Yorkie Male and getting a new dog

Question
QUESTION: Hi, we have a 3 1/2 year old, very spoiled Yorkie male dog.  He recently lost his companion, a 10 year old cat, and we want to get another dog.  We have heard so many things on getting a female or a male dog, how old, etc.  We are looking at a 10 month old female yorkie.  What are your thoughts on compatability between the two since she is not a young puppy.  Our only other choice is a male pup and bringing him home at 12 weeks.  It is my understanding the male will mark his territory no matter what.  Which way should we go, 10 month old female or 12 week old male.  Please help!!  Angela and Rich

ANSWER: Angela,

I would go with the ten month old female.  Typically two male dogs living in the same household will not get along as well as a female / male combination.  If you want the best scenario possible you would need to get a younger puppy.  If you bring a puppy into the home where there is an older dog they usually establish a pecking order.  The older dog would teach the younger dog who is boss and what the puppy's boundaries would be.  

Because the new dog is already ten months old you could potentially have problems.  If your male is spoiled and used to all the attention then he will be jealous of the new puppy.  Also, the new puppy will be very active and want to play with the male which could cause problems if the male does not want to be bothered.  I would highly recommend putting the two of them together for a few hours to see how they react to each other.  If your male attacks the puppy or bites her then you probably should not get her either.

As far as the male puppy you are correct about them marking their territory.  The problem is however, that a male will also mark his territory when there is a female in the home.  My son has a male yorkie and when he comes to visit he marks his territory because I have female dogs.  Because of the territory marking problem I never keep my studs at home.  I have friends that I have given males too and they keep them for me so they can have a Yorkie free of charge and I can use them as studs.

I cannot say if the male puppy and your male would get along better than the female and your male but I can say that the male / female combination typically co-exist with fewer problems.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply.  It sounds to me like we need to continue our search for a younger female so they can each establish their place in the home.  Would you agree??
Thanks again for your quick reply!!

Answer
Angela,

Yes, I agree.  The best case scenario would be to get a female Yorkie that is about eight weeks old. Purchase a cage so that when you are not able to watch the two of them she will be safe.  That way you can gradually introduce them to each other and you will not have to worry about your male hurting the female.  

Make sure your male gets lots of love and attention but at the same time you will need to teach him to wait his turn.  Since he is spoiled you will need to be strict with him when it comes to his behavior towards the puppy. You will need to discipline yourself to be very consistent in enforcing the behavior you want. If he is nice to the puppy praise him lavishly, if he is not nice to the puppy scold him.  He may take to the puppy right away but that has not been my experience.  He will take to the puppy gradually and eventually they will become good friends.

One last thing, when you go to look at puppies take your male with you. You will not be able to have your male in the same room with the mother of the puppies so when you go ask the breeder to remove her.  Then you can see how your male is going to react to the puppy.