DOG FAQ - How often can I bathe my Yourshire Terrier?

Some Yourshire Terrier are bathed more often then others, it depends on your Yorkie’s coat and skin type. Some Yourshire Terrier experience dry skin and can not tolerate often bathings, others are bathed 2-3 times per week. Once a week is usually sufficient in keep your Yorkie clean with daily brushings. Many Yorkie owners find that a small wash cloth to wash up their Yorkie’s face daily works well in between bathings. Also, if your Yorkie has a lot of eye boogers near the eye area, you can use a flea comb to clean the eye boogers out. Most Yourshire Terrier owners brush their Yorkies daily, the length of time of brushing may depend on the length of your Yorkies coat, the longer the coat, the more you may need to brush it.

Yorkshire Terrier - Dog Lover

DOG FAQ - My Yorkshire Terrier puppy’s ears won’t stand up, what can I do?

Most Yorkshire Terrier’s ears will stand up between 6-8 weeks of age, sometimes not for up to 4 months. In aid to help your Yorkie’s ears stand up taping or trimming the hair off the tips of the ears works well. Some Yorkies ears (after standing up) might flop down again for short periods due to vaccinations, stress, or illness. Some people do not believe in taping, as an alternative, you can trim the hairs off the tips and massage the ears daily for them to get them to stay up.

Yorkshire Terrier - Dog Lover

DOG FAQ - Where can I find a Yorkie puppy and find a good honest breeder?

Breeders fit into categories and like any business there are levels of desirability. There are the high profile professionals, those who exhibit and advertise regularly being dedicated fanciers, and then there are the “Mom and Pop” breeders who have litters just a few times also known as “back yard breeders (BYBs)”.

Research on your part, trust in the breeder, and learning as much as you can about any breeder will help in the search for your Yorkshire Terrier puppy. Internet searches, local newspapers, and visiting dog shows can give you insight and breeder information. Time, patience, and trust is worth a million in your search for your Yorkie pup.

Another method of finding a breeder is by a personal referral from someone you trust. If you know someone that has a Yorkie locally, ask where they got their Yorkie from and if they are happy with the breeder. Most will be happy to give you honest opinions about their breeder. Also, you can ask for recommendations from YorkieTalk members, ask in the YorkieTalk Regional Forums, or look in the Yorkies For Sale forum. It may be better to trust YorkieTalk members who have been around a while (members with a few hundred posts or more). There are also quite a few reputable breeders on YorkieTalk as well that people have gotten Yorkshire Terrier from with satisfaction.

DOG FAQ - Are Yorkshire Terrier hard to housebreak?

Any breed of dog can be housebroken. Smaller breeds of dogs have been known to possibly take longer. It seems that some Yorkshire Terrier take years to fully housebreak while others only take a couple weeks or months. Personal preference to use puppy pads for inside housebreaking or outside training will work with the proper training “techniques” which training manuals are highly recommended. What works for one Yorkshire Terrier might not for another. Some Yorkshire Terrier owners use the kennel method, other owners designate a small area of the house to contain the Yorkshire Terrier in until the Yorkshire Terrier is mature enough to have full rein of the house and is completely housebroken. Patience and dedication with positive reinforcement is the key to housebreaking your Yorkshire Terrier.

Yorkshire Terrier - Dog Lover

DOG FAQ - Is there such a thing as a “teacup” Yorkshire Terrier?

- No. Many Yorkshire Terrier breeder’s claim to have “teacup” Yorkie’s and justify charging more for such claims on their puppies. The Yorkshire Terrier standard gives no preference for smaller dogs within the 7 pound weight limit. Extra care should be given to the more tiny Yorkies as some are more susceptible to hypoglycemia, physical injuries due to falls, etc. The Yorkshire Terrier standard as defined by the American Kennel Club (AKC) is between 4 to 7 pounds.

- The desired size of the Yorkie is a personal choice. Families with small children might try to find a larger Yorkie, where as other’s might be in search for the so called “purse baby”. Smaller Yorkshire Terrier may be more susceptible to disease and injuries due to their size. Also, many vets will charge more for working on smaller Yorkshire Terrier because it is more difficult (and dangerous) because of the smaller size.

- There is no such breed! The Yorkshire Terrier breed standard classifies Yorkies as up to 7 pounds. They may weigh from 4 to 7 pounds. If a breeder or pet store is selling a "teacup" or "mini", run away! They may be shady and misrepresenting the Yorkie. The tiny ones may be sold too early, perhaps just so they can call them "teacups" or a "mini". If you are set on a smaller Yorkshire Terrier, ask your breeder when their next litter will be. There will be some "smaller" Yorkies in the litter from which to choose from. Most consider a respected breeder to be one that is AKC registered. While that does not always determine that they are to be trusted 100%, there are standards and qualifications that AKC registered breeders must pass.

- There are small, full-grown Yorkshire Terrier that may only weigh 2 pounds. But, it is very rare for Yorkshire Terrier to be that small. If you have a Yorkie that is on the small side of the scale, you must be very careful with them, as they are definitely more "fragile" than standard sized ones and you must take extra precautions with them, such as making sure they don't fall from a high place or that they don't jump off of places.

Yorkshire Terrier - Dog Lover

ADULT FEEDING

Once your Yorkshire terrier matures it is possible to start feeding it once a day, however you can continue to divide the meal in two offering half in the morning and half at night. If you are not sure about what to do you can always ask a veterinarian for recommendations on feeding your yorkie. It is still recommended that you supplement your Yorkshire terriers diet with nutrients and vitamins.

Yorkshire Terrier - Dog Lover

YONG FEEDING

Until the teething phase is over, which should occur at about 6 months of age, they will need to be fed three meals a day. However, between 6 months and 1 year two feedings should be sufficient. At this stage in a young Yorkshire terriers life it is very important that you feed them a healthy, well-balanced meal in order for good development and growth. Nutritional deficiencies that are developed in youth are practically impossible to make up for later on. It would be beneficial to supplement your yorkies diet with some vitamins.

Yorkshire Terrier - Dog Lover

HEALTH INFORMATION

No matter how healthy a Yorkshire terrier may appear you will always come across some sort of health issues. Some health issues that are often seen in Yorkshire terriers include lymphangiectasia, bronchitis, hepatic lipidosis, cataracts and keratitis sicca. Reactions to where the site of an injection is quite common which usually results in inflammation or even hair loss so do not be alarmed. Yorkshire terriers are infamous for their delicate digestive system and often suffer form vomiting and diarrhoea; this is commonly due to over feeding or foods not tolerated by the Yorkie.

They do tend to be fussy when it comes to food and will not eat what they don’t like so it is important to find a food that agrees with them and they like. Try and avoid mixing foods as they tend not to enjoy the different combinations of flavours. Due to the obvious small size of this toy breed anaesthesia can be a risk and some vets may not wish to perform operations. Another concern with the size of the Yorkshire terrier is that they seem susceptible to injury because of falls, other dogs as they will strike at bigger dogs or even the owner’s mistakes. This is another reason why Yorkies are not recommended for small children as they are likely to injure the dog. This may even be screened by breeders or rescue centres and most will not allow families with young children to have a Yorkshire terrier.

It is important to maintain the Yorkies weight at around 7 pounds as it could cause it to have a shorter life span of less than the average 12 – 15 years. Yorkie with weight problems Yorkies weighing 3 pounds or under are more prone to illness and chronic health problems with more problems regarding anaesthesia and injury.

Yorkshire Terrier - Dog Lover