Yorkshire Terrier​ - Small Dog Breed

Yorkshire Terrier

Breed Group: Toy Group

Size Group: Small Dog Breeds

Origin: England

Height: 7-9”

Weight: 5-7 lbs

ColorBlack and gold, black and tan, blue and gold, blue and tan

Lifespan11-15 years

TemperamentProtective, loyal, affectionate, feisty

 

Overview

Although Yorkshire terriers (Yorkies) were originally bred to hunt rats and other small vermin in mills and factories, they are now one of the world’s most popular companion dogs. You have invariably seen them on many celebrities’ laps or in bike baskets as they tote around their tiny pup.

Yorkies are small, feisty, loving, and loyal. They make great family pets especially with older children.

When introduced early to other pets, your Yorkie will make a fine companion to other dogs and cats. Their terrier nature makes them possessive of their owners and introducing other pets later in life presents difficulties. Yorkies are best suited to people who are not away from home for extended periods of time.

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Celebrity Owners

Tom Brady & Gisele Bundchen, Kristin Cavallari, Danielle & Kevin Jonas, Nene Leakes, Jay Mohr, Naomi Watts, Molly Sims, Ivanka Trump, Natalie Portman, Alyson Hannigan, Liev Schreiber, Emmy Rossum, Miranda Kerr, Carmen Electra, Heather Locklear

Fun Facts

  1. The first therapy dog was a Yorkie.

Health

Yorkies’ tiny bodies are notoriously fragile. Extra care must be taken when transporting your dog, or letting it jump. Focus your Yorkie towards movements that will not stress joints or the spine. Other Yorkie issues include:

  • Patellar luxation: Luxating simply means out of place or dislocated. Patella is a kneecap. A Luxating patella is a kneecap that chronically moves out of its normal position.
  • Progressive retinal atrophy: Atrophy is a wearing or wasting away of a body part. In this case, it is the retina in the eye, which eventually leads to blindness.
  • Portosystemic shunt: The portal vein carrying blood bypasses the liver. While most commonly a birth defect, liver disease such as cirrhosis can also be a cause.
  • Hypoglycemia: Here, your blood sugar is lower than the typical range. This can lead to lightheadedness and shakiness.
  • Collapsed trachea: This condition occurs when the cartilage rings on the trachea weaken, which causes the windpipe to collapse when they breath in.
  • Reverse sneezing: Also known as paroxysmal respiration, this condition has the dog pulling air through the nose during a sneeze rather than blowing out.

While you always hope your pet will live a long and healthy life, it is always a good idea to invest in pet health insurance.

Keeping your dog’s mouth clean and problem free goes a long way to your pup’s overall health. Dental hygiene can be the cause or can be the byproduct of other serious health issues.

Visual inspections can be performed to keep track of the signs of potentially waning oral health. These signs can be anything from bad breath to abnormal chewing to loss of appetite.

Keeping ahead of these warning signs can pay dividends. A preventative approach can delay and stop many of the common dental problems from arising.

Oral health can be tackled in five basic steps:

  1. Brushing your dog’s teeth to prevent an undesirable buildup of plaque
  2. Feed your dog a diet where the high quality dog food has dental benefits
  3. Regularly give your dog dental toys and treats
  4. Use mouthwash, to help where brushing misses
  5. At the sign of any abnormalities, consult a vet. You can even do it virtually, from the convenience of your home.

Dogs are just like humans in that they can experience anxiety. The degree to which they are susceptible to anxiety and how they deal with anxiety is breed specific. Left unchecked, initial signs of anxiety could give way to an anxiety disorder. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can lead to a myriad of behavior issues.

Knowing the signs and symptoms will best equip you to keep ahead of it and to nip it in the bud at the earliest signs. There are options available to help with anxiety.

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Grooming

Especially when keeping your Yorkie’s hair long, daily hair brushing is necessary. Facial hair above the eyes needs to be cut short or pulled up into a top knot to avoid eye infections.

Bathing should occur weekly. As with all dogs, keep your pup’s nails clipped, regularly check their ears to make sure they are clean and clear of debris and brush their teeth several times a week.

Cost

$800 – $1,500

Exercise

These active intelligent pups thrive on lively walks twice a day. Playing fetch with your Yorkie will not only keep them physically fit but also mentally stimulated.

Be mindful that your little friend’s small body is susceptible to extreme temperature and adjust your walk/play schedule, so they are in the least extreme part of the day.

Nutrition

As with all small dogs, you must monitor your Yorkie’s eating habits to make sure it is not gaining or losing weight. Specific nutrition will be based on your pup’s activity level and age. On average, Yorkies consume 1 cup of dog food per day. Make sure you chose an appropriate sized dog food.

We’ve taken a look at some premium dog foods, high in nutrition here.

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Can Yorkies Eat It?

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Training

Overall, Yorkies take well to training and love to learn tricks. They respond best to positive reinforcement. They are notoriously difficult to housetrain, so approach this topic with patience.

Proper training is essential to ensuring the safety of your dog and those around you. Having your dog come when they should, and in general having them listen is something you want to address early in your pup’s life, as it will pay dividends down the line. There are many tried and true training programs to accomplish this training – faster and better than you might think!

Unless you’re living on a farm, or have the space, a yipping dog, or one that barks all day when you are gone could be an issue with the neighbors and/or landlord. Historically, dogs would bark to communicate with the rest of the pack when hunting and bark as a warning shot to predators eyeing up their flock. Barking is deep rooted in dogs and manifests itself in many ways and for a variety of reasons.

Just like any habit or instinct, there are effective ways you can train this issue away.

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Supplements

A solid Glucosamine Supplement for hips and joints will go a long way to helping your furry friend.

Other helpful supplements include full-spectrum hemp oil or CBD oil. Fish oil skin and coat supplement.

Ensuring a comprehensive preventative vitamin and mineral plan is essential to keeping your dog healthy. Truth is, there are vitamins and minerals that your dog needs, but doesn’t produce naturally. While many of these vitamins and minerals can be found in your dog’s current diet and dog food, the question becomes, are there enough vitamins to ensure they aren’t deficient.

Poor nutrition can lead to some of the most common health issues, such as weak joints, compromised immunity, increased allergies, and low energy.

Vitamins play a vital role in your pet’s health and overall life expectancy. Here are some multivitamin and joint relief options.

As regulations around marijuana have eased, the emergence of CBD oils for humans and dogs have sprung up.

Just to begin to dispel the negative stigma, CBD extract comes from Hemp, marijuana’s cousin. Unlike its cousin, there are no psychoactive qualities in CBD oil. An emerging number of clinical and institutional studies have shown the wide variety of healing qualities in CBD, including pain management, and the containment of seizures and epileptic episodes.

Explore this remedy further to see all the health benefits that have transformed the lives of so many dogs to date.

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Annual Vet Bills: $1,500+

Be Prepared for the unexpected.