Yorkies and Huskys

[Britster]

Originally Posted by BlueBelle

Off topic but what a beautiful picture of Jackson in you avatar.!

Aw thanks!

[Ellex]

Originally Posted by Britster

If you want a bigger, maybe more 'guard dog' type... take a look into English Mastiff, Dogue De Bordadeux or Great Dane, maybe. "Gentle giants". As puppies, they do need to become aware of their size. But most Mastiff-type dogs I know are great with small dogs, and they don't require a ton of exercise like some breeds.

German Shepherds are iffy, in my experience. Again, lots of BYBs and GSDs with shaky temperaments. They can be wonderful with dogs they live with, but often have reactivity with other dogs. Jackson is a big Yorkie and he's not a fan of most GSD's play styles. GSD's are also a lot of work, they really thrive on training and need quite a bit of exercise.

Thank you, i'll look into all of those breeds.
My sister in law had a GSD with her small Maltese and he was very sweet to him and played gently, that's why I've been looking into them. I joined a GSD forum and I've been asking owner and I'm getting a lot of good feedback, but honestly, I think it'll all come down to the training.

[bailie]

Just like britster says there is an awful lot of bybs, which u don't want a gsd with hip and elbow problems and that doesn't usually show up until they are 1.5yrs to 2yrs old, but definitely get insurance , read my post POOR FRAZER in the health forum I was so glad I had insurance lol, Frazer is still a big pup but I can see him sometimes show warning signs to strange dogs as if he is guarding his family, he loves his wee family lol

[Ellex]

Originally Posted by bailie

Just like britster says there is an awful lot of bybs, which u don't want a gsd with hip and elbow problems and that doesn't usually show up until they are 1.5yrs to 2yrs old, but definitely get insurance , read my post POOR FRAZER in the health forum I was so glad I had insurance lol, Frazer is still a big pup but I can see him sometimes show warning signs to strange dogs as if he is guarding his family, he loves his wee family lol

Are there any hints to pick out if someone is a BYB? Her GSD actually had something wrong with his spin after his puppy years; I don't know what I'd do if my GSD wasn't able to walk after a while. The lady I'm speaking with about her puppies has answered ever question I have come up with but I've yet to ask about hip and elbow problems. Also, how important is it that they come with AKC papers? My Yorkie has them but my husband says it's fine if a dog doesn't come with papers.

[bailie]

U should look up ur kennel club and get a list of breeders they recommend as these dogs have all the health tests done so if u get a pup u have a great chance it's goin to be healthy , for piece of mind always have insurance , I'm sure a breeder on yorkie talk could guide you in the right way as I don't live there and be able to tell you which kennel club to look up just go on to the breeder talk section on yt and ask the breeders

[gemy]

Originally Posted by Ellex

Are there any hints to pick out if someone is a BYB? Her GSD actually had something wrong with his spin after his puppy years; I don't know what I'd do if my GSD wasn't able to walk after a while. The lady I'm speaking with about her puppies has answered ever question I have come up with but I've yet to ask about hip and elbow problems. Also, how important is it that they come with AKC papers? My Yorkie has them but my husband says it's fine if a dog doesn't come with papers.

GSD do have a high incidence of hip dysplasia, and if this breeder is not screening her dogs for this, I would quite simply walk away. Ask her if she health screens, and if the answer is yes, ask what Health Registry she uses. www.offa.org or Pennhip for hips, or elbows at www.offa.org. Then you can go to these sites and look up the registered name of the parents and see for yourself what the results were on the health screenings.

Go to the USA National Club for GSD;s and see what they recommend for health screenings. Is she a member of this club?

HD or ED dependent on the severity of it, is NO SMALL matter in large breed dogs. It is quite frankly a life crippling disease.

[gemy]

I have Black Russian Terriers with my Yorkie. THey are a large guard and protect breed, although they are usually very good with others of their pack animals. How-ever I would not recommend a BRT for you, as they do take an owner dedicated to obtaining some advanced obedience training. Also they need lots of regular grooming. I agree with Brit on Mastiffs, but they are large dogs, and they too will need obedience training.

[Ellex]

Originally Posted by gemy

I have Black Russian Terriers with my Yorkie. THey are a large guard and protect breed, although they are usually very good with others of their pack animals. How-ever I would not recommend a BRT for you, as they do take an owner dedicated to obtaining some advanced obedience training. Also they need lots of regular grooming. I agree with Brit on Mastiffs, but they are large dogs, and they too will need obedience training.

