Yorkies

I've had many dogs over the years (shelties, German SD, Golden Ret., Cockers and Pointers) I now have a yorkie and a maltese.  I had always wanted a yorkie but was warned how awful they were. Always heard they were hyper, barkers, hard to train, etc, so I was afraid to get one for years. My yorkie may not be the norm but she is the best behaved, sweetest natured dog that I have ever had. She's playful but not hyper, she rarely barks, she is gentle and sweet. They are notoriously hard to housebreak. Hair care is minimal if you keep them in a puppy cut but keeping them in coat requires brushing several times a week. Compared to keeping my malt in coat, they yorkie hair is a breeze. They love kids but due to a yorkies small size they may not be best suited for homes with children. having a yorkie is pretty much like having a baby, they require lots of care and attention.

I had a yorkie years ago.
 
She was a very resilient dog. Not yappy at all. She always thought she was a big dog.
 
As far as coat was concerned, we only brushed her once a week or so. She wore the bottom of her coat off outside so it never dragged on the ground anywhere. We cut her bangs becasue I can't stand dogs who have to wear ponytails on the forehead.
 
WE did have a problem with her with vaccines. Vet finally decided it was better to not vaccinate her. This was yeaars and years ago before titres were being done. Now I would do titres on any dog.
 
Only other problem we had with her was an incident with her eating a black walnut that had dropped form a tree. Apparently, black walnuts are toxic in large doses. For a yorkie, it doesn't take much for it to qualify as a large dose.
 
I will be getting another yorkie after my kids are done feeling the need for a big dog.
 
One other word of warning...really check out the breeder. I haveknown of several yorkies who have had siezures due to being microcephalic. Bad breeding trying to get a smaller dog just resulted in a smaller head/brain.

Guinnsmom- What happened when you tried to vaccinate her? I am also thinking of rescuing a Yorkie (I just got a call yesterday about two that were being given away) and I am interested in this thread as well. Do any of the people that replied above that had yorkies also have a cat?

I don't have a cat but I know several people whom have yorkies and cats and they can get along just fine if properly introduced. I know my yorkie would do fine around them. There are always going to be exceptions as with any other breed. As long as the cat and dog are compatible it should work. I have heard of some little dogs that will get into the kitty litter box so you would need to nip that problem in the bud.
 
Vaccinating my yorkie and maltese makes me nervous. As with any breed the possiblity of a reaction is always there. The major difference is that having a tiny dog with an allergic reaction be catastrophic. I have been cautioned to never give Lepto  to a yorkie.
 
As with any other breed you should always buy from a reputable breeder. I would suggest that you contact a local chapter of YTCA to find a participating member whom may have a pet puppy available.
 
Can't pass up the chance to show my baby girl off.

ORIGINAL: UndefinedMelody

Guinnsmom- What happened when you tried to vaccinate her? I am also thinking of rescuing a Yorkie (I just got a call yesterday about two that were being given away) and I am interested in this thread as well. Do any of the people that replied above that had yorkies also have a cat?

 
UndefinedMelody, just realized you were asking about a rescue yorkie. There is always the potential for any dog or cat that has not been raised around the other species to not accept the other.  Rescue's usually elvauate the animal to see if they can live harmoniously with other animals before placing them. You may have to give it a trail to see if it will work out. Cats can also be pretty territorial and your cat may not except the yorkie. Good luck.

No it is still a puppy, I just wanted it to be known that it was free, as opposed to me seeking out a breeder.

This was 25 years ago....but as I recall it, yorkie had been vaccinated annually. She was maybe 7 - 8 years old. There was no three year rabies then. I am not even sure which vaccine she reacted to but I do not think it was the rabies one. No one vaccinated for parvo or kennel cough back then so I would think it was the distemper combo shot. She did get a rabies shot after that time but only biannually from then on. We did not give any other imm.s after that happened except rabies.
 
She came home from vet after getting shots  and within 4 hours was extremely lethargic, just shy of unconcious. Took her back to vet, they gave her a shot of something and some fluids ----the kind they give in a big ball on the neck??? She came back home that night and was fine.

[linkhttp://www.ytca.org/frame_index2.html]http://www.ytca.org/frame_index2.html[/link]

The link above goes to the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America.  There are places on the site to get more information.  Also, about their coat, I would suggest keeping it short unless you plan to enter it in a dog show.

All dogs are territorial, though some are more territorial than others.
 
Yorkies are very yappy unless you train them, as you would with any other dog.

Some yorkies are yappy but not all. Mine happens to be a very quite yorkie, my maltese is my yapper. I think it depends more on the specific dog as both of mine are raised and trained the same. A yorkies hair is very easy to keep long and requires brushing a couple of times a week. I consider it very easy to maintain when comparing it to keeping a maltese in coat.