I've been looking at Yorkshire terriers and I've been saving up for months. Now I can finally have one, but I'm having second thoughts. I go to school during the day for no more than four hours at a time, so I'll be making it home to check on it; but I also have a job at night 4 days a week where I'll be gone for about 5-6 hours at most. Are there any dog owners who can give me some advice? I know this will be a huge responsibilty and possibly may not be fair to the dog, but this is something I really want and I will love this dog as if it were my child.

1/12/2006 6:44:06 PM

i'm tempted to make a joke about "pointers" being a breed of dog (well, there's many types of pointers)...

if you're gone 10 hours a day, it doesn't seem like you really need a dog, especially one you have to save up for. if you were rescuing a dog, i could understand. that's just my opinion though, we leave our dog alone with the cats for 9 straight hours, but only 2 days a week. our dog can go all day without going to the bathroom though, which is rare.

1/12/2006 7:00:33 PM

do u have a roommate/bf/friend who'd be willing to help watch and play with the dog when you're away?
you can also hire someone who might eb able to come by the house once in a while

while 4 and 6 hr hr blocks arent really that long.. puppies need a lot of attention and generally have to go outside every few hrs.

1/12/2006 7:05:40 PM

First of all, I would suggest getting a rescue dog.

I have a lab/chow mix about 45-50 lbs, and she stays inside all day. I work about 9-10 hrs a day.
I dont have any roomates to help me out so Im not saying it cant be done, but just be prepared for what you might come home to when you have been gone for a while.
My current dog has never really been bad about chewing things, or using the bathroom in the house, i guess i got lucky.

[Edited on January 12, 2006 at 7:32 PM. Reason : k]

1/12/2006 7:31:17 PM

I have a pomeranian puppy (about the same size as a yorkie) and when she was very young she had to pee about every 2-4 hours. So leaving her alone will require potty pads in the crate. Also Yorkies tend to bark alot so you will have to think about that if you live in an apartment. Also toy breeds can be very hard to potty train and will probably take a couple of months. Mine is almost 6 months now and still not quite potty trained. Just a few things to think about but I still wouldnt give mine up for the world.

1/12/2006 8:10:07 PM

just get the dog a crate and you will be fine only being gone that amount of time.

1/12/2006 8:30:08 PM

No.... but then again, NO

1/12/2006 8:47:11 PM

9-10 hours is just about the upper limit to how long I'd be willing to leave a dog alone. I definitely wouldn't leave a little puppy alone that long. Consider getting an older dog or taking a younger dog to doggie daycare while you're in class during the day on the days when you have to work at night. There's a thread about doggie daycare somewhere in here. And if you choose to get a purebread yorkie from a breeder rather than a rescue PLEASE do your homework to make sure they are not a backyard breeder.
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/NoPuppyMillsVA/What_is_a_Backyard_Breeder_/what_is_a_backyard_breeder_.html

1/12/2006 9:29:51 PM

I'm going to second the rescue dog thing. It's rare to see small dogs there, but they might just keep them at a location I'm not familiar with too. On a side note, Yorkshire Terriers are good for punting, not petting.

1/12/2006 9:43:17 PM

Melissa - if your heart is set on a Yorki then get what you want
but use a reputable breeder - check with a breeder association

if your schedule stays the way it is - and as long as you have a decent break in between school and work - the pup should be fine.

i work like 40 -60 + hrs a week between school, working on campus, working at the bar, and volunteering. so i'm away from my 4 dogs alot. but i make the time to come home frequently throughout the day to check on them. we have a fenced in yard so i can leave them out when the weather is nice. and i have great roommates who let them in and out as well. i spend quality time with them every day and when i'm unwinding at night.
i also have a dog room (10 x 8 or so) where they stay. i still crate my 8 month old but i leave the older dogs out in the room with food, water and tons of toys and rawhides and such.

yes, i feel guilty about not spending as much time as i want with them.. but they're well taken care of and considering the room they stay in and the backyard - it makes up for it. plus having 4 of them helps - mre work - but they have eachothers company.


