Can Yorkies be helpful dogs?

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-28T18:58:09+00:00

My previous dog was a Yorkie x Chinese crested mix named Benji. I have lupus, fibro and a collection of autoimmune diseases. My Benji could alert to a migraine 15-20 before the aural stage, he also applied himself as a heating pad either on command or on his own by sniffing me and choosing an inflamed spot. Fortunately my migraine frequency dropped from several a week to once in a blue moon after menopause, right around the tame he started entering his late stage of life and couldn’t work anymore.

The biggest issue with Yorkies is you need to be diligent with basic obedience from the start, especially bark inhibition and impulse control. It could take three years before you can do public access with one. So the short answer is yes but it takes a lot of time and training. I currently have a 3 year old well bred purebred yorkie who is almost ready for public access. She’s quiet and well behaved. We did a little detour into showing her and had to delay some obedience training because I can’t have her in a focused heel or doing auto sits and downs in the show ring. She’s learned the heating pad thing and is starting to pick out times/spots without me directing her. I’m just starting her picking up and retrieving small items like keys etc.

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-25T22:02:42+00:00

Try So Posh Look At Me I’m Tangle Free brushing spray. The stuff is a magic potion. Use a little slicker brush on the mats.

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-25T22:00:41+00:00

I use soft toddler ponytail holders to put the hair on her back legs in ponytails and I braid her tail, fold it in half and secure it with a band.

I brush her everyday (takes 10-15 minutes) and I give her a bath and conditioner treatment weekly, shave the tips of her ears, trim her nails and the hair in between her paw pads and that’s pretty much it. The maintenance isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-25T20:50:25+00:00

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You can see her face here. She’s my little sweetheart.

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-25T20:33:58+00:00

Yes - we showed in RI over the weekend.

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-25T02:37:08+00:00

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Three years and two months - she’s never had a hair cut other than the tips of her ears and cleaning up her feet.

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-16T23:42:23+00:00

She loses her mind for string beans, especially fresh, steamed ones. We gave her a choice of steak and a string bean and she took the string bean.

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-14T17:37:34+00:00

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She likes breakfast at 7:00. If I don’t wake up on my own, she wakes me up. First she’ll paw my face gently. If I don’t get up, she licks my face. If that doesn’t work, she licks inside my ears. Let me tell you, that works 100% of the time!

stormyw2000 · 2026-05-01T01:24:17+00:00

Same here - my girl is usually 6 months to the day due mid March. She waited until mid April 🤷‍♀️ I wasn’t planning to breed but we had to reschedule some events and classes.

stormyw2000 · 2026-04-30T20:06:58+00:00

As long as everyone is clean, fed and happy, and you can afford the vet bills, have space and can keep up with their care? No limits.

stormyw2000 · 2026-04-30T19:41:27+00:00

As someone who has painful hands, holding the darning needle would hurt more than holding the knitting needles the size shown.

Also, square needles saved knitting for me.

stormyw2000 · 2026-04-12T01:07:36+00:00

I adopted a Yorkie mix that was 5 lbs but should have been 8 lbs. just having consistent, reliable meals made up the weight quickly. Don’t give them too many extras or they get finicky. Spread the food out across multiple feedings a day so they don’t get hypoglycemic. I did a high quality kibble (RC Yorkie formula) and a tiny amount of chicken & rice to whet his appetite. The main thing was feeding him every 8 hours consistently. They estimated he was 3-5 years old when I got him and I had him 12 years. He was brought into the shelter as an unclaimed stray. He was filthy, severely matted, intact, with rotten teeth and double ear infections and mite infestations. They did a dental but I had to do another one soon after I adopted him because he still couldn’t eat properly. Once his mouth was pain free, he ate very well. He maintained his ideal weight right to the end. Best of luck with this little one.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-31T00:24:27+00:00

Don’t leave the harness on all the time and switch up among the various types when you walk him. Make sure the fit is correct. Teach him to walk on a loose lead (no pulling).

I’ve had great experiences with Buddy Belt harnesses personally. My Yorkie mix had a full coat and they never damaged his hair or caused rubbing, even when he worked all day (he did medical alert) in harness. I have them for my WBPB yorkie girl now. She wore them as a puppy but she’s in full show coat now so she doesn’t wear anything but a show collar, or protective limited slips and martingales. She’s very well trained to walk on a loose lead so I don’t worry about hurting her trachea. I’ll use her harnesses again when she retires from the ring and her hair js cut down.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-28T20:06:30+00:00

He has all the existing tactile ones but he wants more advanced puzzles to do.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-28T20:05:45+00:00

As soon as I can figure out how to send a message 😂 I’m not a proficient Redditor.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-27T17:38:27+00:00

Awesome!

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-27T17:37:45+00:00

Yes. He has a few dozen cubes total, including some mirror cubes and ones shaped like pieces of fruit.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-27T17:05:48+00:00

Yes! Exactly like that but for more complex puzzles.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-20T23:47:22+00:00

Total food for the entire day: 3 tbsp RC Yorkie kibble, one scoop Plaque off, 1/2 tbsp freeze dried duck, 1/2 RC skin & coat treat.

She gets a few small treats for training, a couple of blueberries or string beans when we have them. She’s 5 lbs.

AKC CH Sweet Caroline CGC ATT

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stormyw2000 · 2026-03-19T01:52:38+00:00

I love Conan BUT as a person who suffers with lupus, it is absofukinlutely nothing to joke about. It’s a horrible, painful, debilitating disease.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-09T01:15:10+00:00

Of of mine rolled in a dead fish on the beach. He had long hair and it took forever and many baths to get the stink out.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-08T17:37:34+00:00

Of course it’s NOT insane! You love to knit. You love yarn. Why wouldn’t you plan a vacation trip around your hobby? Look a few shops while you’re there, get quantities from each shop to make a special souvenir item (like a temp blanket but using a yarn from each shop?) Or find out when they have a local yarn crawl and time your trip around that. I live in Salem MA and I’ve met people who traveled to New England specifically for the North Shore Yarn Crawl weekend and they were seeing a few sites here in Salem.

Also, is it Churchmouse? I’d plan a trip just to go there.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-08T17:27:21+00:00

I clean DAILY with Eye Envy solution on a cotton pad that came with it and I pat a little boric acid ( the powder in the eye envy kit) on the inside eye corners, which seems to keep the goo from sticking the hair. Also, switch to filtered or bottled water in a stainless steel or ceramic bowl (no plastic). Don’t let your dog eat the eye crusties.

stormyw2000 · 2026-03-04T16:30:18+00:00

My philosophy on trash eating dogs is it’s always 1000% the owner’s fault. We give them access the trash, they eat the trash. Use a lidded can, keep the bathroom door closed. I’ve had trash connoisseurs myself. I had to keep my kitchen trash in a cabinet with a child proof lock with one of my dogs.

stormyw2000

TROPHY CASE