Yorkshire Terriers Good With Kids

Are Yorkshire Terriers Good With Kids

It is an undeniable fact that dogs are one of the liveliest creatures to have as a pet. They are highly energetic, loyal, and friendly creatures. Dogs are also very responsible creatures, as they take protecting the owner very seriously.

At present, there are hundreds of breeds of dogs in the world. Yes, each breed has a different color, and size. Moreover, each breed has its characteristics, which makes them different from the other breeds.

Some breeds are considered highly aggressive like a boxer, german shepherd, while the others are considered extremely friendly like a labrador.

There is even another category of breeds of dogs, which is known as toy dogs. These dogs are small in size, and they look just like a toy.

Moreover, these dogs are considered as one of the best friends for kids. Yorkshire is one of the toy dogs in the world. However, whether or not they are good with kids remains a big question. Why? Well, these dogs are usually aggressive as compared to other toy dogs like pugs. They do not fear anything when they feel threatened.

In this blog, we will discuss whether or not Yorkshire can be good with kids. We will also discuss the things that you must keep in mind to increase the relation between a dog and your kid. To be precise, yes, Yorkshire terriers are good with kids, when you keep some factors in mind. Let us discuss the factors without further delay.

Why have a dog for the kid? 

There are numerous conditions, in which you would want to have a dog for the kid. Usually, kids are a little irresponsible and dependable. However, being responsible is a good personality trait that you may want to develop in your kid.

Having a dog increases the responsibility by a huge margin. How? Well, the kid will have to take the dog for a walk daily at a particular time and keep an eye on the eating habits of the dog. Moreover, the kid will have to make sure that the dog remains clean and many more. All these tasks make the kid highly responsible.

There are even chances that you may have a single child. Thus, the child may feel lonely, without any company. By having a dog in the house, you are giving a wonderful company to the child. There are various instances where kids and dogs become highly close to each other as friends.

Having a dog is also beneficial for the health of kids and others in the family. Dogs are highly active creatures, they love to play. This will effectively reduce stress in the kids and even in you. If you observe a kid with a dog, then you will find them smiling whenever they see the dog.

In today’s world, kids are getting more involved with video games rather than physical games. This is affecting their health and thinking process. A dog can help you encourage the kid to go outside and play various physical games. This will improve their physical and mental strength effectively.

Yorkshire dogs

These dogs come in the category of terriers breeds. They are extremely small in size and also known as toy dogs. They usually weight 5 to 7 pounds at max and have a thick fur on them. Due to their small size, these dogs are considered weak at a glance and extremely playful. However, you should hold your thought right there. The size of these dogs does not match their personality. Yorkshire can be extremely aggressive when it comes to protecting themselves, as they get scared easily.

Instead of backing or running, they have an instinct of growling, biting, and fighting back. Moreover, these dogs have an extremely sensitive body, which means they can get hurt by even a little tight squeeze by the kid. This is one of the main reasons why most of the sources on the internet do not recommend this dog for kids.

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However, if you research deeply about dogs, then you will find that even the most aggressive breeds can be good with kids. Thus, a Yorkshire dog can also be good with kids. There are thousands of examples, where a Yorkshire dog is the best friend to a kid. You just need to follow some simple tips that will help in the appropriate behavior of the dog.

Yorkshire Terriers

Pup or adult

The first thing that you must focus on is the dog you buy. Are you planning for a puppy or an adult dog? Whatever you choose largely affects the relationship between the dog and the kid. Let us say that you do not want to increase your responsibility by having a pup, as they pee and poop inconsistently.

Thus, you would surely head for an adult dog. However, that might be the wrong decision. Usually, you are not aware of the previous owner of the dog and the way it was treated. Many adult dogs are abandoned with high abuse. In that case, the adult dog will be highly aggressive and not get along with the kid. It may even scare off your kid, or hurt any other animal around your area.

This is the main reason why we would recommend you to have a puppy instead of an adult dog. Of course, having a puppy adds a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, but it will be worth. Why? Well, if you have a puppy, then you can train it as per your expectations. Moreover, this will deepen the bond between the kid and the dog, as they know each other for a long time.

By having a pup, the whole training process will be a lot easy and effective in a short period. This will also teach the kid to be careful with the dog, as Yorkshire are highly sensitive. Thus, having a puppy will avoid future problems. This is even applicable to other dog breeds. If you are planning to have a dog, then always go for a puppy.

Training

If you have a domestic dog or you are planning to have one, then you must be prepared to train it. Training a dog is one of the most challenging things, and it requires a lot of patience as well as time.

Have you ever wondered why training a dog is important? Well, as a dog owner, you will find various instances where the manners of the dog are not appropriate. Maybe the dog has a habit of jumping on any guest in the house or trying to snatch food.

However, the most annoying part is when they pee or poop in the house, or at a place, which can increase your trouble. Training the dog also reduces their aggressive behavior by a huge margin. Of course, there are various other reasons to train a dog, but these are the most common ones.

To make sure that the training is effective, you need to including the kid in the training process. This will give a little power to the kid, to control the mannerism of the dog. Moreover, you need to follow professional advice, when it comes to training the dog. Each dog requires a different type of training, as some dogs have excess aggressiveness, while others have excess playful nature.

