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I have a wonderful GSD (his picture is in my profile) but I would also like to add a small dog to my pack. I have narrowed it down to a Yorkie or a Pom Does anybody have experience with either of these dogs? I would love to hear!!
First, I would caution you that this combination can be dangerous (for the small dog). One misplaced paw on the part of your shepherd and your little dog could EASILY have a broken back. They can NEVER be left alone together! I have a 16 pound pug and my parents have a 63 pound labradoodle and I would NEVER leave them alone without supervision, because the big dog plays roughly and could easily hurt my dog.
Having said that, I would URGE you to go the rescue route: you'll know what you're getting. I would also say that both breeds you have chosen are very high maintenance. They need a LOT of grooming and that is pretty expensive. These two breeds are also BIG barkers. It's not loud, but it can get annoying and if it sets your shepherd off barking that IS going to be loud.
You need to do a lot of research the breeds. All toy breeds have problems with luxating patellae (kneecaps) that can be crippling. Another good reason to go with a rescue! And they require a LOT of care for their teeth: all those teeth crammed into tiny jaws leads to a great deal of dental disease.
Yorkies are great, IF they're properly socialized - very few are, in my experience. If they're not, they become one-person dogs, which is often only exacerbated by their owners. Poms are less so, but they've got the spitz genes so they're more watchdogs. Happy, smart dogs.
I totally agree with Viral regarding the size difference. Our neighbors have a Lab and got a doxie puppy, and the lab was playing a little too rough and broke the puppy's rib cage. It cost $6000 to have it repaired.
That said, if you want a dog with similar energy levels, I would go with a Boston Terrier. They are awesome little dogs and bundles of energies. The ones you mentioned are very yelpy (we have so many around here and all they do is bark). The Bostons do great with larger dogs and we always see them in the large area of the dog park because they act more like a large dog and don't try to bark or attack every dog that comes near. I look at the Boston as being a little dog in the big dog's body. And, they require minimal grooming.
well in my opinion pomerainians are very nippy and they bark constantly at least the one my dear sister has does . I have chihuahuas and they dont bark near as much as her pom does . also yorkies are not good really with other dogs as they have a tendancy to jump on another dog for territorial issues .yes both poms and yorkies are smart but they have dental problems and knee cap problems too . I have a neighbor who has a pom that is just a holy terror and he likes no one yet this neighbor insists on bringing him down to the mail box everyday to get his mail . I just see my neighbor getting sued for this dog biting someone . he likes no one !!! the man has stated this to me several times . I hope you would get a med sized dog rather than a toy breed . good luck .
I agree with the suggestion of getting a medium sized dog instead of a small one. And maybe to not getting a puppy. I got a 20 lb female terrier mix last month. She's about a year old and gets along really well with all the rest of my dogs (2 lab mixes, a mini poodle and a mini rat terrier.. all male). As a young adult, she's very nimble and savvier to social situations unlike her puppies. Of my smaller dogs, I have to run interference between them and the larger dogs on occasion. My previous terrier mix was also a female, medium sized and got along great with the rest of the dogs. They were just big enough to not be crushed by the big guys, and small enough not to be threatening to them.
Take your doggie to the shelter and let him pick out his own friend! They usually have a room where they can spend time together first. This way you do not have to rush. Keep going back until he finds his buddy! Good luck!
Take your doggie to the shelter and let him pick out his own friend! They usually have a room where they can spend time together first. This way you do not have to rush. Keep going back until he finds his buddy! Good luck!
Some shelters don't permit this. I know ours doesn't. Since they bring in stray dogs in all sorts of condition and with various diseases, they don't want to risk folks' pets being affected. A pet isn't allowed to go beyond the reception desk at the front door.
Consider a large Yorkie or a Silky Terrier. Large Yorkies often languish in rescue because everyone wants the so-called "teacups" and the breed standard says a Yorkie shouldn't weigh more than 7 pounds. However, many do and they have trouble finding homes. Large Yorkies are actually healthier and less fragile.
My Silky Terrier weighs about 12 pounds and LOVES to play with the big dogs. He and my 93-pound Weimaraner are best buds. They wrestle, play tug of war and chase. Heh, it looks SO funny. I had to teach the Weim. to play nicely with him and I always supervise their play but we've had absolutely no problems. Terriers are smart, energetic, playful dogs who think they're bigger than they are. Mine's not a crazy barker because I've trained him not to be.
Can't say I'm a fan of Poms due to bad past experiences so I won't comment on that option.
I agree with the cautions you've received. I know many people who have medium or large dogs with small dogs without incident but it is easy for a toy breed to be injured. Some toy breeds have been accidentally injured just jumping off furniture so it might be a different experience then the GSD you are used to (not sure if you've owned small dogs before or know very many).
I won't comment on the breeds as I've had many negative experiences with them (mostly due to their owners, I don't really blame the dogs). I do like Poms though, at least their looks. I also know someone's Pom who protected their vehicle from being stolen, a little hero. He bit onto the guys hand and wouldn't let go, still holding on when the police arrived. A lot of people underestimate the small guys but some have just as much heart as the big ones. I think Poms are also fairly hardy dogs?
I love poms. They give back so much and expect so little. We just got a pom a few months back adding to our family of 3 now 4 dogs. I stayed away from another pom since I missed my lucy a red pom that we had to put down but one look at CoCo and my heart melted. They try so hard to please and they do bark at least my first one did but CoCo lets the other three bark instead. She is 6 mos old and I have really only heard her bark softly a few times.
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Does anybody have experience with either of these dogs? I would love to hear!!
