Tell me all I need to know about Yorkie pups, please.

[Brittany1116]

We tragically lost our amazing large breed dog a little over a year ago. My ILs have asked if they could gift us, specifically the kids, a Yorkie pup that MILs BFFs daughter has. I am not a big fan of small yippy dogs necessarily, but I know my husband and kids would love to have something to baby and cuddle. Anything I need to know about the breed specifically? Thanks

[itsheresomewhere]

Be prepared to have your heart taken quickly.  These are one of my favorites to groom. Especially, if they have been trained.  They will need to be groomed regularly.  Yorkies are usually smart ( there is always an exception to that), can be stubborn and behave like a teenager.  They love to be around people.  The ones that are the yippest, nasty attitudes are the ones whose owners have never bothered to say no or train them. I have one who brings the dog in on a pillow and has never touched concrete, grass or dirt.  Please don’t do that to this one.
Get the pup used to having its teeth brushed early and it will be a so much easier as they age.  They do love to cuddle. 
 

If your kids are under 5, I wouldn’t recommend it as yorkies are tiny and can be easily hurt.  

Edited April 14, 2023 by itsheresomewhere

[Brittany1116]

12 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Be prepared to have your heart taken quickly.  These are one of my favorites to groom. Especially, if they have been trained.  They will need to be groomed regularly.  Yorkies are usually smart ( there is always an exception to that), can be stubborn and behave like a teenager.  They love to be around people.  The ones that are the yippest, nasty attitudes are the ones whose owners have never bothered to say no or train them. I have one who brings the dog in on a pillow and has never touched concrete, grass or dirt.  Please don’t do that to this one.
Get the pup used to having its teeth brushed early and it will be a so much easier as they age.  They do love to cuddle. 
 

If your kids are under 5, I wouldn’t recommend it as yorkies are tiny and can be easily hurt.  

I appreciate your reply! Kids are 7 and 12. Can I ask how often grooming is required? 

[popmom]

Will you be choosing the breeder?

[itsheresomewhere]

51 minutes ago, Brittany1116 said:

I appreciate your reply! Kids are 7 and 12. Can I ask how often grooming is required? 

Most do every 6-8 weeks and that is what I recommend for most.  Some every 4 weeks if they don’t bother to brush the dog. Keep up brushing the pup and it helps a lot.  Start with the brush from day 1.  And yes, I have ones who look forward to not only a brush but having their hair styled with a bow.  Lol.  One looks at me like it is not complete until she has a nice bow. 
 

Now they can be really good at pretending they haven’t been fed or had any treats so just be prepared for devastating looks from the pup even right after they just finished their dinner. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by itsheresomewhere

[ktgrok]

How old is the puppy? The really tiny ones can have issues with hypglycemia when teeny tiny. I've even seen one have seizures they got so low. Having some honey or karo syrup or glucose syrup on hand for emergencies is a good idea. And make sure they eat frequently when little. They are not like big dogs where they can skip some meals and be fine. You actually DO have to "give in" and give them something if they skip meals. 

Other breed issues health wise are liver shunts, and more commonly dental issues. Tiny mouths have crowded teeth so you have to be more on top of dental hygiene than with a big dog. 

 

[Brittany1116]

15 minutes ago, popmom said:

Will you be choosing the breeder?

No, the breeder is MIL's BFF's daughter. I think this is litter #3 and they said no more. 

[MercyA]

Be aware that small breed dogs often take longer to house train than large breed dogs. They have tiny little bladders! Be prepared to take him/her out often and be patient with accidents.

Terriers are smart and full of personality! If you decide to go for it, we'd love to see pictures!

[Starr]

My mom brought one home shortly before she had surgery. I was 21 my younger brother was 2 1/2 . Good thing I was young and energetic. The Yorkie trained easily, was great with my brother and without particular health problems. 

[Doodlebug]

I would want to know more about the specific dog and the situation.  Is this pup from a home where it was not a good fit?  Is mil’s bff’s friend a breeder?  (ETA I see the friend is a breeder.)

