Will my Yorkie get along with a bigger dog?
 

I want to get another doggie and he should get along with my Yorkie, which I usually keep in my garden when it's not cold outside since he's not a Toy Yorkie.
My partner suggested Rottweilers and Dobermans since he's a bit paranoid about some things that have happened in our neighborhood however I'd rather go for a Husky since I find them way prettier and winters here reach even -10F / -23C.

But still, this whole idea seems crazy to me, this Yorkie is my first dog and before having him I was basically scared of any dog. I just lost the fear on mid sized dogs and I might get a huge one... I was also thinking about a golden retriever, which my partner might not agree on since he's smaller.

I do like the idea of getting a puppy also as a friend of my Yorkie and I don't know how that could work out, I have a dog trainer and I will ask him. However I don't want him to think that I'm getting another dog because I got bored of mine or something, I don't know why I'm getting paranoid about what he is going to think about this idea.

Even Yorkie's that are not ultra small are still small, often fragile dogs and if left in the unsupervised company of a dog 5 or 6 to 10 times their weight, not to mention power and strength. Even in play, a 65 lb. dog, let alone a 85 or 95 lb. one, could really hurt or even kill a Yorkie. I would not get a large dog to leave out in the garden with my Yorkie - the result could be tragic for your little terrier.

Yorkies (all of them) are house dogs...not tough enough to be left outside in the yard. Even a large breed puppy could hurt or even kill a Yorkie... just in playing or by accident. I'd keep the Yorkie in the house and leave the Husky outside... they are better able to handle the weather.

That's what I thought too

I had a GSD with a Yorkie and a Maltese. The GSD was an exceptional dog around the smaller dogs, I think she thought she was a little dog. But I never fully trusted her. Yorkies are too much 'in your face' when they want something, and they could care less, they would wrestle a dinosaur for a bone, lol.

So I never relaxed much until they were crated at bed time. There was only one fight, when my Yorkie decided he wanted to eat the big dog's food. She showed her teeth and growled at him, and started to open her mouth because he wouldn't get out of her bowl, by that time I got between them and no one got hurt. The thing is, her teeth are so big, even a gentle bite to the right area could punture a Yorkie's heart or lung.

When the GSD would play, she would smack her feet on the floor, but not when she played with the little dogs. But puppies will do this as will most big dogs. This action alone can break a Yorkie's neck or back if they happen to hit the Yorkie.

My larger Yorkie wounded my smaller Yorkie when he shoved his head in her mouth trying to attack her. He almost lost an eye, and she never even bit down.

Just saying, when you have two or more dogs, they need to be supervised when they're together. And may require additional training...

I have a yorkie schnorkie and mini schnauzer.

My schorkie is my largest he loves chihuahuas.

My mini Schnauzer likes the neighbors kittens.

My yorkie is bffs with a a giant american staff.

We gad a whippet rhodian ridgeback cross here for almost 2 years. Finally she was trained enough to be rehomed, we joke about it but her rough play that was exclusive to scoobers cloaer to her height but by no means weight caused for many interventiins.interventions

They all get along fine, however I prefer dogs of closer sizes at a time.

Can it work yes, but should their personalities conflict the results could be detramental.

Derik isnt allowed to get the GSD or giant schnauzer until the end of these dogs lives...or so he thinks I plan on more yorkies and mini schnauzers.

Good post.

I do not have a big dog, however, my yorkie has been around 2 big dogs. One was a HUGE golden retreiver, probably the biggest one I have ever seen, and he was SUPER gentle with my Jaxx. This dog was a stranger's dog and had never seen my dog at all and was letting my little guy jump on him and everything. Never barked at him or nothing. And the other big dog he has been around was a pit mix of some sort that had gotten lose in my neighborhood that had also never seen my dog and he was super gentle with him as well. But it all would depend on the nature of the dog that you get, how old it is at the time, etc. If it's an older dog that has never been around other dogs, they may not go well together, but if you get a puppy that can grow up around your yorkie then they may get along great!

I agree with everyone else though, outside is no place to let a yorkie run.

Yeah, I talked to my trainer and to my partner and we realized that my Yorkie must first finish growing up, finish his doggie training so he's a more chilled out dog, because everyone thinks he's crazy at this moment :)
At the end of the day he's just 7 months old however he is a bigger Yorkie, I estimate he weighs at least 11 Pounds. I think we might get a dog next spring since getting a pup in winter is quite complicated. Whether it's another Yorkie, a pug or a Golden Retriever at least my dog will be prepared and probably if a slightly bigger dog grows up with him he will respect him.

