I recently brought home a new pet dog and immediately had the thought Do Yorkies Get Along With Other Dogs at all? The reason? My dear Yorkie was not so welcoming to the dog.
To be honest, it wasn’t even ready to meet its new friend. My Yorkie is a very friendly animal but this behavior was surprising for me. Does your Yorkie react similarly when it interacts with other dogs?
After carefully examining various aspects, we have come up with an explanation about why your Yorkie is hesitant to get along with other dogs and how you can change that.
Do Yorkies Get Along With Other Dogs?
Yorkies are very friendly creatures and they behave lovingly when surrounded by familiar faces, be it humans or other animals. However, with the entry of a new face, your Yorkie can feel a little threatened and be hesitant to get along with it.
Yorkies have a nature of being nervous around new people or new pets which is why they may portray signs of aggression around them. It differs from Yorkie to Yorkie. If your Yorkie had early socialization training, then it won’t feel threatened by the entry of a new animal into its life.
How Do You Tell If Your Yorkie Does Not Get Along With Other Dogs?
Yorkies are generally playful with other dogs and sniff them to get familiar with them.
When there is some dog that seems like a threat to it, the Yorkie tries to ignore that dog and hide from it. It becomes less playful.
If your Yorkie is behaving in this manner, it is an indication that he is not getting along with other dogs.
How Can You Introduce A New Dog To Your Yorkie?
Here’s the thing about introducing a new dog to your Yorkie – There’s not much you can do about their first meet except prepping them early for socializing.
When your Yorkie looks at another dog, he will first sniff the other dog to ascertain whether it is safe to be around him and then shoulder paws with him to initiate a friendship.
Then they determine which one of them is dominant by sizing each other. These are the things that your dog does. Now, the things that you can do to make the first meet friendly are:
- Do not interfere unless it is necessary but stay close to them
- Don’t force your Yorkie to interact with the other dog until it feels comfortable
- Do not favor the other dog unless you want an unhappy Yorkie in your house
- Keep their toys separate
How Should You Train Your Yorkie To Get Along With Other Dogs?
If you want your Yorkie to get along with other dogs, then you must start the training early.
A Yorkshire Terrier puppy is more bound to learn new things than an adult Yorkie. The experiences learned at an early stage can help your Yorkshire Terrier in future encounters with other dogs with ease.
For training, you should have different types of treats ready for different types of tasks associated with socializing. Look for any friendly neighborhood dog and its owner to help you with this training.
These are the different methods that you can use to train your Yorkie to get along with other dogs.
1. Positive Reinforcement
This method can be used if you don’t have any neighbor dogs to try the training with. Take your Yorkie to a path where other dogs frequent their visit and make it sit on a bench a little far away from the path.
Whenever a dog passes in front of the path and your Yorkie puppy reacts calmly, give him a treat. Gradually, lower the distance between the path and your dog. Praise your puppy every time it stays calm on viewing another dog.
After some time, approach a friendly-looking dog and make your Yorkshire Terrier puppy interact with it. Let the interaction be short for your Yorkie’s comfort. Don’t forget to give treats for good behavior.
Check out this delicious, triple flavored treat that your Yorkie will love.
As your pup starts getting friendly with that dog, try similar interactions with other dogs of different breeds and sizes to understand who your Yorkie is comfortable getting along with.
2. Teach Your Yorkie to Give
This method is used to train your Yorkie to share his toys. In this method, you have to get your puppy used to a particular toy that becomes his favorite. After your dog is completely attached to that toy, start your training.
Place a treat in one of your hands and call your Yorkie when the toy is with him. Hold out your empty hand asking him to drop the toy in order to get the treat. Once he drops the toy, praise him and give him the dog training treats.
After some time, try using commands like “drop” or “give” to get your Yorkie to leave his toy. Don’t forget to immediately praise your pup.
Next, try making him drop the toy using the commands without laying out the treats first. If he does so, treat him after dropping the toy. Practice this around other dogs and let your Yorkie interact with them by sharing his toy for getting treats.
3. Introduction Walks
The Yorkshire Terrier dog breed tends to be an energetic breed. Some dogs might not like to interact with your Yorkie if his energy levels are high. Take him out for walks and let him release his energy to stay calm. Do this in the vicinity of a few other dogs.
Make your Yorkie walk parallelly to another friendly-looking dog with at least 15 feet of distance between them. Praise your dog for staying calm around the other dog.
After some time, let the dogs walk towards each other in an arcing path, still maintaining distance. Don’t forget the treats for good behavior. Lower the distance each passing time. There should be a minimum distance at the end.
Allow your dog to interact with the friendly dog this time. Hold on to its leash for safety reasons. Repeat this training with several other dogs.
