Yorkie – All You Need To Know About The Yorkshire Terrier

A brief history of Yorkie

The first Yorkshire terrier dog came in the 1800s in the United Kingdom, county Yorkshire, where it got its name. The legend says a Scottish breeder in England created the first pup. He migrated to England and bred different terriers to form a small, strong dog commonly used as a working dog in the communities.

The size was so small they would easily fit into mills or factories to hunt down mice and rodents.

English Kennel Club recognized Yorkie in 1886, and soon they got famous. From working toy dogs, they slowly transitioned into a friendly dogs in the house of the Victorian upper class. But the first recognition for this dog breed happened in 1885 by American Kennel Club.

The Yorkie’s journey to America started in 1872, but it first registered with the AKC in 1885. Victorians saw popularity in this breed and made them part and parcel of the household, particularly the Victorian ladies who were charmed by this breed’s glossy and feisty heart.

Towards the 1940s, there was a sudden fall in the registration of this toy breed dog. This fall was due to its grooming demands in a wartime-distracted America.

Smoky, a 4-pound Yorkshire known as a warrior dog in world war II, raised prominence again. People renewed their interest in the breed. Post-war, Smoky became the talk of the town, making headlines as a therapy dog cheering up the veterans with its unique skills.

The AKC ranked the Yorkshire Terrier as the 6th most popular purebred in the United States in 2012-2013.

The Yorkshire Terrier is an easy-to-fit toy-size dog loved for its shiny floor-length coat. You can’t judge them by their size or get tricked by their dainty look. Yorkie expresses all types of traits. But, because the townie loves them, this small-sized dog is a package of big attitude. Self-importance matters to them.

Once you get along, you’ll see a faithful companion in them who can make you love and laugh.

Yorkie’s physical characteristics and traits

When considering buying a luxury Yorkie, here are a few things related to their physical characteristics and traits you should know to become a better pet owner.

Height: Yorkshire terriers are the smallest of all dogs, standing only 6 or 7 inches tall.
Weight: Male: 5 – 7 lbs. Female: 5 – 7 lbs
Coat type: The Yorkshire Terrier’s coat is similar to human hair and should be treated accordingly.
Coat length: Yorkie’s coat hair can grow to floor length between 18-24 months.
Life expectancy: A healthy Yorkie breed has an average lifespan of 13-15 years.

Yorkie’s adaptability with family and strangers

Yorkshire Terriers, spunky and small dogs, are adaptable to new situations and environments. The reason is the size of the brain matches their personality level. Yorkie is never looked down on because of their small size!

The tiny size of Yorkie makes it easy to fit into the family, whether you stay in an apartment or a stand-alone bungalow. There’s always a space to keep Yorkie.

Yorkie makes a good pet because of more than one reason. First, people look out for Yorkie as a pet because they are adaptable, manageable, friendly, smart, and responsive. Additionally, they need less training, food, a long lifespan, security, and more.

Yorkie love being around children. They steal everyone’s attention with their round eyes and button nose. Their energetic nature makes them playful and curious to be in the game. You should keep your home safe to let Yorkie thrive and have a healthy bond with everyone. Compared to other dogs, Yorkie’s temperament is good around other breeds or pets, even strangers.

Yorkies are good at observing and being aware of their surrounding. As a result, they can easily announce strangers at the door. However, some Yorkies will be friendly and outgoing once the visitor comes in.

Yorkie shedding

Often pet enthusiasts have common misconceptions about Yorkie’s hair shedding. People assume Yorkie doesn’t shed at all. Now, this is false. Yorkshire Terries have a unique coat that doesn’t shed as often as other furry dogs.

There are three types of Yorkie coats – Puppy coat (Smooth/thick), Wire (Cotton), and Long (Silky).

Puppy coat: The Yorkie puppy coat has a stark difference in colour and thickness compared to the adult coat. In addition, the pups have notable dark features, prominent black spots, and tan highlights, which fade away in 24 months as they turn adult.

The pup coat can be thicker and softer, which is common. Soft and fluffy coats keep them safe and warm while growing up.

Wire coat: Referred to as wooly or wavy coats, the wire coats are shorter and smoother than silk coats. Instead, they are thick, wavy, curly, and textured.

In most cases, these coats generally grow only a few inches and can almost appear double-coated. Furthermore, they are far more prone to mats (tangles and knots) which need regular grooming.

