The Yorkshire Terrier is a breed that has gained enormous popularity over the years, and the main reason for this is of course its small size and adorable appearance, characterized by its silky-soft coat. The Yorkshire Terrier originated in England in the 19th century, although today’s specimens have nothing in common with the Yorkshire Terrier of that era.
When you’re dealing with a small breed of dog, it’s normal to have many questions about the dog’s maturity as well as its adult height and weight. If you want to know at what age a Yorkshire reaches its adult size, then we invite you to continue reading this article from PlanèteAnimal!
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At what age does a Yorkshire reach adulthood?
So that you can have the answer to your question as quickly as possible, we’ll answer it in this first box.
A Yorkshire reaches adult size at around 15 months.
To learn more about Yorkshire growth, we invite you to continue reading our article At what age does a Yorkshire reach adulthood?
The Yorkshire Terrier breed
Although we’re not entirely sure which breeds were selected to develop the Yorkshire, all indications point in the direction of crosses between the Clydesdale Terrier, the Paisley Terrier and the Airedale Terrier. The first known official recognition of a Yorkshire dates back to 1870.
It was very popular as a show dog, but nowadays it’s one of the favorite companion dog breeds, thanks to its adorable appearance and small size, which makes it an ideal apartment dog.
With its cheerful, playful personality, the Yorkshire is also known and recognized for its sharp intelligence and, despite its small size, for being a little boss in the household. As a small breed of dog, it can be tricky to know whether it’s an adult or not, which is why in the next part of our article At what age does a Yorkshire reach adulthood we’re going to tell you a little about its growth rate and measurements.
How old does a Yorkshire grow?
At birth, a Yorkshire is very small indeed, so much so that some specimens weigh no more than 200 grams. Nevertheless, during the first seven months, the puppy will experience accelerated growth, which will continue at a slower pace until they are fifteen months old. At this stage, they go from weighing a few grams to a kilo in some dogs, while others can end up weighing up to 2 kg!
When does a Yorkshire reach adult size? – How old does a Yorkshire grow?
At what age does a Yorkshire change color?
Part of this period of growth is the change in coat color and texture. At birth, their coat is completely black with a few bronze spots.
From the age of 6 months, the black coat gradually takes on a shinier, bluish or silvery color. In addition, the texture of the coat becomes silkier and softer, a characteristic for which the Yorkshire is renowned.
In adulthood, the Yorkshire’s coat will adopt the tone it will keep for most of its life, a shiny black over most of the body, bronze on the legs, head and, sometimes, also on the abdomen. The typical color of a Yorkshire is therefore black and tan.
When is a Yorkshire an adult?
A Yorkshire is considered adult once it has reached 2 1/2 / 3 years of age. A full-grown Yorkshire weighs between 3 and 3.2 kg, although some unusual specimens can end up weighing as much as four kilos. A Yorkshire’s life expectancy is between 9 and 15 years at most.
The stature of an adult dog varies between 30 and 40 centimetres, so it will always be a small dog compared to other breeds.
Does the Yorkshire terrier toy exist?
Known as the Yorkshire toy or teacup, there’s a lot of hype these days about a dwarf variety of this breed that, on average, is half the size and weight of a normal Yrokshire.
But does the Yorkshire toy really exist, or is it just a marketing ploy? No canine institution has ever acknowledged the existence of a dwarf variety of Yorkshire. But where do these super-small Yorkies come from?
Unfortunately, they are the result of breeding by unscrupulous people… Dwarfism is a frequent health problem in small breeds of dog, and is the result of a genetic mutation. See the video attached to this paragraph to discover the behind-the-scenes story of the so-called “teacup” dogs.
Although at first glance they may seem adorable and cute, you should know that cross-breeding dwarf dogs with each other so that the puppies inherit what is considered a malformation will only be detrimental to the little ones. What’s more, in general, dogs of small breeds are far more likely to suffer from certain illnesses, such as spinal problems, as well as complications during childbirth in the case of females. Can you imagine the damage if we promote and breed puppies whose size is well below average?
To avoid such anomalies, we strongly advise you to adopt normal-sized Yorkshire puppies. What’s more, when it comes to crossing the Yorkshire (something only a professional should do), you need to take into account the size of the parents, which should be similar, so that there are no problems at whelping time, as these complications can prove fatal for both mother and puppies.
How many Yorkshire breeds are there?
As we saw earlier in our article At what age does a Yorkshire reach adult size, teacup breeds are not officially recognized, so there is really only one breed of Yorkshire. Unlike many dog breeds, there is only one type of Yorkshire Terrier, as its coat is characteristic and common to all Yorkshire types.
