poodle likes to sleep at the foot of the bed and our yorkie is like glue to my hip. Both love to lay in mine or Daddy's lap, but our yorkie is the first to get on our lap and the last one at night to leave. We used the same training techniques with both, (commands, leash, house training, etc.) but the poodle was much, much easier train. They are soooooo different, I don't know if it is their breed or they just have different personalities like we do, but I think it is a mixture of both. Also, I believe our yorkie is much more stubborn than our poodle. She will give me a look sometimes when I want her to do something and I think if she could talk she would be saying "Are you stupid, no way!".

Poodles are VERY smart! I know they rank #2 on most doggy intelligent tests. They are the cutest things.

I think the example I put in my original post was a bad one... cuz that wasn't really the point I was trying to make, hehe. I wish I could go back and delete. Kinda just rambling, ha...

I have to say that I do NOT believe one breed is better than another. I have had 3 breeds in my life. All are special and different and smart and loving in their own ways. The one thing though that I have noted is that Yorkies are a lot like babies. They like being babied! My friend (who lost her yorkie at 6 months) treated her pup very differently than I treat Ziggy, she did not really baby him. he was more of a very loved pet. But she also says that now that she has a skin baby, she will not be having another yorkie as she cant handle having two babies!

I love all dogs, from Rotti's and Pits to Yorkies and Chi's:D:D:D

Not your typical dog
 

Well, in my opinion, if the animal has four legs, two ears, two eyes, a snout of some kind, paws, fur/hair, barks (either Woof, or Ruff, or whatever else!), then I would venture to guess that it is a typical dog, and the only thing that separates one dog from the rest is how its human relates to it, and treats it! Of course, we ALL feel that our precious doggie is the most special of all, and that's OK, as long as we don't get unrealistic about it. After all, a dog is dog, NOT a human (except mine, of course!)
:)

Just out of curiosity: why do the German Shepherds always get the tag "Dog" after their name? Are there still HUMAN shepherds in Germany?
:D

I understand what you mean. When we had poms people used to tell me they would never have one of those yappy dogs and that they were not good with kids. WRONG. Ours only barked as warnings and loved our children. When I got Laddy people said, you can't house break them, they cant jump or will break bones etc. WRONG. Laddy was house broke at 12 weeks. He jumps over a 3 ft tall xpen lol. Yes they are fragile and yes I tried my hardest to stop him from jumping but it is impossible. Kyra was harder to house break but she finally got it at around 5 months and she never jumps ever lol. I am thankful for that as she is only 2.6 lbs at 8 months. I think she has instint that tells her it would hurt her lol. I think dogs like people are all different but yes I agree they are dogs.

I have enjoyed this thread. Some of you have read my thread, talking about training and working with different breeds. Yes all dogs are dogs, just like all children are children. How we teach them should be designed to work with their physical abilities, breed traits, and mental ability. We don't have to really teach a Boarder Collie to round up , a Lab to retrieve, a Bully to play tug, a Poodle to dance on two legs, a Yorkie to bark when it hears something. We have to train them how to use these natural behaviors in a way that pleases us. Yes, a Yorkie can be taught to dance on two legs, bring the ball back, and even herd the kids from the back yard.
I don't think it is a cop out to say that Yorkies are much more difficult to potty train generally, than for example, a Lab. It can be done, but potty training may it require a much different method and level of diligence by the trainer, than another breed.
I think Yorkies are unique, after all they have been bred for a long time to have the things we love about them.

I haven't yet found a breed yet that is so enjoyable - but part of it is just purely visual and part is attitude. I love the overall look of the perky, happy Yorkie and I just love the "attitude" of the dog! Tibbe will definitely just tell you like it is if he doesn't agree with something you want him to do. He is soooooo cute doing his tricks and things sometimes. I will want him to roll over a fourth or fifth time in a row and he will growl all through the last rollover!!! He just grunts when his sturdy little body hits the ground and then grrrrrr's all through the rolling over!!! Then he jumps up and snorts about 40 times and gives me the eye! Scotty and Jilly were very similar in their 'tudes. No other breed seems to have the sassback of a Yorkie nor quite the stink eye if you are on their bad side for some reason. And all of that in a tiny, perfect, short, square little package is too much! I think they are the cutest thing on 4 feet!

great question, & responses. my contribution is from experience & i'm sure specific to my dogs. i do have to say my ollie (yorkie) is different than any other dog i have ever owned & i currently have ollie & my mix mallory. raised both the same & ollie is more skiddish, needs to be around people appears to make him feel safe, he dosen't like to be outside as much. my yorkie just is more "baby" like. i love it, he acts like a dog sometimes but think he learns a lot from mallory, lol. all dogs are awesome!!!!!!:thumbup:

Ime dog breeds have different traits. Thats why they were bred. Yorkies are terriers they are independent thinkers. They are small so they take advantage of the cuteness.
My small Yorkies I had before I treat them like a small dog = not to ruff ect. But train them like a big dog. Not to overly bark, spoil them to much ect... I train them they don't train me. I do spoil my dogs but make them work for there treats and make train them pee out side. But someones always home to let them out. When they are older they can hold it for a few hours. works for me.

I used to think a dog was a dog before Callie but having grown up with different types of dogs I do feel comfortable saying yorkies or Callie herself is a completely different dog and with other stories of yorkies I have heard they seem much different. They seem to to be very intelligent but have human like quality's and I just don't know that I can explain that. I think there are instances were a yorkie can not do some of the things a great dane can do but I don't think a small dog cant do agility if there joints and health are good and other dog things. I probably baby Callie more then some but I still try to let her be a dog and if she didn't have LP she would have been doing agility and stuff because she absolutely loves to run and is so fast. I honestly don't get the potty training thing because I think yorkies are so smart that they can be 100% trained to go potty outside or on a pad.