Should You Get A Male and A Female Yorkie?
Male and female Yorkies get along with each other just fine. So if you are thinking of getting a male and a female Yorkie, that won’t be the worst idea. There might be some issues but they can be overcome.
Male Yorkies tend to be protective towards the female Yorkie or even the same gender Yorkie for that matter. On the other hand, female Yorkies are not as affectionate as male Yorkies. The female Yorkies tend to bond with the male owner rather than their male counterparts.
There can be issues due to the female Yorkies because of their dominant or aggressive nature at the time of motherhood. However, it does not cause much discomfort as long as you don’t bother her.
If you do want a male and a female Yorkie, then get puppies because they form stronger bonds at an early age. This can be rewarding for you as well, especially if you have to leave them unsupervised frequently in the future.
Every Yorkie is different and if for some reason, your Yorkies can’t get along with each other then it might be because of the difference in their personalities. Do not force your Yorkie to interact with other Yorkies.
Is It Better to Have Two Yorkies?
There are always two sides to a coin. Having two Yorkies has its own merits and demerits. Let’s have a look at both so that you can decide if you are ready for two Yorkies.
Merits of Having Two Yorkies
#1: Double The Love
You will receive double the love from two Yorkies. If you like having pets around you, then you will surely enjoy the unconditional love that two Yorkies can give you.
#2: Companionship
It will give your pet a companion to play with while you are away. You can also leave the house without worrying about your Yorkie feeling lonely.
#3: Socializing
Your Yorkies will be open to socializing with other dogs. This will help them behave in an appropriate way with other dogs or pets too.
Demerits of Having Two Yorkies
- There is no guarantee whether your Yorkies will get along with each other
- Your expenditure will double up
5 Best Dog Companions For Your Yorkie
1. Poodle
Poodles are smart dogs who can be trained to form good companions with Yorkshire Terriers. Poodles can perform several tasks after a little bit of training. They make the best companion dogs since they can’t tolerate living by themselves.
Poodles and Yorkies both are energetic dogs. They can get enough exercise just playing with each other, which means that you can infrequent your visits to the park.
Poodles are very friendly but make sure that their first interaction with your Yorkie goes smoothly because there is no guarantee that they will get along at the first sight. Get a trained poodle to minimize any socializing issues.
2. Mastiffs
Mastiffs are large dogs that may seem intimidating but they can be very lovable companions when trained properly. They share the same energy level as Yorkies which is why they can have a good time playing together.
Mastiffs need enough exercise so you should have a huge yard for your pet to play dog sports and release its pent-up energy.
3. Labrador Retrievers
Labrador Retrievers are known to be patient and tolerant. This will perfectly balance out the high levels of energy in your Yorkie. They can play with your Yorkie enough to tire him out without having to do much itself.
If your Yorkie loves sports, then a Labrador Retriever is the perfect choice as it is athletic by nature and loves to play outdoors.
4. Golden Retrievers
Golden Retrievers are not only good companions but also good protectors for your Yorkie and you too. They are friendly by nature which makes it easy for them to adapt to households with many other dogs.
They are intelligent dogs who can do many tasks after a little bit of training. They like outdoor sports since they are very energetic dogs, so keep them busy with different activities.
5. Pomeranian
If you are looking for a cute look-alike companion for your teacup Yorkie, then a pomeranian is a perfect choice. They are obedient pets who get along well with everyone.
A pomeranian’s energy levels match with those of a Yorkie which makes it a great playmate. There won’t be many issues if you get a well-trained pomeranian.
FAQs on Do Yorkies Get Along With Other Dogs?
1. Do Yorkies Need Companion?
Yorkies are headstrong pets but they do get lonely sometimes. Getting your Yorkie a companion will provide a nice playdate for your dog and free up some of your time that you might otherwise spend tending to its every need.
Just make sure that your dog’s personality is compatible with the new dog so that there are no issues later on. It is better to get a trained dog so it can properly socialize with your Yorkie.
2. Are Yorkies Jealous Dogs?
Yorkies are jealous dogs by nature. This quality is a rather cute one as they want to protect their owners from any unfamiliar faces.
They also get jealous when you give attention to your new pet which again does not harm you in any way as they only want your affection and love.
3. Why Does My Yorkie Attack My Other Dog?
If you got a new dog, then it is possible that your Yorkie feels threatened and that is why it attacks the other dog in defense.
Another reason might be that your Yorkie is feeling territorial and to portray its dominance over the other dog, it gets aggressive.
Conclusion
The simple answer to Do Yorkies Get Along With Other Dogs, is yes they do. They are playful pets who like the companionship of other dogs.
It might take a while for them to get used to the other dog but they sure will love the company once they get along well.
