The Irresistible Yorkie

The Yorkshire Terrier, or “Yorkie,” as it is commonly known is a “big dog in a little dog’s body!” They are absolutely fearless and insanely loyal to their people. Weighing only 7 pounds and standing only 5 to 8 inches high, the Yorkshire Terrier will quickly become the Alpha Dog of your entire pack (including the humans). Yorkies are hypoallergenic and make great indoor dogs. A Yorkie’s greatest joy is resting at your feet or sitting on your lap. Yorkies love to travel and make excellent vacation companions.

You have to train a Yorkie not to be too possessive of his master. Otherwise, he will growl at or bite anyone who competes for your attention. This drawback is easily halted by a consistent “No!” and a light tap on the nose. Yorkies shouldn’t be left outside in extreme weather because they are sensitive to too much heat or too much cold. Their hair grows quite long, but a weekly brushing suffices.

Yorkies rank high on the intelligence scale, are slow at housebreaking and — for the most part — are cat-friendly. They can be excessive barkers if not broken of this habit. Yorkies tend to have problems with collapsing of the trachea, but this is self-correcting — even though the snorting sound a Yorkie makes when this happens is quite unnerving.

Like most small, full-breed canines, the Yorkie may have certain congenital problems, although these are not very common. These include liver, hip and kneecap malfunctions. More commonly, a Yorkie can become hypoglycemic, but a drop or two of honey or corn syrup will remedy this problem quite quickly.

With special attention and regular training sessions early on, your Yorkie will bond with you and become your companion for his entire 13- to 16-year life. He will be worth his weight in love, affection and entertainment value.