Have you had a large dog before such as a Golden? Don't count on dogs respecting each other because one grows up from a pup with another. Yorkies can be pugnacious and confrontational - they don't know their size. Even brothers/sisters can fight, they can play rough - too rough. A Golden would not normally be a good playmate for a Yorkie unless you are a VERY watchful, conscientious dog owner who plans to supervise their every moment together. A Goldie is avg. 65 - 75 lb. dog and though no doubt there are Yorkies raised and living with them and other similar-sized dogs in the family without trouble where the owners are extremely watchful and careful, just as surely there are cases where one has been injured or killed by one. I'd be very careful in my selection of a second dog if I had a Yorkshire Terrier. Even the biggest, toughest Yorkie is still a very small, fragile dog under the paw of a 75 lb. dog.

Did you know that Yorkies don't have fur like other dogs, theirs is more like human hair without an under coat. It concerns me that a yorkie is being left outdoors. 11lbs is not heavy. THey don't have the means to keep themselves warm. Just
A thought

:thumbup:

Also a harness should be used attached to the leash, other wise the fragile throat can be crushed. Collapsing trachea.

I think big dogs and little dogs can very well live together, but it really does just depends on your diligence, the breeds, the dogs themselves, etc.

A Husky is not a breed that comes to mind when being good with little dogs to be honest. Rottie's tend to be, in my experience, good with the little ones but again it just depends on the dog - some may not be. Dobermans are prone to same sex aggression, so prone that a good breeder will not sell a male dog to you if you already have a male. These are all very powerful breeds who do require a lot of your time. I wouldn't expect any of these breeds to live outside. They want to be a part of your family and very much bond with you. They will not be satisfied with being stuck in the backyard all day with no outlets, training, exercise.

Oddly enough, the biggest of the big tend to be the best with small dogs- Great Danes, English Mastiffs, etc. Of course there is always exceptions, and it does take training and socialization. Goldens always seem to be great as well, and Labs except for when they are puppies, they tend to be overly rambunctious.

Also, herders seem to dislike other bigger dogs and enjoy smaller dogs. But herders need jobs to do- and their mind kept busy.

Btw, Jackson is approx. 16lbs and I could never imagine leaving him outside by himself!

You mentioned having a fear of larger dogs; that concerns me, for any larger breed you might get.

Large and Toy breeds each have unique needs. Well truly all dog breeds do. But to mix a larger size dog with a toy breed, (any breed that is under 20 lbs), takes a careful, conscious owner. Another point I'd like to make, is that you need to feel relaxed in your awareness of your dog's interactions. If you are very tense when this larger breed grows up to it's size, if you are nervous around the big dog, and always nervous around the large and small interacting; that doesn't make for a very enjoyable home life.

So think carefully, you are a new dog owner, just finding your way through the joyous world of dog ownership. Don't rush it. If your partner is worried about security at home; maybe think about an alarm system.

There is for the responsible dog owner, a whole world of training, that is so necessary with large dogs... and Goldens are anywhere from 60-80 pounds or so.

Keep working with your trainer, keep exposing yourself to large breed dogs. Talk to their owners, find out what they feel they need to do with their dog. Read lots.

I am a large breed owner and a Yorkie owner, and there are many adjustments I make to keep every-one safe around one another; but I am very experienced in this arena.

Brit is absolutely right when she says, many giant breeds are actually quite good with toy dogs; but that is with an owner that Does the requisite training, and after the Giant breed has matured.

Why do you want a dog at all since you leave it outside all the time? Do you live outside? I'd say you already have one too many dogs.:thumbdown A Yorkie of any size belongs inside with it's people. I would never put it outside with any large dog unsupervised.
If your boyfriend is afraid of robbers you can tell him that a large dog is not going to prevent break ins. Especially when the dog is outside.:thumbdown

I think you've received some great suggestions already, so I don't have much to add except to mention that if your partner is concerned about things that happened in your neighborhood, you couldn't ask for a better watch dog than a yorkie! While it's true they may not make great guard dogs, there is no way anyone could get anywhere near my home without my yorkies letting me know!

