There are some very healthy small Yorkies, but they need greater care to protect them. I've had five Yorkies through the years, and one of my little girls was very small. After my first Yorkie had a luxating patella, I was very protective of my next three, as I also am of Katie. I did not allow them to jump from the couch or bed, but we walked a lot, they swam a lot in the summer, and they ran and played both inside and out. I love the little ones, but I also am very happy that Katie is larger than all but one of my other four Yorkies. Her best weight is around 7-7.5 pounds, since she is more muscular and very athletic. She loves to walk and run, particularly when fetching her ball, an obsession of hers. She especially loves catching her tiny balls midair, and I would worry much more if she were smaller. I am still very careful when the grass is wet so she doesn't hurt her knees.
Small pups like Callie are wonderful in agility, and my other smaller Yorkies did well living an active dog's life also, but I feel a little better about Katie's jumping outside since she is larger. The thing that really worries me about the tiny dog fad is that many breeders who purposely breed for tinies breed for size as the most important trait rather than structure, health, temperament, etc. Of course that's not true of all breeders of small Yorkies, but it's true of many of the breeders who are breeding mostly for profit rather than improving the breed we love. |