There are some really heartbreaking (and expensive) situations you can avoid by getting to know as much as possible about this pup’s current circumstances. If no vet has been involved in this pup’s life, Id be wary and at bare minimum have her looked over before agreeing to it.

A puppy is super exciting and I hope my response doesn’t seem to rain on that… but the set up of taking a dog being offered from 3 relationships away is a gap that needs closing up.😉 Best of luck!  

Edited April 14, 2023 by Doodlebug

[Katy]

We love our yorkie mix, but he isn’t good with other small dogs (repeatedly got bitten as a puppy every time we tried to socialize him, does fine with big breeds as that’s what we had when he was a puppy), and I didn’t push socialization because he’s allergic to vaccines. We do get him vaccinated, but it’s a production with benadryl, steroids, and two emergency room visits. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

I haven't read the other replies but if you're used to larger breeds then what you may not be prepared for is bladder size? One of my best friends has a yorkie and the bladder is the size of a tablespoon. They have to plan their lives around making sure they can get there every 4 hours to take the dog out. With my larger breeds we can crate them and leave for the day if needed. Just a heads up if you've never thought of it. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Ann.without.an.e

[Pawz4me]

IME in general small breeds can be a little more challenging to house train than larger breeds (with lots of variation for individuals), but once they get the hang of it and have full grown bladders they shouldn't need to go out any more frequently than larger dogs with full grown bladders. A healthy small dog's water intake should correlate with bladder size. The general guideline I've read is one ounce of water per pound of body weight for a healthy dog. So a healthy adult Yorkie should drink 6-8 ounces of water a day. A healthy 50 pound dog should drink about 50 ounces a day. Their bladders should be sized accordingly, so a house trained healthy adult small dog shouldn't need to go out any more frequently than a house trained healthy adult larger dog. My adult Shih Tzus have bladders of steel when they need or want to (like today when it's raining and they don't want to go out). If I had an adult dog of any size who absolutely consistently needed to go out every four hours I'd get a thorough vet check ASAP.

If you're considering ongoing expenses then do factor in grooming, regular vet care and some extra for dental cleanings. My vet tells me that toy poodles, Yorkies and similar tiny dogs can sometimes need a dental as often as twice a year, especially when they get a bit older.

[Sweets]

My MIL has owned and fostered rescue Yorkies for over 50 years. She is absolutely devoted to this breed of dog. I have never owned one, because IMO they are a time consuming dog. I like our dog:  she's independent and calm. Yorkies are not. All of my MIL's Yorkies over the years have been high energy, extremely focused on their favorite person, and very smart. They love to play! They are not a dog to be left alone a lot. My MIL has owned her own business for many years, so she would just bring her dog along to work. It was her pride and joy. Before Christmas, her last Yorkie passed away suddenly from pancreatitis. She is currently looking for another Yorkie. The prices for these pups are outrageous - anywhere from $1000 to $2500! It used to be easy to find these pups but they seem to be very much in demand now! If you can get a puppy for free, I say go for it! They take some getting used to, but once you fall in love with these dogs you have a great companion. My son's Doberman was the same way, just a lot bigger! Needy, anxious, devoted to one person, and we ended up dog sitting a lot because you couldn't leave her alone. But, we all love this Dobie and we all were heartbroken when she passed away in October last year with cancer. My dog is a shepard mix and absolutely a joy. She's so calm and easy to care for.  

[Brittany1116]

Thanks for all the response. Our last dog was a GSD mix and low maintenance, but also a guard dog as much as a companion. We are home more than not, but a Yorkie can ride along much more easily than our 65#er did. So I forsee us taking her more than leaving her for things like soccer games. I really hate house training stage, and the frequency thing is something to consider. A friend had a Yorkie and had to go home twice daily to let her out. I think if DH wants the pup, I am going to have to make it clear he has to be 100% on with training when he is home so it isn't all on me. We are going to get more info this weekend. I don't think they are ready to leave mama yet; it sounds like 7 pups just a few weeks old. DH has known MILs BFF for decades so while it's a few degrees of separation, it isn't a super loose chain. 

