Yorkies, also known as Yorkshire terriers, are among the world’s most famous dogs. Yorkies are the United States’ second most popular dog. How do I know?
Yorkshire Terriers ranked number two in 2006 when there was a huge influx of Yorkshire terrier registrations with the American Kennel Club (AKC). Since 2006 yorkies have continued to become increasingly popular. I have always thought that yorkies were dang cute.
This is obvious to anyone. Maybe that is where much of their charm comes from- but besides their good looks there is definitely more than meets the eye. So what is the big fuss?
What can possibly make these dogs special enough to be the most frequent household dog with only one exception, the Labrador?
Bella Posing Ever So Cute In Her 2nd Dress
Yorkies can make excellent family pets. Yorkies are naturals around children. Yorkies love children, and children love yorkies. When we walk our two yorkies the neighborhood kids run to pet our dogs.
They are so excited to see our yorkies that I daresay these kids seem more excited to see our dogs than their own!
Our dogs love children so much if they hear a child’s voice outside or during a walk their ears perk up, their tails wag, and they do their best to find where that child’s voice is coming from!
Our yorkies love to be pet by the neighborhood children and are very gentle and loving to them.
However, very young children can be a danger to a yorkie because of the very small yorkie size. Yorkies are fragile and can be hurt much more easily than a medium to large size dog. Yorkies love people and will follow you wherever you go, although they are not good at avoiding being stepped on. We always make a conscious effort to know where our yorkies are to avoid stepping on them.
Bubby's 1st Day Home, What a Good Yorkie Puppy
I regret to say that all the alertness in the world will not protect a yorkie completely from being stepped on. They are too eager to be close to us. This problem is increased greatly around young children, especially those who are not yet old enough to know that others  including pets- can feel pain.
Yorkies are small dogs. The AKC breed standard for a Yorkshire terrier is 3 to 7 pounds. There are many benefits to having a small dog for a pet, and few breeds exist that are as small as or smaller than yorkies.
Yorkies can live happily in smaller homes, some apartments, and do not require extensive exercise. They also eat much less than a larger dog.
Yorkies are loyal. Another piece of a Yorkshire terrier’s heritage is a very loyal temperament. They were purposefully bred this way from the beginning. The Clydesdale or paisley terrier, Yorkshire terriers’ ancestor, was a very loyal dog.
Yorkies love their owners. Ours follow us wherever we go. They are content to sit on our laps or sleep at our feet- really, just being near us is one of their biggest desires.
Yorkies are great watch dogs. Yorkies were originally bred to catch rats. The ‘terrier’ part of yorkies is very territorial. If our yorkies hear anything out of the ordinary they let us know right away. They will also run to the door and bark to warn possible intruders.
July 15th, 2010 at 9:49 am
hi i really really want to get my mom a yorkie because when she was little she dreamed about getting a yorkie but never ever did because they could not afford it now she does not like to talk about it and she is lonely so i want to get it for her birthday so email me back
January 7th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
this breed of dog is very sweet but can be very protective over its owner and is not good with young children (under 12 yrs.)
January 7th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
i love this breed they are very sweet and can love u 4 ever
February 24th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
i have a yorkie but now i want a tee cup to go with it my dog is afraid of bigger dogs so will it work to have both of them
March 3rd, 2011 at 10:31 am
your dogs are so adorable
June 8th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
I am getting a yorkie they are so cute
August 1st, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Just so everyone knows, Tea Cup Yorkies are not a type of Yorkie. They are the product of breeding runts with other runts. Although cute, this is not a good option. They suffer from multiple other genetic issues that regular Yorkies do, as well as the most common. To top it off, they tend to only live half as long,4 to 7 years, due to the problems mention prior. Not saying the person representing this site was condoning this, but just be careful in your decisions.
August 1st, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Also, reference to above post:
http://www.barkrescue.net/teacup.htm
August 11th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Thanks Sean, this is good advice for our readers. I do want to add that although there are differing opinions out there, the yorkies that usually have genetic issues or are the product of breeding runts with other runts are usually the tiniest, those yorkies that fall into what I like to call the “less breedable” yorkie weight category. 3-7 pounds however is the listed weight requirement according to the AKC for yorkies, and to be honest if you want a yorkie this is what you are gonna get- it is, by definition, a yorkie. They are a “toy” breed. There are few health risks to yorkies within these guidelines. Additionally, I have never heard of this “half as long” life span, 4-7 years is nowhere near what yorkies are listed to live, and this can be backed up by any real life situation if you know someone who owns a yorkie.
September 26th, 2011 at 11:50 am
They are so cute! I want one really bad, but my mother thinks dogs are too much work. How do I show her I want one and will take care of him?
February 6th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
I agree with last post. Teacup yorkies can live much longer than 4-7 years. My first yorkie died at 9 years, and my last one lived to be 12 years old. Depends on genetics and how you care for your puppy. Teacup yorkies are the smartest, loveable , loyal pets i’ve ever owned. I am getting a new puppy in a few weeks when she is ready. I need help with a name. I am thinking of Paisley, because of the ancester terrier named paisley who gave yorkies their loyal temperment:)