9 Essential Facts About the Yorkie Poo You Should Know
The Yorkie Poo, Yorkipoo, or Yorkidoodle is a small and fun designer dog breed. A cross between Yorkshire terriers and a miniature or toy Poodle, the Yorkie Poo is an excellent lap dog breed and a fun family pet. Does this breed have any drawbacks you should be aware of, however? Are these dogs healthy and well-behaved? What are the 9 things you need to know about the Yorkie Poo? Let’s find out below.
9 things to consider before getting a Yorkie Poo
Yorkie Poos are one of those small dogs that can fill up your whole home. Always around you, either playing or napping in your lap, a Yorkie Poo can make sure that you’re never bored again. They also need a bit of care themselves, however, so here’s what you need to know about them.
1. These dogs are impressively small
As a miniature or an outright toy breed, the Yorkie Poo is usually about 7 to 15 inches tall at the shoulder (18 to 38 cm) and not heavier than 3 to 14 pounds (1.5 to 6.5 kg). The exact size of your Yorkie Poo will depend on the Poodle parent as that can be either a Miniature or a Toy Poodle. Generally, we’d recommend going for a slightly bigger pup if you have the choice as toy breeds are notorious for suffering from extra health issues due to improper breeding practices.
You will usually be able to get a healthy pup, however, regardless of its size, if you make sure the breeder you’re getting the pup from is reputable and offers health certificates. As long as that’s the case, you can enjoy having your little dynamo at home without a care in the world.
2. The Yorkie Poo is very energetic for its size but still adapts perfectly to apartment living
We didn’t call this breed “a little dynamo”. Both parent breeds of this designer dog are hunters – one a terrier, the other a gun dog. So, while the Yorkie Poo is small, it can still surprise you with its energy levels.
Granted, such a tiny dog can never be as energetic as a large gun dog, of course. So, a couple of short walks outside a day will still be enough as your Yorkie Poo will happily get the rest of its energy out in your living room.
3. Yorkipoos are smart and easy to train
Yorkshire terriers, like all terriers, are very smart but can also be quite a bit stubborn and untrainable. This is one of the benefits of introducing a gun dog like the Poodle into your crossbreed, however. Poodles are not just smart but also notorious people-pleasers.
This means that, with a bit of basic obedience training, your Yorkie Poo should be almost as easy to train as a Poodle. Of course, some variation is to be expected. Not only is this cross 50% Yorkshire terrier but every dog is an individual too. As a rule, however, if you play your cards well you shouldn’t have much trouble training this breed.
4. This breed has a pretty well-balanced personality
Aside from training, the Yorkie Poo will typically have a very nice and lovable temperament. These dogs are often self-driven and playful but they are also loving and gentle enough to always seek your company and attention. If you want a pet that loves you more than humanly possible, the Yorkie Poo is an excellent candidate.
This love and sociability also mean that separation anxiety is a risk, however. This is true for all loving and social breeds, and it means that leaving your dog home alone for too long can be a problem. To avoid this, you should make sure someone’s (almost) always there to keep your dog company. Or, you can just take your pet with you when you’re out.
5. These tiny dynamos love to bark a little too much
One potential drawback of this breed is that Yorkie Poos love to bark. A lot. This is a part of the Yorkshire terrier in them and it also isn’t necessarily a drawback – if you want a watchdog to keep you alert of potential danger or intruders, the Yorkie Poo is a good fit. It’s not a guard dog, of course, for obvious reasons.
If you don’t want a watchdog, however, the Yorkie Poo’s love for barking can be an issue. This is especially so if you live in an apartment. It’s not an unsolvable problem, however. Assuming that you’ve gone through a good bit of obedience training, you can then go through some no-bark training as well.
We’re not going to lie to you, even that probably won’t stop your pet from barking at all but it should mitigate the issue as much as possible. From there, it’s just a matter of getting rid of some of the causes for barking such as separation anxiety.
6. Yorkie Poos get along swimmingly with kids, other dogs, as well as non-canine pets if they are well-socialized
The small size, lack of an overly strong prey drive, and generally social nature mean that the Yorkie Poo is excellent for large families. This can include kids and other canine or non-canine pets. Good socialization is still important, however. Without it, even a social dog can become scared of or aggressive toward guests, strangers, or other dogs.
7. As you’d expect, the Yorkidoodle doesn’t really know how small it is
Most small breeds are famous for their Napoleon Complex – the tendancy to forget how small they are and stand up to larger dogs and people alike in a relatively aggressive manner. The Yorkie Poo is no exception but it’s important to note what exactly this “complex” is.
This isn’t some inherent part of the temperament of small dogs. Instead, it’s a behavior their owners accidentally raise them with. Simply put, this is the result of poor training and socialization. The owners of big and strong breeds ( usually) don’t make this mistake because a poorly trained and socialized large dog is an obvious risk. With small dogs, however, people are often negligent, don’t train out bad behavior, and – on the contrary – often accidentally encourage it as it seems cute.
In other words, as long as you train and socialize your Yorkie Poo adequately, it should behave pretty well around strangers and even larger dogs.
8. This breed has a gorgeous coat that also sheds minimally and is pretty good for people with allergies
The coat is one of the major reasons why breeders love crossing dogs with Poodles. These awesome gun dogs are famous for their single-coated, low-shedding, and almost hypoallergenic coat. Does this mean that all Poodle crosses such as the Yorkie Poo are also (almost) hypoallergenic?
Not quite but kind of yes. As a crossbreed, the Yorkie Poo can inherit the coat type of either of its parents. Or, it can inherit something in between – just as the case with its size, temperament, and other characteristics.
So, the Yorkie Poo can have a very varying coat when it’s a 1st generation 50/50 cross. If you get a later generation, however, a Yorkie Poo that’s the offspring of other Yorkie Poos and not more Poodles and Yorkshire terriers, then the breeder will have likely prioritized the best possible coat for this lineage.
In the best case, the Yorkie Poo’s coat will be silky, soft, single-coated, and either straight or curly. It will come in a variety of colors such as black, white, cream, tan, apricot, red, sable, silver, grey, gold, and more. Shedding and dander should be minimal. Of course, proper grooming is still required, preferably with daily brushing and monthly baths.
9. Health-wise there are a few things to keep an eye on
As we alluded to above, the health of such a small designer breed is very dependant on how it was bred. If its parents were healthy and bred properly (i.e. no inbreeding, accounting for hereditary conditions, etc.), your Yorkie Poo should be in good health. You can all but guarantee that by asking the breeder for a health certificate.
If you’re adopting, this doesn’t mean a higher risk of health problems – on the contrary. You can always ask the shelter for detailed health info especially if the dog is already an adult.
Whatever dog you get, however, good care is also always a must. Good food, regular exercise, and routine vet visits can help you avoid or mitigate any of the following issues commonly found in Yorkie Poos:
- Patellar Luxation
- Epilepsy
- Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
- Hypothyroidism
- Atopic Dermatitis
- Hyperadrenocorticism
- Portosystemic Shunt (PSS)
As you can see, the Yorkie Poo is quite a special breed to have. As small and energetic as the Yorkshire terrier but also as obedient, well-behaved, and low-shedding as the Poodle, the Yorkie Poo is a near-perfect lap breed.
All the barking can be a deal-breaker for some people but it can be solved (or at least mitigated) with proper training. If you can manage that and avoid separation anxiety, the Yorkie Poo can be an excellent pet for you and your family.