Oh my god what a response to this thread! Thanks for all the advice! No I am not the puppy killer/abandoner he can go inside/outside whenever he wants and that is only when someone's at home. (He has his own puppydoor) He usually hangs out with us anyway. My concern on getting another dog was not loosing his liberty if actually got a "Guard dog". (which I probably won't get)
The weather is great for now, and he won't melt nor freeze outside and he always sleeps at home since he has his own bed next to ours, even if he usually sleeps with us :)


He has been taught to walk on a leash already, he doesn't pull on it anyway but I am too afraid of walking him without one. He was trained with a harness and he still has one but he doesn't really feel comfortable with it.

I got the wrong impression from your first post, too. Sorry. Glad you cleared that up.

Yeah, I forgot to add some details.

I am aware of the size of my Yorkie, he is my life, but I let him be a dog. Even if we're all biased about this, we need them more than they need us. This breed is more than a hundred years old and it hasn't always lived in first world homes with fancy breed-specific food and cute toys, clothes and treats, they were ratcatchers and they probably were taught to do that in an ugly way.
In comparison to many Yorkies I treated him like a normal first-world dog and that doesn't mean abandoning him. I always go for long walks with him so he releases his huge amounts of energy, I always taught him what to do and what to avoid doing, with treats, not violence or such. And I've always showed him my affection, he once again, my life. But that doesn't mean he is my owner, I am his owner.
Maybe some of you might keep them more time inside than some cats and wash them with fancy conditioners but he is my buddy and I don't really care about his looks but just being a healthy Yorkie which he is.
I never neglected him and I never will, that's why I am on this forum and I ask tons of questions. Sorry for the rant, I just feel you thought I was such an awful owner, which I'm not. :)

I'll be honest, I thought you were an uninformed owner, not 'awful', being a 'first time Yorkie owner'. But I can see now, I am wrong.

I agree, too, I know my dogs would be happier outside more, but the mosquitoes have gotten so bad here the past 3 years we don't go out much anymore. Hopefully soon it will cool down and the bugs will die off, and we can spend more time outside, without getting eaten alive!

BTW: Your pup looks great, happy and healthy! And handsome too!

Your Yorkie is adorable...love his expression! :D

My puppy plays with a pitt bull and jack russel every day.

I am a wimp, that would make me very nervous.

Our other dog, Ginger, is a viszla (talk about high energy!) Baci, my 7 month old yorkie, plays with her every day and they get along famously. She's even tolerant of him trying to hump her; she just shoos him away while I tell him he's not enough dog for her :) We're all looking forward to the neuter in a couple of months, especially Ginger and the cat. :)

My Peek A Boo humps one of our cats too (actually, I think he's tried all 3), and he's been neutered for at least 13 years! I tried redirecting him when he does it, so I'm seeing less of this behavior now, lol.

I got overwhelmed with so many responses since my last post. I just came back with my little Haik from a really Pleasant weekend road trip I took with him to a friend's house outside the city without checking any websites or phone calls and boom, the thread exploded :eek:

Oh that happens sometimes, lol. Glad you had a nice weekend trip!:D

When we got Laddy our son had a beautiful boxer and Belle was wonderful with Laddy and their new baby also :). Since she was stolen he has gotten a puppy named angel (another boxer ) She is also great with both my furkids. I used to be afraid of boxers because I thought they would be more pitbull like but they are the sweetest girls ever. I was very nervous at first and all their time together was supervised. I would research the bigger dogs for temperment and then go with my heart. I can tell you love your furbaby and would do all possible to keep him safe.

We had a Great Pyranees who loved my Yorkies. He was a big tough guy that turned to mush with the girls. I never worried that he would hurt them. However, when he went into play mode I had to watch him. He would jump and bounce around playing. I had to worry about him stepping on one of them. So in my opinion, I think big dogs can get along fine with Yorkies but you just have to be careful! I agree with nanahas3, check the temperament of the breed first. A carefully selected pup would be a wise choice.

Hello,

I have a Rottweiler who weighs a whopping 135lbs. I just purchased a yorkie just over a week ago. They love eachother. Milly doesnt like to go outside unless Tank (my Rottweiler) is with her. They play together all the time. Maybe I am just lucky to have such a gentle giant. Milly tries to get into Tanks mouth while he eats, jumps at his tongue while he's panting. :eek::eek:. Still, he has no reaction to it. Just turns his head back and forth to get away from her...lol.

Here are a couple pics of my little and not so little babies.

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/...4/c01b28e3.jpg

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/...4/c78e7969.jpg

Just wanted to share :D

Shelly