Yorkshire Terrier Temperament
What's Good About 'Em,
What's Bad About 'Em
By Michele Welton. Copyright © 2000-2010
--------------------------------------------------------------There are two schools of thought on the Yorkshire Terrier: (1) he is a vigorous terrier; (2) he is a delicate toy dog made for pampering. The owner's view of him has much to do with how an individual dog turns out.
For certain, the Yorkshire Terrier is lively and inquisitive, physically and mentally quick, and spends much time trotting (or dashing) around checking things out.
Larger dogs may view him as a delicacy, so he must always be leashed or fenced for his own protection; in addition, he can be an excitable chaser of birds and butterflies.
A lover of comfort, the Yorkshire Terrier enjoys cuddling on laps and snuggling into soft pillows.
Keen of eye and sharp of tongue, he won't fail to announce strangers, often in a high-pitched voice. Early socialization is required so that he doesn't become too shrill.
Though he can be bossy and scrappy with other dogs, especially larger ones, Yorkies coexist well with other pets, but are overwhelmed by the roughhousing and mischief of small children.
Some Yorkshire Terriers are bright and quick to learn, while others are willful and opinionated. Yorkies often dislike walking on a leash and may dart to and fro until taught how to behave.
Housebreaking is notoriously difficult, especially in bad weather; consider an indoor litter box. Barking must be controlled from day one, and this spunky little fellow can be possessive of his food and toys.
If you want a dog who...
A Yorkshire Terrier may be right for you. |
If you don't want to deal with...
- The fragility of toy breeds (see below)
- The fine line you need to walk with toy breeds, where you need to protect their safety, yet require them to stand on their own four feet and be well-behaved
- Notorious housebreaking difficulties
- Regular brushing and combing, or regularly trimming the coat short
- Suspiciousness, shrillness, and highstrung temperaments in some lines, or when babied and spoiled or not socialized enough
- Excitable chasing instincts
- Concerns about some serious health problems
A Yorkshire Terrier may not be right for you.
If I were considering buying or adopting a Yorkshire Terrier
My major concerns would be:
- Fragility. Too many people acquire a toy breed puppy without understanding how incredibly fragile a toy breed is. You can seriously injure or kill a Yorkshire Terrier by stepping on him or by sitting on him when he's curled under a blanket or pillow, where he frequently likes to sleep. And Yorkies can seriously injure or kill THEMSELVES by leaping from your arms or off the back of your sofa. A larger dog can grab a Yorkshire Terrier and break his neck with one quick shake. Owning a toy breed means constant supervision and surveillance of what's going on around your tiny dog. Yorkshire Terriers must always be kept on-leash -- they are just too easy to injure when not under your complete control.
Yorkies are NOT suited to young children, no matter how well-meaning the child. Children cannot help being clumsy, and that a child meant well is little solace to a Yorkshire Terrier who has been accidentally stepped on, sat on, rolled on, squeezed, or dropped onto the patio. Most Yorkies feel overwhelmed by the loud voices and quick movements that children can't help making -- and stress and fearfulness (even defensive biting) may be the result.
- Housebreaking problems. As a behavioral consultant, I would put the Yorkshire Terrier on my Top Five List of "Hard to Housebreak." Consistent crate training is mandatory. Sometimes a doggy door is necessary. And some owners never do get their Yorkies fully housebroken.
- Providing enough socialization. Suspicious by nature (their terrier heritage), Yorkshire Terriers need extensive exposure to people and to unusual sights and sounds. Otherwise their natural suspicion can become shrillness or nastiness.
- Barking. Yorkies are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them.
To learn more about training Yorkshire Terriers to be calm and well-behaved, consider my dog training book,
Teach Your Dog 100 English Words.
It's a unique Vocabulary and Respect Training Program that will make your Yorkshire Terrier the smartest, most well-behaved companion you've ever had.
Teaches your dog to listen to you, to pay attention to you, and to do whatever you ask him to do. - Grooming. Without regular brushing and combing, Yorkshire Terriers become a matted mess. If you can't commit to the brushing, you have to commit to frequent trimming to keep the coat short, neat, and healthy.
- Finding a healthy one. Yorkshire Terriers can suffer from a serious liver disease (liver shunt), knee joint problems, eye diseases, and more.
My dog buying guide, How To Buy a Good Dog, will teach you everything you need to know about finding a healthy Yorkshire Terrier puppy. Health problems have become so widespread in dogs today that this book is required reading for ANYONE who is thinking of getting a purebred, crossbred, or mixed breed dog.
If you'd like to consult with me personally about whether a Yorkshire Terrier might be a good dog breed for your family, I offer a Dog Breed Consulting Service.
Once you have your Yorkshire Terrier home, you need to KEEP him healthy -- or if he's having any current health problems, you need to get him back on the road to good health.
My dog health care book, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy is the book you need. Raise your dog the right way and you will be helping him live a longer, healthier life while avoiding health problems and unnecessary veterinary expenses.
Please consider adopting an ADULT Yorkshire Terrier...
When you're acquiring a Yorkshire Terrier PUPPY, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important.
But when you acquire an adult dog, you're acquiring what he already IS and you can decide whether he is the right dog for you based on that reality. There are plenty of adult Yorkshire Terriers who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics that are "typical" for their breed. If you find such an adult dog, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you. Just be happy that you found an atypical individual -- and enjoy!
Save a life. Adopt a dog.
Adopting a Dog From a Dog Breed Rescue Group
Adopting a Dog From the Animal Shelter
Copyright © 2000-2010 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved.
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