Decisions, Decisions
 

I am new here. And would like some feedback on my future yorkie. I just lost my faithful buddy Louis at nearly 15 years old. My heart is broken and I have known this has been coming on for some time. My vet was great helping me extend this little guys life for as long as possible and he stayed active and happy despite failing senses and other old age issues. I am trying to make some good decisions for the future. I know I want another Yorkie. I don't think I'll be ready for a couple of months as I will be grieving this loss of such a faithful charming little buddy. Lou was a found dog and through him I have fallen in love with the breed. I can see from reading here that there are a lot of Yorkie experts and that I will get some sound advice. I am on the fence as to whether or not to seek a rescue or get a new pup. I loved my male but I am unsure whether to get another or a female. I do have a health issue and may consider a dog that could be trained to awaken me and become a service dog for me. I have limitations driving because of my sleep disorder but am otherwise healthy very active (walk an average of 3-5 miles/day) and happy. Having a dog that could be a service dog would offer me more options for travel and while this is a consideration for both myself and my next doggie it is not my primary consideration. I live part of the year in Arizona and part of the time in Maine and have great Vets in each place. My Louis was a fantastic traveler and flew back and forth with me jumping in his carrier as soon as I took it out of the closet. He never needed any medication for traveling it was just part of our routine. He would start to cry when he smelled the ocean every time we came back to Maine because he loved the beach so much…makes me tear up thinking of that. I appreciate any feedback anyone here can give me on rescue or rehome vs. pup, male vs female and anyone who has a Yorkie as a service dog or training a dog for specific tasks. Glad to be here with kindred spirits.

Hi and WELCOME to YT :). Glad you found us.

First, I am so incredibly sorry for the loss of your dear Louis. He sounds just precious, unique, and like he was one of the loves of your life. What a special little fella!

As for male vs females, I have 2 males and 1 female and love them all. I do think the males are more affectionate to a certain degree and many others say that as well here. But you can't go wrong with either, ya know?

I don't have any experience w/ training a service dog, so I can't really comment on that aspect. But a rescue may have the perfect little trainable adult for you, who knows....there are so many good rescue dogs out there. There is a member here named LadyJane who is with Yorkie Haven Rescue and maybe she'd have some ideas for you.

If you are going into the next pup with service dog in mind talking with a service dog training facility may help you evaluate your new pup faster and let you know if your dog has service dog potential.

I have a service dog. The statistics for dogs that "fail" (doesn't mean they are not perfectly lovely pets) is higher than most think.

If you start out with a service dog training group they can help you pick your pup and train. They will also help you assess you training experience.

Lots and lots of service dogs are rescue:D. But temperament, background, and intelligence are important. Folks who train them are great at selecting the ones that will be successful and which ones will be pets. They can tell you the age they do the selecting and what age to start training. Some pups are smart, loving and delightful to be around but just can't over come distraction or some levels of fear - my friend has a pet that could not make it through service dog training who is our absolutely favorite play date friend:D

Good luck with your new pup when you are ready to go there! It will be an interesting trip!

Thank you for your thoughts. I have some time to think more on it. I've heard that service dogs should be trained before they reach a certain age but as you point out Yorkiemini there are dogs suited to be trained as service dogs and others who are not. I think in the end I will try and find a Yorkie who meets the age requirements and if the training works it does but my disability is not such that it is a do or die thing. Would it be helpful and convenient? For sure.

I'm so very sorry for your loss. I would think sense there is a lot of things you want to train the yorkie to do I would go with a puppy not that adults aren't trainable I just think it would be easier. I really enjoy girl dogs my Callie is my first girl yorkie but all the girl dogs i grew up with always had a bit more of the stubborn attitude and I just loved that even now. It's really about your preference about boy or girl. If your not ready right now you could always find a reputable breeder and go on there list for an upcoming littler because after a pup is born they stay will there mom until 12 weeks but really good breeders can often have a waiting list.

Welcome to YT! I'm sorry for the loss of your little guy. You have certainly come to the right place to get your questions answered!

Hi and welcome to YT, so very sorry for the loss of your lil Louis. Thank you for considering rescuing. I have always had female yorkies (4 in all), now I have a 3 y/o male rescue. Many ppl have told me males are more affectionate then females, I have my boy 8 months and I see no difference between male or females. My females were sweet & loving just like my lil boy. Good luck in your search to find the perfect baby for you.

Yes, I have time one way or another. What is my best approach to finding a breeder. I am in AZ for a part of the year but also in Maine so I would be comfortable with either region. From what I have read in the last day or so the whole breeder world can be a scary place. Any suggestions on that?

Maybe this will help http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/bre...e-breeder.html I would check out ytca.org first.

Thanks I have been reading and reading and reading some more :)

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