This may be out of place here, but is the rule of thumb the same for Silky Terriers? We joined Yorkie Talk because it is soooo great, but we really have a Silky. Her hair is not "silky" at all, but she is only 7 months old.

Her hair seems thin, and it is not very soft. Will it change?

color and weight
 

As a breeder of Yorkies the only prediction that has been right on for me has been health and temperment. I have a mama that throws all kinds little and big, silver and black, of course she is CKC so I think something in her background makes her pups irregular I breed her for health and temperment and intelligence. Her pups are wonderful companions very healthy and smart..but I tell people up front that if size and color are their upmost concern then these are not the pups for them. I have other mamas that breed more true to color and size but none that throw pups more healthy and sweet than Angel Baby's

Right on Steele
 

Health and temp are important to me in any breed. I hear people get upset if their puppy is gaining weight and is becoming bigger than they thought it would be. I have a Shorkie. I was told she would be 7-8 pounds, BUT it could be more or less. Breeder trying to be honest. Better to state "estimate" lol. So now at 4 months, she is 2 pounds 8 ounces. I hope she gets to be 7 or 8 pounds. She'll be able to do more on her own if she's a little bigger, lol.
What I don't understand and perhaps the members can help me with this, is why do people like to buy pups that will stay at 2 or 3 pounds? I mean what is it actually that people like about it? What does owning a 2 pound pup do? I am just curious because maybe I'm missing something. Are they better for some reason? I'm new to the Yorkie so I'm still learning. I mean to offend no one, just trying to learn some things here. This is a GREAT forum, the best I've seen for Yorkies.

Opinions
 

I have ask potential parents just as a survey for my own information. These are the answers I have gotten "They are the cutest" I have a back condition and I can't bathe and care for any dog over 5 lbs but I still want a companion. I want one like I have seen in the movies. They won't hurt my children, cat, bird, etc. I want a baby that I can carry everywhere with me, planes, trips, sneak into motels etc. :animal36 Now if I suspect they have unrealistic expectations I try to reeducate them. No matter what the size they are still buying a terrier. They bark, will bite if provoked, they were bred to chase anything that runs from them. Also they are dogs not human babys (no mattter what we treat them like) They run and play and eat without hands and poop and chew. I tell them that the dogs in movies are highly trained by professionals they didn't come that way. And because I know the Yorkshire Terrier and their relationship to humans, that even though they don't grow up to meet their human parents expectations they will be loved anyway

Thanks
 

I say in a nutshel, love them like your baby, but always remember they are canine first.

I have to agree with the above. I wanted a Yorkie that would be small (for me small was 3-5 lbs) so that she would be more of a lap dog and could go with me anywhere. Bella is 4.2 lbs, and is perfect! She fits perfectly on my lap (without spilling over ;) ) and because she's small enough to carry, she comes with me lots of places a larger dog would never be able to. Also, I'm not a fan of being jumped on/licked/etc by larger dogs....I think if she were closer to 7 lbs it would still have been ok, but 10+ is just more than I want, especially since I live in an apartment. (Also, 4.2 lb actually seems to weigh MUCH more when said dog is leaning as hard as she can to look around! I can't imagine adding a few pounds to that!!)

All of this is very interesting. I wanted a smaller Yorkie because I have a 3 lb Chihuahua that goes EVERYWHERE with me and I wanted a playmate that could join us on our outings. I also wanted a dog that would be similiar in size to Hannah because well I just did lol I didnt want one larger dog being too rough etc with the smaller one.

Now Hannah is 1 yr old and is 3.2 lbs...and Miley is just over 7 weeks and was 1.2 lbs today at the Vet. So can anybody give me an estimate of what little Miley might be as an adult? Her parents are 3 and 4 lbs but she was a singleton too so she is a little on the plump side haha.:aimeeyork

Also Miley's hair on her head at the roots is still jet black....she has no lighter roots on ANY of her black yet. Her dark brown points have lightened to a light tan but the black hasnt changed. So does that mean anything...or is it too early to tell yet?

:thumbup:I love this post!

My daughter has a Silky that is 16 months old his hair has gotten lots thicker but a silky's hair is kind of a misnomer their hair is not Silky to the touch but a little course. From what we have read and seen as far as pictures of other Silky's their coats do not get long like a Yorkie does. That all said they are still very beautiful dogs and very loving in nature:rolleyes:

puppies will grow to 1 yr old, maybe urs is just a late bloomer. make sure you feed enough nutrition, i suggest eukanuba after i tried everything else like royal caine, isam, etc.

Doesn't that have corn or corn gluten in it? If so, I don't want it. Corn and grain are just fillers imo and can cause allergies in dogs. I like Wellness and Innova

i wanted a small yorkie because i thought they are really cute, but after i learned about the health problems small dogs tend to have, i was scared when my dog stopped growing. my yorkie is 3 lbs. but both her parents were 5 lbs, so she should be ok health wise. some dogs just stay small even if their parents are bigger.

i baby sit my friends dog who is 8 lbs. and i can say that a 3 lb dog is a lot easier to carry and you can actually carry them in a purse so they can go everywhere with you. but if the dog is bigger, it will be too hard to carry around in a purse, it will be too heavy.

i do think that even a 8 lb dog is still really small. the only thing is that it does make a big difference when you carry them or when they sit in your lap.