I looked up all the breeds that have been recommended and they are way to big. My husband and I decided to go with a GSD and I found a breeder on the AKC site who lives close by so we're going to look at the puppies tomorrow. I've asked her all the screening health question and everything seems on point. In really excited but still nervous to bring home another dog.

Would you guys recommend a female or male? Ash is a 4 yr old male.

[bailie]

That's great , I'm sure ur very excited , my shep is a boy and I have 2 male yorkies and 1 girl yorkie so it's really up to you lol ask the breeder what she thinks , good luck

[Britster]

GSDs can be great dogs, for sure. Good luck with everything!! A good breeder will work with you to find the right match

[gracielove]

I would ask for references from the breeder. You need to know what kind of temperament these dogs have a history of developing. GSD's are very beautiful and intelligent dogs when bred properly but bad breeding can cause the pups to have temperament issues. There are also some health issues that have been found in the GSD. Being on the AKC website does not guarantee you anything. They have a classified section that anyone who breeds AKC pups can use. If you are going to bring a pup that will grow to that size into your home you need to get as much information as you can about the background. You are going to need to do some intense obedience training as well.

You have your work cut out for you. Maybe start out by buying some well made, very tall metal gates to gate your GSD pup away from your Yorkie. GSD pups grow fast. They are energetic just like any other pup but their size can cause a serious accidental injury to your little dog.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by gracielove

I would ask for references from the breeder. You need to know what kind of temperament these dogs have a history of developing. GSD's are very beautiful and intelligent dogs when bred properly but bad breeding can cause the pups to have temperament issues. There are also some health issues that have been found in the GSD. Being on the AKC website does not guarantee you anything. They have a classified section that anyone who breeds AKC pups can use. If you are going to bring a pup that will grow to that size into your home you need to get as much information as you can about the background. You are going to need to do some intense obedience training as well.

You have your work cut out for you. Maybe start out by buying some well made, very tall metal gates to gate your GSD pup away from your Yorkie. GSD pups grow fast. They are energetic just like any other pup but their size can cause a serious accidental injury to your little dog.

I agree.

My uncle got a GSD from an Amish farm in PA. She is a great dog, but does have a few issues. When I first met her, as a 4 month old pup, I was very scared. Had never seen a puppy with such aggression towards another dog. He wanted a 'cheap dog' tho... he ended up paying in vet bills more than he would've for just going to a good breeder, but of course he loves his girl.

Jackson is very good with other dogs, and helping to teach them. When I was dogsitting, he helped me 'raise' quite a few large breed pups. I had never seen a dog this young, who was so aggressively barking/lunging at Jackson. Hackles up, not really in a fearful manner either. I helped my uncle out a lot, by bringing Jackson over (on leash, they were never off leash) to start socializing her. After a few visits, she improved a LOT... but it's still an issue he deals with. She can be dog-selective (not so much dog aggressive) and reactive on leash. And when you have a dog that big doing that... it's difficult.

Also, with a Yorkie, sometimes they have that 'attitude'. Jackson is fantastic with other dogs, who are respectful of him but he went AFTER my uncles GSD one time when, out of excitement, she pounced and her paw hit him hard. Well, he literally lunged at her and totally went apesh*t like I had never seen him do, and I had to lift him away by his harness. Thank God she did not do anything back. That could've been deadly. But small dogs don't have any other way to defend themselves and sometimes that will happen. They are also terriers afterall.

I grew up with a GSD from a BYB who got put to sleep at 4 years old after attacking a worker who came into our yard. Looking back, we could've done a lot of things differently, however I believe she was just wired that way. She HATED strangers. By 2 years old, we couldn't have anyone over without locking her up. She was very protective of me. She was my baby. Got her when I was 10 and she died when I was 14. I was devastated. She taught me a lot about dogs and is a reason I love them so much today. But she was ALOT of work.

GSDs CAN be GREAT dogs. I love them! But you have REALLY got to be careful these days. I see WAY more GSDs with shaky temperaments than the other way around. They're not the 'good ole dogs' like they seem they used to be... I wish Shepherds of the 50s and 60s would come back. They really are such an amazing breed. I would possibly like one again someday. You can see how they've changed over the yrs: http://www.asuperiorgsd.com/p2p.html

There are many different lines as well. Here are the different types: German Shepherd types and bloodlines with pictures | German Shepherd types | German Shepherd dog | German Shepherds

They are large, powerful, smart animals (#2 smartest dog breed). They shed, a LOT. They need a lot of exercise and a lot of mental work to be kept out of trouble.

