Getting a new dog...have a couple questions

Swaggz

Me and my younger sister have always wanted a dog since we were younger but my parents never went for it. Finally, mom is interested in getting a puppy and after several pet store/shelter visits my mother has fallen in love with toy breeds. She is very picky and does not like big dogs. She has her heart set on a yorkie, but also would like a maltese, maltipoo, morkie, poodle and pretty much any breed similar to those other than shit zhus. Im not as picky and we wouldn't mind welcoming any breed into the family. My sister like the same types of breeds my mom does plus a few more. My father would rather get a large dog if we got one(he likes big breeds dobermans, bull mastifs, presser canarios etc.), but he understands that we dont have the space a large dog would need. He actually never even wanted one right now, but since my mother does, he'll most likely go for it being that its 4 against 1 lol. I also have a little brother who wants us to get a dog. He is 8, my sister is 11 and im 19. This will be our 1st dog and most likely we will be getting either a yorkie or a maltipoo(out of many selections, we picked out 1 of each of these breeds at two different places that my mother and sister fell in love with). They seemed calm and relax which is what my mother is looking for in temperament, since it is our 1st dog. Although she wants to get us a puppy, there will always be someone at home while it is home.

I've heard that yorkies being they are terriers can be very energetic but are also easy to train and are very loyal. Someone also told me that their like "crackheads" lol, always moving around bouncing off walls, and always busy, so we might not want to get one for our 1st dog. But I also heard that being that they are easy to train u can cut out any bad habits they may have from young, ex. chewing on everything. I would like to know some general info about the breed and how we should take care of one. I would also like to know the same about maltipoos (maltese + poodle mix) and also any other breed suggestions you might have for us. I have done a lot of research and I'm excited about getting a dog, and would appreciate the help. Thank you.

the_mighty_khan

Don't buy a puppy from a pet store. If you do, you'll just be supporting puppy mills. If you want a mutt like a maltese/poodle mix, then you should check out http://www.petfinder.com/index.html to see listings at your local shelters. You can also find purebreeds in shelters. If you choose not to go the shelter route, please do find a reputable breeder.

Swaggz

I don't know any reputable breeders where I live or how to find any...

luvntzus

Maltipoos and Morkies are mixed breed, so their temperament will vary depending on what combination of characteristics they inherited. Yorkies are the feistiest of the breeds you mentioned. Maltese are probably the most mellow and gentle. And the Poodle the most attentive and eager to please.

It really is best to get your dog from a breeder. There's a much better chance of getting a healthy dog from parents that are treated humanely.

sadd3j

The AKC is a great source of information.. (I'm assuming you're in the US). Here's a way to find the national club for your breed (say the Maltese):
http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/inde...nal&display=on.

Then visit the American Maltese Association website and then they have a link, "Find a breeder". That should be a decent start. Visit the breeders in your area, you can usually get a pretty good feel of what kind of people they are and how interested they are in breeding for betterment as opposed to just for profit.

I recently visited the breeder that we plan to adopt from and it was an awesome experience, I learned so much and really feel comfortable for our upcoming addition!

Keechak

What state do you live in I can find you a bunch of responcible breeders who will sell you a healthy dog.

misty073

We had a yorkieX (malteese) and he was a sweetie. He started out being my daughters dog and stuck to her like glue. If she was on the couch and went to the kitchen he went too. He became my dog and followed me everywhere and like to sit with me all the time. He was not an overly hyper dog (we have a JRT so he was calm compared to her) but he really liked to play, especially tug with everything, he did like to play and wresle with our JRT and together they were hyper but they were also both young pups still (our JRT is one and he would have been one and a half). He was a chewer and needed something to chew all the time or he would find kids things to chew (I think this was my daughters lack of training on that )

I wouldnt say he was easy to train (but we are also fairly new to the doggy world)...he seemed to be very selective. He would sit for his dinner but it seemed that even for a treat he would try to get away with as little as possible (like almost going to sit but his butt wouldnt touch the floor LOL)

All in all though he was great dog and I would own another in a hearbeat.

Swaggz

I live in NYC

Keechak

Here are breeders in NewYork who do health checks on their dogs and they breed puppies with good temperments and sell very good puppies! give them a call.

All phone numbers are posted for public access on the internet from their respective breed clubs.

Maltese
Ann Lambert, Lake Grove, 631-981-8501
Bea Noguier, Babylon, 631-587-9773

Yorkies
Madelyn Conley, Cornwall-on-Hudson, (845) 534-9586 Madmal424@aol.com
Wendy Garcia Yorktown Heights, (914) 248-8283 Wenlo56@aol.com
Sharon Haber, Levittown, (516)796-5671 shasgirls@aol.com
Mary Jane Held, West Seneca, (716) 675-4497
Patricia Inguaggiato, West Henrietta, (585) 359-2597 BlueStarYorkies@yahoo.com
Donna Lauricella, Bohemia, (631) 563-1229 dograp123@aol.com
Rubye Madigan, Rochester, (585) 723-3655
Marcia Noble, Churchville, (585) 889-8004 mnoble1@rochester.rr.com



Oh and BEWARE! anyone who will try to sell you "teacup" puppies. Read this!!
http://www.ytca.org/faq.html#A

misty073

We are not experienced dog owners (so we are still learning as we go) and I am sure someone will post some info on training not to chew. But so far for us it has been very important to give the dogs things they can chew (my daughter gave him rawhide...but as soon as he became our dog that stopped) they would get bully sticks and raw bones.

My son lost many wooden train pieces and stuffed animals but we just took them away...said "No" and replaced with things he could chew. Part of his problem was she was buying him things to chew that would confuse him. He didnt know the difference between a petstore stuffy and our younger childrens toys (we have a 20 year old and preschoolers). Our JRT has never been a chewer of things she shouldnt (but we also have crate trained her so she is never left unattended). She likes bones, sticks, bully sticks etc but there have been very few things she has chewed that she wasnt supposed to (the odd train track too LOL and a wooden train whistle LOL...but I think its because they are wood like sticks )

I guess the most important thing is dont leave it unattended to chew things and if it starts to chew things while you are there redirect to something it can chew.

Swaggz

thank you for the article but my mom doesn't want a teacup puppy so I dont have to worry abou that...

and misty073, what kind of chew toys would u recommend we buy when we 1st get the puppy?

lexilu

The are lots of chew toys that are safe for dogs/puppies. You will definitely want to have a Kong - it gets stuffed with yummy treats, and the treats can be frozen to soothe those teething puppy teeth. Also a Nylabone is an edible chew toy - get one or two for your new pup. Good luck. And make sure you post plenty of pictures.

misty073

I was going to say Kong as well LOL but our dog doesnt chew it and our yorkie didnt either. Our JRT likes to play fetch with it (she is actually obsessed with it LOL)and both dogs would only chew/lick them when they were stuffed (which was nice when we wanted them to lie down and stop playing). As for other things I am not sure what to recommend, I might look into the nylabone for our dog but she really just prefers her raw bones and bully sticks.

Swaggz

I have another question...what exactly is crate training and how is this done...I've never had to train a dog before and would like to know the best way to train one besides taking them to training classes and things.

lisaj1354

You need to read up on training and feeding and grooming and everyhitng else before you even step out of your house to buy the dog.

Otherwise this will end in tears and yet another dog in rescue.

lizziedog1

And future posting on this forum asking for all sorts of help.