If your Yorkie is less than 8 pounds I would say that stairs are a must. You can get them for under $10.00 at places like Walgreen's, and when you consider the cost of surgery for one leg, $1,600 and up, that's a real bargain. We have stairs in the bedroom and in the living room I have a dog bed at the base of the sofa and he's been taught to jump on this and then on the couch. You should get serious about training, and never allow them to get off the bed or couch without using the steps. If they jump, put them back on the bed, and have them use the steps; they will learn that it's faster just to use the steps. Even on dogs that are a little bigger the steps help prevent needless wear and tear on the joints. Cheerios are a great training aid to get them to use the steps.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/store...id=prod3091424