just research the costs that come with having a puppy and the commitment you're making for 10+ years. my grandma had a yorkie live to be 18! also yorkies ,like other toy breeds, have health problems.. due to being so compact. research the breed. consider a mutt or rescue. but like i said if what you really want is a yorkie then get what you want.
i'd love a purebred german shepard with lines from germany (like the dog i had growing up - best dog ever) but i love my mutts just as much.
look into training , puppy camp, or sitters/dogwalkers.
i can recommend some ( i petsit in my spare time some as well)

goodluck

1/12/2006 10:08:57 PM

It's called CRATE TRAINING. It's the way to train a puppy. You don't let it just wander the apt. I'm not saying you were planning on doing that, but that's what a couple other posts made it sound like. We adopted a Yorkie mix puppy for $150 from a rescue organization (plus the vet costs) (she's 3 months old and only 8lbs - we don't expect her to reach past 15lbs if even that) and she was able to stay in the crate (which is a small dog carrier) for 6-8 hours easy because she didn't want to live in her own filth, which is the point. I brought my dog here after her companion, who was also her mother, died, and she needed nearly as much housetraining as a puppy would b/c she lived outside all her life prior to that point. However she had maybe one accident because I kept her tied up. I was in school fulltime and worked 25+ hrs a week.

A puppy will be fine as long as you pay it lots of attention when you're with it, and make sure you take it outside immediately upon getting home from school and work, and right before leaving for those. Then when you have the puppy out to play while you're at home, take it out every couple hours, increasing the time in between potty breaks to train it. Make sure you say something incorporating an emphasis on the word "Outside" so it learns to associate that with the bathroom, so it knows that's what is going on. Also when you get home, or get up from bed in the morning, carry it outside rather than just let it out of the carrier, b/c you risk it having an accident on the way to the door. Later as it gets used to the idea you can let it walk. Right now our puppy is to the point where we leave her leash dangled over the doorknob far enough so she can nudge the clip end when she needs to go outside.

Anyway enough about training, which you can do yourself if you realize you need to set a limit to your social life in order to really bond with and train your puppy.

RESEARCH is the key to making sure you'll end up with a healthy puppy. One thing our vet said is that small breeds tend to have a particular knee problem, I can't remember what exactly, I think loose kneecap? Anyway if you have a friend that is familiar with that kind of thing it might help you to take him/her with you when you look at puppies. Purebreed dogs can tend to have more health issues than mutts.

Besides, look at this adorable little mutt we've adopted - her cuteness is so overwhelming nearly everyone we pass stops to coo:



[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 12:33 AM. Reason : clarification]

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 12:34 AM. Reason : ]

1/13/2006 12:32:40 AM

If you aren't going to have as much time, you might want to think about an older dog (rather than a puppy) becuase there is less training.

Also, you should think about your plans after school. If you are planning on moving to another area, you should get an idea of if there are enough apartments that accept dogs. Some areas it seems like it's very hard to find one.

Just some things to think about. Good luck

1/13/2006 9:49:27 AM

Quote :

"i'm tempted to make a joke about "pointers" being a breed of dog"

ha ha, when I read the title I thought she meant she was getting a pointer

The advantage of a Yorkie is that since it is a smaller breed it will not need as much exercise as an older dog.

1/13/2006 10:09:38 AM

^agreed. but I do also think that you should invest in an older dog- which doesn't have to mean 3+ years. By 6-7 months, if in a foster home or good adoption program, it is likely to already be potty trained. And you will still get the cute playfulness of a puppy, but less of the hassle which will be much easier if you are in school and have a job. Good luck!

(this is my 11 month old pup, Sequoya!)

1/13/2006 10:42:57 AM

are you going to pet the puppy?

1/13/2006 10:43:30 AM

Before laying a bunchof cash out there and buying a puppy, talk to a rescue association to see if you can't foster a dog for a little bit just to see if the breed is in fact what you want and that you can even handle a paet with your schedule.

Paying for a dog seems excessive when thousands of outstanding dogs in pretty much all breeds are put down all the time. This dog was going to be put down unless we rescued him...

1/13/2006 11:09:19 AM

It's too bad you can't get something to stunt a puppy's growth and keep it from becoming a full sized dog. I know science can do this, but they won't do it because of "ethics" and other bullshit reasons.

1/13/2006 11:20:38 AM

get a cute one.

I prefer my bonsai kitten, though.

1/13/2006 11:23:55 AM

Wow ncsutiger that is an adorable dog!

HockeyRoman and I got a chihuahua puppy back in October. She's been through crate training since we got her. Chihuahuas (and most other smaller dogs) have small bladders so they have to use the bathroom more often than bigger dogs, therefore it is typically harder to train them because they have a harder time holding it in. We did a lot of research (bought every magazine and book we could find) and knew this when we got her. Daisy (our pride and joy) has done very well. We've layed out a puppy pad in a corner just in case of an emergency, which she has actually used a few times. We got very lucky with her because she gets along with my cat and my sister's dog. The only place she gets territorial is in her kennel. Be sure when you pick out your puppy that you know about the parents' behavior (if they're good with around kids, other people, animals, etc.). Research and patience are key when picking out the right puppy.

ncsutiger and XCchik pretty much summed up everything else I would say.

Good luck on the puppy search!



[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 11:54 AM. Reason : ...]

1/13/2006 11:49:03 AM

Yeah, I already know I'm going to be crate training this pup. Thanks everyone for the advice!

1/13/2006 1:16:58 PM

living in an apartment complex where you have to pick up after your dog, you might as well just get them used to using the pads. it works just as well and she doesnt go very much anyways.

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 1:49 PM. Reason : not a great solution, but works for us and she's very good about that when we're not out on walks]

1/13/2006 1:49:09 PM

You should pick up after your dog regardless of if it's required by an apt complex or not. Unless your dog tends to crap in the bushes where no one would go.

Training pads may work well but it won't train your dog to learn to tell you when it needs to use the bathroom outside. If you prefer to go ahead and just clean up after the dog inside by throwing the pads away you're spending a lot of money and not giving the dog the outside time/exercise it needs. As for when you're gone, you solve the problem by not letting it loose in the home until it's completely potty trained. Crate training is the best method.

One last bit - Crate training also includes crating the puppy whenever you are unable to watch her (like when you shower, make a meal), hence avoiding having to use puppy pads that will just make the puppy assume it's okay to just use them instead of learning that all potty goes outside.

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 3:13 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 3:13 PM. Reason : ]

1/13/2006 3:10:26 PM

the pads are re-usable and washable. i agree that the disposable ones are very expensive in the long run.

basically she isnt a puppy anymore though and has grown accustomed to going on the pad at my sisters, where she couldnt get outside for long periods of time (long work days). she still gets to go walks and i tried to get her to go outside, but she just seems to prefer using the pad.

basically we just got lucky with a well adjusted dog that doesnt chew up things or bark so we just let her run amok and she uses her pads. i guess it works for some dogs and not for others (my sisters other 2 dogs still do fine, one goes on the pad and one uses the flowerbeds in the screen porch when he cant go outside).

1/13/2006 5:17:15 PM

people who spend $700 on a fucking dog should be kicked in teh face

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 5:29 PM. Reason : especially shitty little worthless toy dogs]

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 5:29 PM. Reason : that do nothing but yap all damn day]

1/13/2006 5:28:32 PM

Quote :

"toy breeds can be very hard to potty train and will probably take a couple of months"

i've never had this problem in my experience

1/13/2006 5:33:32 PM

my mini rat terrier doesnt poop/pee all that much AND hardly barks.

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 5:39 PM. Reason : basically it is like a kid, there are some good methods but it ultimately will vary greatly by dog]

1/13/2006 5:38:40 PM

its how you train a dog, not the type of dog that presents difficulty with house training
there are good techniques and bad, one of them will be slower the others a bit faster

we have yorkies at our store, one i think is arriving on the 17th
they usually cost 1100 bucks
but they come with a bunch of stuff


if interested ill give you the link cause im afraid to advertise now

1/13/2006 6:03:05 PM

didn't read the thread, so if i repeat something, i'm sorry...

if you are thinking about getting a dog, definitely do it. getting my puppy three years ago was one of the best things i ever decided to do...

that being said, i felt the same way about getting a dog, i had some serious second thoughts, but she's worth ever minute. remember this when you are thinking about it: NO ONE is home with their dog 24/7. most responsible people work full time. so your situation is already better for handling a puppy than most.

now some advice: get a crate and crate-train the dog! even when she was a puppy, my dog NEVER went to the bathroom in her crate (just make sure the crate isn't too big), even if left alone for a few hours. of course, i took her out ever few hours when i was home, but when i wasn't home to do that, she was fine.

so, in conclusion... it is a huge responsibility (but totally worth it) and you seem like you are better off to get a dog now than to wait until you are working 8-9 hours straight/day.

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 6:22 PM. Reason : k i'm done]

1/13/2006 6:21:17 PM

Be careful if you get a Yorky.

My girlfriends family bought a Yorky for a pretty large amount of money and it had to be put to sleep a couple of months later for a genetic liver problem. Apparently it is a very common disease with this breed.

Send me a message if you want to know more, I can give you her e-mail address.

1/13/2006 6:53:12 PM

do research before getting a dog from some place, if proper breeding is done genetic problems dont exist
not to say you wont get the random oddball case but if osmeone knows what theyre doing with breeding and genetics then chances are you wont have the problems

only issue with a yorkie is the energy level, they are terriers and have a lot of running to do, so exercise time is a must, the positive that theyre small, so a quick walk or a run around the house would be good

if anything luxating patellas are most common, which is a loose knee joint, exercise will fix this problem and tighten up those tendons

but as i said before, do research on the breed and be prepared for vet bills, increased cost on food, things like that. dogs arent cheap, and quality products are jsut more expensive but will bring out the best in your dog.

1/13/2006 7:11:30 PM

Don't know if anyone else wrote this, but in response to you getting a puppy and being gone 4-6 hrs/day

I think the rule about how often puppies need to go out is estimated by adding 1 to how many months old they are. Ie: 2 month old puppy can hold it for 3 hours... just to give you some insight. Wouldn't want them to get an infection from not going potty enough

1/13/2006 7:16:10 PM

Quote :

"$700 "

haha more like $1000+ like Kiwi mentioned (the pups for 1100). The ones I've seen online are between 1100 and 1500. The $150 for my pup plus like $300 in vet bills total is pretty nice next to that.

^our puppy can hold it for up to 8 hrs. We don't want her alone that long but if she has to be for some unfortunate work schedule, she is fine. She was able to do that from the start (at 6 weeks) in her crate at night when sleeping, and later on during the day and work schedules. Fortunately I'm working less and have 3 of my 5 classes online so I'm home enough to keep her from having to stay in the crate for that long. She's 3.5 months old now.

[Edited on January 13, 2006 at 8:33 PM. Reason : ]

1/13/2006 8:32:09 PM

Well I ended up getting her and we named her Gwen. I took her to the vet the very next day and she's perfectly healthy.

It ends up my roommates are more than willing to help me raise her, so she's never alone for more than two hours. She's going great and is the cutest and happiest puppy in Raleigh

Thanks for the help everyone!



[Edited on January 20, 2006 at 4:04 PM. Reason : f]

1/20/2006 4:03:52 PM

hahahah havent you wanted a dog for like 3 or 4 years now?

1/20/2006 4:06:36 PM

yeah

1/20/2006 4:24:33 PM

POOP CITY

1/20/2006 5:25:47 PM

hey awesome i was watching conan last night and it had a guest that was like


"Having a puppy is like living with a homeless person. You come home and they're like "I ate the toilet paper so I wiped my ass on the couch."

1/20/2006 5:31:56 PM

If money is tight, do not get a dog. Spaying or neutering runs around 200-300 depending on whether you get pain relief and blookwork (both highly recommended). Also, make sure to factor in puppy visits. That's once a month until from 8 weeks to 5 months old and of course, fixing them at 6 months of age. Puppy classes are going to run around $95 for a 6 week class. Highly, highly recommended for socialization (and no, just because your dog gets along with your cat or neighbor's dog does not mean they are socialized). Ideally, puppy classes start should at 8-12 weeks old when the most impact can be appreciated. This is for a completely healthy, happy puppy! Forget about the $1000 hospitalizations that occur with parvo.

