Peter F. Veling

Picking the perfect Yorkshire terrier starts with purchasing the dog from a reputable breeder and looking for the characteristics that define the breed standard. Puppy-proofing your home and keeping animal emergency phone numbers handy will keep your Yorkshire terrier safe and happy.Picking a reputable breederIt’s not hard to find a dog breeder, but you want to find a reputable one when picking out your Yorkshire terrier.

Wrapping a Yorkshire Terrier's coat is a task for those owners who are serious about creating a show-quality coat. A show wrap protects a Yorkie's coat, allows it to grow, and also helps keep it clean. You can start wrapping your Yorkshire Terrier as soon as the hair is long enough — usually around 9 to 10 months.

Just because many standard photos of Yorkies show the long hair and top knot (tied with a bow) doesn't mean that that's the only acceptable coat style. It's not. In fact, any clean, brushed Yorkie is a cutie. But the long coat and the puppy cut are the two most popular coat styles. The long coat The long coat is the style you typically see in breed books and on many Yorkie Web sites.

The first Yorkshire terriers were brought to the United States in the early 1870s, and they came as parlor dogs — companions to the wealthy families that were so keen on them. Their popularity slowly grew and then skyrocketed in the 1950s. Over the past few decades, Yorkies have ranked among the most popular dogs in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Your human children, if you have any, are probably gleeful that the new Yorkie is finally home. Your other animal companions, however, may be much less enthusiastic. Your task is to make the introductions and make sure the interactions don't get out of hand. The presence of the puppy alone is going to introduce stress for your other animals until they figure out what they're going to have to deal with.

Your Yorkshire Terrier will probably stay pretty healthy most of his life, but every dog can have health problems. Get to know common Yorkshire Terrier health issues, so you can get your dog the right treatment quickly. Whenaddressed promptly, most conditions can be treated successfully. As a breed, Yorkshire Terriers are predisposed to certain conditions, but that doesn't mean that every Yorkie will get sick.

Get your home ready for your new Yorkshire Terrier by dog-proofing it. Preparing a home for a new Yorkshire Terrier requires just as much diligence as it does to child-proof a house for human kids. By dog-proofing your home and yard, you keep your pet safe and healthy. Yorkshire Terriers will explore — by chewing, sniffing, tasting, pulling at, and bouncing around — anything that catches his eye.

Some personality traits are very common among Yorkshire Terriers, but every dog is unique. Knowing your Yorkie's personality traits and understanding how to use them to your advantage will help you train your dog more efficiently. Generally, Yorkshire Terriers are energetic and love to keep busy. Your Yorkshire Terrier might be a couch potato or scared of his own shadow.

Many Yorkshire Terriers are waiting patiently for new homes in breed rescue programs. Adopting a Yorkshire Terrier from a rescue organization is a great way to find a lovable companion. Many of these dogs are wonderful, devoted, well-trained family members who just got the short end of the bone for one reason or another and no longer have a place to go.