Best Gear for Yorkshire Terriers

A harness that fits is the one that stays put and stops rubbing. Girth varies far more between individual dogs than between Yorkshire Terriers and any other breed, so measure before you buy rather than ordering the size on the breed chart.

At 4-7 lbs a Yorkshire Terrier sits in most brands' small band — but "Large" is a marketing word, not a measurement. Buy to the manufacturer's stated weight rating and the dog's measured length, because the same label covers very different sleeping surfaces from one brand to the next.

Hair that does not fall out mats instead, so a minimal-shedding coat needs a slicker brush and a metal comb used more often — not an expensive vacuum. This is the buying decision people get backwards.

Moderate energy suits a small rotation rather than a big shelf — one hard-wearing chew for downtime and one active toy for the daily session.

Trainability rated "Stubborn" means the payoff comes from what you are paying with. High-value training treats and short sessions move this breed further than any piece of hardware, which is worth knowing before you buy a training tool.

Give your Yorkie a plush toy with squeakers inside or a 'hide-a-squirrel' puzzle where they dig out stuffed animals from a tube. This directly mirrors their original ratting purpose —

Hide small, smelly treats behind furniture, under cups, or inside cardboard boxes and let your Yorkie sniff them out. They were bred to follow scent underground into tunnels, so nose

• •Bred in Yorkshire, England, during the Industrial Revolution as a ratter in textile mills before transitioning to
• •Adults typically weigh 4 to 7 pounds and stand 7 to 8 inches at the shoulder, though oversized
• •Their signature steel-blue and tan coat is fine, straight, and silky, growing continuously like human hair rather than

• •Yorkies are bold, confident, and affectionate with a terrier's feisty spirit packed into a toy-sized body
• •They're loyal to their people but can be suspicious of strangers and other dogs, often posturing aggressively despite
• •They're intelligent and respond well to positive reinforcement training, but housetraining is notoriously challenging — many owners find

• •Yorkies need 20 to 30 minutes of daily exercise, which can be a combination of short walks
• •They enjoy learning tricks and can participate in agility at a toy-dog level
• •While they don't need marathon sessions, they should still get daily movement — a sedentary Yorkie becomes overweight

• •Patellar luxation is the most common orthopedic issue, affecting a significant percentage of the breed
• •Tracheal collapse is a serious respiratory condition aggravated by collar pressure, making harness use mandatory
• •Dental disease develops early and aggressively due to crowded teeth in a tiny jaw
• •Hypoglycemia can be dangerous, especially in puppies and adults under 4 pounds