How small is small
 

I guess what it boils down to then is how close do you want to be to your dog? The tinier it is the more portable, the bigger it is the more it can do on it's own. My 2 1/2 lb girl will not do anything for herself if she can get out of it. My 16 lb girl does not expect for anyone to pick her up and gets nervous if someone does for some reason. She plays ball with me and hunts mice and is a lot of fun. Little Queen is a baby and always will be a spoiled baby no matter how old she gets. :animal-pa

Look at my babies...why are their coats different?
 

Hi everyone! I am very new to the site and this is my first time posting. I have been reading this thread about yorkie coats, colors, silky terriers, yorkshire terriers, etc...and now I am curious.

I have 2 babies. Maxwell, male, is 15 weeks and 3lbs. Mercedes, female, is 11 weeks and 2lbs. They come from different breeders and have different parents.

Maxwell has a thin coat of straight hair which seems to be growing. He also has a short, black coat under that long hair, especially towards the back. He has alot of white/silver growing on top of his head. The hair on his legs, paws, and tail is short and doesn't seem to be growing at all. His ears were standing when I got him but now they don't.

Mercedes has a very thick coat and has hair EVERYWHERE, even on her legs, paws, and tail! It makes her look alot bigger than she really is. So far, she doesn't have white on her head like Maxwell does. Her ears just started standing up recently.

I have AKC papers on them showing that they are Yorkshire Terriers. But after reading all the posts, I'm really not sure anymore. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Picture left to right:
Maxwell, Mercedes, Mercedes (up front) and Maxwell (in back).

What type of coat a yorkie has soft/silk/modified/course coat etc. is very dependent on the lines of where your yorkie came from. The coat changes colors thoughout the next couple of years. What you've described your Mercedes is probably a softcoated lil girl. Your boy sounds to be a slow growing silk. They are both yorkies, don't worry. The only thing you can guarantee on these yorkies is that they'll make a liar out of you everytime. Just be happy that your lil ones are healthy and happy and don't stress about the rest.

Thank you for your response. Yes, I am very happy that my babies are healthy and happy. I am so glad that I decided on Yorkies. I am amazed at how affectionate and loving they are and so smart, too! Thank you again....

On Max's ears you might want to try to shave the hair off the inside and outside on the tip and then massage them to stand up the hair could be weighing them down.

Also on Maxwell's coat....from the pictures, it appears to me that the breeder may have groomed his little legs?? The hair does appear to be very short, too short really for not having been groomed......I'd bet if you give it a few weeks, it will get longer! (Different people like keeping their pet Yorkie's coats all different lengths and styles....keeping the leg hair short is just one of the many "hair styles" I've seen on a Yorkie.)

Not always so, most true silk coated dogs usually have sparse leg furnishings and very, very slow growing coats. As a matter of fact, I have one male that did not grow coat until he was 16 months of age, but was in full coat by 2.

My two Yorkies LOVE wellness! It has been great for us and their little tiny tummys!:thumbup:

Becki,
Thanks for the lovely photos.
Hugs
Selina

Well...there ya go! :) Thanks for that info! It's so amazing to me just how different these little guys are and just how much their coats change over time!! I suppose you could have 16 Yorkies in a lifetime and have a different experience with color, texture, growth, etc., etc. every single time....just so amazing!

Your little Mercedes looks alot like my little lula :)

My girl is 7 years old, I've only had her about 2 months now. I was wondering if I give a description (plus you can view pics from my profile and avatar pic) can you help me with some information please?

She seems to be 'silky' or 'soft' coated by what I've read but I'd like to make sure.

She has thin-ish hair, it's not reflective, and it grows slow. Her furnishings come down to about her elbows on her legs and it gets short from there. May be from how it was cut prior to me adopting her but I don't think they did much grooming honestly.

She is almost entirely blonde colored, with that steel-blue on her back just a bit. Her tail is blonde and her legs, too, and all of her face/ears/neck. When she is wet and drying from a bath you can see a bit of gold specks in the blonde in some areas.

Is this silky sounding? Does she have normal yorkie colorations for this adult to senior age?

What color is the coat on the dog in the 3rd picture???


Thanks!

So how does the hair change color? Does it start at the neck and move backward? Do the hairs shed or do the ends of the hair where it grows out of the skin change?

Bilbo is 9 months old, and the back of his neck is starting to change but the rest of his back is still black with a few short white hairs intermingled. His tan is starting to change to pale gold--the top of his head is creamy gold, almost platinum blonde.

It doesn't really matter, I'm just curious.

Every dog is different on how they begin their color change......some will begin at the hips others at the shoulders.....other's the blue comes in by the bleeding (a breeder/exhibitor term) into the black from underneath. Gold changes are different also....dependent on the genetics and background of your dog......

My yorkie's eyes are greenish yellow when she has her picture taken. I know it has been discussed that this means she has a silk coat.
I also have a 9month ols shih tzu pup. Now her coat is very soft and I would say it is cotton . Both dogs have very different coats, and texture . It is interesting to have the different breeds , and see how they vary .

Blondies
 

:thumbdownBlondies:thumbup::animal-pa
How do people feel about the way they look ? I think they are pretty, even though it is not the "standard". I am considering in adding a male to my breeding program. The male I have found his parents are quite blond? Would you stay clear or take your chances?
Thanks :dogsm3: