I've had them since 1981. Got my first one as a present. This is Autumn who is about
the seventh generation down from my first Yorkie. They're just great wee characters
and once you've had one, they get their wee paws round your heart. Big dogs in wee dog's
bodies.The Yorkshire Terrier makes an ideal family companion. They are a very compact
dog but you should remember that they are a terrier. They can be very active and boisterous
but they can behappy to sit by your side as well so they do make an ideal family dog.
The Yorkshire Terrier is a fabulous little dog. It may be a little dog but it has a huge
personality. She's an absolute hooligan. But she's a great wee character. She's into everything.
Just a character. Yorkshire Terriers. Fun little dogs. They have a long coat that needs
lots of grooming. You need to keep on top of. They do like longer walks but don't have
excessive exercise demands. We would often re-home them as companions for somebody more
mature or somebody who just wants that little friend. A lot of people have the misconception
in my view that they're yappy wee dogs - they would be if you let them. But I've got five
in the house. If anyone comes to the door, they make a fuss for two or three minutes
then they settle down and that's it. We have bred them in the past to kill small furry
rodents, so you need to be thinking about putting some training in to play such as a
leave or a watch me or a chase recall, getting those execises in quite early so you can control
some of that prey drive. Training I've found very easy. I've got one who adores agility
. She just loves it. They're wee dogs who want to learn and they like to please you.
They want to please you. They can be very barky in class because they're very reactive
to the environment around them. So you need to do lots and lots of early socialisation
and really kind positive training. Because you've got a fun dog and you can have lots
of fun with it, but you must control those instincts. They've got the look that butter
wouldn't melt in their mouths, but don't be fooled. Do not be fooled. If they can get
away with it, they will be in charge in the household. So you've really got to let them
know that you're the gaffer so to speak. If people keep them with a long coat, it's fairly
intensive grooming required. For the majority of Yorkshire Terriers are pet dogs. I would
always recommend to people that if they're not showing them, to have their coats clipped
out. They're much easier to manage. There's nothign on the Kennel Club watch as health
problems for them. As with lots of other small dogs when they're losing their puppy teeth
they sometimes have a double dentation which means that the second teeth come in before
the puppy teeth are pushed out. And sometimes they have to be extracted. Again, in common
with other small dogs, they sometimes have a luxating patellar which is the keecap at
the back. It tends to be mechanical rather than painful. As they're running the kneecap
will just click out of joint and you'll see the dog run on three legs for a few steps
- then it clicks back in and they carry on regardless. There are degrees of luxation
and obviously in pretty serious cases they would resort to surgery to sort it out. But
it's not particular to Yorkshire Terriers, it's a small dog problem. They do make an
ideal member of the family - but like all dogs, they're not a toy. They're a member
of the toy group, but they're not a toy and do require a certain amount of care. So they
do make an ideal companion in the right hands. \par
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