[Ellex]

You guys scare the baJesus out of me, in a good way and everything has been super helpful. I did join the GSD forum and have been asking them a lot of questions and a few of them even have Yorkies. I will do everything in my power and in my husbands power to make sure we get the best dog for our family. Hes was raised and spent most of his life until we got married with so many different types of dogs, small, large, and they've never had an accident because they spent the proper time training and most of the dogs didn't come from breeders. His mom has a huge heart and would take dogs that people didn't want or strays. His aunt has 3 pits with small dogs and i just feel extremely comfortable adding another dog to the mix and my husband knows all the questions he needs to ask the breeder today.

Ashton is my priority, i saved up for him all by myself and finally got him when i was 19 and he's almost 5, so like most of you, he's my life! so i'm going to do everything in my power to keep in safe and to keep the new pup safe as well.

puppy classes; here we come!

and the cat too; the cat has to stay safe or my hubby will have a heartattack :P



THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE AND HELP! I AM VERY HAPPY I FOUND THIS GROUP. and i will keep all of you guys updated

[Critter]

I don't know much about huskys but i hate it when people stereotype dogs in general. We have two small yorkies, a 4lb and 8lb one (both we got from a breeder). A year and a half ago we decided to rescue a pitbull that we knew very little about. We did a lot of research on the breed, looked at a lot of pits before we got her to make sure the temperament would match the boys we had. We also invested a ton of money in a trainer to transition her into our home. She came to our home once a week to help us watch for any concerning behavior we needed to be aware of. After all they are powerful breeds. We learned a ton of things in general I would not have thought of in transitioning her into our home. She is a gentle dog, my smallest yorkie is terrible in comparison! Is always growling at her, sometimes snaps at her face and the pitbull does nothing. She has never even done anything that would worry me. That doesn't mean I let my guard down, something the trainer taught me, we watch all play, never leave them alone, crate her when we are gone. But honestly I can't imagine her not in our lives. She is the most well behaved dog I have ever had! It saddens me when people say things about pits (or other dogs who typically get a bad rap) because it is usually the owner who doesn't put in the time to train their dog or actually teaches their dog to attack!

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Critter

I don't know much about huskys but i hate it when people stereotype dogs in general. We have two small yorkies, a 4lb and 8lb one (both we got from a breeder). A year and a half ago we decided to rescue a pitbull that we knew very little about. We did a lot of research on the breed, looked at a lot of pits before we got her to make sure the temperament would match the boys we had. We also invested a ton of money in a trainer to transition her into our home. She came to our home once a week to help us watch for any concerning behavior we needed to be aware of. After all they are powerful breeds. We learned a ton of things in general I would not have thought of in transitioning her into our home. She is a gentle dog, my smallest yorkie is terrible in comparison! Is always growling at her, sometimes snaps at her face and the pitbull does nothing. She has never even done anything that would worry me. That doesn't mean I let my guard down, something the trainer taught me, we watch all play, never leave them alone, crate her when we are gone. But honestly I can't imagine her not in our lives. She is the most well behaved dog I have ever had! It saddens me when people say things about pits (or other dogs who typically get a bad rap) because it is usually the owner who doesn't put in the time to train their dog or actually teaches their dog to attack!

I hope you didn't think I was stereotyping. Definitely wasn't what I was trying to do. I've become fairly knowledgeable of dogs through the years and I was always one of those 'it's how they're raised' people in the past, but I honestly think that sets up a lot of people for failure. You guys sound totally responsible though and good owners! I just think there's a lot of people out there who probably shouldn't own these beautiful powerful dogs.

I know of Pits who are fantastic with all dogs, big and small, but if you ever go read a Pit bull forum, or speak to someone involved in Pit rescue or a Pit breeder, they will always remind you of their potential for dog aggression. It's a breed "trait" and something that often doesn't show up until maturity. They always have that potential. Most reputable breeders and rescues will strictly tell you never to bring your pit to a dog park either.

An online friend of mine had a Maliniois and a Pit... I believe they had lived together for at least 3 years? The Pit was maybe 7yrs old. They were very responsible owners. Whenever they left, they had a system, so they were always separated. Well she came home to them both dead in a VERY brutal way, it was so so horrible. Doors were broken, windows, bath tub was messed up, blood everywhere, etc. But these were dogs that had gotten along together, were loose in the house when owners were home, etc. This could happen with any breeds, of course, but Pits will fight to the death with other dogs if they want to. It's just always something to be aware of, is all I am saying. And it's not saying certain breeds are BAD by any means. It's just important to be aware of what you're getting yourself into.