Just an update - too long for a FB status
We've had a bit of a mixture, again, recently, gradually diminishing in size. Since WIllow and Ruby (lab/retriever types), we've gone gradually smaller, to the tiniest yorkie you ever did see. Buster came with a bit of an attitude, pulling on his lead, barking at big dogs (he terrified me sometimes, when I think what the big dogs can do), and just soooooooooooo excited when he saw a bitch. But, now, he hardly ever pulls on his lead, and walks to one side (After an incident last year when I fell and broke my tooth, whilst holding 2 dogs,I am very wary of falling again.) He even doesn't bark, generally - so long as I have told him "no" enough, in advance. And now Beau. For some reason, she is a very timid little thing, cowering at anything, even if you try to stroke her. But all that has changed now. It changed the first night, when we found out how much she REALLY wants to play. I get on the floor with her, and put my hands on her paws as she lies down. I've never seen a dog move like her before. She just springs sideways, keeping the exact same lying position. Or sometimes, she'll jerk her front paws apart, and then together again. She's had us all (our two daughters have been home) in fits, laughing. And doesn't like other dogs??? Not true. She can play with the rest of them. At first we kept her apart, but you could see she really wanted to play. Nikki went out with David, with 4 dogs - Henry (he just plods along and watches everything - so long as it's food), Buster (now not pulling and well behaved), Sadie (a rescue dog with a bit of a history), and Beau. Apparently they were all perfectly behaved and trotted along together, quite happily. So when they got back, we let Beau and Sadie go through to the garden first, and they both chased balls and things. And then Buster. They all got along great guns. Henry preferred to just lie on the step, or back in the kitchen. He's 12 and a half.
Lucy is a bit different. She's so tiny, and with a gammy leg. We tend to keep her separate, but sometimes Beau is in the same room as well. We know she won't hurt her - especially after she's heard Lucy hiss. She can be very scary. Obviously little-dog-attack-is-the-best-form-of-defence attitude. They just keep themselves, then wants to follow, wagging her tail!