Future expenses, especially for a yorkie would include annual to bi-annual dental cleanings (the shape of their mouths and teeth accumulate an ungodly amount of plaque, tarter and bacteria) which run around $200 each time and annual vaccines which would be around $150-$200. Heartworm prevention is around $40-$50. Flea treatment: $160. (an no, Hartz products are not a form of flea contol, they are cheap, do not work, and are not regulated).

If you can swing this, go for it. If not...rethink. I don't know how many people tell me in an appointment, they can't afford to get all the vaccines, etc because they have already spent $200-$300 on the dog.

By the way, how much are you spending? I would not consider getting a purebred unless it cost $800.00 to $1000.00 and the male was a conformation, AKC champion or a champion in some sort of speciality (tracking, etc depending on the breed). This ensures the breeder has a sound and responsible breeding program. Those $200.00 dogs are mostly likely ridden with defects, worms, and have terrible, hideous temperments. Those dogs are usually a complete waste of money.

Well, good luck and let us know what you decide!

1/20/2006 6:55:10 PM

You can get a spay-neuter discount through the SPCA. http://www.spcawake.org/spay.html

1/20/2006 7:01:14 PM

^yeah, that's a great program...FOA vouchers are also an option.

1/20/2006 7:19:34 PM

Quote :

"if anything luxating patellas are most common, which is a loose knee joint, exercise will fix this problem and tighten up those tendons"

no, that's way off the mark. surgery is the only way to fix this.

The muscles of the thigh attach directly or indirectly to the top of the knee cap. There is a ligament, called the patellar ligament, which runs from the bottom of the knee cap to a point on the tibia (shin bone) just below the knee joint. When the thigh muscles contract, the force is transmitted through the patella and through the patellar ligament and results in extension (straightening) of the knee joint. The patella stays in the center of the leg because the point of attachment of the patellar ligament is on the midline and because the patella slides in a groove on the lower end of the femur (the thigh bone).

The patella luxates because the point of attachment of the patellar ligament is not on the midline of the tibia. It is almost always located too far medial (toward the middle of the body). As the thigh muscles contract, the force is pulled against the groove on the inner side of the femur. After several months or years of this abnormal movement, the inner side of the groove wears down and the patella is free to move out of the groove or dislocate. When this occurs, the dog has difficulty bearing weight on the leg. It may learn how to kick the leg and snap the patella back into its normal location. However, because the side of the groove is gone, it dislocates again easily.


...so, you see, exercise does not improve this condition.

1/20/2006 7:24:17 PM

She's been checked for luxating patella, and she's fine. You people need to read. I took her to the vet and she's healthy. She's already on Frontline and Heartguard and her vaccinations are up to date. I'm taking her to the vet as often as necessary. Money is not a concern with her and I've already spent over 400 in vet fees as it is (they found Coccidia in her), plus she costed a lot.

It's not like I just bought this dog impulsively. I've been planning for years and saving for a long time now and couldn't wait any longer. If she can have over $150 worth in wardrobe alone, obviously she's not in need for anything. This dog is very well cared for, trust me.

I mean, look in my photo gallery. Does this look like a dog that's being neglected? No. I appreciate your concern though.

1/21/2006 10:54:05 AM

Mine: He's awesome.

He is 8 months now and he can hold his bladder for about 5-6 hours if he has to. I try to walk him every 3 hours if I can. Crate training worked well. He would pee and poop in it for about a month, but now he likes the crate. He will go right into the crate when he thinks it's bedtime.



[Edited on January 21, 2006 at 11:09 AM. Reason : awesomeness]

1/21/2006 11:06:02 AM

so cute!!!

1/21/2006 11:13:52 AM

just like children, only get a dog if you have the patience, and the maturity.

I saw some people in my friends old apt. complex who had a dog, and this girl was absolutely evil to that puppy, it barked at another dog and she yanked it up by it's collar and screamed "SHUT THE FUCK UP" and then it barked again and this bitch crossed the line, she picked it up and started hitting the dog, then threw it through the open door of her apartment, and slammed it shut.

I was pretty upset, but it was a dumb greenville slut, so I knew it was pointless to say anything, they don't function on reason or anything of that nature.

[Edited on January 21, 2006 at 3:30 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/21/2006 3:29:44 PM