Toy breed Which breed for me?

We are finally in a position to own a dog but just cant decide on which toy breed is for us. We like cavaliers, shih tzu's, westies, yorkies and crossbreeds of either of the above.
We have 1 child and cats so mainly we want a family friendly dog, do you guys have any ideas of what would suit us best.
I am home allday apart from school run, and we can offer lots of walks ad love.

Hello

Of course I'm a little bit biased, but I have to suggest Yorkies! I am absolutely smitten with our lovely little girl. They are such a cracking breed; definitely big dogs in a little dogs body. They are real lapdogs (if they are not on your lap, they are wanting cuddles!) and LOVE company, so the fact that you are around most of the day is great. With regard to exercise, they adapt to your routine entirely. If you miss a day here and there they seem perfectly content to mooch around the house and garden. Otherwise, they have a lot of energy and will gladly keep up with you no matter how far or not you choose to go.

Cost wise, food expenses will be very little. They don't eat a lot and are easy keepers.

They make brilliant watch dogs. Nothing slips past them. Ours started alert barking (at the door, back gate opening, etc.) when she was as young as 12 weeks.

VERY easy to obedience train. They are very food motivated for anything but their dog food roll and love to learn.

Finally, a lot of the puppy issues that other breeds tend to 'suffer' from such as biting and chewing, our Yorkie has never done. The only thing that has been difficult with her is house training, but apart from that she is ridiculously easy. I definitely recommend them.

Thankyou, I would really love a dog that wants lots of cuddles and is a real lap dog, of course I know that this will depend on the dog itself.
Do you have any ideas of how they are with cats? and did you crate train your yorkie too?

Hi

I have to say that I have not yet met a Yorkie that wasn't a real lap dog.

As for cats, we have three cats. She'll bark at them sometimes but other than that she isn't bothered. The cats are actually bigger than her size-wise so she tends to keep her distance, even when barking.

Yes we crated trained her. She is still crated overnight but she doesn't really need to be any more. The only reason she is still crated is because one of our other dogs is crated in the same room with her. Knowing her she'd tease our other dog to play all night when she was 'behind bars'.

I wouldn't go for any of the designer crosses as the parents are very unlikely to have been health tested.

Shih Tzus & Yorkshire Terriers should both have long coats(& not be clipped out even if their coats are kept short)so if you are not into daily sessions of grooming than they are not the breed for you.

West Highland White Terriers need to be hand stripped if you want to keep the coat looking as it should & sadly they are a breed much abused by pet breeders, Backyard breeders & puppy farmers-who produce substandard dogs with a myriad of health problems.

Cavaliers King Charles Spaniels are a fairly low maintenance breed which you can get away with a quick comb through once a day when adult & a good weekly full grooming. Like the Westie & the other two breeds they are one of the favourite above are popular for the mass producers of puppies.

I would suggest a visit to Discover Dogs either at Crufts or in London to get close up & personal to good examples of the breeds & also to get contact details for responsible breeders.

I personally would opt for a Cavalier, they are very child friendly & if brought up with cats are also cat friendly. Cavaliers are fairly easy to train & are happy to long walks(when adult of course)or a quick trot round the block. They are very intelligent little dogs & if you have one you have to get another !

You do need to research any breed you chose carefully. Check out any health conditions & required testing. Please do not buy an unregistered puppy-they will not come from health tested parents & will probably not be bred in the best conditions & will be produced for the cash reward only.

Don't believe any breeder who tells you their dogs have no health problems, because their vet has said so, no matter what breed you choose in the end, you need to see certificates from specialists

You need to see the mother of the puppies with them. Be wary of anyone who has both parents.

Good luck in your search for the"perfect"puppy for your family.

I agree that yorkies are ace little pets!! full of energy and fun...
I have a Chinese crested X toy poodle- purely by accident as i adopted her and was not breed picky- and she is just fantastic.
Intelligent, easy to train, clean, no moulting, energetic, small enough to take everywhere and they are very loyal.
With toys i think i would always opt for a X breed.

Why ? I cannot see any reason for deliberately producing crossbreeds. IMHO there are no accidental crossbred litters only ones produced on purpose or by negligence

I'd say a Cavalier...not too demanding on the grooming side and a nice family dog. I'm a groomer and I've never met a nasty Cav - can't say that for the others you listed though! Make sure both parents have had health tests though, as this breed can have a few health issues. Buying from a good breeder who tests their stock should ensure you have a top quality healthy pup.