You need to consult a professional, to plan the whole training procedure. However, we would suggest you to not ever hit or scold the dog. Just try to give it a treat, when the behavior is appropriate.

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Yorkshire Terriers

Social behavior

Whether or not the dog will get along with the kid also depends on the social behavior of the dog. Usually, dogs are highly social animals and they love to make new friends. Why? Well, dogs love to play and that can only be possible by having a company. However, the social behavior of domestic dogs can be hindered by the way you raise it.

Let us say that you take the dog outside, but at places where it does not meet new people. In that case, the aggressive level of the dog will overall increase. Of course, this will not affect the kid or other family members if everyone is taking care of the dog equally.

Irrespective of that, we will highly recommend you to keep an eye on the social life of the dog. If you are taking the dog to a vet, make sure that it mixes up with other dogs there. However, you will have to keep your dog away from wild animals.

Moreover, you can also take the dog to a park, where other dog owners meet. This will reduce the stress level in the dog, and will reduce the aggressive nature overall.

Teach the kid

Whenever it comes to bonding, you just can focus on a single side. You have to work on both sides to develop a strong bond. This is even an application on the relation between dogs and kids. Till now, we have discussed the main things you must keep in mind to discipline the dog. However, you also need to teach your kid the value of life. Kids can be sometimes naughty, during which they can commit some mistakes.

Yorkshire is an extremely fragile dog physically. They have a small body, which can be squeezed by your kid, as a friendly gesture. However, the dog may not like this gesture. Yorkshire dogs can easily freak out and snap at anyone when they feel threatened. They are not afraid of the size of the thing against them. They only know to fight against the threat. You can easily avoid this situation between the dog and the kid in the following ways.

First of all, you need to teach the kid to not disturb the dog, while eating. Food is one of the essential things for animals on the planet. Why? It is because animals have an instinct to only survive in life. They do not desire anything else than food, water, shelter, and playing. Thus, if the kid tries to disturb the dog while eating, then it will take it as an attempt to snatch the food. The dog may even start growling, and may even scare the kid off. Thus, you need to teach the kid to not disturb the food time of the dog. Make sure that you explain the reason too.

Secondly, you must teach the kid to not hit the dog, even in the worst scenarios. Why? Well, as mentioned earlier, Yorkshire dogs can easily snap out at anyone. By hitting the dog, you are just giving it a logical reason to snap out. The dog will most likely perceive the hitting, as the kid wanting to hurt it, which we know is not true.

The next thing is to make sure that the kid is part of taking care of the dog. From giving food to the dog to playing with the dog, the kid must be part of it. You must also aware of the kid of various equipment and conditions that can happen with a dog. You also need to teach the kid about the personality of Yorkshire dogs. By doing so, you are telling the kid the things to not do, which makes the dog snap.

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When to keep the dog away from kids?

As discussed earlier, you need to choose a puppy over an adult dog. However, you cannot give the complete responsibility to the kid. In this scenario, you will have to take at least 80% of the responsibility of the puppy. Till when? Well, you must be the most responsible person for the dog until it reaches the age of 12 months. However, you must make sure that the kid is part of the growth of the dog.

Extremely aggressive?

Well, there are even instances when the dog is more aggressive than usual. This can happen due to the increase of hormones in the dog. In general, training the dog, and waiting for a few months, is enough to control the aggressiveness.

However, if that does not help, then you can even neuter the dog. It is a surgery through which the hormones of the dog are controlled by removing the reproductive organs. Just make sure that it remains on the last solution on your list. Moreover, it is highly recommended to consult a vet before proceeding with the neutering of the dog.

What to do if the dog is very quiet?

There are multiple reasons why the dog is too quite. It may be because of the stress level, or depression. It can even happen if your dog has recently gone through a neutering surgery. Irrespective of the reason for it, you need to immediately contact a vet. Why? Well, this condition can get serious, as the dog can start avoiding food, and may even get irritated easily.

Make sure that you consult a reputed vet, as they are experienced with this situation. Moreover, they are aware of the perfect treatment for different breeds. Let us say that you are 100% sure that the dog is quiet due to depression, stress, or anxiety. In that case, we will recommend you consult a vet for proper treatment. You also need to involve your kid in this process, as this will increase the understanding of the kid.

Wrap up

Yorkshire surely looks adorable, small, and weak, but they can be one of the most aggressive dogs. They usually get aggressive, whenever they feel threatened or scared by something. However, that does not mean that they cannot get along with kids. If you take care of a few things, then they can be the most friendly breeds of the dog towards kids.

In this blog, we have already discussed the things that you must keep in mind while raising a Yorkshire. By following these tips, you will be able to develop a friendly bond between the dog and the kid. We have discussed that you need to work on both sides, you need to teach the kid and dog to respect each other.

You also need to make sure that the dog spends time indoor as well as outdoor. By doing this, you will be able to strengthen the bond with the dog. What are you waiting for? Follow these tips and bring a new member to your family, which will become a best friend with your kid.

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