Yorkshire Terrier - is this a great small dog to purchase? Are they hard to trai

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   UMHiramposted 12 years ago

   Yorkshire Terrier - is this a great small dog to purchase? Are they hard to train?
   
   

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   DrMark1961posted 12 years ago

   I dont think they are hard to train but they do have several medical issues you need to be wary of. You can read about them in my article "Five Great Dog Breeds that Dont Shed, Much".
   Personally I like Maltese a lot more.

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      UMHiramposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks DrMark1961, I appreciate the information and will definitely read the article.

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   agilitymachposted 12 years ago

   Yorkies can be great little dogs.  I agree with Dr. Mark.  They do have health issues.  They also have personality issues that are genetic.  One issue that comes to mine is luxating patellas.  Make sure the sire and dam have been tested for luxating patellas and get those test results.
   
   Unfortunately Yorkies can be aggressive.  Be sure to "meet" the parents and see their temperaments.  These little guys should be friendly, happy and pretty easy-going.  Shy or aggressive lines should be avoided.
   
   Remember, too.  There are lots of dogs in shelters that are put to sleep every day.  Unless there's a real need for you to get a Yorkie, I'd look at getting a small dog from a shelter instead.  Then you get to save a life!!!
   
   OR if you really MUST have a Yorkie (and I can't for the life of me come up with a reason you would need a "bred for purpose" Yorkie...), look into Yorkie breed rescue.  Just Google "Yorkie breed rescue" and add in your state.  From there, you can start sending out e-mails.  Also, you can check petfinder.com and look for Yorkies in shelters in your area.
   
   I, too, prefer well bred Malteses along with Havanese and Papillions when it comes to the small dogs.  But a well-bred Yorkie can be a lovely dog, and I know one who is one of my all time favorite tiny dogs.

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      UMHiramposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your input agilitymach ... I've actually been to a few shelters; however, there have only been large dogs available for adoption. Unfortunately, where I currently live I can only accommodate a small dog at this time.

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      agilitymachposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Contact your area Yorkie breed rescue by Googling them.  A lot of pure breds in shelters (not all by far though) wind up in breed rescue these days. Also check out Petfinders.com.

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