Is my dog a Yorkie? Coat colour, ears and build
A Yorkie’s colour changes as it grows, and its coat may be long or clipped, so photos can mislead. Upload one for a free comparison with 357 breeds, then use the clues below.
Also known as: Yorkie
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About the Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkshire Terrier was developed in nineteenth-century Yorkshire and Lancashire, partly to catch rats in mills and mines, before it became a fashionable lap dog. It is still a terrier at heart: brave, curious, vocal and quick to take charge, packed into one of the smallest breeds. Yorkies bond closely with their family and adapt well to flats, but they enjoy walks and games. FCI places the breed with the toy terriers in group 3; AKC and KC list it in the Toy group. Most pets wear a short clip rather than the floor-length show coat.
At a glance
- Type
- Pedigree breed
- Size
- Toy
- Adult weight
- 2–3.2 kg
- Life expectancy
- 11–15 years
- Exercise
- Moderate
How to recognise a Yorkshire Terrier
- Adult coat is steel blue on the body and rich tan on the head, chest and legs. Puppies are born black and tan and lighten gradually.
- Fine, glossy, silky hair with no undercoat; grown long, it falls straight down each side from a parting along the back.
- Small V-shaped ears carried erect and set high, with short hair at the tips.
- Small, fairly flat head with a medium-length muzzle, black nose and dark, bright eyes.
- Compact body with a level back; the tail is carried a little above the back and left natural where docking is banned.
Photo tip. Photograph in daylight, side-on, ears up. Natural light shows the true steel blue and tan, which separates an adult Yorkie from a Silky Terrier or a Morkie.
Yorkshire Terrier or look-alike?
Australian Silky Terrier
The Silky is a little larger and longer, with a wedge-shaped head and a coat that stops well short of the ground. Its tan stays on the head, legs and under the tail.
Biewer Terrier
A Biewer has the same silky coat but in three colours: white legs and chest, often a white blaze, and a blue or black body with gold on the head.
Morkie
A Morkie, crossed with a Maltese, often has a lighter, fluffier coat in silver, cream or patchy colours and a softer, rounder face. Its ears may fold over.
Yorkipoo
A Yorkipoo usually shows wavy to curly hair and a longer, finer head from the Poodle side, with ears that often hang rather than stand.
Yorkshire Terrier mixes
Yorkies are a frequent parent of small designer crosses: the Yorkipoo (Poodle), Morkie (Maltese), Shorkie (Shih Tzu) and Chorkie (Chihuahua). Upright ears and the blue-and-tan pattern tend to survive, though the coat in a mix is often wavier or thicker. Size varies widely. The identifier shows the closest pure breeds, so a Morkie usually comes back as Yorkshire Terrier alongside Maltese; a DNA test gives the proportions.
Health and care
- Patellar luxation and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease of the hip are known. Ask breeders for patella results, and mention any skipping or hind-leg limping in a young dog to your vet.
- A liver shunt is known in the breed. Ask whether the puppy had a bile acids test; slow growth or unusual behaviour after meals is worth reporting.
- Walk on a harness, not a collar, as tracheal collapse with a honking cough is known. Small, frequent meals help prevent low blood sugar in puppies and tiny adults.
- Teeth crowd easily in a small jaw, so brush daily. A long coat needs daily brushing; a short clip every six to eight weeks is much easier.