The Yorkshire Terrier can be a great little dog. Its size and adaptability make it perfect for apartment life, but also, because of its small size, under seven pounds, isn’t always suitable for homes with small children.

The Yorkie is a beautiful little dog with a silky flowing coat that needs daily care. If you are not committed to daily brushing and weekly shampoos and conditioning, as well as occasional trips to the groomer, the Yorkie is not the dog for you. Luckily, for bathing purposes, it is small enough to fit in the kitchen sink.

Despite the Yorkies diminutive size, it has an indomitable spirit. A Yorkie is a big dog in a small dog body. Nothing can sway him from the certainty of his superiority; not a Great Dane, Pit Bull, Rottweiler or an owner who allows himself to be walked over.

Although Yorkies can be expected to live a long, healthy life, they are susceptible to an abnormality common to toy dogs known as luxating patella, which means that the kneecaps slip out of place or become dislocated. Other health issues to watch for are hypothyroidism, portosystemic liver shunt, hypoglycemia, allergies, diabetes, progressive retinal atrophy, and tooth and gum weaknesses.

Diet is important; soft foods can exacerbate problems with already weak teeth and gums.

Like other small dogs, Yorkies may be difficult to house train.

With the proper training, you can experience many activities with your Yorkie. Yorkies are small enough to be welcome many places that it would be inconvenient to take a much larger dog. Yorkies can be placed in a carrier under the seat on an airplane, making iteasy for them to travel with you. Yorkies can enter and do well in many competitions, such as obedience, agility, tracking, etc. Yorkies can also receive Canine Good Citizen awards and become Therapy Dogs.

Some Yorkie owners are awaiting AKC to approval for Yorkies to participate in Earthdog competitions, which would allow Yorkies to compete against other dogs at tracking and working vermin, such as rats.

Many Yorkie owners would be surprised to know that their fancy, pampered pooch was originally bred to be a working dog to catch rats and other vermin. When the Scots moved into England’s Yorkshire and Lancashire counties they brought with them, to catch vermin in the mines and mills, their Clydesdale and Paisley terriers. The Clydesdales and Paisleys were bred with English Terriers to create what we know now as the Yorkshire Terrier. The original Yorkshire Terrier was a wire-coated, 10-14 pound dog.

In the mid-1800’s, the Yorkshire Terrier became popular as a pet and people began showing them. That’s when the downsizing began. Today Yorkies have a long silky coat that makes them unsuitable for work on farms or in mill and in mines. The AKC standard sets the top weight for a Yorkie at seven pounds.