Oh I would have to say a Chinese Crested Powderpuff. They luv kids are very affectionate, forever looking for cuddles. Intelligient and more robust for a family fdog

HERE HERE!!

I was looking at that breed last night, is there a lot of grooming with them, I dont really know a great deal about the breed to be honest.

Hi Beau Powderpuffs are covered entirely with long, soft hair (referred to as a "veil"). You need only to brush with a bristle and comb(wide tooth comb, bath when dirty to keep the Powderpuff looking good. The worse time for a Puff coat is when they are going from the pup stage to Adult stage this is when you need to comb daily but once this stage is past the Veil coat is easier to maintain
Their coat would be no more work than a Shih Tzu

Thank you Crestnut, I will look in to the breed a little more.

Or if you have any other info that would be great.

I have had two Yorkshire Terriers over a span of 25 yrs. My last was 14 yrs old when I had to have her put to sleep. They are smart and loving but require lots of grooming. It also is hard to find nice ones here in the state I live in and I'm afraid I have been spoiled with the last a champion and my first a diamond when I knew so little about them.

The Cavalier is a wonderful breed that I dearly love but very sensitive like the Japanese Chin. Training has to be very gentle and again this is one breed that cannot be purchased without seeing with your own eyes the fact the parents were tested for heart problems.

I think a nice little dog that loves everyone, needs little grooming and is smart as a whip might be the Papillon. I would love to have one.

I have done masses of dogsitting and hence looked after lots of different breeds and i can whole heartedly say that this little chinese crested x that i now have the pleasure of owning is the most wonderful animal i have ever had!!
No moulting- no mess- intellegent- fun and energetic on walks yet calm and respectful at home, happily entertains herself too if given a toy for hours.....
very affectionate.......

I have to say I love Yorkies... I'm biased as my first pedigree dog was one

It's all down to temperament really... ask yourself what personality are you looking for. Then assess the health of the breed and its requirements. Does the breed suit your home and does your home suit the breed. When you decide it's well worth finding a very good responsible breeder.

After deciding we wanted a very small dog to join our family of cats and dogs we couldn't find the perfect dog for us among the toy breeds commonly available so in typical fashion (I never seem to take the easiest option) ended up falling in love with the Russkiy (Russian) Toy... we ended up importing five of them from as far afield as Russia, Lithuania and Belarus!!!! We have six now and a pack all to themselves lol

My mum bought me a Yorkie when I was 8. She got lots of cuddles and put up with me playing vet with her! She was very friendly with both adults and children.

We also had a cat who she loved, but he was definitely the boss! They often used to squeeze onto my lap together!

When my nephew was a baby he used to crawl around after her and play with her. She loved his company and used to follow him around if he wasn't paying her any attention!

I would suggest that you speak to breeders of any toys that you are interested in and arrange to meet their dogs. Any good breeder will be happy for you to go along and meet their dogs to help you decide whether that particular breed is for you.

i'd say a tibetan spaniel,although not technically a toy breed,they are small.i have two, a mother and daughter and my sister has the son of the oldest of mine.they are semi-long coated,do not need clipping ,are hardy,love any amount of exercise once mature or are happy to stay in if weather is bad,etc.my sisters dog gets on with her two cats and all three get on with other dogs but have been well socialised from puppies.they tend to be aloof with people out on walks but welcome people invited into the house.they are smashing watch dogs,although they must learn the word "quiet!" from a young age.they must be taught ground rules early on ,as if they think youre too soft will really milk things.the only health issue is p.r.a an eye condition,at the moment the advice is only buy from current eye test clear parents.they are long lived,living into early teens is common.you may have to wait for a pup as few are bred in relation to other breeds.the tibetan spaniel association is the best port of call and sometimes have dogs in rescue due to their elderly owners going into homes,etc.worth considering..

I would be wary of Westies due to the skin problems they can have. A friend of mine got one without researching into the breed and it has had a lot of skin problems.

If you like Westies how about a Cairn? They are similar in looks but more practical colours? I have had 3, although I know own Kerry Blues, and they are very trainable and nice tempered. I used to do agility and obedience with my Cairns.

Going to somewhere like "Discover Dogs" might be a good idea.

Must say i agree! - CC powderpuffs are a breed in there own, so friendly, out going and they love nothing more than to sit and cuddle you.
There always waiting to please you, they really are a lovely breed and a breed i will be owning for the rest of my life!