Long coat: Yorkshire Terriers with silk coats meet the show dog standards the American Kennel Club set. The desirable trait is presenting a proper show groom with hair that is long, straight (without frizziness), and shiny. The right grooming creates skirt-like hair touching the floor length.

There’s more than one reason why shedding is possible. For example, Yorkie shed hair during hormonal changes, pregnancy, lactation, improper nutrition, or intense summer. In addition, hair gets affected in exceptional situations, such as hormone imbalances, causing falls.

You can fix this hair problem with the right diet and supplements, such as including olive or flaxseed oil in the diet. These oils are rich in omega-3 fatty acids helpful for soothing and nourishing inflamed skin.

Most dogs are relentless. You can’t stop them from moving, but you prevent or minimize the shedding level by not skipping meals.

If you love your Yorkie but hate shedding, you can minimize hair shedding by brushing frequently. If your pup/dog sheds more often than usual, check out the allergy trigger and find the right vet. You can use vacuuming and lint-rolling consistently to clear the dog hair.

Yorkie grooming

If you’re welcoming Yorkie to your house, you should know to manage their human-like long or curly hair.

If it’s a long coat, you need to brush it daily. Ensure the long hair doesn’t cause any irritation to the eye. If it’s too long, trim it short.

Yorkie will need a bath every week or so. In addition, you should check their ears weekly to see if there’s any debris, wound, or infection as you can’t make it what’s hidden beneath the long coat.

Regular brushing of teeth keeps them away from gum infections and germs. In addition, brushing keeps their breath fresh and clean.

Yorkie Personality

Some puppies/dogs are aloof to people around them, including the pet owner. It takes training to make them socialize with people. Yorkshire terriers have sassy personalities but are also good-looking and people-loving breeds.

Compared to other small breeds, Yorkies are smart, clever, always conscious of their surroundings, and curious.

Yorkies are paw-fect family dogs as they easily mingle with the members. They are playful, social, and get along well with the family.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a cute, fearless, toy-size dog breed with a big personality. With loads of energy, grit, and curiosity, they have a lot of fun at home.

Yorkies are always high on energy to take up any challenge on challenge at any moment, be it playing peek-a-boo with the kids in the house or catching the ball game with the owner. Good dog training makes them well-behaved.

Is it difficult to train Yorkies because they are overconfident and stubborn? Training can be grueling if your Yorkie isn’t ready for it.

On the other hand, Yorkies are people pleasers, which means they go to any extent to win your heart. They are consistent throughout the training if you find a kind and patient trainer.

You can’t get fooled by Yorkie’s size. Although they come from a toy family, they need a fitness routine to be in shape. Exercising for 45 minutes would do great to keep your furry friend grounded physically and mentally.

Take the Yorkie for a long walk, or jog, and let them play with the kids to amplify their fitness level.

Dogs communicate through barking. But sometimes, excess barking gets to the nerve. It feels as though the dog is out of control. So how should you manage Yorkie bark level as a responsible owner?

Training helps you understand your dog’s behaviour. For example, while barking is normal for a dog, it can get crazy and disruptive too. Your family pet doctor would be the right person to advise on persistent barking.

Yorkies have human-like hair, but that doesn’t make them 100 percent human. Humans are complex, but Yorkies aren’t!

Adding a few workouts to their fitness routine doesn’t make them engaging. They need much more than that for mental stimulation and to live a meaningful life. There are an “n” number of ways your dog can have a busy day which you just need to explore before getting a Yorkie home!

Some common brain gamers can be letting them get their own food, explore, sniff, solve a puzzle, learn new tricks, do toy naming, shape games, and more.

As a super active dog, Yorkie is always on the go. So a little rest can make them feel bored. But there are ways to bust this boredom and prevent them from slipping into destructive behaviour. Learn how to take care of social dogs to understand your pet’s needs.

If you bring Yorkie home, you will always have a loyal and adorable friend by your side. All you need is to become the ideal Yorkie owner before they come to you!

Venkatesh Krishna

Venkat (Chief Dog Officer ). I’m Marketer by profession and a Dog Blogger by passion! I write about dog breeds, review products, and curate dog stories, photos, and videos

Yorkie – All You Need To Know About The Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkie – All You Need To Know About The Yorkshire Terrier

A brief history of Yorkie

Yorkie’s physical characteristics and traits

Yorkie’s adaptability with family and strangers

Yorkie shedding

Yorkie grooming

Yorkie Personality

Venkatesh Krishna

Yorkies F.A.Q

Yorkie Behaviour

Yorkie Hair

Yorkie Growth

Yorkie Food