[ktgrok]

3 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

IME in general small breeds can be a little more challenging to house train than larger breeds (with lots of variation for individuals), but once they get the hang of it and have full grown bladders they shouldn't need to go out any more frequently than larger dogs with full grown bladders. A healthy small dog's water intake should correlate with bladder size. The general guideline I've read is one ounce of water per pound of body weight for a healthy dog. So a healthy adult Yorkie should drink 6-8 ounces of water a day. A healthy 50 pound dog should drink about 50 ounces a day. Their bladders should be sized accordingly, so a house trained healthy adult small dog shouldn't need to go out any more frequently than a house trained healthy adult larger dog. My adult Shih Tzus have bladders of steel when they need or want to (like today when it's raining and they don't want to go out). If I had an adult dog of any size who absolutely consistently needed to go out every four hours I'd get a thorough vet check ASAP.

If you're considering ongoing expenses then do factor in grooming, regular vet care and some extra for dental cleanings. My vet tells me that toy poodles, Yorkies and similar tiny dogs can sometimes need a dental as often as twice a year, especially when they get a bit older.

Agree. The house breaking taking longer I think is at least in part that a small dog accident is more tolerable than an accident from a great big dog with a great big bladder - so people tend to be more desperate to train the big dogs as fast as possible and perhaps more diligent. A LOT of small dog owners are remarkably okay with even an adult dog having accidents in the house, and I can't imagine a great dane owner being able to tolerate it. I'm not shaming anyone, i am watching my mom's toy poodle and find myself of the same mindset - the thing hates the wet grass and sometimes I'm like, "meh....if she poops on the floor it isn't a huge deal". Of course, she's not mine, so it isn't a permanent issue for me. 

Also, little dogs are flat out harder to keep track of - it is WAY easier for them to sneak and pee behind something than a giant dog, lol. 

[Corraleno]

The little guy in my avatar is half yorkie; he weighs about 7 lbs. It's true that it took some time to get him house trained, but he can go 12 hours or more without an accident. I usually let him out between 8 & 9 PM, and then he sleeps with DD and sometimes doesn't get up until noon. I usually open her door around 8 AM so he can come get me if he needs to go out, but he generally prefers to stay snuggled under the covers with DD until she gets up.

He's extremely cuddly but not overly needy. If someone is sitting on the sofa, he will climb in their lap or curl up next to them, but if everybody's busy, he's fine by himself, too. I'm mostly home these days, but even when he was young (he's now 11) and was home alone a lot more because we were always on the go with kids activities, he has always been fine being home alone. He's not destructive and he's never been crated. DD sometimes takes him with her when she's running errands or doing deliveries, and he's always been well behaved. He loves dog parks.

Oh, and he doesn't shed! I love having a little dog that eats a little food, doesn't chew stuff up, doesn't shed, doesn't mess up the house (and if there's an accident it's tiny and super easy to clean up), and is super easy to take anywhere. I plan to get another yorkie or yorkie-mix in a year or so (waiting until after a major kitchen/family room remodel).

[teachermom2834]

I am not a pet person and have never had a dog before so I am not knowledgeable but somehow I am now the owner of a half yorkie. She is 3 yo now and about 10 pounds and an easy dog. Doesn’t chew stuff, doesn’t shed. She will always cuddle with any of the three of us available but is fine to be left as well. I don’t know if she was hard to train because I have nothing to compare to but we got her trained without a whole lot of trauma. She can go long periods of time now. She does have an occasional accident but as other mentioned, it is tiny. 
 

I’m really still not a dog person but I do love this little pup and she is easy and sweet and fun. 

[easypeasy]

Yorkies are darlings most of the time. Loyal, interested, curious little doggos. Coming from big-dog world, everyone is right - yorkies have tiny bladders and will take longer to potty train. They are also prone to being a bit yippy and the higher-pitched yorkie bark might be a bit annoying til you've adjusted from GSD dog sounds. 🙂

But, absolute darlings. And SO portable. You can take a Yorkie anywhere!!! 🙂

signed,

mom of three enormous dogs who live in her house and often wishes she'd opted for Yorkie-sized dogs instead...