Yorkshire Terrier aka Yorkie
It will make the perfect, devoted companion and one of the best watchdogs. Yorkies are one of the smallest dog breeds in the world, but they are oblivious to their size. These small dogs can be an energetic breed or the best lap dog. They are forever seeing love, adventure and attention. They can also have be bold and stubborn by nature. If given the chance, they can be quite mischievous also.
Wonderful Traits
Along with many wonderful traits, they are one of the more popular dog breeds these days. They are small in size, standing about 9 inches at the shoulders and weighing between 4-7 pounds for the Yorkshire Terrier Standard. A Yorkshire Terrier is considered a dog from the Toy breed group 
versus the Terrier group because of their size. Yorkshire Terriers have many of the Toy breed characteristics including being alert, active, very clever and inquisitive in nature.
Yorkshire Terrier is a Sociable Breed
They are also anything but shy. They can be bold and not afraid of anything. That is why they should be never left on high places where jumping off is an option to them. Yorkies love their families and typically bark if they sense any danger – making them the perfect watch dogs. A Yorkie can love to bark, so you need to set the ground rules early, so they know when it is okay to bark and not just yap.
Yorkies and Children
The two do get along, but it is best if they grow up together. While Yorkies are tolerant of children, a child needs to know how to properly play with the dog and show the dog respect. Yorkies don’t think twice about snapping at a child if the child is unintentionally abusive or teasing the Yorkie.
Other Animals in the Home
For the most part, the Yorkshire doesn’t do well with other animals including dogs, unless they grow up with them. If you have other pets, you need to make sure you socialize the dogs well. Keep in mind Yorkshire Terriers, regardless of how well they are socialized with dogs, are not usually compatible with cats and never with rodents of any kind. Yorkshires were bred to hunt rodents, this is part of their natural instinct, and it cannot be trained out of them.
Exercise is Important Even for Small Dogs
An important part of your dog’s physical growth and overall health is exercise. A Yorkie‘s expectant lifespan is 14-16 years and exercise will help ensure that. These small dogs should have regular checkups, so they can be tested and watched for common illnesses and specific health problems that affect the breed.
Yorkie Breed Characteristics
| Adaptability |  | Dog Friendly |  | Shedding Level |  |
| Affection Level | | Exercise Needs |  | Social Needs | |
| Apartment Friendly | | Health & Grooming | | Stranger Friendly |  |
| Barking Tendencies | | Health Issues | | Territorial | |
| Cat Friendly | | Intelligence | | Trainability | |
| Child Friendly | | Playfulness | | Watchdog Ability | |
Grooming
Yorkies do not shed, but do require daily grooming. Their coat is typically long and silky and needs to be brushed and any mats combed out. The hair on top of the Yorkie’s head is usually kept in a topknot to keep the hair out of their eyes. A lot of people prefer getting their Yorkies clipped in a “puppy cut“. This is a very easy to way to maintain the Yorkshire’s coat. See grooming tips here.
Importance of Socializing
It is very important to socialize Yorkie Puppies as well as an adult dog, so it doesn’t become possessive and aggressive.
