New Yorkie

Question
Hi,
My mother has been encouraging my grandmother, who is 68 to get a little dog to add life to her house, as she lives alone. We thought a Yorkie would be perfect for her, a small dog that would be managable and a good fit for our small extended family. Which consits of grandchildern ranging from 2 to 12.  We told her that anytime she went away we would care for him/her. My grandmother really loves our big dog because he dosnt bark and she dosn't want a yippy dog. As telling you the story I was wondering would a yorkie be a good fit for our family?

Answer
Lexie,

That is going to depend on several factors.  Yorkies are not generally yappy dogs but they can become that way if they are not taught from an early age that yapping is not acceptable.  Yorkies are also known for being difficult if not impossible to potty train.  So if your grandmother is a person whose home is always neat and tidy she may not be able to accept the occasional accidents that will occur. Also, I never recommend getting a Yorkie when there are small children in the home.  Because they are such small and fragile dogs the possibility of them getting hurt by accident is much greater.  As far as your "big" dog I would need to know what kind of dog it is and how big it is.  The potential for the Yorkie getting hurt with a big do around is greater than without.  I am not saying your dog would hurt the Yorkie on purpose but it could accidentally hurt the Yorkie when they were playing.  You also need to remember that no matter how careful children are or how well behaved when they handle something fragile there is always the potential for an accident.

If I am going to be totally honest I would say that a Yorkie would not be a good fit for your family.  If you want your grandmother to have a small dog that will be loving, well behaved, perky, and sturdy I would recommend that you get her a West Highland Terrier also known as a Westie.  Westie's are small in stature but they are very stocky and weigh about 12 to 18 pounds.  They can be taught not to be yappy and they are very potty trainable.  They are very loveable and playful and you wouldn't have to worry about them getting hurt when playing with the big dog or when being handled by the small children.  Of course you would have to be careful that when they are small puppies that the children don't handle them but when they get full grown they are not as fragile as a Yorkie.

If you are going to get another dog that will be interacting with your big dog keep in mind that the sex will matter.  I would suggest that you get a female because they are usually compatible with both females and males.  Males do not get along with other males and if your big dog is a female and you get a male then he will be constantly marking his territory at your house and his own.